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country was inhabited by the Aruvalar, a nomadic tribe, who were also called Kurumbar. It was the Chola king Karikal the Great, of whom I shall speak fully later on, who first settled these wandering tribes and divided their country into twenty-four Koddams or districts and parcelled it out to families of the Vellâla tribe. The list of the twenty-four Koddams and seventy-nine Nadus is as follows :—[1]
| Koddam. | Nadu. | |
|---|---|---|
| Pulal | ... | Nayaru, Akudi, Athoor, Elumur. |
| Puliyur | ... | Kurmathur, Porur, Mankadu, Amarur, Koddur. |
| Eekkadu | ... | Kakkalur, Kachi. |
| Manavur | ... | Pashalai, Illathur, Konnur, Purichai, Perumur. |
| Chenkadu | ... | Ponnalur, Athikaththur. |
| Payyur | ... | Virpathi, Chevoor, Venkal. |
| Eyil | ... | Thandakarn, Makaral, Koneri. |
| Thamal | ... | Karuveedu, Vakaraivallai. |
| Uttukkadu | ... | Palayur, Thamalur, Kunnam, Neevaloor. |
| Kalathur | ... | Kurumbara, Vallipuram, Pattur, Nadunadu |
| Chembur | ... | Peraiyur, Pattanam, Mukanthur. |
| Amur | ... | Kumuli, Paluvur. |
| Eethoor | ... | Aram-uranganadu. |
| Venkunram | ... | Perunagar, Arasoor, Maruthadu, Nellur, Thellaru. |
| Palkunram | ... | Pasur, Thachoor, Meyoor, Singam-poruta-valanadu. |
| Ilankadu | ... | Ponnoor, Thennathoor, Makunam. |
| Kaliyur | ... | Kaliyur, Thiru-puli-vanam, Virpedu, Erikeelnadu, Pavoor. Chirukarai - Ayntha-nadu. |
| Paduvur | ... | Perunthimiri, Arkkadu, Chenkunram. |
| Kadikai | ... | Perunkanchi, Paranchi, Melkalathur. |
- ↑ I take this list from a document called the Thondai-mandalapaddayam. It gives the names of 24 Koddams and 77 Nadus, although in the same document it is said that the total number of Nadus was 79. The names of these Koddams and Nadus occur in the Chola inscriptions of the eleventh century A. D.
