Tiruvannamalai is an ancient city which records show
to have existed since the 8th Century. Ellappa Nayanar the 16th Century
Tamil scholar, wrote extensively about Tiruvannamalai in his Tamil work,
the Arunachala Puranam. There is a literary work in Sanskrit called the Arunachala Mahatmyam which is believed to have been written a few centuries previously.
Unlike the Sanskrit version, the ancient Tamil scholar Ellappa Nayanar
has extensively archived information about King Vallalan of the Hoysala
Empire, who some say is regarded of the founder of Tiruvannamalai. The
king contributed in spreading the benefits of Girivalam and of
Arunachaleswarar Temple which subsequently helped in the expansion of
the town. King Vallalan ruled South India from the Deccan Plateau, with
Dwarasamudra as capital (known in current days as Halebid, which is
located northwest of Mysore). One can see the richness of Hoysala art
and architecture with its unique style distinguished by a high density
of details and embellishments, amongst the remains of Halebid.
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Until that time, the history of Tiruvannamalai can be sporadically
tracked among Chozha, Pandiya Tamil literature ranging from the 6th to
the 8th Century. The eldest script is believed to be a 6th Century Tamil
script written on the walls of the Madurai Meenakshi Temple. That
script refers to the ruler of Madurai meeting Sundara Pandiyan (who
liberated Madurai from Kulesekara Pandiyan II), and mentions that the
name of Tiruvannamalai at that time was Thiruvanangum Malai, and part of the Madurai Kingdom.
King Vallalan Founder of Tiruvannamalai Town
King Vallalan's devotion and piety are celebrated in chapter seven of the Arunachala Puranam, written in the 16th Century by Ellappa Nayinar. The work is based on the Arunachala Mahatmyam,
written several centuries before in Sanskrit, but the chapter dealing
with King Vallalan and his exploits in Tiruvannamalai can only be found
in the Tamil version. To find out why he is so revered in
Tiruvannamalai, and indeed, why he was in Tiruvannamalai, it is
necessary to go back a few years and give an account of his family
history.
Tiruvannamalai History in Arunachala Puranam
King Vallalan succeeded his father Narasimha and later expanded his
territory to Tiruvannamalai by taking over his father brother's kingdom
on the 31st January, 1292. He was thirty years old when crowned king.
But he was Later to lose most of his ruling territory to Delhi Sultan
Ala-u-din Khaliji, who kept Tiruvannamalai as one of his major towns.
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