Arungundram
Encyclopedia
Arungundram is a village in Tamil Nadu
between Arcot and Kannamangalam. The village is surrounded by hillocks and paddy field
s, and is about 8 km from Arcot in Vellore
district. Agriculture is the backbone of the village. The village people are dependent on the North East Monsoon and the Palar river for irrigation.
. There is also a cavern atop the hill with a spring. Sculped figures of the famous monk Naganandhi and a Jain Yakshi are seen near the spring. An inscription near the figure says "Naranan has carved the figure of Pon Iyakki (Yakshi) for his guru Naganandhi during the reign of Nandivarma Pothatharasar ..."
Another inscription belonging to Chola period tells about the donation of a village Kooraganpadi, by a kind of Lada country, Veeracholan and his queen. Hearsay tells about a palace at the Malligai Medu village (Lalaimedu) to the west of Arungundram. It is also believed that there existed 108 Siva temples in and around Arungundram village and the hills. Even now one can see remnants of Siva temples and lingams scattered all around the paddy fields of Arungundram.
These temples are believed to have been damaged during the Carnatic War between Arcot Nawab Chanda Saheb and East India Company
in the middle ot 18th century. The invasion of Hyder Ali is also believed to have caused major damage to the temples around Arcot including Arungundram.
A dilapidated temple of Siva, Sri Chandramouleeswarar Temple
atop Hariharan Kundram, near Arungundram village, a temple of Sri Dharmeswarar at the heart of the village and a temple of Sri Venugopalaswamy still exist in spite of invasions and wars.
The Ponniamman temple with shrines for Saptha Matrikas is revered as the Guardian Angel of the village and a footprint of the Ponniamman on a rock is still worshipped by the villagers.
, and others continued to work for daily wages in nearby Vellore
and Wallajab.
Years later, the descendants of those who left Arungundram two centuries before returned to the village after hearing stories of its beauty from parents and grandparents. Some were high ranking officials in their respective professions and settled well in their lives. They visited the village many times, and grew to love their ancestral village so much, they resolved to restore its former glory.
A primary school building with four class rooms was constructed in the existing panchayat school premises utilizing the MP funds given by Thiru Cho Ramaswamy, Rajya Sabha member. To impart personal attention to the children, two part time teachers were appointed by the trust The school building was innagurated on 20 February 2005 by then collector of Vellore Thiru S. Gopalakrishnan I.A.S.
There is a proposal to construct a multi purpose community hall, a primary health center, a railway station, police station and bus stand in the village. These are likely to come up shortly as funds have been allocated.
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
between Arcot and Kannamangalam. The village is surrounded by hillocks and paddy field
Paddy field
A paddy field is a flooded parcel of arable land used for growing rice and other semiaquatic crops. Paddy fields are a typical feature of rice farming in east, south and southeast Asia. Paddies can be built into steep hillsides as terraces and adjacent to depressed or steeply sloped features such...
s, and is about 8 km from Arcot in Vellore
Vellore
Vellore It is considered one of the oldest cities in South India and lies on the banks of the Palar river on the site of Vellore Fort. The city lies between Chennai and Bangalore and the Temple towns of Thiruvannamalai and Tirupati...
district. Agriculture is the backbone of the village. The village people are dependent on the North East Monsoon and the Palar river for irrigation.
History
During the rule of Pallava dynasty (400 - 800 AD), Arungundram was a place of busy activities. Jain Monks and Nuns lived in the hillocks near Arungundram. Thiruppan Malai, in the outskirts of the village, had a dormitory of Jain Nuns. There are seven cave temples in the hills, belonging to Nandivarma Pallava period (740 AD). The hillock and the caves are now known as "Panchapandavar malai" in TamilTamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
. There is also a cavern atop the hill with a spring. Sculped figures of the famous monk Naganandhi and a Jain Yakshi are seen near the spring. An inscription near the figure says "Naranan has carved the figure of Pon Iyakki (Yakshi) for his guru Naganandhi during the reign of Nandivarma Pothatharasar ..."
Another inscription belonging to Chola period tells about the donation of a village Kooraganpadi, by a kind of Lada country, Veeracholan and his queen. Hearsay tells about a palace at the Malligai Medu village (Lalaimedu) to the west of Arungundram. It is also believed that there existed 108 Siva temples in and around Arungundram village and the hills. Even now one can see remnants of Siva temples and lingams scattered all around the paddy fields of Arungundram.
These temples are believed to have been damaged during the Carnatic War between Arcot Nawab Chanda Saheb and East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
in the middle ot 18th century. The invasion of Hyder Ali is also believed to have caused major damage to the temples around Arcot including Arungundram.
A dilapidated temple of Siva, Sri Chandramouleeswarar Temple
Sri Chandramouleeswarar Temple
Sri Chandramouleeswarar Temple is situated atop Hariharan Kundram, near Arungundram village.-History:The temples of Sri Chandramouleeswarar atop Hariharan Kundram, which had its heyday once, is now in ruins. The walls and vimana are now in a highly dilapidated state...
atop Hariharan Kundram, near Arungundram village, a temple of Sri Dharmeswarar at the heart of the village and a temple of Sri Venugopalaswamy still exist in spite of invasions and wars.
The Ponniamman temple with shrines for Saptha Matrikas is revered as the Guardian Angel of the village and a footprint of the Ponniamman on a rock is still worshipped by the villagers.
Later history
After the Arcot wars, most of the villages of erstwhile North Arcot districts were badly ruined. People began migrating in search of jobs, safety, education and to preserve their culture. A few joined the army of Arcot Nawab and East India CompanyBritish East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
, and others continued to work for daily wages in nearby Vellore
Vellore
Vellore It is considered one of the oldest cities in South India and lies on the banks of the Palar river on the site of Vellore Fort. The city lies between Chennai and Bangalore and the Temple towns of Thiruvannamalai and Tirupati...
and Wallajab.
Years later, the descendants of those who left Arungundram two centuries before returned to the village after hearing stories of its beauty from parents and grandparents. Some were high ranking officials in their respective professions and settled well in their lives. They visited the village many times, and grew to love their ancestral village so much, they resolved to restore its former glory.
Recent developments
Hariharan Kundram Public Charitable Trust which was created by the people returning to the village had created a free maternity hospital for the poor people of the village for conducting deliveries and was opened on 14-June-2008 by the collector of Vellor district Thiru Dharmendra Prasad Yadav I.A.S. The hospital is also being used by the government for providing immunization for children and ante natal checkups for pregnant women on every third Tuesday of the month. A free library and a computer training center have also been built. 10 solar lamps have been provided for the villagers. Every second Sunday, a team of doctors from Chennai travel to the village to provide free medical consultation and medicines.A primary school building with four class rooms was constructed in the existing panchayat school premises utilizing the MP funds given by Thiru Cho Ramaswamy, Rajya Sabha member. To impart personal attention to the children, two part time teachers were appointed by the trust The school building was innagurated on 20 February 2005 by then collector of Vellore Thiru S. Gopalakrishnan I.A.S.
There is a proposal to construct a multi purpose community hall, a primary health center, a railway station, police station and bus stand in the village. These are likely to come up shortly as funds have been allocated.