Magadai or Magadai Mandalam was a Tamil

Ancient Tamil country

The Sangam period is the classical period in the history of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and other parts of South India, spanning about the 3rd century BCE to the 3rd century CE...

 dynasty that flourished during the 13th and 14th centuries near the modern-day Aragalur

Aragalur

Aragalur is a village in Salem district, Tamil Nadu, India. It is about 6 km from Thalaivasal and 70 km from Salem.-Etymology:...

. Aragalurudaiya Ponparappinan Rajarajadevan, alias Magadesan, was the Bana

Bana Kingdom

The Banas were a dynasty of South India, who claimed descent from the asura Mahabali. The dynasty takes its name from Bana, the son of Mahabali. The Banas faced opposition from several neighbouring dynasties and served some major dynasties such as the Cholas and Pandyas as feudatories, sometimes...

 chief who ruled this region around 1197. There were three important chieftains in this region:

• Kadava
  Kadava
  Kadava was the name of a Tamil ruling dynasty who ruled parts of the Tamil country during the thirteenth and the fourteenth century CE. Kadavas were related to the Pallava dynasty and ruled from Kudalur near Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu.The Kadava kingdom was at the height of their power briefly...
  
   with capitol at Kudalur near Cuddalore
  Cuddalore
  Cuddalore is a fast growing industrial city and headquarter of Cuddalore district in the Tamil Nadu state of southern India. Located south of Pondicherry on the coast of Bay of Bengal, Cuddalore has a large number of industries which employ a great deal of the city's population.Cuddalore is known...
  
   and Sendamangalam
  Sendamangalam
  Sendamangalam is a panchayat town in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the headquarters of Sendamangalam Block in Namakkal District.-Geography:...
  
  
• Malaiyamaan
  Malaiyamaan Kaari
  Malaiyamān Thirumudi Kāri was one of the kings of the Tamil royal house clan Velir of the Malaiyamān dynasty.. He is one of Kadai ezhu vallal, literally the last of the seven great patrons of art and literature. The Malaiyamān chiefs ruled over the Tirukoyilur area also known as Kovalur...
  
   with capitol at Tirukkoyilur
  Tirukkoyilur
  Tirukkoyilur is a panchayat town in Viluppuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-Etymology:'Tiru' + 'Kovil + 'oor' = holy temple village/place in Tamil....
  
   and Killiyur
  Killiyur
  Killiyur is a panchayat town in Kanniyakumari district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-Demographics: India census, Killiyur had a population of 19,275. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Killiyur has an average literacy rate of 75%, higher than the national average of 59.5%:...
  
  
• Magadai mandalam with its chief
  • Rajarajan
  • ponparappina-perumal (Rajarajan's son)
  • vira Magadan Rajarajadevan pon parappinan Magadaipprumal (second chief of Rajarajan)

Another chief family near Aragalur were the Vanakkovaraiyars with headquarters at Thedavur

Thedavur

Thedavur is a panchayat town in Salem district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-History:Around 1200 CE, there were 2 major forces ruling in the neighborhood, Aragalur ruled by Ponparappinan and Thedavur by Vanakkovaraiyars....

.

The Magadai Mandalam was at the height of their power during the transition of Chola dynasty to Pandyan and Hoysala. There are a large number of inscriptions about the Magadai chiefs in North

North Arcot

The Indian District of North Arcot was split on 30-09-1989 into Tiruvannamalai-Sambuvarayar and North Arcot Ambedkar .- History :...

 (Tiruvannamalai

Tiruvannamalai district

Thiruvannaamalai District is one of the 32 districts in the state of Tamil Nadu, in South India. Thiruvannaamalai town is the district headquarters. The district is divided into 7 Taluks/ Chengam, Thiruvannaamalai, Polur, Thandarampattu, Aarani, Vandavasi and Cheyyar. Aarani is famous for silk...

 & Vellore

Vellore District

Vellore district is one of the 32 districts in the Tamil Nadu state of India. Vellore City is the headquarters of this district. It had a population of 3,477,317 as of 2001. It is 37.62% urbanised...

) and South Arcot

South Arcot

South Arcot is a former district of India, located in the state of Tamil Nadu.South Arcot was the southern portion of the Mughal province of Arcot. Arcot came under the control of a local Nawab after Mughals lost control southern India in the 18th century...

s (Cuddalore

Cuddalore District

Cuddalore District is a district of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The city of Cuddalore is the district headquarters. For the first time, urn burial grave goods were found in the village of Marungur in the district, carrying inscriptions in Tamil Brahmi from the 1st century...

 and Villupuram), Chingleput

Chingleput

Chingleput or Chengalpattu or Chengalpet is a city and a municipality in Kanchipuram district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The name of the city is derived from the old nomenclature 'chenkazhuneer patru'...

 and Thanjavur district

Thanjavur District

Thanjavur District is one of the 32 districts of the state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. Its headquarters is Thanjavur.-Geography:...

s.

There are Buddha

Buddharupa

Buddharūpa is the Sanskrit and Pali term used in Buddhism for statues or models of the Buddha.-Commonalities:...

 idols in the fields and a 6 feet (1.8 m) Buddha statue in the temple in Thiyaganur village near Aragalur. There is a possibility that descendants of the Magadhan Empire could have settled in this area on their way south to Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

.

External links

• http://www.whatisindia.com/inscriptions/south_indian_inscriptions/volume_17/stones_151_to_200.html