Page:The Tamils Eighteen Hundred Years Ago.djvu/64

Rh temple at Mâmallai-puram, and which was signed by the following Nagas, amongst other high officers ot the Chola-King :—

Olinagan Madaiyan Alagiya Chola Amurnaddu Muvenda Velan Olinagan Chandra Sekaran Olinagan Narayanan Indupuravan Sanga-Nagan Uchan-Kilavan Muguli Nagan.

It appears from this deed that there were, besides the Olinagas, other tribes of the same race, such as Sanga Nagas and Muguli Nagas, in the eleventh century A. D.

Aruvalar was a local name of the Naga tribes who inhabited Aruva-Nadu and Aruva-Vadathalai. The Oviyar were a family of the Aruvalar tribe who ruled at Eyil-Paddinam, and were Kings of Mâvilankai about the middle of the second century A.D. when there was a temporary decline of the power of the Cholas and of other Tamil Kings. They are described by a Tamil poet as “Chivalrous and intrepid warriors, fierce as tigers on ‘the battle field." The Oviyar were most probably the Basore Nagas alluded to by Ptolemy as Kings of Mélangae. It appears from Ptolemy that at Uraiyur, the Chola capital also, the Cholas were displaced by the Sôre Nagas who were evidently the descendants of Chola and Naga families who had intermarried. About this period the Nagas appear to have risen to power even in Ceylon, judging from the names of the following Kings of the country as given in the Mahâwanso


 * Mahalamana or Mallaga Naga ... 125 A.D.
 * Kuhana or Chanda Naga ........ 173 A.D.
 * Kudanama or Kuda Naga ........ 183 A.D.
 * Kuda Sirina or Sri Naga ...... 184 A.D.

The Parathavar were a Naga tribe who occupied the sea coast and maintained themselves by fishing or by sea faring. They dived for pearls or for conch shells, and knew the charm to keep off sharks from that part of the sea, where they dived. They were most powerful in the country around Korkai in