Malligai, siru senbagam, perum senbagam, iruvachi were the flowers cultivated in the nandavanam for thiruppallithamam, to be offered to deity. This information is gleaned through an inscription* in Sundarareswara temple at Nangavaram, Kulithalai taluk, Karur district. The inscription speaks about reclamation of a piece of land and converting it into a flower garden by a Brahmin, further the number of people employed for the above said job and their remuneration etc. are also detailed. Along with this, the inscription also gleans the name of the village, its status, details of the land endowed, the temple and the administrative body.
A Brahmin named Sri Madavan, a kramaviddan (expert in krama) resident of Vanghipuram in this village vowed to reclaim the three veli of land located on the eastern side of Chandrakuruchi and to develop it as a flower garden for Maravaneeswaram temple. The three veli of land was over grown with trees and shrubs and remained as a waste land. For reclaiming the three veli of land Sri Madavan endowed 1¼ sei (land) for five people belonging to same family for reclamation, gardening, maintenance, harvesting the flower. The arrangement was made by the Perunkuri Sabha, the administrative body of the brahmadeya villages. Perunkuri Sabha is also mentioned in the inscriptions at Visamangaleswara temple at Thudaiyur in Thiruchirappalli district, Thiruvagniswara temple at Chittur in Pudukkottai district.
Among the five people, three of them were employed for clearing the trees and bushes, leveling of the land and to fence the three veli of land on all the four sides. After leveling and fencing of the land they were to plant saplings of jasmine, iruvatchi (another variety of jasmine), magnolia champaca (sembagam) both big and small varieties. In addition, all kinds of flower trees were also to be planted. Further, they were also entrusted with the job of watering the plants and to maintain the garden regularly. The rest of the two people were entrusted with the responsibility of plucking the flowers and to handover it to the servants of temple who garland it for offering to God Maravaneeswaram Perumanadigal.
The boundaries of the endowed 1¼ sei are given in the inscription and it seems land pieces located adjacently. The land piece beyond the Thennaru, to the east of kazhumalattan vaikulam ……, Southern boundary to the north of the bunt formed for the channel, the land that lies to the southern side and to its west adjoining the thirunandavanam, totally constituting 1¼ measure of land was gifted to the five members and this arrangement was made by the Perunkuri Sabhaiyom on the fourth regnal year of certain Parakesari.
Though at present the village is known as Nangavaram, the inscription mentions the village as Arinjigai Chathurvedimangalam, a brahmadeya devadana village on the southern banks of river Cauvery. Another inscription in the same temple mentions the village as Nangai-brahmadeya Arinjigai Chathurvedimangalam. It is believed that the village was endowed as chathurvedimangalam in honour of the Prince Arinjaya, one of the son of Parantaka I who married the Velir Princess Pudi Aditta Pidari daughter of Maravan Pudi alias Tennavan Ilagovelar, the Irukkuvel chieftain of Kodumbalur. But some historians state that the village endowed in honour of Arindigai, the queen of the Irukkuvel chieftain Cattan Maravan (father of Tennavan Ilangovelar). The inscription mentions the temple as Maravaneeswaram and the deity as Perumanadigal of Maravaneeswaram. The temple was named after the chieftain either Cattan Maravan or Maravan Pudi.
* South Indian Inscriptions Vol. VIII, 640.