Nagaraththar and Narthamalai: A study

Narthamalai, located in the Pudukkottai region of Tamil Nadu, occupies an important place in the commercial and institutional history of early medieval South India. Epigraphical evidence reveals that this hilly complex functioned as a significant mercantile centre closely associated with the Nagaraththar community from the early Chola period onwards. The present study examines the emergence of Narthamalai as a nagaram a merchant settlement with administrative authority and traces the role of Nagaraththars in shaping its economic, religious, and social landscape. Drawing primarily on inscriptions ranging from the Pallava to the later Pandya periods, the paper analyses merchant guild activity, land transactions, temple endowments, and charitable practices undertaken by Nagaraththars and allied trading groups such as the Ainurruvar and Manigramam. The study also highlights changes in place names, the organisation of merchant guilds, and the systematic management of temple economies under the supervision of the nagaram. By situating Narthamalai within wider interregional trade networks linking Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, this paper contributes to a clearer understanding of mercantile institutions, urban formations, and community-led administration in the early medieval Tamil region.