South India and her Muhammadan Invaders c13.s1.80

c13.s1.80

19. Kiḷānilai.—This is the famous fort quite on the frontier of Pudukoṭṭa, which in recent Pudukoṭṭa history had passed several times from hand to hand among the rulers of Tanjore, Ramnad and Pudukoṭṭa. In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries it was apparently on a road leading east and west from Arantāngi to Tiruppattūr and possibly Pon-Amarāvati. Parts of the old road could be seen even now. This is called Kiḷānilai as opposed to another village some miles to the north which is called Mēḷānilai; there is a village between called Pudunilai.¹ In the days of the Nāyakas of Tanjore, Paṭṭukkoṭṭai, Arantāngi, Kiḷānilai and Tiruppattūr formed the four frontier forts well fortified and connected by a high road. In the days of the Ceylon war, Pon-Amarāvati, Kiḷānilai and Maṇamēlkkuḍi marked the uppermost northern boundary of the Pāṇḍya country.