The Aravidu Dynasty of Vijayanagara, Vol. I v1.c13.17

v1.c13.17

Again the same History shortly after: "In case of attack or siege, these seventy-two Palaiyakkarans were each one to have charge of a particular bastion with a connected portion of the wall, and to defend the same with his retainers against all assaults" ⁴. One of the Mackenzie MSS., translated and published by Taylor, gives a List of the seventy-two Palaiyams appointed to guard the bastions of the Pandyan Capital, as they were in the time of Tirumala Nayaka. They are divided into nine sections, of which the first contains the kingdom of Malayalam (Travancore), and the principalities of Ramnad, Sivaganga and Pudukkottai. "These three last," says the list," are like adopted children of the Madura government". Then the second section, without heading, contains the Palaiyams of Ayalur. Nainar, Turaiyur-Rettiyar, Iluppur, Kulattur, and Kattalur; and thus, successively, the third section numbers eight counties attached to the Manapadu Taluk; the fourth gives the names of fourteen attached to the Dindigul Taluq; the fifth has thirty nine, the rulers of which were called Kamban Gudalur Rajas; the sixth contains one attached to Koyambutur; then in the seventh come two Palaiyams attached to the Salem District; and finally two more, the Mannimai Palaiyam and the Raja Palaiyam, each forming a separate section by itself ¹.