Further east, at the famous Srirangam temple in Trichy, a separate `sannidhi’ has been dedicated to Thirupaanalvar, one of the 63 Tamil bhakti poets who lived in the Chola court.

Thirupaanalvar, also known as Paananar, was a poet and the fourth son of Vararuchi, the legendary patriarch of the Pan thirukulam.

Moving west, about 180km from Srirangam at Karaikal in Puducherry, a temple has been dedicated to Karaikal Ammaiyar. The deity dressed in traditional Kerala white sari is believed to be the only female child of the Vararuchi-Panchami couple. Such similarities are not surprising, say scholars. “Myths and legends are a part of every society across the world and there are often cross-overs. One of the major purposes of the myths was to forge a sense of belongingness among communities,” said professor A R Venkatachalapathy of the Madras Institute of Development Studies.

Such myths likely served to strengthen trade and political links. Karur, the confluence of Amaravathi originating in Kerala and Cauvery, was the capital of the first Chera empire. “If you draw a line connecting the `sathrams’ (resting place for traders) along the Bharathapuzha and Cauvery, we can see an unbroken ancient trade route connecting the two regions. Kolamukku, on the banks of Bharathapuzha, and Poompuhar, on the banks Cauvery, were two major urban trading centres in those days,” said Keshavan Veluthatt, a historian at Delhi University and an authority on south Indian history.

There are literary references to such connections as well. According to Pattinippalai, a Sangam text, it was through Amaravathi that Adimanthi, the daughter of Karikala Chozhan, reached Palakkad and became the wife of Mezhathur Agnihothri, the eldest child of Panthirukulam. “Further exploration of Panthirukulam in Tamil Nadu may throw up more interesting details,” said Rajan Chungath, who has written many books on the subject.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by Hussain Kodinhi, TNN / July 09th, 2014