The Land, People and History of ULLAVUR: A Locality that Reaps the Bounty of Palar

ULLAVUR is an intensely agricultural locality of the Chengalpattu Jaghire that the British acquired from the Nawab of Arcot in 1763. Soon after, they carried out an extensive Survey of about 2,200 localities of the Jaghire, recording details of all aspects of the land, people and economy of each of these. This monograph uses the data of the Survey, the information recorded in the numerous inscriptions found in the temples of the early Chola times in the nearby locality of Thenneri lying on the banks of a vast and ancient lake of that name, and descriptions of the locality and the region in a much earlier Pallava copperplate inscription, to present a fascinating picture of the land and people of Ullavur. Ullavur is located in a particular fertile and picturesque part of the Jaghire, lying as it is on the northern bank of Palar in the near vicinity of Thirumukkudal, the sacred confluence of the Palar, Cheyyar and Vegavathi. Agricultural production and productivity of the locality in the eighteenth century was unimaginably high, amounting to more than 4 tons of paddy per hectare and 12.5 tons of foodgrains per household per year. That agricultural abundance is reflected in the palpably rich habitation that the people of the locality had created for themselves. According to the eighteenth-century records, this locality of only 83 households had 14 temples and 22 pools and ponds, in addition to 6 groves of areca-palm, mahua, amla and mango trees and 2 flower-gardens. People of Ullavur remain deeply interested in agriculture and continue to maintain their beautiful habitat as well as they can. But modern urbanisation and industry are fast enveloping them from all sides, endangering both the agriculture and the habitat. This monograph is compiled with the hope that this graphic documentation of the geography, economy, history and civilisation of this locality and the area may help avert the looming denouement.