IRRIGATION SYSTEM, WATER MANAGEMENT AND AGRARIAN SYSTEM IN SOUTHERN PENNAR VALLEY UNDER THE CHOLAS

Agriculture is the major non-industrial sector of India since ancient times. In Tamil country, as explored in Tamil literature, the major economic activity had been agriculture. Particularly, there is a poetic proverb among Tamils, “Cholanadu Chorudaithu”, which means Chola country that is the Thanjavur delta is the “Grannery of South India”. Like the Thanjavur delta, Naduvil-nadu a territorial division lays in, Southern Pennar River Basin of Tamil country still has been a strong agrarian belt. The area of the riverside basin of southern Pennar (South Pennaiyar or Ponnaiyar) in Naduvil Nadu lying between Gadilam river on the left and Ginji river or Sangaraparani river on the right. Most of the scholars have agreed that the term Naduvil-Nadu comes from the territory in between Tondai-Nadu and Chola-Nadu.