Tambaram - the history behind

Dr. Gift Siromoney's article throws light on the long history behind the Tambaram area (Chennai outskirts)

"About 200,000 years ago people of the Old Stone Age (Lower Paleolithic Culture) roamed about Tambaram.
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Around 300 B.C., there were people of the Iron Age living in Tambaram area and they built their burial monuments in the form of dolmens and stone circles which are called Megaliths5 (big stones). Fine examples of such Megalithic Monuments can be seen about 100 metres east of the Great Southern Trunk Road near Guduvancheri railway station.
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The historic period proper begins with the Pallava kings and the earliest of their stone inscriptions is found in Pallavaram (Pallava puram) in a cave temple excavated by Mahendravarman I (600-630 A.D.)
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Pulikesin II was the famous Rasthtrakuta king who defeated both Harsha of North India and Mahendra Pallavan. Narasimhavarman I who succeeded Mahendravarman I waged battles against Pulekesin and defeated him at Manimangalam which is only about 8 kms. west of Tambaram. This is mentioned in the Kuram copper plate inscription,7 the Tamil part of which is written in a script which is a mixture of Pallava Grantha and Tamil. Near Guduvancheri there is now a small village called Nandivararam (Nandi puram) which must have been named after the Pallava king Nandivarman whose praises are sung in Nandi kalambakam. "

Catch the rest in the article. Good read!