Narttamalai is the name given to a group of low hills and a village that
lies nestled at their foot. The hill group consists of nine hills, and the hills
are called Mela-malai (மேலமலை), Kottai-malai (கோட்டைமலை), Kadambar-malai (கடம்பர்மலை),
Paraiyan-malai (பறையன் மலை), Uvachchan-malai (உவச்சன்மலை), Aluruttimalai (ஆளுருட்டிமலை),
Bommadi-malai (பொம்மாடிமலை), Man-malai (மண்மலை) and Pon-malai (பொன்மலை). Mela-malai
or Western hill is also called Samanar-malai (சமணர்மலை) and some times Sivan
malai. To the south-east of the village is a reserved forest.
ORIGIN OF THE NAME (etymology)
There are at least two mythological stories currently connected with the
name of the village. A legend declares that the group of the hills is actually
fragments of the Sanjiva Parvatam (சஞ்சீவ பர்வதம்) that fell here when Hanuman
flung it back from Lanka. The Narttamalai hills are said to contain many rare
medicinal herbs - which fact explains the currency of the story. The Perungalur
(பெருங்களூர்) Sthala-puranam derives the name Narttamalai from the sage Narada,
and calls it Naradar-malai (நாரதர்மலை).
More probable is that the name was derived from the word Nagarattar-malai
(நகரத்தார்மலை), or the hill of the Nagarattar-s. Nagarattar-s is the name of
the mercantile community called Nattukkottai Chettiyar-s (நாட்டுக்கோட்டை செட்டியார்),
or simply Chettiyar-s. It was a centre of the ancient south Indian merchant
guild - the Nana-desi (நானாதேசி) 500 - and was a nagaram (நகரம்) or a mercantile
centre.
The Chettiyar-s, also known as Nagarattar-s of the present day are their
lineal descendants, and they inhabit now, what is known today as Chettinad (செட்டிநாடு),
an area beginning from Pudukkottai and extending southwards till about Sivaganga
(சிவகங்கை).
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