In recent times, an alarming narrative has emerged within the Malaysian blogosphere, suggesting a historical event that appears to be a misinterpretation or perhaps a deliberate misinformation campaign. The claim revolves around a so called Malay prince named Manabharana from Srivijaya, purportedly attacking and conquering the Chola kingdom. This misleading story has gained traction and is spreading like wildfire across various social media platforms. The need to address and rectify such inaccuracies is crucial not only for the sake of historical accuracy but also for fostering a responsible and informed online community. To delve into the matter, it is essential to clarify that historical records reveal the existence of multiple individuals named Manabharana throughout history. However, a nuanced understanding reveals that all these figures were Tamils (Damila) hailing from the Pandya kingdom, with references to their exploits documented in Tamil inscriptions and Sri Lankan chronicles
Ariyalur and Udaiyarpalayam are now taluks under the larger present day Ariyalur district. In his book "The Heirs of Vijayanagara: Court Politics in Early-Modern South India", author and researcher Lennart Bes of Radboud University Nijmegen states that the Kallar polygar of Ariyalur may have been the son-in-law of the Kallar polygar of Udaiyarpalayam (page 311). This is according to a Dutch source from the late 1670s; NA, VOC, no. 1454, f. 1015; no. 1756, f. 1219v: reports of local VOC envoys to Tanjavur and Ramnad, August 1688, October 1708. The zamins (earlier palayam) of Ariyalur and Udaiyarpalayam were ruled continously by Kallar polygars until the year 1765 as confirmed by Lewis Moore (see end of article). Both Ariyalur and Udaiyarpalayam were attacked by the combined forces of Nawab and British. After the attack, the Kallar polygars and their families were disposed of their rights and properties. They took refuge in Tanjore (Tanjavur) and later Mysore. They were atta