Athiyamān

Atiyamāṉ (also known as Adhiyamān, Adigamān or Satyaputra-Atiyān) were a royal Velir dynasty. These king-chiefs ruled from their capital Tagadur (present day Dharmapuri) from at least the 3rd century BCE. The royal house was one of the four kingdoms of Tamilakam, ruling parts of the Kongu Nadu. They were surrounded by the Cheras to the west and the Pandyas and Cholas to the east.

The Atiyamāṉs are mentioned in the Puranas as well as in ancient Tamil literature. Their rule in Southern India is mentioned in rock inscriptions of the Sangam period as well as in the Edicts of Asoka dated to the 3rd century BCE and the Gummireddipura plates with the added title Satyaputra – the "members of the fraternity of truth", synonymous with the Chera clan. Vidukalagiya Perumal, an eighth century chief of this family is described as the descendant of Adigaman Elini of Chera dynasty (vamsa) in one of his epigraphs. A number of inscriptions in Jambai (also known as "Tirukkoyilur") add details of their sovereignty in the 1st century CE. This ruling tribe rose in prominence during the classical period of the history of Tamil Nadu. Their most famous ruler was Athiyamān Nedumān Añci, a powerful king who was one of the Kadai ezhu vallal (7 great patrons) of arts and literature in Tamilakam.