Gingee Fort had not developed into a place of note in the age of the Cholas of the Vijayalaya dynasty. We have, however, a large number of Chola epigraphs scattered in the neighbourhood of the place. An inscription of Aditya I refers to Singapuranadu, which evidently centred round Singavaram.
The Cholas had control over the present South Arcot District and the province of Jayangonda Chola Mandalam, named after Rajendra Chola I, included the region of Gingee and extended from the Palar river on the north to Tiruvati, fourteen miles west of Cuddalore.
In the epoch of the disruption of the Chola empire in the 13th century consequent on the encroachments of the Pandyas, the Hoysalas and the Kakatiyas and on the increasing turbulence of the feudatories, Gingee might have become a fortified place.
The Kon Dynasty
According to the Chronicle of Narayanan, Gingee became a fortified place only about 1200 A.D. Ananda Kon, a shepherd by caste, accidentally found a treasure in one of the cavities of the western hill while grazing his sheep. Making himself the head of a small band of warriors, he defeated the petty rulers of the neighbouring villages like Devanur, Jayangondan and Melacheri (Old Gingee), and built a small fortress on Kamalagiri which he renamed Anandagiri after himself.
Ananda Kon fortified Perumukkal near Tindivanam and Padaividu near Polur in North Arcot. After reigning gloriously for about fifty years he was succeeded by one Krishna Kon about 1240 A.D. This chief perpetuated his name by fortifying the northern hill and naming it after himself.
Krishna Kon was followed by two princes successively—Koneri Kon and Govinda Kon—who cut out the elaborate steps to the fortress on Krishnagiri and built the Gopalaswami temple on its top. Puliya Kon succeeded him about 1300 A.D. He excavated tanks and built rest-houses by the sides of the roads leading to Trichinopoly, Tanjore and Vettavalam.
The Kurumbars
Twenty years afterwards, this shepherd race was superseded by the chief of a neighbouring place, Kobilingan by name, who belonged to the Kurumba caste and now ascended the throne of Gingee. He built a brick-fort at Sendamangalam in the taluk of Tirukoyilur, dug some tanks, left others which he began in an unfinished condition and cut out various channels for irrigation purposes.
The Kurumbars or Kurubas are generally regarded by ethnologists and other writers as being composed of two distinct groups, namely the Jungle Kurumbas of the Nilgiris and other hilly regions, and the civilised Kurumbas of the plains. The Kurumbas are the modern representatives of an ancient people who were once powerful throughout Southern India.
According to the Mackenzie Manuscripts, the Tondamandalam country was inhabited by wild forest tribes who had no culture. Men were then naked savages with no regular marriage institutions. Out of such forest tribes arose men who, though first ignorant of civilisation, in course of time evolved a rude organisation and agreed to abide by the decision of one among themselves whom they made their chief.
Vijayanagara Conquest
With the rise of the Vijayanagara empire and its absorption of the greater part of South India, unity of control and administration spread throughout the country; and Gingee, like the other principalities of Madura and Tanjore, was brought under its wide sovereignty. The subjugation of Gingee by the Vijayanagara power about the close of the 14th century is referred to in the Mackenzie Manuscripts which say that Gingee submitted to Narasinga Raya, who held it as a fief of Vijayanagara sending an annual tribute.
Kampana’s Conquests in the South
Kampana first reached Virinchipuram on the Palar river and from it attacked the strong fortress of Rajagambhiram, in which the Sambuvaraya chief had taken refuge. He captured the fortress and slew his enemy in single combat. Soon after its capture, Kampana entered Kanchi and set up his authority there.
Kampana’s own inscription at Tiruppukkuli near Kanchi, recording his capture of the Rajagambhirarajya, is dated Saka 1287 (1365-66). Kampana Udaiyar was assisted by several able lieutenants who served him both as ministers and generals. Besides Gopana, there was the illustrious Somappa, and Saluvamangu who is stated to have been one of the officers who accompanied Kampana in his campaign.
The Muhammadan Sack of Srirangam and Its Restoration
The sack of Srirangam by Malik Kafur is deemed as having very probably occurred, since he sacked all the temples round Kandur (Kannanur), and since Srirangam had received vast and magnificent benefactions in the preceding century. According to the Tamil Chronicle, the invasion of 1327-28 ordered by Muhammad Tughlak is held to have resulted in its complete destruction.
After prolonged sufferings the survivors carried the image of the God to Tirupati from which it was taken over to Gingee by Gopanarya and ultimately installed at Srirangam and reconsecrated. Gopanarya was told by God Ranganatha who appeared to him in a vision to lead an invasion against the Muhammadans and to establish his image once more at Srirangam.
He marched from Tirupati to Gingee where for a time he kept the images—there were two of them—in the neighbouring rock-cut shrine of Singavaram. He then advanced south, destroyed the Muhammadan forces at Samayavaram and consecrated the images once more in the Srirangam temple. The reconsecration is said to have taken place in Saka-Samvat 1293 (A.D. 1371-72).