From Cauvery to Neela

Some six centuries ago, waves of families from one of the most conservative communities of the Cauvery basin took the remarkable decision to migrate across the peninsula to an un-known land. What drove them from the comforts and privileges of life in Thanjavur? What drew them to the wooded banks of a river on the other side of the mountains? What did they find when they arrived? What kind of life did they build?

From Cauvery to Neela tells the history of the Tamil agraharams along the Neela River in Palakkad. In crisp and readable prose, the author sketches a community dedicated to scriptur-al tradition and traces its forays over time into politics, science and the arts. Like all perpetual students of human history, he also looks into the futureówhat does it hold for the ever-changing agraharams and their people?