Needamangalam

Needamangalam or Nidamangalam, is a town panchayat in Thiruvarur district in the Cauvery Delta of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Needamangalam was originally part of the composite Tanjore Dist during the British Raj period until 1997. In the 18th and 19th century, it was also called Yamunambalpuram. Needamangalam is the headquarters of the Needamangalam Taluk. The town is located 30 km east of Thanjavur, 80 km east of Tiruchirappalli and 318 km south of Chennai. Needamangalam is a junction for two busy highways, National Highway 67 and State Highway SH 66.

== History == According to Poruna-raatr-uppadai, Karikala Chola fought Battle of Venni (now Kovilvenni) near Needamangalam in which both Pandya and Chera suffered crushing defeat. Besides the two crowned kings of the Pandya and Chera countries, eleven minor chieftains took their side in the campaign and shared defeat at the hands of Karikala. The Chera king, who was wounded on his back in the battle, committed suicide by starvation. Venni was the watershed in the career of Karikala which established him firmly on his throne and secured for him some sort of hegemony among the three crowned monarchs. Venni which is also known as Vennipparandalai and now it is known as Kovilvenni. Kovilvenni is situated at a distance of 3 km from Needamangalam.