Vellalore or Vellalur, the ancient trade centre is located in the southern bank of the
river Noyyal. It is ~60 km from
Kodumanal. It is referred in the inscriptions of the Kongu chola as "Vellalur". However, in
Cholan poorvapattayam mentioned as 'Velir' meaning chief of the clan was the ruler of this area. That might be one of the reason it is known after the name of the chief as 'vellalur'. Black and red ware, Russed coated ware, Red slipped ware and Black ware sherds were collected along with the broken pieces of dishes, vases and parts of urn pieces were recovered here. Many hoards of Roman coins were discovered during the British period. In the year 1842 five hundred and twenty two coins, in 1891, five hundred and forty seven coins were collected. These gold and silver coins belongs in between 1st Century BCE to 4th-century CE. In addition, Roman ornaments were also found. Vellalore had trade links with the
Roman Empire since 100 BC. Vellalore was one of the prominent towns in the era of
Early Cholas.
Karikala Chola built the Karivaradaraja perumal temple in 1 AD. During the medieval period Siva and Vishnu temples were constructed by the
Chera and
Kongu cholas. After the Kongu cholas, Vellalore slowley lost its historical importance. ==Geography==