Rani Velu Nachiyar

And the Marudhu Brothers.

Sivaganga was one of the prominent Zamindari estates in Tamil Nadu, it was originally part of the kingdom of Ramnad, that included the subdivisions of Sivaganga, Pudukottai and Ramanthapuram. When Sundareswara Ragunatha Sethupathy, the son in law of the ruler Vijaya Raghunatha Sethupathi ascended the throne in 1726, Bhavani  Sankara Thevan, the illegitimate son of Raghunatha conspired with the Thanjavur Raja to attack Ramnad. Though Bhavani emerged victorious, he went back on his promise to cede some part of the territory to Thanjavur, and expelled Sasivarna Periya Oodaya Thevar, leading him to ally with Kattaya Thevar against him. With the help of the Thanjavur Raja, they defeared Bhavani, and divided the kingdom into 5 provinces.

Sasivarna became the first ruler of Sivaganga, building the fort around the spring, from where the town got it's name. He passed away in 1750 and was succeded by his son Muthu Vaduganatha Periya Udaya Thevar, it was his consort Velu Nachiyar who would become famous for her revolt against the British. The princess of Ramnad, and the only child of the royal couple, Rajah Chellamuthu Vijayaragunatha Sethupathy and Queen Sakandhimuthathal, she was trained in horse riding, combat,martial arts like Sillambam, Valari( Sickle throwing) and archery. Along with her father she met many merchants from other countries, learnt about trading.

When Sivaganga was invaded by the combined armies of the British and the Nawab of Arcot, Periya Thevar, refused to surrender and was killed in battle at Kalaiyar Koli in 1772. Widowed, and with the Company soldiers on her heels, she fled with her daughter Vellachi to Virupachi in Dindigul, supported by some of her close aides like the Marudhu Brothers and her minister Thandavaraya Pillai. She reached out to the rich merchants and managed to secure their support financially.

She also approached Hyder Ali for assistance, knowing his rivalry with the British. Though he refused initially, he was won over by her diplomatic skills and supported her financially as well as sending a 5000 strong troops. She spent 8 long years planning and building up a strong army to take on the British. She appointed capable people irrespective of their caste or community.

The commander of her army was a Dalit woman called Kuyili who had proved her capability many a time earlier. She had saved her queen once from a Silambam teacher who turned out to be a spy, another team she saved her from an enemy attack. It was this loyalty and valour that made Nachiyar appoint Kuyili as the commander.

The Marudhu Pandiyar brothers were the sons of  Mookiah Palaniswamy Thevar born in a village called Mukkulam, near Sivaganga, the elder one was Vellai Marudhu aka Periya Marudhu, and the younger one was Chinna Marudhu. The brothers were known to be formidable warriors, and said to have invented the Valari, a sickle shaped boomerang kind of weapon, that was used in battle. They were also experts at guerilla warfare.

Velu Nachiyar attacked Sivaganga in 1780, and this is where Kuyili played a crucial role.She managed to locate the place where the British were having their ammunition depot in the fort. And then completely dousing herself in ghee, she set herself on her fire, and jumped on to the ammunition, blowing herself up along with the entire depot. Her sacrifice enabled Nachiyar to defeat the British in an all out attack, and take back Sivaganga.

She ruled the kingdom for 10 years with the assistance of the Marudhu brothers, her minister Thandavaraya Pillai and proved to be a wise and able administrator. She handed over the kingdom to her daughter Vellachi and passed away on December 25, 1796. She would come to be known as Veeramangai by the ordinary people.

The Marudhu brothers would still continue with their resistance against the British, when Veerapandya Kattabomman was hanged to death, they continued the struggle. They allied with Kattabomman's brothers Oomadurai and Sevatiah, whom they released from Palayamkottai jail, and launched an all out resistance in 1801. They fought one bloody battle with the British in the forests of Thiruverkadu, using guerilla tactics, for close to a month. They were finally captured in October, 1801 at Cholapuram and hanged four days later at Tirupattur fort.

Rani Velu Nachiyar, the Marudhu brothers and Kuyili would be an inspiration for many of the revolutionaries later on in Tamil Nadu and their sacrifice would forever be remembered.