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Veerapandiya Kattabomman
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Veerapandiya Kattabomman
Image of Veerapandiya Kattabomman , circa 1792 CE.
Born
3 January 1760
Panchalankurichi, Tamil Nadu, India
Died
16 October 1799
Kayathar, Tamil Nadu, India
Name
Veemaraja Jagaveera Pandiya Subramania Kattabomman
Occupation
Ruler of Panchalankurichi (Palayam), Tamil Nadu, Circa 1760-1799 and (Polygar
Nayak of the Kambala branch of Balija caste of Madurai Country)
Succeeding State
British India
Veerapandiya Kattabomman (Tamil: வீரபாண்டிய கட்டபொம்மன்) also known as Katta
Bomman was an 18th century Indian Palaiyakkarar chieftain from Panchalankurichi
and who was one of the earliest to oppose the British rule. He waged a war with
the British six decades before Indian War of Independence which occurred in
1857 in Northern parts of India. After a bloody war with the British he was
captured by British and hanged in 1799 CE. His fort was destroyed and his
wealth looted by the British army. Today Panchalankurichi is a historically
important place in the present day Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu state,
India.
Contents[hide]
1 Early life
2 Ancestors
3 Panchalankurichi
4 Role of Palayakkarars
5 Origins of Dispute
6 Events
7 War
8 Capture and Sentence
9 Aftermath
10 Legend and folklore
11 Honor and Monuments
//
[edit] Early life
Veerapandiya Kattabomman was born to a Tamil warrior Jagaveera Kattabomman and
Arumugathammal on January 3, 1760. He had two younger brothers Dalavai
Kumarasami and Duraisingam. Veerapandiyan was fondly called ‘Karuthaiah’ (the
black prince), and Dalavai Kumarasami, ‘Sevathaiah’ (the white prince).
Duraisingam, a good orator, was nicknamed ‘Oomaidurai’ meaning the Mute Prince.
[edit] Ancestors
Azhagiya Veerapandiapuram (Otta-pidaram of today) was ruled by Jagaveera
Pandiyan. He had a minister Bommu, also a brave warrior, who was known as
Getti-bommulu in Telugu, after the god Sastha Ayyappan Swamy to describe his
strength and fighting qualities which over a period of time, became Kattabomman
in Tamil. Katta-bomman ascended the throne after Jagaveera Pandiyan, who had no
issue, as Adi Kattabomman, the first of the clan of Katta-bomman.
[edit] Panchalankurichi
Legend has it that during a hunting trip into the forests of Salikulam (close
to Azhagiya Pandiyapuram) one of the Kattabommans watched the spectacle of a
hare chasing seven hounds. Kattabomman was amazed at this miracle. Believing
that the land possessed great powers that could instil courage in people, he
built his fort there and named it Panchalankurichi.
On February 2, 1790, Veerapandiyan, 30, became the king of Panchalankurichi as
Veera Pandia Kattabomman supposed to be the 47th ruler of the region and the
5th ruler from the Kattabomman clan and a Palya-karrar (or Polygar) of the
Madurai Nayak kingdom.
[edit] Role of Palayakkarars
After the collapse of the Vijayanagara Empire in the mid-16th century, their
governors of Tamil Nadu, declared independence and established independent
kingdoms. The old Pandya country came to be governed by Nayak rulers in
Madurai, who in turn divided their territories into 72 Palayams. These 72
Palayams were franchised to a Palayakarrar (Tamil word) or Polygar or Poligar
(a British Term), who had to administer their territories, collect taxes, run
the local judiciary, and maintain a battalion of troops for the Nayak rulers.
Their function was a mixture of military governance and civil administration.
The regional/local chieftains and rulers who were earlier subordinates to the
Madurai Kings became Polygars (or Palaya-karrar).
[edit] Origins of Dispute
The Nayak rule in Madurai which controlled the entire West Tamil Nadu after two
centuries came to an abrupt end in 1736 when Chanda Sahib of Arcot seized the
Madurai throne from the last queen of Madurai in an act of treason. Chanda
Sahib was later killed after the Carnatic Wars and the territory came under the
Nawab of Arcot. The Palaya-karrars of the old Madurai country refused to
recognize the new Muslim rulers driving the Nawab of Arcot to bankruptcy, who
also indulged in lavishes like building palaces before sustaining his authority
in the region.
Finally the Nawab resorted to borrowing huge sums from the British East India
Company, erupting as a scandal in the British Parliament. The Nawab of Arcot
finally gave the British the right to collect taxes and levies from the
southern region in lieu of the money he had borrowed. The East India Company
took advantage of the situation and plundered all the wealth of the people in
the name of tax collection. They even leased the country in 1750’s to a savage
warrior Muhammed Yusuf Khan (alias Marutha Nayagam), who killed many of the
Polygars including Puli Thevar and later got himself killed by the Arcot
British forces.
Many of the Polygars submitted awed by the extensive amount of force the
British commanded, only with the exception of Katta-bomman.
[edit] Events
Kattabomman refused to pay his dues and for a long time refused to meet Jackson
the Collector of the East India Company. Finally, he met Jackson at Ramalinga
Vilasam, the palace of Sethupathi of Ramanathapuram. The meeting turned violent
and ended in a skirmish in which the Deputy Commandant of the Company’s forces,
Clarke was slain. Kattabomman and his men fought their way to freedom and
safety, but Thanapathi Pillai, Kattabomman’s secretary was taken prisoner.
The Commission of Enquiry that went into the incident fixed the blame on
Jackson and relieved him of his post, thinking the Company’s plan to take over
the entire country gradually could be marred by Jackson’s fight with
Veerapandiya Kattabomman.
The new Collector of Tirunelveli wrote to Kattabomman calling him for a meeting
on 16 March, 1799. Kattabomman wrote back citing the extreme drought conditions
for the delay in the payment of dues and also demanded that all that was robbed
off him at Ramanathapuram be restored to him. The Collector wanted the ruling
house of Sethupathis to prevent Kattabomman from aligning himself with the
enemies of the Company and decided to attack Kattabomman.
The British also instigated his long time feuding neighbor Ettayapuram Poligar
to make provocative wars over Kattabomman on their long pending territorial
disputes.
[edit] War
Kattabomman refused to meet the Collector and a fight broke out. Under Major
Bannerman, the army stood at all the four entrances of Panchalankurichi’s fort.
At the southern end, Lieutenant Collins was on the attack. When the fort’s
southern doors opened, Kattabomman and his forces audaciously attacked the
corps stationed at the back of his fort, and slew their commander Lt. Collins.
The British after suffering heavy losses, decided to wait for reinforcements
and heavy artillery from Palayamkottai. Sensing that his fort could not survive
a barrage from heavy cannons, Kattabomman left the fort that night.
A price was set on Kattabomman’s head. Thanapathi Pillai and 16 others were
taken prisoners. Thanapathi Pillai was executed and his head perched on a
bamboo pole was displayed at Panchalankurichi to demoralise the resisters.
Soundra Pandian Nayak, another rebel leader, was brutally done to death by
having his brains dashed against a village wall.
[edit] Capture and Sentence
Veerapandiya Kattabomman stayed at Kolarpatti at Rajagopala Naicker’s house
where the forces surrounded the house. Kattabomman and his aides fled from
there and took refuge in the Thirukalambur forests close to Puduk-kottai.
Bannerman ordered the Raja of Puduk-kottai to arrest Kattabomman. Accordingly,
Kattabomman was captured and on October 16, 1799 the case was taken up (nearly
three weeks after his arrest near Pudukkottai).
After a summary trial, Kattabomman was hanged unceremoniously on a Tamarind
tree.
Some of the other noteworthy persons who were hanged along with Kattabomman
were Veeraghechayan Naicker, Dali Ethalappa Naicker and Palayakarrars of
Kaadalkudi, Nagalapuram Puthur, Vripachy, Sivagangai, to death by hanging on
charges of treason.
[edit] Aftermath
The Fort of Panchalankurichi was razed to the ground and all of Kattabomman’s
wealth was looted by the English soldiers. Few years later, after the second
Polygar war, the site of the captured fort was ploughed up and sowed with
castor oil and salt so that it should never again be inhabited by the orders of
the colonial government.
[edit] Legend and folklore
In subsequent years, a good deal of legend and folklore developed around
Kattabomman and the Marudu Brothers. Kayatharu, where Kattabomman was executed
has remained a place of political pilgrimage.
In his Tinnevelly Gazetteer of 1917, H. R. Pate notes the presence, in
Kayatharu, of "a great pile of stones of all sizes, which represents the
accumulated offerings by wayfarers of the past hundred years. Folk songs
recalling the heroism of the Poligar leaders remain alive in Tamil Nadu to this
day..."
The popular Tamil slang for a traitor or committing treason is Ettapa or
Ettapan, courtesy the Ettayapuram Polygar whom the British later conferred the
title of Raja. But it is disputed that Ettapan committed treason Kattabomman
was arrested by King of Pudukottai. The Campa Cola ground in Chennai
belongs/belonged to Ettappan family. Lately there is cry that unfair portrayal
of Ettappan in the film Kattabomman in which actor Sivaji Ganesan gave a great
performance, is the main cause for this. It seems that
Ma.Po.Si(Ma.Po.Sivanyanam) who wrote the dialogues for the film had some
misunderstanding with the Ettappan family.
[edit] Honor and Monuments
Kattabomman became thus the pivot of the emerging feeling of Tamil nationhood.
His story is celebrated in many legends and epic poetry in Tamil. Kattabomman
is today recognised by the government as one of the earliest independence
fighters opposing the British and has been hailed as the inspiration behind the
first battle of independence of 1857, which the British called the Sepoy Mutiny.
In 1974, the Government of Tamil Nadu constructed a new Memorial fort. The
Memorial Hall has beautiful paintings on the walls depicting the heroic deeds
of the saga which gives a good idea about the history of the period. A cemetery
of British soldiers are also seen near the fort.
The remnants of the old fort are protected by the Archaeological Survey of
India.
At Kayathar, near Tirunelveli on the present day NH7, the place where he was
hanged, there is another memorial for Kattabomman.
To commemorate the bicentenary on 16 October 1999 of Kattabomman’s hanging, the
Government of India brought out a postal stamp in his honour.
India's premier communication nerve centre of the Indian Navy, at
Vijayanarayanam, about 40 km from here, is named as INS Kattabomman.
Till recently (1999) the state transport buses of Kanniyakumari and
Thirunelveli Districts were named Kattabomman Transport Corporation.
Veerapandia Kattabomman Panpattu Kazhagam (Veerapandia Kattabomman Cultural
association) is an organisation named in his honour.
The district administration celebrates `Veerapandia Kattabomman festival' at
Panchalankurichi on his anniversaries.
Ur's
M.K.
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