Velu Nachiyar, also known as “Veeramangai” (brave woman) by the Tamil people, was Queen of Sivaganga, a zamindari estate in Madura district, Madras Presidency. He contributed significantly to create the initial platform for India’s freedom from British rule. He worked with many freedom fighters, and with their help, he was able to take back Sivaganga from the British. Her courage and determination made Rani Velu Nachiyar the first queen in India to fight against the British for India’s freedom. At the age of 66, Velu Nachiyar died on 25 December 1796.
Wiki/Biography
Velu Nachiyar was born on Tuesday, 3 January 1730 (age 66 years; at death) in Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga Kingdom, British India (now in Tamil Nadu, India). Although Velu is the princess of Ramanathapuram, she is not at all like the other princesses. From a young age, he became interested not only in martial arts such as Valari and Silambam but he also enjoyed horse riding, sword fighting, archery, and the use of weapons, and he specialized in fighting without any weapons and ammunition. Including his mother tongue, he is fluent in English, French and Urdu.
Family
Velu was born and raised in the Tamil royal family of Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga Kingdom.
Parents & Siblings
Velu was born to King Ramnad of the kingdom of Chellamuthu Vijayaragunatha Sethupathy and Queen Sakandhimuthathal. He is the only child of his parents.
Husband & Son
She married Muthu Vaduganatha Periyavudaya Thevar, the king of Sivaganga, at the age of 16, and she gave birth to their only child, a daughter named Vellachi Nachiyar who later became the heiress of Sivaganga.
Ruling the Kingdom of Sivaganga
Years ago, before he was born, a piece of land was separated from the kingdom of Ramnad and named the kingdom of Sivaganga, and Sasivarna Thevar became the king of the kingdom of Sivaganga. When she turned 16, her family started looking for a suitable partner for her. In 1746, the rulers of the kingdoms of Ramnad and Sivaganga decided to make a marriage agreement that the princess of Velu would marry the prince Muthu Vaduganatha Thevar of the Kingdom of Sivaganga. After some time, she was married to the king of Sivaganga, Muthu Vaduganatha Periyavudaya Thevar. For about 20 years, the couple ruled the kingdom and lived happily with their family and people until the British came and attacked Sivaganga.
The Runaway Queen Who Lost Everything
When the English came to India, a few years later, they became allies of the Nawab of Arcot, Muhammad Ali Khan Wallajah, and before attacking Sivaganga, they captured the Madurai Nayaka Empire, but the king of Sivaganga refused to give it up. his kingdom and that’s when the war started. In 1772, one day, the king of Sivaganga went for his regular worship at the Shiva temple, Kalayar Kovil near Sivaganga. With the help of the Nawab of Arcot, the East India Company (EIC) attacked the Sivaganga temple and kingdom. British troops led by Lieutenant Colonel Abraham Bonjour attacked the temple premises without being captured. The unarmed king was unaware of the attack and was brutally killed. They looted all the jewels from the temple including 50,000 gold coins. Another group of British soldiers led by Commander Joseph Smith attacked Sivaganga fort in the king’s absence. Many people lost their lives in the war, including the king himself. He had to escape with his daughter with the help of his minister Dalavoy Thandavaraya Pillai.
Holy Oath for revenge
Even after killing the king of Sivaganga and usurping the throne from him, the Nawab, Muhammad Ali Khan Wallajah, did not sit in peace. He wanted to wipe out the entire clan of Muthu Vaduganatha Periyavudaya Thevar so that no one would try to reclaim the throne from him in the future. So, he decided to end the lives of the king’s widow, Velu and his daughter, Vellachi. The fierce and cunning Nawab ordered to hunt down the queen and princess as soon as possible. Fortunately, neither of them were around the attack area at the time. However, Maruthu’s brothers, two trusted chiefs, and the queen found out about the hunt. They went to Kollangudi and managed to help them escape to Dindigul, which was far enough from the reach of the Nawab’s army. While staying at Virupachi near Dindigul, he strengthened himself mentally and physically. Udaiyal, who was Velu’s trusted bodyguard was tortured and forced to reveal the hiding place of his queen, but the brave and loyal Udaiyal did not reveal anything and was brutally killed. When the queen receives this news, she is distraught, and in her pent-up rage, she vows to take revenge on Udaiyal’s killers, regain her throne, and make the British pay for what they have done.
The Widow who turned into a Hero
For 8 years, he lived under the protection of Palayakaarar Kopaala Naayakkar in Virupachi, Dindigul. Everything was taken away from Rani Veru, both her husband and Sivaganga. All she wants to do is avenge her husband’s murder and win back her kingdom. While he was planning and plotting against the British and how to make them lose their control over Sivaganga, he had to keep moving to change his hideout continuously after a certain period of time just to stay safe from the EIC and keep ready for war. Meanwhile, the Nawab of Arcot changed the name of the kingdom from Sivaganga to Hussain Nagar. There are three main cantonments in which the army is divided, Periya Maruthu also known as Vellai Maruthu heads Valari Padai, Vaal Padai is led under the guidance of Chinna Maruthu and he made an army named “Udaiyal Army” or “Udaiyal Padai” in the memory of his loyal bodyguards who were an all-female army. He began enrolling various women and training them for the upcoming battles. Kuyili, who is a Dalit woman, is entitled as the army chief. Meanwhile, he met the Sultan of Mysore and Sultan Tipu’s father, Hyder Ali. He said no even when Velu asked for his help in eloquent Urdu but later, after being impressed by him, he decided to give him gunpowder weapons, training, 400 gold rajas per month, and 5000 soldiers including his infantry and cavalry. Apart from Hyder Ali, many feudal lords, Tipu Sultan, the Maruthu brothers, and Thandavarayan Pillai supported him in his fight against the British East India Company.
Kuyili, Maruthu’s brother and other freedom fighters
Attack: Time to own the Throne!
For the next few years, Rani Velu continued to win the constituencies she had previously lost. The first place he recovered was the Kalaiya temple. By 1980, only Sivaganga was left to conquer as they had better weapons compared to what Velu and his army had. So, he made a solid plan to win the battle against the British because he knew that it would not be easy to deceive them, and that strategy was called ‘Chakra Vyuh.’ His commanders Kuyili and Rani decided that they would enter the Fort on the occasion of Vijayadashami when there would be more people going in and out of the fort to worship at the Rajarajeshwari Amman temple than on any normal day with less customs checks and barricades, which would make it easier to attack the fort. Commander Kuyili and his troops entered the fort disguised as local women from neighboring villages. By the time the British could find out anything, the Rani’s trusted spy informed Kuyili of the location of their ammunition. He had the only chance to win this battle, so without further ado, he poured a bucket full of Ghee all over his body, set himself on fire, and proceeded into the ammunition storeroom. The entire storage room exploded and then Velu Nachiyar entered with his army and attacked the British in anger and killed everyone who came. With that unforgettable explosion, British imperial rule over Sivaganga ended in 1780.
Come, Fight, and Win!
Rani Velu regained her husband’s kingdom and guarded it for another ten years. He took the help of Marudhu’s brother in taking care of the administration of the kingdom. Periya’s older sister Marudhu was appointed Commander-in-Chief, and the ministerial position was given to the younger sister, Chinna. In 1790, Velu Vellachi Nachiyar’s only daughter inherited the throne and became the second queen of Sivaganga. In 1796, the queen died and inscribed her name in gold among those who died for contributing to our country’s independence movement from the East India Company (EIC). She will always be remembered as a brave queen who was determined to free her kingdom and her people from British rule at all costs. The people of the land still respect him, and he remains a source of inspiration for them.
Death
Some sources say that in the last few years of the queen’s life, she suffered from heart disease and even went to France for treatment. After 66 years of restless life, Velu Nachiyar died on December 25, 1796.
Facts/Trivia
- Sriram Sharma, who is a theater director, spent almost 10 years researching the queen’s history. He directed a play on 21 August 2017, which depicted the life story of Queen Velu Nachiyar through a grand dance ballet held at Naradha Gana Sabha in Chennai, on 9 September 2017 in Mumbai, and on 21 September 2017 in Delhi.
Sriram Sharma’s patriotic dance drama, based on the life history of Velu Nachiyar
- In honor of his contribution in the fight against the East India Company, a postage stamp was issued in his memory by the Government of India on 31 December 2008.
The Velu Nachchiyar postage stamp was issued in 2008
- Velu Nachiyar was the first queen in India to fight and win against the British. He fought them in 1780, 77 years before India’s first war of Independence.
- His Dalit queen and commander Kuyili was the first person to record a suicide bombing in Indian history.
- A Tamil-American Hip-Hop artist, Professor ALI, composed a song dedicated to him titled “Our Queen” as one of the tracks from his album “Tamilmatic” in 2016.
- On 18 July 2014, the Veeramangai Velu Nachiyar Memorial at Sivaganga was inaugurated by the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, the late Jayaram Jayalalithaa. He also unveiled a bronze statue of the Queen and declared that January 3 would be remembered as the birth anniversary of the brave queen Velu Nachiyar.
6 feet bronze statue of Velu Nachiyar at Sivaganga
- As a thank you to Hyder Ali for supporting Velu Nachiyar in the middle of the war, he built a mosque to show his gratitude. Even after Hyder Ali died, he maintained the same strong relationship with his son, Tipu Sultan.
- Velu Nachiyar was a highly educated Queen, and she was fluent in many languages including Urdu, English and French.
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
