Senhor Don Gabriel de Cruz Vaz (also known with the title ''Parathavarma Pandian'') (December 13, 1753 – 1808) was the ruler and freedom fighter from the

Pearl Fishery Coast The Pearl Fishery Coast refers to a coastal area of southern India, extending along the Coromandel Coast from Tuticorin to Comorin ruled by Paravars and their rulers. The coast took its name from the presence of pearls along the coast, a ...

, in what is now

southern India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

, who helped Maruthu Pandiyar and other freedom fighters like

Veerapandiya Kattabomman Veerapandiya Kattabomman was an 18th-century Palayakarrar and king of Panchalankurichi in present-day Tamil Nadu, India. He fought the British East India Company and was captured by the British with the help of the ruler of the kingdom of Pu ...

and

Oomaithurai Oomathurai (real name Kumarasamy Naiyakar), was an Indian Poligar (Palaiyakkarar) from Tamil Nadu, who fought against the British East India Company in the Polygar Wars. He was the younger brother of Veerapandiya Kattabomman. Oomathurai was a ...

. He fought against the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

and later the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

Early life

Senhor Don Gabriel de Cruz was born on December 13, 1753, in a Catholic

Paravar Paravar (also known as Bharathar or Bharathakula Kshatriyar) is a predominantly Catholic Tamil maritime community, mainly living in the state of Tamil Nadu, and in Sri Lanka. Historically, they were inhabitants of the ''Neithal'' (coastal) lands ...

family, and became the 16th ruler of the

, following the death of Don Caspar Anthony De Cruz Vaz Victoria in 1779. Senhor was the honorary title given by the Portuguese to these Catholic rulers. And Parathavarma Pandian or Pandiyapathy are the local titles given to them. In 1772, on his wedding, a golden chalice was offered to Our Lady of Snow's Church. The golden chalice is taken out every year on 5, August for the feast mass celebrated by the Bishop.

Involvement with British

Initially, Pandian allied with the British to defeat the Dutch who controlled the beach road in the 1780s. However, he later joined forces with

to fight against British rule. Pandian sheltered and protected Kattabomman's brother

after his escape from prison and supplied explosives from Ceylon to support the retaliation against the British. Despite orders from the British to capture him, Pandian managed to evade authorities until his death at the age of 56 in 1808.

Legacy

He was also known for his involvement in the traditional practice of pulling the rope of the Tiruchendur Murugan temple car and offering a golden chariot for the Our Lady of Snows Church in Thoothukudi. He is remembered as Thermaran(தேர்மாறன்). His tomb is still preserved at the La Salle Higher Secondary School campus in

Thoothukudi Thoothukudi (formerly called Tuticorin) is a port city, port industrial city in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It lies on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. The city is capital and headquarters of the di ...

. The Central Government of India officially announced him as a freedom fighter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pandian, Parathavarma 1753 births 1808 deaths