"Veeramangai" Rani Velu Nachiyar (3 January 1730 – 25 December 1796) was a queen of Sivaganga estate from 1780–1790. She was the first Indian queen to wage war with the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

in India. Remembering Queen Velu Nachiyar of Sivagangai, the first queen to fight the British
''The News Minute''. 3 January 2017 She is proudly called by

Tamils The Tamils ( ), also known by their endonym Tamilar, are a Dravidian peoples, Dravidian ethnic group who natively speak the Tamil language and trace their ancestry mainly to the southern part of the Indian subcontinent. The Tamil language is o ...

as ''Veeramangai'' ("brave woman"). With the support of

Hyder Ali Hyder Ali (''Haidar'alī''; ; 1720 – 7 December 1782) was the Sultan and ''de facto'' ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born as Hyder Ali, he distinguished himself as a soldier, eventually drawing the attention of Mysore's ...

's army, feudal lords, the

Maruthu Brothers The Marudhu Pandiyars (Periya Marudhu and Chinna Marudhu) were '' de facto'' rulers of Sivagangai, Tamil Nadu, India, towards the end of the 18th century. They were known for fighting against the East India Company. They were finally execute ...

Dalit Dalit ( from meaning "broken/scattered") is a term used for untouchables and outcasts, who represented the lowest stratum of the castes in the Indian subcontinent. They are also called Harijans. Dalits were excluded from the fourfold var ...

commanders, and Thandavarayan Pillai, she fought the East India company.

Life

Velu Nachiyar was the princess of

Ramanathapuram Ramanathapuram (), also known as Ramnad, is a city Municipal Corporation in Ramanathapuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Ramanathapuram district and the second largest town (by population) ...

and the only child of King Chellamuthu Vijayaragunatha Sethupathy and Queen Sakandhimuthathal of the

Ramnad kingdom The Kingdom of Ramnad or Ramnad estate was a permanently settled kingdom and later ''zamindari'' estate that existed in the Ramnad subdivision of the Madurai district and later Ramnad district of the erstwhile Madras Presidency in British Ind ...

. Nachiyar was trained in many methods of combat, including war match weapons usage, martial arts like

Valari A valari () is a traditional weapon, primarily used by the Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. The valari resembles, and is used similarly to a boomerang or throwing stick. It was used by the Tamil people in ancient battles, for protecting ...

Silambam Silambam is an old Indian martial arts, Indian martial art originating in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This style is mentioned in Tamil Sangam literature. The World Silambam Association is the official international body of Silamba ...

Kalaripayattu Kalaripayattu (), also known simply as Kalari, is an Indian martial art that originated on the southwestern coast of India, in what is now Kerala, during the 3rd century BCE. Etymology Kalaripayattu is a martial art which developed out of co ...

, horse riding, and archery. She was a scholar in many languages and was proficient in languages like

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

, English and

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

. In 1746, she entered into marriage with Muthu Vaduganatha Periyavudaya Thevar, serving as a close advisor, mentor, and confidant to the prince. When her husband, Muthu Vaduganatha Periyavudaya Thevar, was killed in a battle with EIC soldiers in 1772 at KalaiyarKoil, she was drawn into the conflict. Velu Nachiyar ran away from Sivagangai as a fugitive and sought the help of Hyder Ali. Hyder Ali helped her with 5,000 soldiers and gunpowder weapons. Initially, Hyder Ali refused, but he later agreed to help her with soldiers, arms and training. Velu Nachiyar sought the help of rich merchants as well. After eight years of planning—along with support of many feudal lords,

Tipu Sultan Tipu Sultan (, , ''Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu''; 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799) commonly referred to as Sher-e-Mysore or "Tiger of Mysore", was a ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery ...

, Marudhu brothers, and Thandavarayan Pillai—she fought against the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

. 08.12.1772 Sivaganga minister Thandavarayan Pillai wrote a letter on behalf of Rani Velu Nachiyar to

. ''In it Arcot Nawab's forces are occupying

Sivaganga Sivaganga () is the City and headquarters of the Sivaganga district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is known for the 16th-century Sivagangai Fort, located in City Centre. Inside the fort, the Rajarajeshwari Amman Temple features many orn ...

and destroying. I escaped from there and stayed in the forests with the Kallar leaders and continued the rebellion. If you help me in this endeavor I can do better, so if you send five thousand horsemen and five thousand men of war, I will pay their maintenance, and with them I will recover these two principalities, send troops to

Madurai Madurai ( , , ), formerly known as Madura, is a major city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District, which is ...

and begin a counteroperation. Also mentioned that the

Polygars Palaiyakkarars, or Poligar, Palegara (as the British referred to them) in Andhra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu were the holders of a small kingdom as a feudatory to a greater sovereign. Under this system, ''palayam'' was given for valuable military ...

would cooperate with us''. When Velu Nachiyar found the place where the EIC stored some of their ammunition, her commander

Kuyili Veeramangai Kuyili (died 1780) was an army commander of queen Velu Nachiyar who participated in campaigns against the East India Company in the 18th century. She is considered the first suicide bomber and "first woman martyr" in Indian hist ...

made a suicide attack on the ammunition depot by running into the ammunition

godown A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the outskirts of cities, to ...

, setting herself on fire, and blowing it up. In 1780, Velu Nachiyar waged war against the British and successfully reclaimed her kingdom. She governed for ten years and passed away in 1796. In 1790, she was succeeded by her daughter Vellacci. She granted powers to her daughter with the Marudu brothers to help with the administration of the kingdom. Velu Nachiyar died a few years later, on 25 December 1796.

Popular culture

*On 31 December 2008, a commemorative postage stamp in her name was released. *OVM Dance Academy of Chennai presenting "VELU NACHIYAR" a Grand Dance Ballet on Sivaganga Queen. *Professor A.L.I., a Tamil-American

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

artist, released a song dedicated to Velu Nachiyar entitled "Our Queen" as part of his ''Tamilmatic'' album in 2016. *On 21 August 2017, a grand dance ballet was conducted in Naradha Gana Sabha in Chennai depicting the life history of the queen Velu Nachiyar. The play was directed by Sriram Sharma, who researched on the Queen's life history for almost a decade.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nachiyar, Velu 1730 births 1796 deaths Indian female royalty Indian independence activists from Tamil Nadu Indian women in war Tamil monarchs Indian revolutionaries Indian independence movement People from Sivaganga district Women in 18th-century warfare Women Indian independence activists 18th-century women rulers 18th-century Indian women 18th-century Indian people Indian queens regnant

Life

Popular culture

See also

References

External links