The estate of Sivaganga, as per British records also known as Kingdom of the Lesser Marava, was a permanently settled ''

zamindari A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous Indian feudalism, feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian language, Persian was the offi ...

'' estate in the Ramnad sub-division of Madura district,

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency or Madras Province, officially called the Presidency of Fort St. George until 1937, was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India and later the Dominion of India. At its greatest extent, the presidency i ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

. Along the estate of Ramnad, it formed one of the two ''zamindari'' estates of Ramnad subdivision. The Sivaganga Kingdom was ruled by a branch of the Marava royal family of

Ramnad 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) ...

till 1790 by

Rani Velu Nachiyar "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 in India.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 ...

ruled the kingdom from 1790–1801. After their death, the kingdom was reduced to a ''

'' by the British in 1803. The ''zamindari'' was abolished through socialist reform on

India's independence The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed. The first nationalistic movement t ...

History

The

Pudukkottai Pudukkottai Municipal Corporation is the administrative headquarters of Pudukkottai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is one of the oldest Heritage city located on the banks of the Vellar River. It has been ruled, at different t ...

and Sivaganga regions were actually parts of the kingdom of Ramnad when it became independent in the 1680s. In 1725, Ramnad was invaded by the ''polygar'' of Nalkottai who captured two-fifths of the kingdom including the territory of Sivaganga. In 1773, the British conquered Sivaganga and killed Muthu Vaduganatha Periyavudaya Thevar, the king of Sivaganga. His widow, queen

Velu Nachiyar "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 Company rule in India, in India.

, fled to

Dindigul Dindigul (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is a city in the India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of the Dindigul district. Dindigul City is Located in the Southwest Region of Tamil Nadu. Dindigul is an ancient settlement r ...

and lived under the protection 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 ...

. During her exile, she formed an armed force and alliance with Hyder Ali. In 1780, she became the first queen in India to fight against the British colonial power. Till 1790 sivaganga was ruled by

ruled the kingdom from 1790-1801. After their death, the kingdom was handed over to the British bondservant Padamathur Gowri vallaba udayana Raja. He died in 1801 and after that it was reduced to a ''zamindari'' by the British in 1803. The ''zamindari'' was abolished through socialist reform on

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 ...

. In 1803, the British restored the rightful heir Udayathevan to the throne. The kingdom was subsequently reduced to a ''zamindari'' by the permanent settlement of Arthur Wellesley.

Monarchs

* (1730–1750) * Muthu Vaduganatha Periyavudaya Thevar (1750–1772) *

(1780–1790) * Vellacci (1790–1793) * (1793–1801) ;

Zamindar A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian was the official language; ''zamindar'' is the ...

under

British rule The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or dire ...

(1803–1947)

History

Monarchs

References

Further reading