veerapandiya kattabomman short essay in english

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A biography and brief history of freedom fighter Veera Pandiya Kattabomman

This article speaks the biography and history of an Indian freedom fighter Veera Pandiya Kattabomman who lived in 1760 AD. He fought against the British monarchy as a single individual and was a national Hero with might and strength, which every Indian is proud of. We Indians salute Veerapandiya Kattabomman for his patriotism, courage, and sacrifice. He is an unforgettable soul in the minds of all Indians throughout the world.

Introduction

The early history of ancestors of veerapandiya kattamomman in tirunelveli, veera pandiya kattabomman the freedom fighter, british domination and opposition by veerapandiya kattabomman, veerapandiya kattabomman's encounter with the british, the british invasion with veerapandiya kattabomman, veerapandiya kattabomman fights a war with the british, the last day of veerapandiya kattabomman.

very ince story

I have one doubt what happen to her wife. Is there any generation to veera pandiya kattabomman?

Mrs. Aarthy Ravichandran, Thanks for raising a good query. It is alleged that Veerapandiya Kattabomman had no heir to his throne, but being from a vast kattabommu family, he had lot many cousins. Through them the generation lasted. Yet there is a guy present in Panchalam Kurichi who claims to belong to the Kattabommu family, I have personally visited Panchalam Kurichi and taken a photograph with him. Thanks.

Mention the name who hanged Kattabomman.

It was mentioned in the story that Veerapandiaya Kattabomman belongs to "thogalavar" community. Is this community, anyway, connected to "mutharaiyar" community? And it was also mentioned that his ancestors belongs to Andhra Pradesh. But it was not mentioned, from which part of Andhra Pradesh, atleast from which district? please crafity.

@Balaji The name of the person hanged Kattabomman is Collector Jackson. @Pittala Ravinder Mud As far as history is concerned, the Kattabommans have ascended throne after Jagaveera Pandiyan as TN have three kinds of Kings Sera, Chola and Pandiya but Pandiyas belongs to this place died after a fight from Nayakers. Actually the first Kattabomman was the minister in Jagaveera Pandiyan and fame for his fighting capabilities and whose name is Gettibommu who was a migrant of AP. Then later assuming name as Kattabomman in Tamil and being first one called Adhi Kattabomman(in fact it is also called as Kattabommu with their original origin of Telugu). This Veerapandiya Kattabomman was born in this clan. In 1999 being of 200 years of his hang, the government has brought with a commemorative stamp is one of the recognition to his brave. But still there are lots to be done on the places of hang that is Kayathar by tourism department of state/central as these are being the first one to fight against British from the end part of India.

I got to know that one of his sons had lived in Malaysia and he has passed away. His son's name is Arumugam.

Yarai ketkirai kisthi - There is a similar dialogue in Karnataka by Sangoli Rayanna and I would like to know from where did this dialogue originate.

Mr. Manjunatha Chikkanna, The film Veerapandiya Kattabomman was released in the years between 19 60 and 62. If your Karnataka Sangoli Rayanna was released after this period, then the original dialogue is from Tamil.

Jackson was sent back to England and he did not hang Kattabomman. Perhaps Major Bannerman hanged him. A.Jayaprakash

This is a nice article on freedom fighter Veera Pandiya Kattabomman.

Jayaprakash, you are right. Major Bannerman was the officer who hanged Kattabomman. Saroja: You have gone wrong with collector Jackson

Please tell me correct answer: he has a son or a daughter? If yes, I wish to know the names of the children.

An excellent article and should be read by the younger generation to understand the struggles led by our forefathers against the colonial government. British were plunders just like the Spaniards and the Dutch. The only thing that separated them was the language.

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Birth of Freedom Fighter Veerapandiya Kattabomman - [January 3, 1760] This Day in History

On 3 January 1760, freedom fighter and martyr Veerapandiya Kattabomman was born in Panchalankurichi in Tamil Nadu. The British waged war, as he had declined to pay taxes. His Fort was attacked by British Commander Alan, but he was defeated by Kattabomman. Learn more about the chronology of important events in the life of Veerapandiya Kattabomman.

Aspirants would find this article very helpful while preparing for the IAS Exam .

Veerapandiya Kattabomman

• Veerapandiya Kattabomman was a Palayakarrar or Polygar from Panchalankurichi, Thoothukudi District (then Tirunelveli area) in Tamil Nadu. He was also called Kattabomman Nayak of Panchalankurichi Palayam. He was born to Jagaveera Pandiya Kattabommu and his wife Arumugathammal. His reign started on February 2, 1790.
• Polygars were feudal lords who were appointed as military chiefs and administrative governors from the time of the Vijayanagara Empire in parts of Southern India. They were given the charge of a Palayam or a group of villages, hence called Palayakarrar or its anglicised version Polygar.
• The Polygars collected taxes from the peasants and in time, they almost acted as independent chieftains.
• When the East India Company started wresting control of the region, they came in conflict with the polygars on the question of who should collect taxes. The Company wanted to control the polygars and secure the rights to collect taxes as well as control territory.
• Kattabomman refused to bow down to the British and waged a war against them. This is often called the First Polygar War of 1799.
• A meeting with the British over the collection of pending rents ended in violence when a British officer was killed by Kattabomman. Kattabomman escaped but the British put a bounty on his head. This prompted many polygars to rebel openly.
• Kattabomman was ultimately captured after he was betrayed by Ettappan, the Pudukottai Raja. There was a farcical trial in which Kattabomman refused to acquiesce with the British.
• He was sentenced to death and publicly hanged at Kayatharu on 16 October 1799.
• His associate Subramania Pillai was also hanged after which his head was displayed on a spike at Panchalankurichi. Another associate Soundara Pandian was killed brutally by smashing his head on a wall. Kattabomman’s brother Oomaidurai was imprisoned.
• There was another polygar rebellion in 1800 which lasted a whole year.

See previous  ‘This Day in History’ here .

The above details would help candidates prepare for UPSC 2023 .

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Kattabomman: The Legendary Chieftain Who Didn’t Bow Down to the British

Born to Jagaveera Kattabomman and Arumugathammal on 3 January 1760, Veerapandiya Kattabomman belonged to the Bommu and Aathi Kattabomman clan in the village of Panchalankurichi in Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu.

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At the time the East India Company was establishing itself in the southern parts of the Indian peninsula, and a base was set up in Tirunelveli.

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That night, he left the fort with his men and took refuge in the forests of Thirukkalambur close to Pudukottai.

As an ode to the great chieftain, the state government of Tamil Nadu erected a memorial in Kayathar, which was inaugurated by the then Chief Minister late J Jayalalitha in 2015.

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Veerapandiya kattabomman-A brave king and a soldier of Tamilnadu

Veerapandiya kattabomman a strong hero of Tamilnadu history. He resisted the British from entering into his territory. He had won many battle. British felt helpless in front of veerapandiya kattabomman. He hanged on 16th october 1799 in a tamarind tree by the British army.

The battle between the kattabomman and the British rulers in Tamilnadu

Final and the last battle of kattbomman.

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The Story Of Kattabommu: How Oral History Kept Alive A Hero’s Memory For 150 Years

Venkatesh R

Jun 15, 2019, 02:46 PM | Updated 02:46 PM IST

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• Veerapandiya Kattabommu, of Telugu descent, is arguably the Tamil region’s most valiant freedom fighter.
• The British did all they could to wipe his name from the pages of history. Here is how bards and books reinstated this freedom fighter’s forgotten glory.

A 150 years of forgetfulness is a long time in almost medieval conditions, especially after a king was hanged, his kin killed, fort razed, land ploughed and planted with castor or strewn with salt to make it desolate. And, with the name of his town expunged from the revenue registers, plus the very mention of his name being made equivalent to sedition, is like pouring acid (not just salt) on to a bare wound.

The East India company did all the above, and yet, Veerapandiya Kattabommu rose like a colossus 150 years later to take his pride of place among those who understand and value the idea of liberty.

The bravery of Kattabommu and his pursuit of freedom are never in doubt. However, a look into the facts and circumstances of the period is important from a historical perspective. This is especially since we know the level to which the British went to make people forget him, and the fact that he is considered the greatest freedom fighter ever from the Tamil region.

“A race of rude warriors, habituated to arms and Independence,” was how the late colonel James Welsh described the ‘Southern Poligars’ who ruled this part of the country in the eighteenth century. The Poligars were holders of estates called Palayams, which literally meant an “armed camp”. They were supposedly the guardians of the 72 bastions of the fort in Madurai, but in reality, the land was divided into provinces for better revenue management.

This system was followed by the Vijaynagara empire when it destroyed the Madurai sultanate, and by the Nayaks who succeeded them. Some of these 72 quasi-feudal palayams, each ruled by a Palayakkarar, were very small. There is also an account which says their sizes were roughly 33 villages each.

Besides rendering military services, a Poligar had to pay annual tributes to the British Raj. In return for these, the Poligar was entitled to collect taxes from the inhabitants of his estate and to exercise civil and criminal jurisdiction.

A large part of the Carnatic, south of the Kaveri, remained under the sway of the Poligars. The powers of the Poligar rajas continued to increase throughout the Nayak period and, by the end of the seventeenth century, some of the more dominant princes such as of Ramnad, Sivaganga, and Pudukottai had become virtual rulers. There were also smaller Palayams, and Panchalankurichi was one of them.

The ramparts of their forts, comprised of mud and baked in the punishing sunlight of the southern districts, outlived severe tests by the British artillery.

The Nawab of Arcot, who inherited the Palayakkarar system from the Nayakas, had a bohemian lifestyle funded by loans from British lenders at exorbitant interest rates. Heavily in debt, the Nawab was forced to cede the revenue-rich Tinnevelly district, including areas ruled by his Poligar vassals, to the East India Company. The Palayakkarars were not in line with British ambitions and emerged as a force to be reckoned with during the second half of the eighteenth century. The British, however, found the existence of a parallel authority prejudicial to their interests.

Puli Thevan, a Poligar who ruled Nerkattumseval, was notable for being one of the earliest to oppose British rule in India 100 years before the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny. Sadly, he was decimated in a war against the colonisers. Subsequently, a local legend surfaced, peddling the belief that he had mysteriously “vanished” into a temple. Exasperated by this twist in history, the British resorted to publicly hanging their enemies thereafter.

The Appearance of Kattabommu

Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the British enjoyed relative peace with the Palayakarars. It was then that Kattabommu, the Poligar of Panchalankurichi, could not completely pay his dues. His arrears of tribute amounted to 3,310 pagodas of which repayment of only 1,080 pagodas to the Crown remained. On 18 August 1798, Jackson, the collector of Trichinopoly, despatched an order directing Kattabommu to meet him at Ramnad in two weeks.

When Kattabommu arrived on time, he found Jackson had left on a tour of the district. Despite this humiliation, Kattabommu followed Jackson for 23 days in a journey spanning 400 miles through the latter’s route and reached Ramnad again.

Kattabommu, in spite of his quasi-royal status, was made to stand before the collector for three hours. When Jackson instructed Kattabommu to stay in Ramnad till he (Jackson) obtained certain clearances from Fort St George in Madras, the Poligar assumed he was being arrested and made a break for it. A British soldier, Clarke, was killed in a scuffle that ensued. Kattabommu’s vakeel (legal advisor) was slow to react to the situation and was left behind in the escape attempt. Oomathurai (the deaf and dumb brother of Kattabommu) was instrumental in saving the Poligar.

Post-this, Kattabommu did not want to escalate tensions. He had a company lobbyist in Nellai to whom he sent word for guidance. Subsequently, he was advised against rash adventure and asked to address letters to Governor Edward Clive, professing his loyalty to the Crown.

Kattabommu attributed the scuffle at Ramnad to the “rashness of Jackson” and requested the release of his vakeel. Fort St George, too, did not wish to risk unpleasantness because the Mysore wars had occupied its attention. Edward Clive later invited Kattabommu to submit to the Company. Assuring a fair investigation into the Ramnad incident and the Crown’s intent to remove all causes of suspicion, he suspended Jackson from office and released the vakeel from confinement.

Kattabommu appeared before the Committee of Enquiry, which upon a thorough probe into the circumstances that culminated in the clash at Ramnad, concluded that Kattabommu had indeed been humiliated. Jackson was condemned and Kattabommu was acquitted. But Panchalankurichi was required to make a provision equal to that of the salary of Clarke, who was killed in the scuffle, towards compensation for his family.

The British Grudge

But the British were not the ones to keep quiet. Vengefully, they held a grudge against Kattabommu. When Tipu Sultan was defeated, and their entire resources freed up, they turned their guns on the Palayams.

This time, the Company’s Major Bannerman wrote to Kattabommu to “meet him” regarding his arrears. When Kattabommu evaded the meeting, saying he had no auspicious date available, the British closed in on Panchalankurichi fort with all their might.

Six pounder guns were ordered to blow open the south gate, and a combined detachment of the Company and Ettayapuram, a neighbouring vassal, decided to attack the northern face of the fort.

The troops of the Poligars, directed by Oomathurai, held their ground with determination and threw back the hostile columns. Sustaining heavy losses and overwhelmed with despondency, Team Kattabommu ordered reinforcements from Palayamkottai. But realising that the fort was beyond repair, Kattabommu ordered a general evacuation. He was chased for a long distance and was finally captured by Raja Sri Vijaya Raghunath Tondaiman Bahadur, the king of Pudukkottai. There are records which state that the king was gifted control over Kilanilai fort in lieu of this service.

After a hasty trial, Kattabommu was hanged from a tamarind tree in Kayathar. His last moments are ironically recorded only by the enemy. Major John Bannerman wrote to the Madras Government saying:

Oomathurai and his valiant comrades, who were kept shackled by iron chains in this Palayamkottai prison, later made a daring escape and partly rebuilt the fort. But the British, under Major Agnew, attacked them again with the forces getting scattered again. Oomathurai offered resistance along with the formidable Sivaganga zamin before being captured and executed.

It was then that the British drew up plans to erase the zamin and its valiant kings from history and public memory. The Tinnelvelli Gazetteer compiled by H R Pate, a British ICS officer in 1916, recorded how the destruction of this fort was carried out by the British.

The Panchalankurichi mud fort was razed, the site ploughed over and sown with castor seeds, and the name also expunged from all registers of the district.

The lands of that palayam were then subdivided and apportioned to the neighbouring loyal Poligars rajas and the entire mud fort and the palace complex of Panchalankurichi was trodden and buried. Destruction was deliberately pursued to make a powerful impression upon other unruly military households.

Temple Destroyed

The original Jakkamma shrine was devastated and laid under a mound. The colonial administration also kept the buried site out of bounds.

This act seems to have been done earlier in history as well, when the Pandyas conquered the Chola capital of Gangaikonda Cholapuram in the twelfth century. It was an act where humiliation was inflicted and every ounce of history eliminated from public memory.

The colonial administration kept the buried site out of bounds, but this only increased its local veneration. New legends began circulating about the valorous properties of its soil. A grain of the soil from the fort was kept on the tongues of newborns during every Sivaratri in the belief that it would increase bravery.

In the light of this, a wake was held in the fort premises for a few decades, despite the possibility of sedition charges being slapped for physical presence in the ruins.

Panchalamkurichi, famed for its defiance during the Poligar raja period, became depopulated by the colonial government. By the mid-nineteenth century, it was largely forgotten by the rest of the Tamil country. The site of the Poligar raja’s fort was heavily overgrown with vegetation and people slowly avoided the area.

Divinisation of Sacrifice

However, the site of Kattabommu’s execution at Kayathar has become a “powerful local shrine” and sheep were sacrificed there during marriages or death ceremonies. Travellers are also known to throw stones at the foot of the tamarind tree, possibly symbolic of a “contribution” towards rebuilding the fort. Soon, a large mound of rocks accumulated as well.

Legends of Kattabommu slowly found their way into ballads and street performances. Veerapandiyan Kathai Padal and Kattabomman Sarithirakathai seem to have been popular. Kambalathaar Koothu, a street play which had Kattabommu as a minor character, seems to have been as popular as the Desingu Rajan Kathai, a ballad about a Rajput prince of Senji who fought the Mughals.

In the early 1930s, a young boy of five, Ganesan, was inspired by this koothu and decided that his life would be the stage. This would go on to affect the history of Kattabommu much later. The boy was none other than the famous actor Sivaji Ganesan.

But the British also exhibited Machiavellian tactics. To prevent migration, a general amnesty was given. The Palayakarars were made into zamindars and disarming in lieu of money happened. Peace prevailed in the area even during the Sepoy Mutiny and much of the freedom fighting years.

But the government did not forget this slight for a century-and-a-half. The colonial government’s iron grip over Panchalamkurichi eased only in 1946, one year before India’s Independence. In that year, permission was granted by the district collector for rebuilding a small concrete cupola of the shrine. This was constructed upon the existing foot-and-a-half high round base.

‘The skies pour and the fields yield...Why would I pay a tax to you?’ is today, the most recognisable piece of proclamation Tamil history has ever known. Kattabommu, the Palayakkarar of Panchalamkurichi, who spoke these words and was hanged from a tamarind tree, was of Telugu descent.

Historians believe that these lines came into prominence 150 years after Kattabommu’s death, through books and theatre. They were finally immortalised by Sivaji Ganesan’s film Veerapandiya Kattabomman that released in 1959.

Traditionally, Madras’ armies had quelled other freedom movements, but when Independence neared, there was a great patriotic fervour and Madras needed historical stories of freedom fighters.

Kattabommu, On Screen

In the late 1940s, Gemini Studios headed by SS Vasan made a movie with RK Narayan penning the story, perhaps the only time he directly worked on a movie script. Miss Malini was a colossal flop, but the songs stayed in the collective memory of the people.

Tamil filmmaker and poet Kothamangalam Subbu, who penned the songs, wrote a lullaby wherein a mother sings to her infant a song to instil bravery in him. In the verse, Subbu mentions Kattabommu along with Mahatma Gandhi and Subhas Chandra Bose (Gandhi Mahan, Netaji, Kattabomman kathai koori).

Astoundingly, most Tamil movie-goers hadn’t heard of Kattabommu till then.

Subbu’s words sparked a huge biographical journey on Kattabommu’s lost story. Ma Po Sivagnana Gramani wrote a biography called Veerapandiya Kattabomman. A flurry of books on Kattabommu and his brother Oomathurai subsequently flooded the market. Soon, movie companies, in a bid to pre-empt competitors, announced their Kattabommu productions.

In 1953, Gemini Vasan tried to pre-empt others by issuing a promotional newspaper advertisement. TKS Brothers brought Kattabommu to the stage as Muthal Muzhakkam (the first cry/call), but the audience response was lukewarm.

During the mid-50s, Sivaji Ganesan, along with scriptwriter Sakthi Krishnaswamy, was travelling through Kayathar, the place where Kattabommu was hanged, and was inspired to play him on stage. While crossing Kayathar, Sivaji, perhaps, reminded of his life-inspiring childhood experience, suggested a play based on Kattabommu’s life. Sakthi wrote the script in a month’s time — and it was launched in Salem in August 1957. The team invested close to Rs 50,000 on sets and costumes. The play successfully ran 112 shows, 12 of which were staged after the movie was launched.

Producer BR Panthulu, who specialised in the history and mythology genres, decided to make it into a movie. Panthulu and Sivaji were not sure how close Gemini was to making the movie, but did not want to challenge the giant. Sivaji swallowed his pride (he had once been rejected by Vasan for a small role in Chandralekha), went over to Gemini to request Vasan to keep away. Vasan handed over the material he had collected for the script.

It was then that the opposition strengthened. Bestselling detective fiction writer Tamilvanan wrote a book called Kattabommu Kollaikaran mentioning that Kattabommu’s achievements were “dubious” and that he was actually a “bandit”. Poet Kannadasan went one step ahead and stated that the Maruthu Pandiyars were the real freedom fighters. He made a film about them — Sivagangai Seemai. And the two films clashed at the box office. Kannadasan went into debt after this film flopped.

Veerapandiya Kattabommu, that was shot in technicolour, a first for a Tamil film, had its premiere, ironically, in London in 1959. High production costs nullified its successful theatrical run of 175 days.

It was dubbed in Telugu as Veerapandiya Kattabrahmanna, where Kattabommu spoke in his mother tongue. At the 1960 Cairo Afro-Asian Film Festival, Sivaji received the Best Actor Award from President Nasser. A decade later, Ganesan made a statue of Kattabommu at Kayathar.

The government-sponsored statue in Panchalankurichi bears a close resemblance to Sivaji Ganesan, and his breath-taking performance changed the perception of Kattabommu, who is still a favourite for school fancy dress competitions.

While historians busy their time contradicting the depth of his patriotism and bravery, and experts proclaiming that history and folklore are being conflated, Kattabommu today still remains the greatest freedom fighter yet of the Tamil soil.

(Venkatesh Ramakrishnan is a bilingual novelist and historian. He authored the sequel to Kalki's “ Ponniyin Selvan ” and a novel on Delhi sultanate’s invasion of South India called “Gods, Kings & Slaves: The Seige of Madurai”. He specialises in the history of Madras city)

Venkatesh Ramakrishnan is a bilingual novelist and historian. He authored the sequel to Kalki’s ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ and a novel on Delhi Sultanate’s invasion of South India called ‘Gods, Kings and Slaves’. He specialises in the history of Madras city. 

• Atrocities of British Raj
• Veerapandiya Kattabomman
• Tamil region

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Who was Veera Pandiya Kattabomman -- a bandit chief or superstar freedom fighter?

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Role of Veerapandiya Kattabomman and His Brothers in the Rebellion of Panchalankurichi

The story of the Polygar (Poligar) wars was  a brilliant tale of defiance by natives against the British East India Company forces that attempted to  impose sovereignty. As the British successfully built a base in Chennai and subdued many local rulers, some rose in rebellion against the Company. One such legendary rebel, Veerapandiya Kattabomman led a fierce rebellion against the Company army but was crushed by the use of brute force. Soon, the torch of rebellion was taken up by his younger brothers, Kumarasami Nayak Umaithurai, and Suppa Nayaka Sivathaiya.

Following Kattabomman’s defeat, his brothers were taken into police custody. But in 1801, both of them fled from jail and helped mobilize resources and manpower to raid company territories, meanwhile forming alliances with the indomitable Maruthu brothers and Pazhassi Raja who were leading rebellions in their respective regions. Umaithurai emerged as the new leader of thousands of men in the Panchalankurichi region, and they miraculously rebuilt the fortress that his brother ruled from. Witnessing the emerging reinforcements, the Company forces sent an expedition and laid an extensive siege led by Lt. Colonel Agnew. As the forces stormed the fortress in May 1801, Umaithurai escaped to Shivaganga forest and continued their resistance. The brothers fought valiantly, but were defeated by the massive forces and innovative weaponry and were captured, beheaded in November 1801.

A sketch of Veerapandiya Kattabomman

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Veerapandiya kattabomman: the rebel polygar.

Thoothukudi (Tuticorin), Tamil Nadu

October 05, 2021

A brave Polygar (feudal title) chieftain in Tamil Nadu in the 18th century, Veerapandiya Kattabomman waged a war against the Britishers 60 years before the Indian War of Independence started in the northern part of India.

Polygars were feudal lords who were appointed as military chiefs and administrative governors since the time of the Vijayanagara Empire in parts of Southern India. They were given the charge of a group of villages, collected taxes from the peasants, and in time, they almost acted as independent chieftains. When the East India Company started seizing control of the region, they came in conflict with the polygars on the question of who would collect taxes - the Company wanted to control them and secure the rights to collect taxes, as well as control territory. Kattabomman refused to give in to the British and waged a war against them. This is often called the First Polygar War of 1799.

Kattabomman was ultimately captured, sentenced to death, and publicly hanged at Kayatharu in 1799. To commemorate the bicentenary of Kattabomman’s hanging, the Government of India released a postal stamp in his honour.

As the British continued their systematic annexation of India using debt traps, #VeerapandiyaKattabomman found himself in the crosshairs. #AmritMahotsav #UnsungHeroes #MainBharatHoon #IndiaAt75 pic.twitter.com/GB3V3Z9uXe — Amrit Mahotsav (@AmritMahotsav) July 5, 2022