Veerapandiya Kattabomman, born on 3
January 1760, was an 18th-century Palayakarrar and chieftain from
Panchalankurichi in Tamil Nadu, India. The valiant Tamil chieftain refused to align with the sovereignty of
the East India Company and single-handedly waged war against the colonialists. His
father was a Palayakarar, a feudal title for a class of territorial
administrative and military governors appointed by the Nayaka dynasty in
southern India during the 16th and 18th centuries. At the age of 30,
Veerapandiya Kattabomman assumed the position of the 47th Palayakarar.
Kattabomman was captured by the British with
the help of the ruler of the Kingdom of Pudukottai, Vijaya Raghunatha
Tondaiman, at Kayathar on 1 October 1799.Following an
interrogation stretching over 15 days and a ridiculous trial, he was sentenced
to public execution.
Even in the face of death, Kattabomman didn’t flinch
and continued to stand by his ideals of honour, dignity and prestige. He boldly
argued for the right of his homeland and admonished the British for their
immoral and illegal occupation of the region.
Kattabomman
was hanged on 16 October 1799, thus putting an end to the first-ever known
revolt against the Empire. The remnants of his old fort at Panchalankurichi are
protected by the Archaeological Survey of India. On 16 October 1799, a
postage stamp commemorating the bicentenary of Veerapandiya’s execution was
released by the Indian government in his remembrance.
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