The heavens shower rain; the earth bears grain; why should I pay for my land?
Do you collect tax to command the elements? Does rain shower at your command?
~ Tamil Folk Ballad, words spoken by Veerapandiya Kattabomman to British Collector shortly before his defeat and death
Do you collect tax to command the elements? Does rain shower at your command?
~ Tamil Folk Ballad, words spoken by Veerapandiya Kattabomman to British Collector shortly before his defeat and death
An 18th-century Tamil Palayakarrar & chieftain, he refused to accept the sovereignty of the British East India Company & waged a war against them. He was captured by the British with the help of the ruler of the kingdom of Pudukottai and was hanged at the age of 39.
The historian Susan Bayly says that Kattabomman is considered a Robin Hood-like figure in local folklore and is the subject of several traditional narrative ballads in the kummi verse form. The site of his execution at Kayathar has become a "powerful local shrine".
The Tamil-language film Veerapandiya Kattabomman, starring Sivaji Ganesan, is based on his life.
The Indian Navy communications center at Vijayanarayanam is named INS Kattabomman.
The Indian Navy communications center at Vijayanarayanam is named INS Kattabomman.
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