Thread by @Indic_Vibhu

Did you know?

On October 24, 1801, two middle-aged brothers were publicly hanged to death at the Tirupputhur fort of southern Tamil Nadu. The fact that the Maruthu Pandiyar brothers were the rulers of Sivaganga kingdom did not invoke any ceremony during the execution.

Every one of their fellow rebels, their commanders and servants, their sons and even their young grandsons were hanged alongside them, supposedly from palmyra trees around the fort.

With those mass executions, the British East India Company and its allies successfully put an end to a fierce rebellion by the Southern kingdoms of India – a revolt that is little remembered, and barely finds mention in history textbooks.

More than 50 years before the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, the Maruthu Pandiyar brothers had led a concerted struggle against the oppressive practices of the British. On June 16, 1801, months before their death, the brothers issued a proclamation of independence from the Tiruchi fort,..

..calling for people of all castes and communities to unite their fight against European domination.
Periya Maruthu and Chinna Maruthu were born to Mokka Palanisamy Thevar and his wife Ponatha, who served the second king of Sivaganga kingdom, Muthuvadaganatha Thevar.

Though the exact dates are still unclear, historians claim that Periya Maruthu, or the Big Maruthu, was born in 1748 in Ramnad state. Chinna Maruthu, or the younger Maruthu, was five years younger.

As children, the brothers worked in the palace as aides to the king, while they developed their skill in warfare and artillery alongside. Legend has it that the brothers even saved the king from a wild tiger, without the use of weapons, thereby gaining his favour.

He then bestowed upon them the title of Pandiyar.

But their time in the palace was to soon come to an end. While the brothers were in their early 20s, the Nawab of Arcot, who claimed overlordship over the Southern kingdoms, sent officials from the East India Company to...

...collect taxes from the rulers. When the king refused after long negotiations, he and the queen were killed at their palace one night.

The same night, the Maruthu brothers fled the kingdom along with the first queen Vedanachiyar, and received sanctuary in the...

...neighbouring kingdom of Virupakshi, ruled by Gopal Nayak. Here they stayed for seven years. This was where the brothers trained in warfare. But the queen was not one to accept defeat so easily. Through those seven years, she gathered allies among the Southern kingdoms.

Through careful strategic placement of troops, Vedanachiyar’s forces led by the Maruthu brothers took over Sivagangai again. Periya Maruthu was then appointed as commander of the army and Chinna Maruthu was the chief minister.

They were in close association with Veera Pandiya Kattabomman of Panchalankurichi. Kattabomman held frequent consultations with the Marudhus.

After the execution of Kattabomman in 17 October 1799 at Kayattar, Chinna Marudhu gave asylum to Kattabomman’s brother Oomaidurai.

But the British took this reason to invade and attacked Sivaganga in 1801 with a powerful army.

The Maruthu Pandiyars and their allies were quite successful and captured three districts from the British.

The British considered it such a serious threat to their future in India that they rushed additional troops from Britain to put down the Maruthu Pandiyars’ rebellion.

These forces surrounded the Maruthu Pandiyars’ army at Kalayar Koil, and the latter scattered.

The Maruthu Brothers and their top commanders escaped. They regrouped and fought the British and their allies at Viruppatchi, Dindigul and Cholapuram. While they won the battle at Viruppatchi, they lost the other two battles.

Marudhu brothers were not only warriors and noted for bravery, but they were very great administrators. Rani Velu Nachiar made a will and paved the way for Marudhu Pandiyar Elder to rule. Marudhu Pandiar younger was made the Dewan of the state.

During the period from 1783 to 1801, they worked for the welfare of their subjects and the Sivaganga Seemai was made fertile. They constructed many notable temples like Kalayar Kovil, Sivaganga many Ooranis and Tanks.

The Marudhu Pandiyars and many of their family members were captured at Cholapuram and they were infamously hanged on the English month of October 24, 1801.
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