New Delhi: In the 18th century Tamil Nadu, Veerapandiya Kattabomman was a brave Polygar (feudal lord) who fought the British East India Company for the freedom of his territory more than 50 years before the 1957 Indian Rebellion took place in our country. He fought bravely and is one of the earliest rulers who fought against the British colonial expansion in India. Today, on his birth anniversary, we take a look at the life of Veerapandiya Kattabomman.
Veerapandiya Kattabomman and becoming the Polygar
Veerapandiya Kattabomman was born on January 3, 1760, in present-day Tamil Nadu to a family belong to Thokalavar sub-sect of Rajakambala Nayakkar community. His father was Panchalankurichi’s Polygar, belonging to the Bommu and Aathi Kattabomman clans. After he turned 30, he became the Polygar of Panchalankurichi and was the 47th Polygar.
The conflict between Kattabomman and British East India Company
The Polygars were feudal lords who served as military chiefs and administrative governors from the Vijayanagara Empire’s time in Southern India. They had a group of villages under their charge, collected taxes from the peasants and also served as independent chieftains. After the British East India Company began to capture the region, they came into conflict with the Polygars about the right to collect taxes with the Company looking to control the territory and collect taxes.
The Britishers brought about a new tax policy which gave them the sole authority to collect tax. Kattabomman decided to make his domain free of the British control and stopped paying them tribues. 1798, he disagreed with the Tirunelveli collector over the leftover taxes. In 1799, he refused to meet the collector and as a result, the British send an armed force to capture him.
The war with the British East India Company
Kattabomman and his army fought the forces of the British East India Company in the Panchalankurichi Fort and he was largely unprepared. While his army initially held back the Company troops, British artillery damaged his fort which forced him to withdraw into nearby forests and fight a guerilla campaign. On October 1, 1799, he was captured as the British was helped by Polygars like Ettappan of Ettaiyapuram and the king of Pudukkottai Vijaya Raghunatha Thondaiman. On October 16, 1799, he was hanged to death.
Veerapandiya Kattabomman, a Polygar (feudal lord) from 18th-century Tamil Nadu, fiercely resisted British East India Company’s expansion. He refused to pay increased taxes and engaged in guerilla warfare, ultimately leading to his capture and execution in 1799. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
