VIRUDHUNAGAR: 75 years after gaining independence from the British, India is caught in a whirlpool of conversations around dissent and the silencing thereof. But a 200-year-old copper-plate inscription found in a remote village in Virudhunagar brings to sharp focus an instance of dissent that arguably laid the foundation for our country’s freedom.
October 1, 1799
Veerapandiya Kattabomman, the warrior Palaiyakkarar, was finally captured by the British East India Company in Pudukottai, a month after he left his Panchalankurichi fort following a bloody battle with the company forces. 15 days later, on October 16, he was hanged at Kayathar in Thoothukudi.
Five days after Kattabomman’s execution, Major A Bannerman, whose forces had captured him, made an announcement to all the Palaiyakkarars (Poligars). The crux of it was: “Kattabomman was executed because he caused inconvenience to the company by joining hands with a few others, including the palaiyakkarars of Nagalapuram, Kolvarpatti, Ezhayirampannai, Kulathur, and Kaadalkudi.
So, all their posts and weapons have been taken away from them. Anybody who causes inconvenience to the company will meet the same fate.”
The announcement was engraved on copper plates and installed in all Paalayams and Zamins across the region on October 21, 1799. One such copper plate is found in Paavali village here.
First war of Independence?
Speaking to Express, historian Dr V Venkataraman said that while most consider the Indian Rebellion of 1857 as the First War of Independence, the first regional awakening against the British and the East India Company started in the south. “While the major awakening was that of Kattabomman’s in Tamil Nadu, we have another instance even prior to that.
Poolithevar began a rebellion against the British in 1757-58 at Nelkettumsevel village, saying he would not pay taxes. Subsequently, the village’s name was changed to Nel kettadha seval (we will not pay taxes) for a while. The next rebellion was that of Kattabomman and others during 1797-1801, followed by the Vellore mutiny in 1806. The Indian Rebellion of 1857 took place around 100 years after Poolithevar’s uprising,” he said.
“When the question arose on the need to pay taxes to the company, dissenting voices started cropping up across the subcontinent. “This led to the South Indian Rebellion by Kattabomman of Panjalankurichi, Marudhu Brothers of Sivaganga, Gopal Nayak of Dindigul, and others in the Southern region.
The southernmost commander was Kattabomman. Though they had planned to join hands and attack the company, Kattabomman had to make an unprepared stand after the British attacked him suddenly, leading to his fleeing the fort,” he said.
The company could capture Kattabomman because it received information from other palaiyakkarars, including Ettappan of Ettaiyapuram. “After he was captured, he was forced to walk all the way from Pudukottai to Madurai to Tirunelveli to Courtallam to Thoothukudi via Paavali in Virudhunagar. They also declared that they were the only power in the region,” said Venkataraman.
Before hanging Kattabomman in Kayathar, all the palaiyakarars were brought to the location so they could be made to watch his execution, he added.
“The copper plate gives a warning to other palaiyakarars that if they gather an army or try to rebuild the destroyed forts or make/possess weapons, they will meet the fate of Kattabomman. The plate also states a list of palaikkarars whose powers were snatched,” said District Museum Curator (Virudhunagar) Krishnammal. She added that though the plates were kept in several zamins and palayams (fiefs) back then, Paavali’s is the only one available to their knowledge.
“More plates must definitely be there along the Paavali-Kayathar-Nagalapuram belt. But they must either be with individuals or damaged,” said Dr Venkataraman.
Rediscovery of the artefact
70-year-old Periyamuthaiah recalled the day the plate was rediscovered sometime in the 1960s. “When we were cleaning the roads, we found the copper plate lying in the dirt. On learning what it stated, we nailed it to a stone, as it had originally been.”
Despite repeated requests by district officials and the department of museum, the villagers refused to hand the artefact over to them. “Around 12 years ago, several officials and policemen came to take the plate. But we gathered around it and refused to give it to them. It’s the only artefact in our village, that too from Kattabomman’s times. It’s the pride of our village,” he said, adding that it was proof that the British threatened Zamins back then. The villagers’ demand is to build a monument to protect the artefact and spread its importance among the people.
On protecting the artefact
“Historical settings can be studied only with such sources (the artefact). If we want to know about Major Bannerman, one can definitely find sources in the Tamil Nadu archives in Chennai. But we need special permission for that. It is through such individual artefacts that we learn about the significance of an event and a place,” said Dr Venkataraman, adding that the records available with the archives should be digitalised/scanned to preserve them for the posterity.
Museum curator Krishnammal said that the plate might get damaged by the elements. “Due to local sentiments, we could not bring it here. We held peace talks in 2014-15, but the villagers signed a document, stating that they would take care of it. So, we could not bring it here.”
A compound wall with a gate, and a stone inscription of the contents of the plate was built in 2014. However, the structure has no roof.
“This is the only such copper plate available to our knowledge, and it is an extremely unique. So, we are trying our best to bring it to the department of museums. If it is kept here at the district museum, scholars and others can easily refer them. Also, we can protect the artefact from wear and tear”, added Krishnammal.
Local historians consider that Kattabomman was the first fighter to have sacrificed his life fighting the British, and that he was a warrior who tried to prevent British supremacy. “If he had not been killed, we can guess that Tamil Nadu or national politics could have taken a different turn,” they added.
At a time when tolerance for dissent is on the decline, an instance of it from another era reminds us of how it laid the foundation for our freedom from foreign rule. it’s a chapter in history that will never be forgotten