CHENNAI: While many artifacts are left unpreserved, the people of Paavali village near here have taken steps to preserve an 18th century copper plate bearing a warning message from the then British government after Kattabomman, one of the earliest leaders to oppose British rule in Tamil Nadu, was hanged.
After Kattabomman was executed in 1799, a rectangular copper plate inscribed with a warning message in Tamil was put up at several fiefs (palayam) including Paavali, based on the order of Major Bannerman.
The copper plate says that people working against the government and those who are in possession of weapons will be punished. If the government finds any such weapons in people’s houses, they will be executed, reads the warning.
The people from the village have preserved the plate considering its historical importance. Panchayat president K Nagaraj said that the copper plate was placed in the village in the year 1799 and shows its historical importance.
He added that he planned to preserve the plate in the village with the help of Virudhunagar Union Chairman Kalanidhi and M Anburaj. “We chipped in from our pockets and constructed a compound wall. As it has become old, we have inscribed the message it contains on a stone that is placed outside the wall. We have done this for the people to know about the history of our village,” he said. Veteran folklorist A Sivasubramanian said the British government had placed warning messages in copper plates in several areas. “Even after the execution of Kattabomman, they had a fear that several others like him may rise. Thus, they destroyed forts and seized weapons from people,” he said. Keeping such warning messages in important fiefs was a precautionary measure by the British government, added Sivasubramanian.
Archeologist C Santhalingam said that the warning message was placed at Ettayapuram in Thoothukudi district and Chinna Kollapatti near Sattur too.
Except for the copper plate in Paavali village, the other copper plates are in a bad shape. He said that the locals should be proud about the historical importance of their village and take steps to preserve such items of importance. Some villagers said that though the message was a warning, it was part of the village’s history.