News: The Prime Minister paid tributes to Rani Velu Nachiyar on her birth anniversary, highlighting her courage, leadership, and resistance to British rule.
About Rani Velu Nachiyar
- Rani Velu Nachiyar (1730–1796) was the 18th-century queen of the Sivagangai estate in Tamil Nadu.
- She was the first queen in India to actively oppose British rule and fight for freedom.
- Early Life: Born on January 3, 1730, she was the only child of Raja Chellamuthu Vijayaragunatha Sethupathy of the Ramnad kingdom.
- She later became the ruler of Sivaganga.
- Known as: She is known among Tamils as Veeramangai (“brave woman”).
- Education and skills
- She received training in warfare, including weapon usage, Valari, Silambam, horse riding, and archery.
- She was a scholar and had proficiency in languages such as English, French, and Urdu.
- Key contributions
- The Conflict: After her husband, Muthu Vaduganatha Periyavudaya Thevar, was killed by British soldiers and the Nawab of Arcot in the Kalaiyar Koil war (1772), she went into exile for eight years.
- Strategic Alliances: During her exile, she built an alliance with Hyder Ali of Mysore and Gopala Nayaker.
- Reclaiming Sivagangai (1780): With the help of her allies and the Marudu Brothers, she defeated the British and reclaimed her kingdom.
- She created the first all-female army (Udaiyal) and utilized innovative tactics, including a woman who became a “human bomb” to destroy a British arsenal.
