Rani Velu Nachiyar was an 18th century queen from Sivagangai district in Tamil Nadu, who is known as the first queen to have fought against the British colonial power
Rani Velu Nachchiyar on a 2008 stamp of India. Wikimedia Commons
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter on Monday to pay his tribute to Rani Velu Nachiyar on her birth anniversary today, 3 January. The prime minister spoke about her indomitable courage that will a source of inspiration for future generations.
He tweeted:
Who is Rani Velu Nachiyar?
Rani Velu Nachiyar is the 18th century queen from Sivagangai district in Tamil Nadu, who fought against the British rule to recapture her kingdom. She was known as the first queen to fight against the colonial power during that time.
Velu Nachiyar was born on 3 January in 1730 AD to the royal couple Mannar Sellamuthu Sethupathy and Sakandhimuthal. As she had no brothers, she was brought up like a prince. She was trained in archery, horse riding, martial arts, and even handling different weapons. She was also educated in several languages like French, Urdu and English.
At the age of 16, Velu Nachiyar was married to Sivagangai Mannar Muthuvaduganathur, following which they had a daughter who was named Vellachi. In 1772, the British troops and the Nawab of Arcot came together and invaded Sivagangai. During the Kalaiyar Koil war, Muthuvadugananthur died fighting for his kingdom.
Shocked and broken, Velu Nachiyar somehow escaped with her daughter Vellachi and lived in Dindugal for a few years. During her stay in Dindugal, Velu Nachiyar formed an alliance with other kingdoms and plotted her revenge against the British.
Following a strong fight, Velu Nachiyar was successful in recapturing her kingdom and hence becoming the queen of Sivagangai again. During her reign, the queen also formed a women’s only army called Udaiyaal.
For more than 10 years, Velu Nachiyar proudly ruled Sivagangai before she died in 1796 of an illness.