History Shapes Society The Way We Say It

Yesterday, the proverbial curiosity caught the cat of my imagination. We were actually watching the Navrathri program on TV. Srimad Shankaracharya Swami (the young pontiff) of Sharada Peetam of Sringeri was holding darbar at the completion of days' pooja. As the events happened, my mind wandered off. The history of Sri Sharada Peetam commences in 8th century. It was established by Adi Shankara himself. The twelve hundred years of its existence saw tumultuous events unfolding in the subcontinent. 

To start with, between the 7th and 12th centuries, Chalukyas, Pallavas, Pandavas, Badami and Rashtrakutas dominated the southern peninsula, not to mention Kakatiyas, Kalachuris and Kadambas. Their empires rose and shrank with time till about the advent of Moghuls in India. Then came the Bhamani Sultans (Birar, Bidar, Golconda and Gulbarga) and the Vijaynagar empire. These were followed by Maratha, Nizam of Hyderabad, Nawab of Arcot, Tipu Sultan and the East India Company.

The question that rankled my mind was "Is it possible that Sri Mutt of Sringeri remained unaffected by these ebbs and flows that rocked the country?" It is then, I started looking first into the history of the Mutt as published in its own website  https://www.sringeri.net/jagadgurus

I can only invite with all humility any and all lovers of history to visit the website for it contains, though not in the strict historical pedagogy, the events of this country played at different times in curious and interesting narratives. We find equally compelling stories of great kings and sultans paying homage to the Sri Mutt as well as reprehensible acts of Pindaris of Maharashtra pillaging the sanctity of it. These instances give us the political-social-economic perspectives necessary to understand the parts of subcontinental history that remain hidden from academic texts.

As I read through this website, another thought preys at my mind. We appear to be content with knowing as little (if at all) of the history of our own race (if we consider Indians as one race?) and happily accept correct or controversial versions that mostly western scholars have constructed for us. When the rising tenor Right Wing historians' narratives (like for example the Aryan Invasion Theory) strikes at us, we take refuge in consolatory gestures. History has neither Right or Left Wing narratives. It is a narrative that is by itself. I do hope that readers of this blog will help me access sources that would shed "as it were" perspectives on the history of this subcontinent.      

Kattabomman, the First Among Freedom Fighters

Jagaveera Veerapandiya Kattabomman, Polygar of Panchalankurichi, was hanged from a tamarind tree at Kayathar in Tamil Nadu on 16 Oct 1799. His crime was refusal to pay taxes to the East India Company. Little did KC Jackson, Collector of Tirunelveli, realize that he had actually lit a fuse on Polygar revolt than put out the fire called Kattabomman.

Born on 02 January 1760 to Jagaveera Pandiyan and Arumugathammal, the Polygar of Panchalankurichi, Kattabomman revolted against British sovereignty when the Collector of Tirunelveli ordered him to pay taxes. The Nawab of Arcot, suzerain over Polygars of the south had failed to pay his dues to the Company and left it to the Company to collect the dues themselves. With this free hand, the Company had set about collecting huge amounts from the peasantry, to the peril of the country side. 

Initially Kattabomman agreed to pay the taxes as per norm and even went over to Ramanathapuram to meet the Collector. However, Jackson was haughty and made Kattabomman wait for days together even to consent to meet him. Incensed, Kattabomman returned to his fort and thereafter refused to pay taxes. The Company then sent an army to collect the taxes and bring Kattabomman. The Company army was defeated by Kattabomman and his allies.

The new collector of Tirunelveli, Lousington, changed the tactics and invited Kattabomman for talks. Playing on the Tamil sense of pride, Lousington lured Kattabomman to come alone, leaving his body guards away. When Kattabomman arrived with only his head of army, Sivasubramanya Pillai. Lousington arrested both. However, Kattabomman escaped with Pillai and reached Panchalankurichi back. War now was inevitable.

The mud fort at Panchalankurichi fell to the canons of the Company. However, an injured Kattabomman escaped to a forest near Pudukottai with handful of his followers. Pillai was arrested by British, after a battle with Kattabomman's troops near Nagalapuram. Pillai's head was severed by British and put up on a spike in Panchalankurichi. 

In the mean time, regional satraps like the King of Pugukottai and Polygars like Ettappan of Ettayyapuram aided the British and actually betrayed, arrested and handed him over to the British. The date was 02 Oct 1799. Lousington conducted a farce trial for nearly 15 days and on the 16th October, ordered that Kattabomman be hanged to death. Major Banerman of the Company hanged Kattabomman from a tamarind tree at Kayathar and left the body there as a warning to other Polygars. A great son of the Tamil people was thus betrayed, and hanged like an ordinary criminal.

Unfortunately for the British, hanging and shaming of Kattabomman did not bring about peace and subjugation of Tamil lands. Between March 1799 and July 1805, for over six years, the Polygars rose in revolt against the British Company. OOmaithurai, brother of Kattabomman, Maruthu Pandiyan brothers, Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja of Malabar and Dheeran Chinnamalai Gounder, among others, led repaeted attacks on Company troops mostly adopting to guerrilla tactics. They attacked Company barracks in Coimbatore, Salem and Dindigul area, Trichy and elsewhere harrying the Company to no end. The King of Ramanathapuram actively supported the Polygars. Panchalankurichi fort, rebuilt by Oomaithurai became the epicenter of operations.

Eventually, forces led by Lt Col Agnew laid seige and eventually razed Panchalankurichi fort in May 1801. Oomaithurai and Maruthu Pandiyan brothers were captured , after their escape from the fort near Kalayar Kovil. They were hanged by the Company troops in November 1801 near Odanilai. Other Poligar rebels were slowly subdued over the next few years.

16th October 2018 would mark 219th Anniversary of the sacrifice by Kattabomman. It is a day that truly must mark Tamil pride with great solemnity. 

Government of India honoured Kattabomman with the release of a postage stamp and Indian Navy has a Naval station INS Kattabomman at Tuticorin. A memorial is built at Panchalankurichi and Kayathar to honour the great warrior.