Veerapandiya Kattabomman

Bommu (alias) Getti Bommu (Telugu) was a minister in the court of Jega Veerapandiyan (Nayak Dynasty), who came to power in Azhagiya Veerapandiyapuram . His origin is Andhra Pradesh, Bellary. The word getti bommu which means 'heroic' in Telugu, was soon changed to kattabommu and later became kattabomman in Tamil. After the demise of Jegavirapandian, he was called by the people as Adi Kattabomman after he entered the royal court. He was the first Kattabomman of the bommu tradition.

Jegavira Kattabomman is a descendant of this Bommu tradition (Dikvijaya Kattabomman), a couple of six. Their son was Veerapandiya, better known as Veerapandiyan. He was popularly known as Pommu Nayakkar as he continued to rule Panchalankurichi under Madurai Nayak Dynasty.

Veerapandiya Kattabomman was born in Panjalankurichi on January 3, [1760] to Arumugathammal - Dikvisaya kattabommu. Veerapandiya Kattabomman had two brothers, Kumaraswamy(oomaidurai), Duraisingham, and two sisters, Eswara form and Duraikannu. He married jakkammal. However, the couple had no children. On 2 February 1790, Veerapandiya Kattabomman took charge as 47th Poligar of Panchalankurichi when he was thirty years old. He ruled Panchalankurichi for 9 years, 8 months and 14 days.

The British Collector of the East India Company decided to collect tax From the Poligars to establish their rule. The English commander Maxwell, who was in charge of collecting taxes in the Tirunelveli district, was unable to collect the tax from the Panchalangurichi ruler Veerapandiya Kattabomman. Accordingly, in 1797 AD the English commander Alan led a war against Panchalangurichi fort. In the first battle of 1797 - 1798, Alan was defeated by Kattabomman because Alen was unable to destroy the fort. Then the District Collector of Tirunelveli Jackson Durai invited Veerapandiya Kattabomman to visit him. He deliberately wandered to several places, hoping to humiliate Kattabomman. He finally met Kattabomman on September 10, 1798 at Ramanathapuram. At that time, he tried to arrest Veerapandiya Kattabomman. Veerapandiya kattabomman returned to Panchalangurichi after breaking it. The Panchalangurichi Fort was besieged in 1799 by an English commander Bannermen. Despite fierce fighting and much casualties for the English, the fort fell and Veerapandiya Kattabomman left the fort.

After the Panchalangurichi fort was captured by the British On 9th September 1799, Pudukkottai king Vijayaragunatha Thondaman helped East Indian Company capture Veerapandiya Kattabomman. On October 16, 1799, the English commander Bannerman, executed the hanging of Kattabomman .

On February 02, 1801, Oomaidurai the brother of Kattabomman, who was imprisoned in the Palayankottai prison, was rescued by the soldiers of Panchalankurichi and the fort was revived. Subsequently, Major Macaulay, came to arrest Oomaidurai but returned without being able to enter the fort. In a renewed effort, Major Macaulay again began a siege on March 30, 1801, and captured it on May 24, 1801. Oomaidurai and Duraisingam escaped to Kaliyar Temple, Dindigul and finally they were arrested and hanged at the Panchalakurichi Berangimedu. The name Panchalangurichi was removed from the map of Tamil Nadu by British East Indian Company and the fort was completely demolished.

In 1974 Panchalangurichi fortress was in a dilapidated form. M. Karunanidhi gave new life to the Panchalankurichi Fort. It still stands to this day. The fort, the kothalam, the kolamandapam and the temple of Jakkama Devi have all reappeared. The wall is erected around a 6-acre site that includes the Memorial Fort. There is also an archaeological center inside. Inside the hall are paintings of Kattabomman's heroic paintings. The fort has been in operation since 1977.

The basement buildings of the old fort, which is currently over 35 acres, are under the care of the Archaeological Survey. The weapons used by Kattabomman, various items used by the people of his time including coins have been discovered by the Archaeological Survey and made public in the Tamil Nadu Government Museum in Chennai.

Kattabomman memorial at Kayathar

The historian Susan Bayly says that Kattabomman is considered a Robin Hood-like figure in local folklore and is the subject of several traditional narrative ballads in the kummi verse form. The site of his execution at Kayathar has become a "powerful local shrine" and at one time sheep were sacrificed there.[6] The Government of Tamil Nadu maintains a memorial at Kayathar and the remnants of the old fort at Panchalankurichi is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.[7][8] In 2006, the Tirunelveli district administration organised a festival at Panchalankurichi on his birth anniversary.[9]

To commemorate the bicentenary of Kattabomman's hanging, the Government of India released a postal stamp in his honour on 16 October 1999.[10] The Indian Navy communications centre at Vijayanarayanam is named INS Kattabomman.[11]

• Madurai Nayak Dynasty
• Rani of Jhansi
• Maruthu Pandiyar
• Oomaithurai, Veerapandiya Kattabomman's younger brother
• Rani Velu Nachiar

• Karunakarapandian, K. (2011). "A Political History of Ettayapuram of Thirunelvelli District, Tamil Nadu". In Ganeshram, S.; Bhavani, C. (eds.). History of People and Their Environs: Essays in Honour of Prof. B.S. Chandrababu. Bharathi Puthakalayam. ISBN 978-9-38032-591-0.
• Mukund, Kanakalatha (2005). The View from Below: Indigenous Society, Temples, and the Early Colonial State in Tamilnadu, 1700–1835. Orient Blackswan. ISBN 978-8-12502-800-0.