Veerapandiya Kattabomman of Panchalankurichi – Palayakkarar Revolt, Jackson & Bannerman, Kayathar 1799, Oomaithurai & the Poligar Wars | TNPSC Notes

Veerapandiya Kattabomman (3 January 1760 – 16 October 1799) was the palayakkarar (poligar) of Panchalankurichi, in present-day Thoothukudi district, who refused to pay tribute to the English East India Company and fought it in the First Palayakkarar (Poligar) War of 1799. After the siege of his fort by Major Bannerman, he was betrayed, captured and hanged at Kayathar on 16 October 1799. His younger brother Oomaithurai carried the struggle into the Second Palayakkarar War (1800–1801), which ended with the Carnatic Treaty of 1801 and the abolition of the palayakkarar system.

தமிழில் படிக்க

These notes are written for TNPSC Group 1, 2/2A and 4 aspirants and are meant to be complete on their own. Kattabomman is a core topic in the syllabus unit History, Culture, Heritage and Socio-Political Movements in Tamil Nadu, and also in the Indian National Movement portion, where the early revolts against British rule in South India are studied as the background to the national struggle. Read each section in order, then use the tables, the quick revision table and the key points at the end.

At a Glance

• Name: Veerapandiya Kattabomman; palayakkarar of Panchalankurichi.
• Born: 3 January 1760, Panchalankurichi (now in Thoothukudi district).
• Parents: Jagaveera Kattabomman (Jagavira Pandya Kattabomman), the previous palayakkarar, and Arumugathammal.
• Became palayakkarar: 1790, at the age of thirty, on his father's death; he is counted as the 47th palayakkarar of Panchalankurichi.
• Brothers: Oomaithurai and Sevathaiah (younger brothers).
• Minister: Sivasubramanianar (Sivasubramania Pillai).
• Main opponents: Collector Jackson (1798) and Major Bannerman (1799).
• Bloc: leader of the eastern bloc of palayakkarars (Telugu-speaking palayams), as against the western (Marava) bloc once led by Puli Thevar.
• Death: hanged at Kayathar (now in Thoothukudi district) on 16 October 1799.
• Memorials: Memorial Fort at Panchalankurichi (Tamil Nadu Government, 1974); memorial at Kayathar; postage stamp (16 October 1999); INS Kattabomman (1990); the 1959 film Veerapandiya Kattabomman.

Background: The Palayakkarar System

A palayam was a small territory, usually a group of villages, held by a chief called the palayakkarar (anglicised as poligar or polygar). The palayakkarar held his palayam in return for military service and a share of the revenue paid to his overlord. He collected taxes, kept law and order, settled disputes and maintained troops, and ruled from a fortified centre.

• Origin in Tamil Nadu: the system was organised under the Madurai Nayaks. Viswanatha Nayak, who became ruler of Madurai around 1529, introduced it with the help of his minister (Dalavai) Ariyanatha Mudaliar.
• Number: traditionally there were 72 palayams.
• Two blocs in the south: by the eighteenth century the palayakkarars of the Tirunelveli region formed two groups – the western bloc of Marava palayakkarars led by Puli Thevar of Nerkattumseval, and the eastern bloc of Telugu-speaking palayakkarars led by Kattabomman of Panchalankurichi.
• Claim to sovereignty: the palayakkarars saw themselves as hereditary rulers of their lands; the Company treated them only as tribute-paying subordinates. This clash of ideas lay behind the revolts.

How the Company Got the Right to Collect Tribute

The palayakkarars of the south owed tribute to the Nawab of Arcot (Carnatic). The Nawab, heavily in debt to the East India Company, gradually handed over his revenue rights to it.

• 1781: during the war with Mysore, the Nawab assigned the revenue of the Carnatic to the Company.
• 1792: under the Carnatic Treaty of 1792, the right to collect tribute from the palayakkarars passed to the Company.
• The Company's collectors used force to collect arrears and often humiliated the palayakkarars. Kattabomman, like Puli Thevar before him, refused to accept an outside power as his master.

Early Life and Accession

• Kattabomman was born on 3 January 1760 at Panchalankurichi, near Ottapidaram, about 25 km from Thoothukudi.
• His father Jagaveera Kattabomman was the palayakkarar of Panchalankurichi; his mother was Arumugathammal.
• On his father's death he became palayakkarar in 1790 at the age of thirty. His rule lasted until 1799.
• His family deity was the goddess Jakkammal; the Sri Devi Jakkammal temple stands inside the present memorial fort complex.
• His younger brothers Oomaithurai and Sevathaiah stood by him throughout, and his minister Sivasubramanianar was his chief adviser.

Conflict with Collector Jackson (1798)

Jackson was the Company's Collector who dealt with the palayakkarars of the region. By 1798 Kattabomman's tribute was in arrears of 3,310 pagodas. Jackson wanted to send an army against him, but the Madras Government refused permission.

• 18 August 1798: Jackson ordered Kattabomman to meet him at Ramanathapuram.
• Kattabomman went after him, but Jackson refused to see him at Courtallam and at Srivilliputhur.
• 19 September 1798: the two met at Ramanathapuram. Kattabomman is said to have been kept standing before the Collector for three hours.
• Sensing that he was to be arrested, Kattabomman tried to leave with his minister Sivasubramanianar. Oomaithurai entered the fort with his men and helped him escape.
• In the clash at the fort gate several people died, including Lieutenant Clarke. Sivasubramanianar was taken prisoner.

Inquiry by the Madras Council (December 1798)

• Kattabomman complained to the Madras Council about his treatment at Ramanathapuram.
• Governor Edward Clive ordered the release of Sivasubramanianar and the suspension of Jackson.
• A committee of William Brown, William Oram and John Casamajor sat on 15 December 1798 and found Kattabomman not guilty.
• Jackson was dismissed and S. R. Lushington was appointed Collector in his place.
• Kattabomman then paid almost all the arrears, leaving only a small balance (1,080 pagodas according to the present textbook; an older text gives 1,090).

Exam tip: the Ramanathapuram episode ended in Kattabomman's favour – the Company's own committee cleared him and removed the Collector. The final break came a year later, over his links with other rebels.

The South Indian Confederacy and Sivagiri

• Marudhu Pandiyar of Sivaganga organised a confederacy of rebels against the Company, with Gopala Nayak of Dindigul and Yadul Nayak of Aanamalai. Kattabomman joined it.
• Collector Lushington tried to stop Kattabomman from meeting the Marudhu brothers, but they decided together to oppose the English.
• The palayakkarar of Sivagiri refused to join. Sivagiri was a tributary of the Company, so when Kattabomman moved against it, the Company treated this as a direct challenge and ordered an army to Tirunelveli.

The First Palayakkarar War: Siege of Panchalankurichi (1799)

• May 1799: on the orders of the Governor-General Lord Wellesley, forces from Tiruchirappalli, Thanjavur and Madurai were sent to Tirunelveli under Major Bannerman. Travancore troops joined them. (This was the year of the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, when Tipu Sultan was killed.)
• 1 September 1799: Bannerman served an ultimatum asking Kattabomman to surrender. His reply was treated as evasive.
• 5 September 1799: Bannerman moved his whole army to Panchalankurichi and cut off the fort's communications. He sent Ramalinganar with a demand for surrender; Kattabomman refused, and the information Ramalinganar gathered about the fort helped Bannerman plan his attack.
• Kallarpatti: in a clash at Kallarpatti (spelt Kolarpatti in some texts), Kattabomman's men suffered heavy losses and Sivasubramanianar was captured again.
• 13 September 1799: Sivasubramanianar was executed at Nagalapuram.
• The fort could not hold out against the Company's artillery. Kattabomman escaped and went towards Pudukottai.

Betrayal, Trial and Execution at Kayathar (October 1799)

• The British offered a reward for Kattabomman's capture. He was betrayed by the rulers of Ettayapuram and Pudukottai.
• Vijaya Raghunatha Thondaiman, the ruler of Pudukottai, had him captured and handed over to the British.
• 16 October 1799: Bannerman held a trial at Kayathar in the presence of the palayakkarars of the region, as a warning to them. Kattabomman admitted the charges without fear.
• He was hanged from a tamarind tree near the old fort of Kayathar. Most sources, and the official martyrdom day, give the date as 16 October 1799; an older school text gives the trial on 16 October and the hanging on 17 October.
• He was 39 years old. Folk ballads sung across the region kept his memory alive long after his death.

Aftermath of 1799

• The fort of Panchalankurichi was demolished by Bannerman's forces.
• Oomaithurai and Sevathaiah were imprisoned in the Palayamkottai prison.
• Other palayakkarars who had supported the rising were punished, and the Company tightened its hold on the Tirunelveli region.

Oomaithurai and the Second Palayakkarar War (1800–1801)

Oomaithurai ("oomai" means mute in Tamil) was Kattabomman's younger brother. He had already saved Kattabomman at Ramanathapuram in 1798. After 1799 he became the central figure of the second rising in the south.

• The wider confederacy: the Second Palayakkarar War was led by a confederacy of Marudhu Pandiyar of Sivaganga, Gopala Nayak of Dindigul, Kerala Varma of Malabar, and Krishnappa Nayak and Dhoondaji of Mysore. The leaders met at Virupachi in April 1800, and the rising broke out in Coimbatore in June 1800, spreading to Ramanathapuram and Madurai.
• Escape (February 1801): Oomaithurai and Sevathaiah escaped from the Palayamkottai prison. Their followers rebuilt the Panchalankurichi fort in a very short time and held it against the Company.
• Siege of 1801: the first British assaults failed. The fort was finally taken in 1801 – the present textbook says Colin Macaulay's troops retook it in April 1801, while other accounts describe the final assault under Lt Col Agnew in May 1801.
• Destruction of the site: after its capture the fort was razed to the ground.
• Flight to Sivaganga: Oomaithurai escaped, reached Kamudhi, and Chinna Marudhu took the brothers to Siruvayal; they fought on with the Marudhu brothers.
• Tiruchirappalli Proclamation (June 1801): the Marudhu brothers issued a call to all people, irrespective of region, caste or religion, to unite against the Company; it was pasted on the walls of the Nawab's palace in Tiruchirappalli fort and on the Srirangam temple.
• End: the Marudhu brothers were executed at Tiruppathur (Sivaganga) on 24 October 1801. According to the Tamil Nadu textbook, Oomaithurai and Sevathaiah were executed at Panchalankurichi on 16 November 1801 (some other accounts differ on the place and details). Seventy-three leading rebels were exiled to Penang.
• Carnatic Treaty (31 July 1801): the British took direct control of Tamil Nadu; the palayakkarar system came to an end, forts were destroyed, armies disbanded, and the zamindari settlement was introduced in its place.

First and Second Palayakkarar Wars Compared

Who's Who

Places to Remember

Legacy, Memorials and Honours

• Memorial Fort, Panchalankurichi: built by the Tamil Nadu Government in 1974 on the site of the old fort. Its memorial hall has paintings of the main events of his life; the remains of the old fort are protected by the archaeology department.
• Kayathar memorial: the Tamil Nadu Government maintains a memorial at the place of his execution. Actor Sivaji Ganesan had earlier set up a statue of Kattabomman at Kayathar.
• Postage stamp: issued by India Post on 16 October 1999, the bicentenary of his execution.
• INS Kattabomman: the Indian Navy's VLF (very low frequency) communication station at Vijayanarayanam, near Tirunelveli, commissioned on 20 October 1990 by President R. Venkataraman.
• Film (1959): Veerapandiya Kattabomman, directed and produced by B. R. Panthulu, with Sivaji Ganesan as Kattabomman. It was based on the play by Sakthi T. K. Krishnasamy. At the Afro-Asian Film Festival in Cairo (1960) Sivaji Ganesan won the Best Actor award.
• Ma. Po. Sivagnanam (Ma. Po. Si.) wrote a biography of Kattabomman and headed the history research team for the film.
• Commemoration: his birth anniversary (3 January) and martyrdom day (16 October) are observed every year; leaders pay tribute at Panchalankurichi and Kayathar, and the Panchalankurichi festival includes bullock-cart races.

Key Terms

Writing Mains Answers on Kattabomman (Group 1 / Group 2)

Descriptive papers ask about the palayakkarar revolts and Kattabomman's place in them. Build your answer around these points and support each with a fact from the notes above.

Kattabomman's resistance to the East India Company (about 150–250 words)

• Introduction: palayakkarar of Panchalankurichi (1790–1799); leader of the eastern bloc; one of the earliest resisters of Company rule in South India.
• Cause: the Nawab's transfer of tribute rights to the Company (1781, 1792); harsh collection of arrears; Kattabomman's refusal to accept a foreign master.
• Ramanathapuram (19 September 1798): humiliation by Collector Jackson; clash, death of Lt Clarke; inquiry cleared him and Jackson was dismissed.
• Confederacy: links with the Marudhu brothers; dispute over Sivagiri.
• War of 1799: Bannerman's ultimatum (1 September), siege (5 September); Sivasubramanianar executed at Nagalapuram.
• End: betrayal by Pudukottai and Ettayapuram; trial and hanging at Kayathar (16 October 1799).
• Significance: showed the spirit of local resistance; inspired the Second Palayakkarar War; remembered through ballads, memorials and the 1959 film.

Causes and results of the Palayakkarar Wars (about 150 words)

• Causes: Company's claim to tribute; humiliating collection methods; palayakkarars' claim to hereditary rule; loss of local power.
• First war (1799): Kattabomman; Bannerman; Kayathar.
• Second war (1800–1801): wider confederacy – Marudhu brothers, Gopala Nayak, Kerala Varma, Oomaithurai; Tiruchirappalli Proclamation.
• Results: leaders executed or exiled to Penang; Carnatic Treaty of 31 July 1801; end of the palayakkarar system; zamindari settlement.
• Evaluation: local in scale and weakened by betrayals, but an early example of united resistance across regions.

Role of Oomaithurai (about 100 words)

• Saved Kattabomman at Ramanathapuram (1798).
• Imprisoned at Palayamkottai; escaped with Sevathaiah in February 1801 and rebuilt the Panchalankurichi fort.
• Joined the Marudhu brothers via Kamudhi and Siruvayal; executed at Panchalankurichi on 16 November 1801 (textbook date).

Practice: Match the Following

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Place of execution: Kayathar – not Panchalankurichi (that is where Oomaithurai was executed) and not Tiruppathur (where the Marudhu brothers were executed).
• Ramanathapuram vs Kayathar: Ramanathapuram (1798) is the meeting with Jackson; Kayathar (1799) is the execution.
• Jackson vs Bannerman: Jackson was the Collector of the 1798 episode; Bannerman was the military commander of 1799.
• Lushington: he replaced Jackson as Collector – he was not the officer killed. The officer killed was Lieutenant Clarke.
• Betrayers: the rulers of Pudukottai and Ettayapuram – not Sivaganga (the Marudhu brothers were allies).
• Bloc: Kattabomman led the eastern (Telugu) bloc; Puli Thevar led the western (Marava) bloc.
• Dates: born 3 January 1760; became palayakkarar in 1790; hanged 16 October 1799 – the stamp was issued on 16 October 1999, the bicentenary.
• Sivasubramanianar: captured twice (Ramanathapuram and Kallarpatti) and executed at Nagalapuram on 13 September 1799 – about a month before Kattabomman.

Quick Revision Table

TNPSC Key Points (PYQ-style facts)

• Palayakkarar of Panchalankurichi (Thoothukudi district); born 3 January 1760.
• Father: Jagaveera Kattabomman; mother: Arumugathammal; 47th palayakkarar; took charge in 1790 at thirty.
• Leader of the eastern (Telugu) bloc; Puli Thevar led the western (Marava) bloc.
• Palayam system: Viswanatha Nayak with Ariyanatha Mudaliar (c. 1529); 72 palayams.
• Company's right to tribute: 1781 assignment; Carnatic Treaty of 1792.
• Arrears of 3,310 pagodas; Collector Jackson; Ramanathapuram meeting on 19 September 1798; Lt Clarke killed; minister Sivasubramanianar captured.
• Governor Edward Clive; committee of William Brown, William Oram and John Casamajor; not guilty (15 December 1798); Jackson dismissed; S. R. Lushington Collector.
• Joined the confederacy of Marudhu Pandiyar; conflict over Sivagiri.
• Lord Wellesley ordered the expedition; Major Bannerman: ultimatum 1 September 1799, siege 5 September 1799.
• Sivasubramanianar executed at Nagalapuram, 13 September 1799.
• Betrayed by Ettayapuram and Pudukottai (Vijaya Raghunatha Thondaiman).
• Hanged on a tamarind tree at Kayathar, 16 October 1799.
• Oomaithurai and Sevathaiah escaped from Palayamkottai (February 1801); executed at Panchalankurichi, 16 November 1801 (textbook).
• Marudhu brothers executed at Tiruppathur, 24 October 1801; 73 rebels exiled to Penang.
• Carnatic Treaty, 31 July 1801: end of the palayakkarar system.
• Memorial Fort, Panchalankurichi: 1974 (Tamil Nadu Government). Stamp: 16 October 1999. INS Kattabomman: 20 October 1990, Vijayanarayanam.
• Film 1959 by B. R. Panthulu; Sivaji Ganesan won Best Actor at Cairo (1960).

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Veerapandiya Kattabomman?

He was the palayakkarar (poligar) of Panchalankurichi in present-day Thoothukudi district, born on 3 January 1760. He became chief in 1790 at the age of thirty, refused to submit to the East India Company's demand for tribute, fought the Company in the First Palayakkarar War of 1799 and was hanged at Kayathar on 16 October 1799.

What happened at the Ramanathapuram meeting of 1798?

Collector Jackson summoned Kattabomman over tribute arrears of 3,310 pagodas. Kattabomman met him at Ramanathapuram on 19 September 1798. Sensing a plan to arrest him, he tried to leave; in the clash at the fort gate Lieutenant Clarke was killed and his minister Sivasubramanianar was taken prisoner, while Oomaithurai helped Kattabomman escape.

Who led the British attack on Panchalankurichi in 1799?

Major Bannerman. On Lord Wellesley's orders, troops from Tiruchirappalli, Thanjavur and Madurai, joined by Travancore forces, moved to Tirunelveli. Bannerman served an ultimatum on 1 September 1799 and attacked the fort on 5 September 1799. Kattabomman escaped to Pudukottai but was later captured.

How was Kattabomman captured and where was he executed?

He was betrayed by the rulers of Ettayapuram and Pudukottai; Vijaya Raghunatha Thondaiman of Pudukottai handed him over to the British. Bannerman tried him before the assembled palayakkarars on 16 October 1799, and he was hanged from a tamarind tree near the old fort of Kayathar. His martyrdom day is observed on 16 October.

Who was Oomaithurai and what was his role?

Oomaithurai was Kattabomman's younger brother. He helped Kattabomman escape at Ramanathapuram in 1798, was imprisoned at Palayamkottai after 1799, escaped in February 1801 with his brother Sevathaiah, rebuilt the Panchalankurichi fort and fought in the Second Palayakkarar War with the Marudhu brothers. According to the Tamil Nadu textbook, he and Sevathaiah were executed at Panchalankurichi on 16 November 1801.

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