Subramania Siva (Veera Thuravi) – Swadeshi with V.O.C., Tirunelveli Uprising 1908, Gnanabanu & Bharatha Matha Temple | TNPSC Notes

Subramania Siva (Subramaniya Siva, 1884–1925) was a freedom fighter from Vathalagundu (now in Dindigul district) who, with V. O. Chidambaram Pillai (VOC), led the Swadeshi campaign at Tuticorin and Tirunelveli. His arrest with VOC on 12 March 1908 set off the Tirunelveli Uprising. He contracted leprosy in prison, edited the Tamil journal Gnanabanu, and in his last years planned a Bharatha Matha (Bharat Mata) temple at Papparapatti in Dharmapuri district, whose foundation stone was laid by Deshbandhu C. R. Das in 1923. He is remembered as Veera Thuravi (the heroic ascetic).

தமிழில் படிக்க

These notes are written for TNPSC Group 1, 2/2A and 4 aspirants and are meant to be complete on their own. Subramania Siva belongs mainly to History, Culture, Heritage and Socio-Political Movements of Tamil Nadu (freedom struggle in Tamil Nadu, Swadeshi movement, Tamil journalism) and to History, Culture of India and Indian National Movement (Swadeshi and extremist phase, 1905–1908). His journal work and the pure-Tamil idea are also useful for questions on Tamil society and Tamil revival. Read each section, then use the tables, the quick revision table and the key points at the end.

Early Life

• Born: 4 October 1884 at Vathalagundu (also written Batlagundu), then in Madurai district and now in Dindigul district.
• Parents: Rajam Iyer and Nagalakshmi Ammal. The family was poor.
• Thiruvananthapuram: because of poverty he went as a boy to Thiruvananthapuram (then capital of the princely State of Travancore), stayed at a free-meal house and continued his studies there.
• Spiritual bent: from his youth he was drawn to yoga and the life of an ascetic. He regarded himself as a sanyasi and saw India's freedom as a form of spiritual liberation. This is why he came to be called Veera Thuravi – the heroic ascetic.
• Spellings to recognise: Subramania Siva, Subramaniya Siva and Subramaniya Sivam all refer to the same person.

Awakening in Thiruvananthapuram (1906–07)

The partition of Bengal (1905) and the Swadeshi movement stirred young people across India. In 1906, a lecture in Thiruvananthapuram by a speaker of the Arya Samaj moved Siva to take up national work in earnest.

• Dharma Paripalana Samajam: around 1906–07 he founded this association in Thiruvananthapuram to gather young men and draw them into the freedom movement.
• Leaving Travancore: his anti-British activity led the authorities to force him out of Thiruvananthapuram.
• He then moved to the Tamil districts and began touring and speaking for Swadeshi.

With V.O.C. at Tuticorin and Tirunelveli (1907–1908)

At Tuticorin (Thoothukudi) Siva joined V. O. Chidambaram Pillai, who had started the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company (1906) to challenge the British shipping monopoly. He also became a close friend of the poet Subramania Bharati. Siva and VOC spoke at meeting after meeting in Tuticorin and Tirunelveli on Swadeshi, boycott of foreign goods and self-rule, and Siva became one of the best-known speakers of the movement in the south.

• Coral Mills strike (1908): after speeches by VOC and Siva on low wages and long working hours, the workers of the British-owned Coral Mills at Tuticorin struck work from 27 February 1908. The strike ended in early March with the management accepting the workers' main demands, including higher wages. The Tamil Nadu Class 10 textbook notes that VOC joined with Subramania Siva in organising the mill workers of Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli.
• Bipin Chandra Pal's release: in March 1908 VOC and Siva organised a public celebration of the release of the nationalist leader Bipin Chandra Pal from jail, defying the opposition of the Tirunelveli Collector, Wynch.
• Arrest: on 12 March 1908 VOC, Subramania Siva and Swadeshi Padmanabha Iyengar were arrested.
• Praise from Aurobindo: Sri Aurobindo's paper Vande Mataram praised VOC and Siva for the skill and courage of their struggle.

The Tirunelveli Uprising (13 March 1908)

The news of the arrests led to a spontaneous outbreak on 13 March 1908. Shops, schools and colleges closed, and crowds in Tirunelveli attacked government property. The police station, the court building and the municipal office were set on fire, and four people died in police firing. Workers in Tuticorin also struck work in protest. Later reports recorded that 27 people were convicted for taking part in the riot.

Trial, Sentence and Prison (1908–1912)

• Charges: sedition under Section 124A and promoting enmity between classes under Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code, for speeches made in February and March 1908.
• Sentence (July 1908): the Sessions Judge at Tinnevelly sentenced Siva to ten years' transportation and VOC to transportation for life. The sentences were raised in the British House of Commons in July 1908.
• Appeal: on appeal the Madras High Court (November 1908) reduced Siva's sentence to six years' transportation.
• Leprosy: the harsh conditions in prison left him with leprosy, which troubled him for the rest of his life.
• Release: he came out of prison in 1912 and settled in Madras.

Exam tip: in the 1908 case the original sentences were ten years' transportation for Siva and transportation for life for VOC; do not mix them up.

Journalist and Writer

Even with poor health, Siva kept the freedom message alive through the press and through books. He ran Tamil journals one after another; the best known are given below.

• Pure Tamil: through Gnanabanu he supported the Tanittamil (pure Tamil) idea associated with Maraimalai Adigal; in 1915 he announced a prize of five rupees for writing in pure Tamil.
• Books: his works include Ramanuja Vijayam and Madhva Vijayam, and the Tamil novel Nalina Sundari.
• Translations: he translated works of Swami Vivekananda into Tamil.
• Plays and songs: he also wrote plays, and used plays and devotional songs (bhajans) to make people aware of their cultural heritage and of political matters.

Labour Leader

Siva was among the early leaders who linked the freedom struggle with the problems of workers. Besides the Coral Mills strike of 1908, he supported and helped organise labour agitations in Calcutta (Kolkata), Madras, Tuticorin and Tirunelveli. His speeches drew large crowds, and he was imprisoned several more times.

Second Sedition Case and Illness (1921–1922)

• 1921: during the Non-Cooperation period he was again prosecuted for sedition and sentenced to two and a half years of rigorous imprisonment.
• Tiruchirappalli jail: his leprosy grew worse in prison, and he was released in 1922 in very poor health.
• Ban on train travel: because leprosy was then thought to be contagious, the authorities did not allow him to travel by train. He went from place to place on foot and by bullock cart, still speaking and writing for freedom.

Papparapatti and the Bharatha Matha Temple (1921–1925)

In 1921 Siva reached Papparapatti, a village in Pennagaram taluk (then in Salem district, now in Dharmapuri district), and made it the base of his last years. He stayed with Chinnamuthu Mudaliar, a local supporter of the freedom movement.

• Land: with Chinnamuthu Mudaliar's help he obtained about six acres and named the place Bharathapuram.
• Bharatha Ashram: he planned an ashram (Bharathashram) there.
• The temple idea: he planned a temple to Bharatha Matha (Mother India) that people of every caste and religion could enter and worship in.
• Foundation stone (1923): laid by Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das (C. R. Das), who was invited from Calcutta.
• Death: Siva died at Papparapatti on 23 July 1925, worn down by leprosy. The temple work stopped after his death, and his samadhi stands on the land he had obtained.

Associates and Contemporaries

Memorials and Remembrance

• Samadhi: at Papparapatti, on the land obtained for Bharathapuram.
• Memorial (manimandapam): the Tamil Nadu Government built a memorial for Siva at Papparapatti; it was inaugurated by Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.
• Bharat Mata memorial: in August 2021 a Bharat Mata memorial (Bharathamatha Ninaivalayam) was opened in the memorial complex with a bronze Bharat Mata statue about one metre high, fulfilling part of Siva's dream.
• Birth anniversary: the Tamil Nadu Government marks his birth anniversary every year on 4 October at Papparapatti. National and State leaders pay tribute to him on this day.

Titles and Names

Writing Mains Answers on Subramania Siva (Group 1 / Group 2)

Descriptive papers can ask about Siva directly or as part of the Swadeshi movement in Tamil Nadu. Build your answer around these points and support each with a fact from the notes above.

Role of Subramania Siva in the Swadeshi movement in Tamil Nadu (about 150–250 words)

• Introduction: born 1884 at Vathalagundu; a sanyasi-patriot (Veera Thuravi); close associate of VOC and friend of Bharati.
• Organisation: Dharma Paripalana Samajam in Thiruvananthapuram (c. 1906–07) to draw youth into national work.
• Mass mobilisation: speeches with VOC at Tuticorin and Tirunelveli on Swadeshi, boycott and self-rule.
• Labour: Coral Mills strike (from 27 February 1908) – one of the early links between labour and the national movement.
• Defiance: celebration of Bipin Chandra Pal's release despite Collector Wynch; arrest on 12 March 1908; Tirunelveli Uprising on 13 March 1908.
• Sacrifice: ten years' transportation (reduced to six years); leprosy contracted in jail.
• Conclusion: with VOC and Bharati he made Tirunelveli–Tuticorin a leading centre of Swadeshi in South India.

Subramania Siva as journalist and writer (about 150 words)

• Gnanabanu (1913): Tamil monthly from Madras; nationalist writing; published Bharati's poems.
• Prapancha Mitran: a later journal run by him.
• Language: supported pure Tamil (Tanittamil); prize for pure-Tamil writing (1915).
• Books: Ramanuja Vijayam, Madhva Vijayam, the novel Nalina Sundari; Tamil translations of Vivekananda.
• Evaluation: used the press to keep the freedom struggle alive when illness and restrictions stopped his travels.

The Bharatha Matha temple at Papparapatti (about 100 words)

• Papparapatti (Dharmapuri district), base from 1921; land with the help of Chinnamuthu Mudaliar – Bharathapuram.
• A temple to Mother India open to every caste and religion – a symbol of national unity.
• Foundation stone by Deshbandhu C. R. Das (1923); work stopped after Siva's death (23 July 1925).
• Bharat Mata memorial with a bronze statue opened at the site in August 2021.

Practice: Match the Following

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Birthplace: Vathalagundu (Dindigul district) – not Tirunelveli, Tuticorin or Ottapidaram (Ottapidaram is VOC's birthplace).
• 12 vs 13 March 1908: the arrest was on 12 March; the Tirunelveli Uprising broke out on 13 March.
• Sentences: Siva – ten years' transportation (reduced to six years); VOC – transportation for life.
• Gnanabanu: Siva's journal; Bharati's poems appeared in it, but it was not Bharati's own journal.
• Foundation stone: laid by C. R. Das – not by Gandhi or Tilak.
• Papparapatti: in Dharmapuri district (Pennagaram taluk) – not in Madurai or Tirunelveli district.
• Whose release was celebrated in March 1908: Bipin Chandra Pal's – not Tilak's (Tilak was arrested later in 1908).

Quick Revision Table

TNPSC Key Points (PYQ-style facts)

• Born: 4 October 1884, Vathalagundu (Dindigul district). Parents: Rajam Iyer and Nagalakshmi Ammal.
• Known as Veera Thuravi (heroic ascetic).
• Founded the Dharma Paripalana Samajam in Thiruvananthapuram (c. 1906–07).
• Close associate of VOC; friend of Subramania Bharati.
• Coral Mills strike, Tuticorin – from 27 February 1908.
• Celebration of Bipin Chandra Pal's release, March 1908, despite Collector Wynch.
• Arrested on 12 March 1908 with VOC and Swadeshi Padmanabha Iyengar.
• Tirunelveli Uprising: 13 March 1908 – four killed in police firing.
• Charged under IPC Sections 124A and 153A; ten years' transportation, reduced to six years.
• Contracted leprosy in prison; released 1912.
• Barred from train travel; travelled on foot and by bullock cart.
• Journals: Gnanabanu (monthly, Madras, 1913) and Prapancha Mitran.
• Works: Ramanuja Vijayam, Madhva Vijayam, novel Nalina Sundari; Tamil translations of Vivekananda.
• Supported pure Tamil (Tanittamil).
• Labour agitations: Calcutta, Madras, Tuticorin, Tirunelveli.
• Second sedition case, 1921 – two and a half years.
• Papparapatti (Pennagaram taluk, Dharmapuri district) from 1921; Bharathapuram; Bharatha Matha temple planned.
• Foundation stone: Deshbandhu C. R. Das, 1923.
• Died: 23 July 1925, Papparapatti.
• Birth anniversary observed by the State Government on 4 October at Papparapatti; Bharat Mata memorial opened August 2021.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Subramania Siva and why is he important for TNPSC?

Subramania Siva (1884–1925), born at Vathalagundu, was a freedom fighter of the Swadeshi period, a close associate of V. O. Chidambaram Pillai and a friend of Subramania Bharati. He was arrested with VOC on 12 March 1908, which led to the Tirunelveli Uprising; he edited the Tamil journal Gnanabanu and planned a Bharatha Matha temple at Papparapatti. Questions on the Swadeshi movement in Tamil Nadu often name him.

What was Subramania Siva's role in the events of 1908 in Tuticorin and Tirunelveli?

With VOC he gave speeches on Swadeshi and on the poor wages of mill workers, which helped start the Coral Mills strike at Tuticorin in February–March 1908. Both planned a public celebration of Bipin Chandra Pal's release from jail. On 12 March 1908 VOC, Siva and Swadeshi Padmanabha Iyengar were arrested; the news led to the Tirunelveli Uprising of 13 March 1908, in which public buildings were burnt and four people died in police firing.

What sentence did Subramania Siva receive in 1908?

He was tried for sedition (Section 124A) and for promoting enmity between classes (Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code). In July 1908 the Sessions Judge at Tinnevelly sentenced him to ten years' transportation, while VOC got transportation for life. On appeal his sentence was reduced to six years' transportation. He contracted leprosy in prison and was released in 1912.

What was Gnanabanu?

Gnanabanu was a Tamil monthly journal that Subramania Siva started in Madras in 1913, after his release from jail. It carried nationalist writing, published Subramania Bharati's poems and supported the pure-Tamil (Tanittamil) idea. Siva later also ran the journal Prapancha Mitran.

What is the Bharatha Matha temple at Papparapatti?

In his last years Siva lived at Papparapatti in Pennagaram taluk, now in Dharmapuri district. With the help of local supporter Chinnamuthu Mudaliar he obtained about six acres, named the place Bharathapuram and planned a temple to Bharat Mata, open to people of every caste and religion. Deshbandhu C. R. Das laid the foundation stone in 1923, but Siva died on 23 July 1925 before it could be built. A Bharat Mata memorial with a bronze statue was opened at the site in August 2021.

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