Veerapandya Kattabomman
1790-1799

· Veerapandya
Kattabomman became the Palayakkarar of Panchalamkurichi at the age of thirty on
the death of his father, Jagavira Pandya Kattabomman.

· The Company’s
administrators, James London and Colin Jackson, had considered him a man of
peaceful disposition.

· However, soon
several events led to conflicts between Veerapandya Kattabomman and the East
India Company.

· The Nawab, under
the provisions of a treaty signed in 1781, had assigned the revenue of the
Carnatic to the Company to be entirely under their management and control
during the war with Mysore Sultan.

· One-sixth of the
revenue was to be allowed to meet the expenses of Nawab and his family. The
Company had thus gained the right to collect taxes from Panchalamkurichi.

· The Company
appointed its Collectors to collect taxes from all the palayams. The Collectors
humiliated the palayakkarars and adopted force to collect the taxes.

· This was the bone
of contention between the English and Kattabomman. Confrontation with Jackson

· The land revenue
arrear from Kattabomman was 3310 pagodas in 1798. Collector Jackson, an
arrogant English officer, wanted to send an army to collect the revenue dues
but the Madras Government did not give him permission.

· On 18 August
1798, he ordered Kattabomman to meet him in Ramanathapuram. But Kattbomman’s
attempts to meet him in between proved futile, as Jackson refused to give him
audience both in Courtallam and Srivilliputhur.

·At last, an
interview was granted and Kattabomman met Jackson in Ramanathapurm on 19
September 1798. It is said that Kattabomman had to stand for three hours before
the haughty Collector Jackson.

· Sensing danger,
Kattabomman tried to escape, along with his minister Sivasubramanianar.
Oomaithurai suddenly entered the fort with his men and helped the escape of
Kattabomman.

· At the gate of
the Ramanathapuram fort there was a clash, in which some people including
Lieutenant Clarke were killed. Sivasubramanianar was taken prisoner. Appearance
before Madras Council

· On his return to
Panchalamkurichi, Kattabomman represented to the Madras Council about how he
was ill-treated by the collector Jackson.

· The Council asked
Kattabomman to appear before a committee with William Brown, William Oram and
John Casamajor as members.

· Meanwhile,
Governor Edward Clive, ordered the release of Sivasubramanianar and the
suspension of the Collector Jackson.

· Kattabomman appeared
before the Committee that sat on 15 December 1798 and reported on what
transpired in Ramanathapuram. The Committee found Kattabomman was not guilty.

· Jackson was
dismissed from service and a new Collector S.R. Lushington appointed.
Kattabomman cleared almost all the revenue arrears leaving only a balance of
1080 pagodas. Kattabomman and the Confederacy of Palayakkarars

· In the meantime,
Marudhu Pandiyar of Sivagangai formed the South Indian Confederacy of rebels
against the British, with the neighbouring palayakkars like Gopala Nayak of
Dindigul and Yadul Nayak of Aanamalai.

· Marudhu Pandiyar
acted as its leader. The Tiruchirappalli Proclamation had been made.
Kattabomman was interested in this confederacy.

 · Collector
Lushington prevented Kattabomman from meeting the Marudhu Brothers. But Marudhu
Brothers and Kattabomman jointly decided on a confrontation with the English.

· Kattabomman tried
to influence Sivagiri Palayakkarars, who refused to join. Kattabomman advanced
towards Sivagiri. But the Palayakkarars of Sivagiri was a tributary to the
Company.

· So the Company
considered the expedition of Kattabomman as a challenge to their authority. The
Company ordered the army to march on to Tirunelveli. The Siege of
Panchalamkurichi

· In May 1799, Lord
Wellesley issued orders from Madras for the advance of forces from
Tiruchirappalli, Thanjavur and Madurai to Tirunelveli. Major Bannerman
commanded the troops.

 · The Travancore
troops too joined the British. On 1 September 1799, an ultimatum was served on
Kattabomman to surrender. Kattabomman’s “evasive reply” prompted Bannerman to
attack his fort. · Bannerman moved his entire army to
Panchalamkurichi on 5 September. They cut off all the communications to the
fort.

· Bannerman deputed
Ramalinganar to convey a message asking Kattabomman to surrender. Kattabomman
refused.

· Ramalinganar
gathered all the secrets of the Fort, and on the basis of his report, Bannerman
decided the strategy of the operation. In a clash at Kallarpatti,
Sivasubramanianar was taken a prisoner. Execution of Kattabomman

· Kattabomman
escaped to Pudukottai. The British put a prize on his head. Betrayed by the
rajas of Ettayapuram and Pudukottai Kattabomman was finally captured.
Sivasubramanianar was executed at Nagalapuram on the 13 September.

· Bannerman made a
mockery of a trial for Kattabomman in front of the palayakarars on 16 October.
During the trial Kattabomman bravely admitted all the charges levelled against
him.

· Kattabomman was
hanged from a tamarind tree in the old fort of Kayathar, close to Tirunelveli,
in front of the fellow Palayakkars.

· Thus ended the
life of the celebrated Palayakkarars of Panchalamkurichi. Many folk ballads on
Kattabomman helped keep his memory alive among the people.