Dheeran Chinnamalai
(1756–1805)

· Born as
Theerthagiri in 1756 in the Mandradiar royal family of Palayakottai, Dheeran
was well trained in silambu, archery, horse riding and modern warfare. He was
involved in resolving family and land disputes in the Kongu region.

· As this region
was under the control of the Mysore Sultan, tax was collected by Tipu’s Diwan
Mohammed Ali.

· Once, when the
Diwan was returning to Mysore with the tax money, Theerthagiri blocked his way
and confiscated all the tax money.

· He let Mohammed
Ali go by instructing him to tell his Sultan that “Chinnamalai”, who is between
Sivamalai and Chennimalai, was the one who took away taxes. Thus he gained the
name “Dheeran Chinnamalai”.

· The offended
Diwan sent a contingent to attack Chinnamalai and both the forces met and
fought at the Noyyal river bed. Chinnamalai emerged victorious.

· Trained by the
French, Dheeran mobilised the Kongu youth in thousands and fought the British
together with Tipu.

· After Tipu’s
death Dheeran Chinnamalai built a fort and fought the British without leaving
the place. Hence the place is called Odanilai.

· He launched
guerrilla attacks and evaded capture. Finally the English captured him and his
brothers and kept them in prison in Sankagiri.

· When they were
asked to accept the rule of the British, they refused. So they were hanged at
the top of the Sankagiri Fort on 31 July 1805. Vellore Revolt 1806

 · Before reducing
all palayakkarars of south Tamilnadu into submission the East India Company had
acquired the revenue districts of Salem, Dindigul at the conclusion of the war
with Tipu in 1792.

· Coimbatore was
annexed at the end of the Anglo-Mysore War in 1799. In the same year the Raja
of Thanjavur whose status had been reduced to that of a vassal in 1798 gave up
his sovereign rights over that region to the English.

 After the suppression of resistance of
Kattabomman (1799) and Marudhu Brothers (1801), the British charged the Nawab
of Arcot with disloyalty and forced a treaty on him.

· According to this
Treaty of 1801, the Nawab was to cede the districts of North Arcot, South
Arcot, Tiruchirappalli, Madurai and Tirunelveli to the Company and transfer all
the administrative powers to it. Grievances of Indian Soldiers

· But the
resistance did not die down. The dispossessed little kings and feudal
chieftains continued to deliberate on the future course of action against the
Company Government.