Velu Nachiyar: The Veeramangai who petrified the British

Abstract

Indian freedom fighters have struggled for years to attain the freedom we have today. Unfortunately many of these freedom fighters remain unsung to date. One such unlauded freedom fighter was Rani Velu Nachiyar. Born in the era where only men used to rule, she was skilled in handling weapons and martial arts. She was married to the prince of Sivagangai in in1746. In 1772, the British attacked her kingdom, killing her husband and forcing her to flee from her kingdom. But, this did not stop her and she planned to fight against the British to win her kingdom back. Her army commander Kuyili set herself on fire and jumped in British’s ammunitions store to destroy every bit of it and became the first suicide bomber in Indian History. In 1780, she fought with the British and took the command in her hand once again.