An Anti-Colonial Crusader

A thorn if there ever was one in the Britishers' side, it was Dheeran Chinnamalai. On this day, the British finally got the better of him through unscrupulous means and Dheeran breathed his last.

A Statue valorising Dheeran Chinnamalai; Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Dheeran Chinnamalai has up until recently, been a largely forgotten figure in Tamil history. The tales of his bravado and his military tact are numerous but only recently have they started to become a part of mainstream history.

Born in the Palaiya Kottai Pattakarar family as Theerthagiri Gounder, he was always in line to become take on the title of the Chieftain of Kongu Nadu. Dheeran's family controlled vast tracts of land and assumed the title of Mandradiar.

His grandfather had been childless and adopted two sons to look after his kingdom when he was rendered unable to. Dheeran's father was handed the responsibility of farming on family land in the nearby village of MelaPalayam.

Dheeran was the second eldest of his five brothers and had a sister too. His elder brother and younger brother took to farming, while he and his other brothers began their formal training in administration and warcraft.

The three brothers learned Silambu (a form of Martial Arts), archery and horse-riding. They would embark on tours of their villages to ensure the safety of the people. However, they knew that the village couldn't be protected by them all the time, and so, they imparted their knowledge of Silambu to the youth so that they could be self-sufficient.

Dheeran's people loved him because he would look after them and was willing to go up against anyone that threatened them. Haider Ali, the Mysore ruler felt the brunt as well- his diwan was known for humiliating the farmers for taxes but this news reached his ears.

The three brothers wrestled the collected taxes away from the Diwan and proclaimed that the people of Kondu didn't need a Mysore ruler, they were capable of self-rule. Rejoiced, the villages named him "Chinnamalai".

To match Hyder Ali step for step, he raised an army of Kondu Tamils from all villages. They were trained in not just Silambu but other martial arts too; if they had to beat Ali's army they had to excel in warcraft.

After Hyder Ali's death, his son Tipu Sultan succeeded him as the Mysore King. Ali's death coincided with the rise of the East India Company and in due course, they had become a threat to Tipu and his kingdom.

He knew the British were vastly superior in the field by the virtue of their equipment and his kingdom had to present a united front for them to have a chance at beating them. He invited all armies in his kingdom to join Tipu in the fight against British imperialism- Chinnamalai's army too was invited.

The series of wars between Mysore and the EIC came to be known as the Mysore Wars; they were given tough competition but ultimately emerged victorious after Tipu was killed in 1799. Mysore was now controlled by the British.

Chinnamalai, after returning to Kondu, began mobilising all the manpower he could to shield Kondu. In the village of Oda Nalli, he built a fort that became the site of several confrontations with the Britishers.

Dheeran led the Kongu youth in the Second Polygar War (1801-02) and defeated the British in battles at Cauvery in 1801, Odanilai in 1802 and Arachalur in 1804.

By hook or by crook, the EIC had to get rid of him if they were to establish complete control over Mysore. Dheeran had proved to be too hot to handle on the battlefield, so they resorted to deceiving their way out of the situation.

Dheeran's cook, Nallapan was lured by the British and he gladly obliged. Along with his brothers, he was captured. They were given the chance to save themselves by accepting the Britishers' rule, but they refused. On this day in 1805, the three of them along with their loyal friend Karpuppan were hanged atop the Sankagiri Fort. He died as he had lived- in open defiance of the rule of foreigners over his motherland.