Nelu Nachiyar: Warrior Queen

INTRODUCTION

Rani Velu Nachyar was the queen of the Sivaganga realm in southern India. She is considered the first queen in India to fight British colonial powers. Born as a princess of Ramanathapuram, she was trained in various weapons, martial arts, horse riding, and archery and also spoke languages such as English, French, and Urdu. She married the king of Sivagangai, Muthvaduganataperiya Udayatevar. After British soldiers and Arkot's Nawab's son captured Sivaganga and killed her husband, she fled with her daughter, lived in Virupachi under the protection of Parayakaalal Kopala Nayakkar, increased her army and joined forces with Gopala Nayaker and Sultan Haidar Ali to wage war against the British and regain the kingdom. She is also credited with being the first person to plant a human bomb.?

EARLY LIFE

Vel Nachyar was born on January 3, 1730, in Ramanathpuram, Tamil Nadu, India, into the family of the only child of Raja Chelamthu Vijayaragunata Setupasi of the Kingdom of Ramnad and his wife Rani Sakandimuthar. With no male heir to her, the royal couple raised her princess as a boy trained in combat weapons. She was also trained in martial arts such as archery, horseback riding, silambam (stick fighting), and barari. Nachiyar, a scholar herself, was also fluent in several languages, including English, French, and Urdu.

At the age of 16, she married Muthvadugananthur Udayatevar, son of the Sivagangai king Saasivarna Periya Udaya. Since 1730, Muthvadugananthur Udayatevar was in charge of the administration of Sivagangai, the first independent state of Ramnad, during his father's reign as king. Muthvadugananthur Udayatevar He became the king of Shivagangai in 1750 and the sole ruler of Shivangangi until he died in 1772. Nachiyar and Muthvadugananthur Udayatevar had a daughter named Belaki.?

Struggle Against the British Rule

Siva Gangai was ambushed by East India Company forces in 1772 along with Nawab's son Arkot. Muthvadugananthur Udayatevar was killed in the battle with Colonel Smith (Kalaiyar Coil War). War spared not even women and children, many of whom were mercilessly killed in one of the most ruthless incidents of the time. Some prominent figures, such as the trusted Mardu brothers and Thandavaraya Pillai, managed to escape the war. Nachiyar was in Kolangdi at the time. After her husband died in battle, she fled with her daughter to Virupachi near Dindigul, where she remained under the protection of Parayakaalal Kopaala Nayakkar for eight years.

During her stay in Virupachi, she gradually built up a strong army to fight the British. She received much support in her mission from Gopala Nayaker and Hyder Ali, Sultan and de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. When she asked him for help, she met him in Dindugal. Speaking to the Sultan in her Urdu, the Queen impressed the Sultan with her determination and her courage. The Sultan promised to assist the Queen in her crusade to reclaim her kingdom. The Sultan also allowed her to stay at Virupakshi or Dindugal Fort, where she was respected and treated like a royal queen. The Sultan also sent her financial aid of ￡400 (gold) each month. She requested from the Sultan 5,000 infantry and 5,000 cavalry to fight the British, constantly changing positions to keep the enemy confused. Sultan Haider Ali also provided her with the weapons she needed to withstand a fierce battle against the British.?

In 1780 she faced the British and became the first Indian queen to fight them for her freedom. She found out about the British ammunition depot. With this information, the Brave Queen, known to the Tamils as Veeramangai ("Brave Lady"), planned and arranged a suicide attack on the ammunition depot. A military commander and loyal supporter of the Queen, Kuiri volunteered to carry out this mission. Kuyri bathed himself in ghee and set himself on fire before jumping into the armory and blowing it up, giving the Queen victory. Kuyili is believed by many to be Nachiyar's adopted daughter and is believed to be the first female suicide bomber.

Nachiyar also had an adopted daughter, Udial, who lost her life when she blew up a British arsenal. The Queen assembled an army of women and named them 'Udial' after her adopted daughter. After regaining Sivaganga's fief, Nachyar ruled the kingdom for the next ten years, revealing his daughter Velatch's successor. In 1780, she also gave the Mardu brothers control over the land. After the restoration of the kingdom, Nachiyar expressed his deep appreciation for Sultan Haider Ali's assistance in building a mosque and church in Saragani. The Sultan previously expressed his true friendship by building a temple in his palace. Nachiyar also maintained a good relationship with Haider Ali's son, Tipu Sultan, whom she considered a brother. She sent Tipu Sultan a golden tiger as a gift. Nachyar's daughter Velatchi ascended the throne in 1790 as her second queen of the Sivaganga realm, which she ruled until 1793.?

Brave Queen Nachyar died on December 25, 1796, in Shivaganga, Tamil Nadu, India, at the age of 66. Her sources say her Queen suffered from heart disease in her later years and also received treatment in France. Her final rites were performed by her son-in-law.?

Culmination

A commemorative postage stamp was issued in her name on December 31, 2008. Hosted by her OVM Dance Academy in Chennai, her grand dance entitled VELU NACHIYAR her ballet tells Nachiyar's epic story.

Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, the late Jayaram Jayalalitha, inaugurated the Veeramangai Vel Nachyal Monument in Sivagangai on July 18, 2014, via videoconference. Prime Minister Jayalalithaa also unveiled a six-foot-tall statue of the Queen and announced that January 3rd will be celebrated as the brave Queen's birthday every year.

Tamil American hip hop artist Professor A.L.I dedicated her song titled 'Our Queen' as part of the artist's album titled 'Tamilmatic'. A spectacular dance ballet recounts the life of Nachyar, the first Queen of India who fought against the British decades before Lakshmibai, the famous Rani of Jhansi. Ballet director Sriram Sharma has spent nearly a decade exploring the epic life of this brave queen. It was performed at Narada Gana Sabha, Chennai on 21 August 2017, followed by Mumbai on 9 September 2017 and Delhi on 21 September 2017.??