The Kongu Chieftain who hanged a British Messenger

It is quite natural for any Tamil cinema buff to imagine the yesteryear matinee idol Sivaji Ganesan, whenever he or she thinks of Veerapandya Kattabomman, a brave chieftain from Panchalankurichi, who was hanged to death by the British. It was the legendary actor, who played the inspiring role of Veerapandya Kattabomman in a movie of the same title.  However, history has not recorded the name of another Kongu chieftain, who hanged a British messenger to death in retaliation to the killing of Veerapandiya Kattabomman. What’s more, the chieftain hanged the white man from a tamarind tree in the same way as the British killed Kattabomman.

The feudal chieftain Eththalappa Naicken, who ruled a Palayapattu (A group of villages) with Thali as headquarters near Udumalpet in the Kongu region, was an ally of Veerapandya Kattabomman. It is said that Eththalappan provided military support to Oomaithurai, the younger brother of Veerapandiya Kattabomman in a war against the British after Kattabomman’s death in 1799. However, Eththalappan left the battle field in receipt of a message of his father’s death at Thali.

Though Oomaithurai faced a defeat in the war, Eththalappan, later on, strengthened his relationship with Oomaithurai by integrating a total of his neighbouring 14 Palayapattus and provided him a strong military support to wage war against the British. But, sensing a danger of defeat, the British government sent a team of messengers for holding a talk with Eththalappan at Thali in 1801 However, the chieftain, who wanted to avenge the killing of Veerapandiya Kattaboomman, captured the chief envoy and hanged him to death. He also buried his body in Thali.

The oral piece of history, which was handed down through generations in the Kambalathu Naicker community at Thali, has been documented in the book Eththalappan Varalaru, authored by Rangasamy Gounder.

It is also evident from a stone inscription found at Devaraya Naicker farmland in Thali. The inscription reads that an Englishman by name ‘Angirai Kethi’ was buried on Thursday, April 23, 1801. Interestingly, the place, where he was hanged to death, is appropriately called by the people as ‘Thookku Marathottam’ (The farmland, where a tree used for hanging people, stands)    

Reminding Mahakavi Subramania Bharathi’s addressing an Englishman in one of his poems as ‘Paranki’ (White gourd), the inscription too calls him as ‘Angirai Kethi Paranki’. It also informs that he came from Tanjore and his age was 27 at the time of execution.

Though the person executed by the Kongu chieftain was his enemy, a line in the stone inscription describes his death and burial euphemistically as follows: 

The stone inscription at Angirei Kethi's grave

Thanjai Nagarathiliruntha

 Angirai Kethi Paranki

 irupathezhu vayathil

Dheiveekamaki Adingina Samaathu

(Angirai Kethi, a twenty seven year old Englishman from Tanjore ‘attained divinity’ and buried here)

Source: Eththalappa Naicker Thookilitta Aangileyanudaya Kalvettu – S. Ravi, archeologist and Epigraphist 

Link to my article in The New Indian Express: http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/c/3678029