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Tamil Nadu freedom fighters recalled from Kattabomman to Vellore Mutiny
Long ago, a country called Britain ruled over India, and many people were not happy about it.
This article remembers brave people from a part of India called Tamil Nadu who fought for freedom.
Some were kings and warriors who guarded their forts, like Veerapandiya Kattabomman, who was caught and hanged in 1799.
A brave woman named Kuyili gave her life by walking into an enemy storehouse to destroy their weapons.
Two brothers called the Maruthu brothers led a big fight called the Second Polygar War and were also hanged.
In 1806, hundreds of Indian soldiers at Vellore Fort rose up against new British rules, and many were killed.
Years later, a young man named Vanchinathan shot a British officer and then himself.
Another brave man, Tiruppur Kumaran, was hurt by police during a march but kept holding the Indian flag until he died.
This special story is published on India's Independence Day so we remember their courage, which helped India become free.
The Independence Day 2026 special pays tribute to Tamil Nadu's freedom fighters, from Polygar-era rebels to Vellore Mutiny martyrs.
Maveeran Alagumuthu Kone, regarded as one of the earliest resistors to British rule, was executed in July 1759, while Puli Thevar led resistance in the 1750s and 1760s.
Veerapandiya Kattabomman was captured in October 1799 and publicly hanged at Kayathar on 16 October 1799; his brother Oomathurai was hanged in 1801.
The Maruthu brothers led the Second Polygar War (South Indian Rebellion of 1800–1801) and were hanged at Tirupputhur Fort on 24 October 1801.
In the Vellore Mutiny of 10 July 1806 about 350 Indian sepoys were killed; later, Vanchinathan assassinated a British collector in 1911 and Tiruppur Kumaran died holding the nationalist flag in 1932.
- Who
- Freedom fighters from present-day Tamil Nadu, including Polygar chieftains, rulers, soldiers, women commanders and common people, who resisted British rule.
- What
- An India Independence Day 2026 special paying tribute to Tamil Nadu's freedom fighters, from the 18th-century Polygar wars and Veerapandiya Kattabomman to the 1806 Vellore Mutiny and later revolutionaries like Vanchinathan and Tiruppur Kumaran.
- Where
- Present-day Tamil Nadu (the erstwhile Madras Presidency), including Vellore, Tirunelveli, Sivaganga, Tenkasi, Thoothukudi, Tiruppur and the Erode region.
- When
- Published as an Independence Day 2026 special; the events it recounts span from 1759 to the Second World War era.
- Why
- To remember and honor the sacrifice of Tamil Nadu's men and women who died resisting British colonial rule in India's freedom struggle.
Key facts
- Occasion
- India Independence Day 2026 special
- Earliest resister highlighted
- Maveeran Alagumuthu Kone, executed in July 1759
- Veerapandiya Kattabomman
- Captured October 1799; publicly hanged at Kayathar on 16 October 1799
- Maruthu brothers
- Hanged at Tirupputhur Fort on 24 October 1801 after the Second Polygar War (1800–1801)
- Vellore Mutiny
- 10 July 1806; about 350 Indian sepoys killed in the British suppression
- Vanchinathan
- Assassinated collector Robert William d'Escourt Ashe at Maniyachi railway station, 17 June 1911
- Tiruppur Kumaran
- Died holding the nationalist flag in Tiruppur, 11 January 1932
Quotes
No direct quotations present in the article
Not applicable
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