PrepMaticTamil Nadu GK · History & heritage
Freedom fighters of Tamil Nadu: names, places and events
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Tamil Nadu's freedom struggle is usually taught in two phases: the early resistance to the East India Company by Puli Thevar, Veerapandiya Kattabomman, the Marudhu brothers and Dheeran Chinnamalai (1750s to 1805), and the national movement from 1885, with V. O. Chidambaram Pillai, Subramania Bharati and C. Rajagopalachari. The table lists the names that recur in TNPSC papers, with the place and the event to attach to each.
Early resistance (1750s to 1806)
| Name | Region | Remember |
|---|---|---|
| Puli Thevar (1715 to 1767) | Nerkattumseval, Tirunelveli region | One of the first chieftains to refuse the Arcot Nawab's tax collectors and the Company's authority |
| Veerapandiya Kattabomman (1760 to 1799) | Panchalankurichi, Thoothukudi district | Resisted the Company in the First Polygar War; executed at Kayathar on 16 October 1799 |
| Velu Nachiyar (1730 to 1796) | Sivaganga | Queen who fought the Company; recovered Sivaganga in 1780 with the help of Haider Ali; her commander Kuyili is remembered |
| Marudhu Pandiyars (Periya and Chinna Marudhu) | Sivaganga | Issued the Proclamation of 1801 calling for a joint uprising; hanged on 24 October 1801 |
| Dheeran Chinnamalai (1756 to 1805) | Kongu region | Fought the Company after Tipu Sultan's fall; executed in 1805 at Sankagiri |
| Vellore Mutiny | Vellore Fort | Sepoys' revolt on 10 July 1806, often called a forerunner of 1857; causes included the new dress rules |
The Polygar Wars (1799 to 1805) are the umbrella for the Kattabomman and Marudhu fights. The question may also ask which fort is linked with each: Panchalankurichi for Kattabomman and Kalayarkoil for the Marudhu brothers.
National movement: institutions and newspapers
- The Hindu began in 1878, started by a group that included G. Subramania Iyer, who also started the Tamil newspaper Swadesamitran in 1882.
- Madras Mahajana Sabha was founded in 1884 and is often mentioned as one of the bodies that fed into the Congress; the Congress held its third session in Madras in 1887.
- Annie Besant started the Home Rule League at Adyar in 1916.
National movement: leaders
| Leader | Life | Remember |
|---|---|---|
| Subramania Bharati | 1882 to 1921 | Poet and journalist from Ettayapuram; edited India (1906); lived in exile in Puducherry from 1908 |
| V. O. Chidambaram Pillai | 1872 to 1936 | Founded the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company (Tuticorin, 1906); jailed in 1908, known as "Kappalottiya Thamizhan" |
| Subramania Siva | 1884 to 1925 | Swadeshi orator, jailed with V. O. C.; later founded Bharatha Matha Ashram at Papparapatti |
| Vanchinathan | 1886 to 1911 | Shot the Tirunelveli collector Ashe at Maniyachi railway junction on 17 June 1911 |
| C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji) | 1878 to 1972 | Led the Vedaranyam salt march (1930); Premier of Madras 1937 to 1939; first and last Indian Governor-General; Bharat Ratna 1954 |
| S. Satyamurti | 1887 to 1943 | Congress orator and a mentor of Kamaraj; Mayor of Madras in 1939 |
| Tiruppur Kumaran | 1904 to 1932 | Died after police beating in January 1932 while holding the national flag, remembered as "Kodi Kaththa Kumaran" |
| A. Vaidyanatha Iyer | 1890 to 1955 | Led the Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple entry for Harijans in July 1939 |
| K. Kamaraj | 1903 to 1975 | Congress leader from Virudhunagar, later Chief Minister; Bharat Ratna 1976 |
| Captain Lakshmi Sahgal | 1914 to 2012 | Born in Madras; led the Rani of Jhansi Regiment of the Indian National Army |
The events that are asked most
- Vedaranyam Salt March (April 1930). Rajaji walked from Tiruchirappalli to Vedaranyam on the Nagapattinam coast to break the salt law, the southern counterpart of the Dandi March.
- Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company (1906). V. O. Chidambaram Pillai's challenge to British shipping on the Tuticorin to Colombo route.
- Madurai temple entry (1939). Led by A. Vaidyanatha Iyer; the Rajaji ministry passed the Madras Temple Entry Authorisation and Indemnity Act the same year.
- Vellore Mutiny (1806). The first major sepoy revolt in South India.
- Ashe assassination (1911). Vanchinathan's act, a marker of the revolutionary strand in the south.
For social change in the same period, see social reformers of Tamil Nadu and the Dravidian movement timeline.
Frequently asked questions
Who was the first Tamil ruler to oppose the British?
The usual textbook answer is Puli Thevar, who rejected the Company's authority in the 1750s. Velu Nachiyar is named as the first queen to fight the Company, and Kattabomman is the best known of the Polygar leaders.
Who started the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company?
V. O. Chidambaram Pillai, in Tuticorin in 1906. It ran steamships between Tuticorin and Colombo.
Where did Rajaji lead the salt march in the south?
From Tiruchirappalli to Vedaranyam, in April 1930.
When was the Vellore Mutiny?
10 July 1806, at Vellore Fort, more than 50 years before the Revolt of 1857.
How does this fit the TNPSC syllabus?
It appears in the Indian National Movement unit and in the Tamil Nadu history unit. Read the TNPSC Indian national movement guide with this page to avoid learning the same event twice.
Official sources
- Tamil Nadu Government portal: official biography and memorial notes.
- National Archives of India: records of the freedom movement.
- Samacheer Kalvi Social Science textbooks, Classes 8 to 12.
Dates can differ by a year between sources, so use the textbook version for the exam.
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