𝑽𝑬𝑬𝑹𝑨𝑷𝑨𝑵𝑫𝑰𝑨 𝑲𝑨𝑻𝑻𝑨𝑩𝑶𝑴𝑴𝑨𝑵

Veerapandia Kattabomman was born to Aadi Kattabomman and Aarumugathammal on January 3, 1760, and became the 47th king of Panchalankurichi at an age of 30. He is among the kings in southern India who resisted the British East Indian Company.

He initially evaded tax that the British demanded and ignored a repeated summons to meet collector Jackson. Later his meeting with Jackson ended up in physical combat in which Deputy Commandant of the Company’s forces, Clarke was slain. He later revolted against the British refusing to pay taxes when a new collector was assigned to retrieve due taxes. Under the leadership of Major Bannerman, the army was dispatched to capture Kattabomman.

The company’s army engulfing Kattabomman’s fort at Salikulam, a few miles from Panchalanckurichi, intended to arrest him there which later turned out to be a losing battle for the British, losing a great fraction of the assigned troops and Lieutenant Collins. Immediately after the retraction of the British forces, Kattabomman vacated his fort suspecting cannon attacks from the British, which his fort might not withstand.

The East India Company priced his head. He was later betrayed by Ettappan which resulted in his arrest and execution later. He was hung from a tamarind tree in 1799. After that, his fort was completely demolished by the British and his wealth was looted.