Queen of the State of Sivavanga, Rani Velu Nachiyar (1730 – 1796) took up arms against the British colonial power; she is known by the nickname "brave woman".
Daughter and wife of sovereigns
Daughter of Rani Sakandhimuthathal and Raja Chellamuthu Vijayaragunatha Sethupathy, rulers of the state of Ramnad, Velu Nachiyar was born on January 3, 1730 in Ramanathapuram, in southern India. She is their only child, and the Rani and the Raja raise her as a male heir. The princess learns horse riding, archery, martial arts and weapon handling, as well as mastering several languages such as Urdu, English and French.
Growing up, Velu Nachiyar marries the King of Sivavanga State, Muthu Vaduganatha Periyavudaya Thevar, and becomes queen herself. She gives birth to a daughter, named Vellacci.
The English East India Company
At the time, India underwent Portuguese conquests and advances from the beginning of the 16th th century; Since 1619, it has had British outposts and trading posts in Surat, Madras, Bombay and Calcutta. The 18 th century marks a turning point and sees the English East India Company become, on the pretext of growing insecurity in the country, more expansionist.
In 1757, the British took control of Bengal. Gradually, they penetrate further into the country. In 1772, allied with the nawab of the Carnatic, the English East India Company attacked and took the state of Sivavanga; Muthu Vaduganatha Periyavudaya Thevar is killed by British soldiers, and Rani Velu Nachiyar manages to escape with his daughter.
The reconquest
The sovereign and the princess find refuge in the princely state of Mysore, where they place themselves under the protection of the Sultan of the kingdom, Haidar Ali. Patiently, meticulously, Rani Velu Nachiyar prepares her response. She forged alliances, with the Sultan, but also with rebels against the British colonial empire of all castes, like Periya Marudhu and his brother Chinna Marudhu. With her supporters, she sets up an army.
In 1780, while Sultan Haidar Ali attacked the Carnatic State with an immense army, Rani Velu Nachiyar and the Marudhu brothers founded Sivavanga. After discovering the British ammunition storage locations, she successfully organizes a suicide attack to destroy the stocks and inflict defeat on the enemy. Her military strategies and tactics are a success:she regains control of her kingdom, and appoints her daughter Vellacci as heir to the throne.
After this victory, Rani Velu Nachiyar reigns over the state of Sivavanga for ten years before passing the throne to Vellacci, who will only occupy it for three short years. Rani Velu Nachiyar died in 1796, at the age of sixty-six, possibly from heart problems.