FREEDOM FIGHTER
Velu Nachiyar
Queen With Brave Heart and Courageous Soul
India is freed after huge struggle and thousands of sacrifices. Some of the sacrifices
are remembered and some are faded. But their struggle is not to fade or the names
of real fighter are not forget. On the note to pay tribute to freedom fighters,
we must remember a name- Velu Nachiyar.
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Velu Nachiyar was a queen of
Tamil Nadu but her name is
not well known. She was the
first woman and fighter to raise
voice against British rulers.
She is named and called as
“Veeramangai” which means
brave woman. She was a
Queen who broke the gender
rules with her fight and protest.
Early life of Velu
Nachiyar
She was the only child for
her parents and they brought
her up like a son. The lady
fighter was trained in horse
riding, martial arts and other
powerful physical activities.
She also had great command
on various languages like
English, French and Urdu.
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She got married to
Muthuvadugananthur
Udaiyathevar and they both
had a daughter. Her husband
was the ruler of his kingdom
Sivagangai, for years 1750-
1772 which is 2 decades.
Brave Queen’s
Fight Against
Britishers
Nachiyar’s husband was
killed by Britishers as part
of the Kalaiyar Koil war.
Shivangai kingdom was
captured by the Britishers
along with Nawab of Acrot.
She was also asked to
leave her kingdom with her
daughter. After her husband
was killed, she reached
Dindigul and stayed there for
eight years under the shelter
of Gopala Nayaker.
While Velu Nachiyar was
staying in Dindigul, she also
met Haider Ali who was rule
of Mysore at that time. She
impressed the king Haider Ali
with her inculcated courage.
She spoke in Urdu with him
and she shared her thoughts
of fighting against Britishers.
Both Haider Ali and Gopala
Nayaker supported her to
drive the British rulers away
from India. She built a strong
army with the support of king
Haider Ali.
Then, again in 1780 she
faced Britishers directly. She
was ready to fight with and