Dheeran Chinnamalai | |||||
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Chieftain of Kongu Nadu | |||||
Portrait of Dheeran Chinnamalai
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Reign | Kongu Nadu | ||||
Coronation | Chinnamalai (who ruled between sivan malai and sennimalai) | ||||
Successor | British Rule | ||||
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Father | Rathnasamy Gounder | ||||
Mother | Periyatha | ||||
Born | 17 April 1756 Melapalayam, Erode, Tamil Nadu |
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Died | 31 July 1805 Sankagiri, Tamil Nadu |
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Burial | 31 July 1805 Odanilai, Arachalur, Tamil Nadu |
Dheeran Chinnamalai (born as Chinnamalai Theerthagiri Gounder on April 17, 1756) was a Kongu chieftain and Palayakkarar from Tamil Nadu who rose up in revolt against the British East India Company.
Contents
Early life
He was born in Melapalayam near Erode in Tamil Nadu.[1][dead link]
Polygar wars
Dheeran Chinnamalai was one of the main commanders in the Polygar Wars and commanded a vast army, notably during the Second Polygar War that took place in 1801–1802. His army took French military training in modern warfare alongside Tipu's Mysore forces to fight against the British East India company. They helped Tipu Sultan in his war against the British and were instrumental in victories at Chitheswaram, Mazahavalli and Srirangapatna.
After Tipu's death, Chinnamalai defeated the British in battles at Cauvery in 1801, Odanilai in 1802 and Arachalur in 1804. Later, Chinnamalai left his fort to avoid cannon attack and engaged in guerrilla warfare while he was stationed at Karumalai in Palani region. He was captured by the British who hanged him at Sankagiri Fort on 31 July 1805.[2][dead link][3][dead link][4]
Legacy
- Statues and memorials commemorating Dheeran Chinnamalai exist in Chennai, Tiruchirappalli and Arachalur.[5][6][dead link]
- In July 2005, a commemorative postage stamp on him was issued by India Post.[7][dead link]
- Until 1997, Tiruchirapalli division of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation was known as 'Dheeran Chinnamalai Transport Corporation
- Until 1996, Karur district was known as 'Dheeran Chinnamalai district'.
- Erode Municipal Corporation headquarters is named after Dheeran Chinnamalai.
- In April 2012, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa, announced that a memorial for Dheeran Chinnamalai would be built in Sankari.[8][dead link]
- On 31 July 2005, a commemorative postage stamp of Dheeran Chinnamalai was released.[9][10]
References
- ^ Anbutamil-history of Dheeran Chinnamalai page-1
- ^ Anbutamil-history of Dheeran Chinnamalai page-2
- ^ Anbutamil-history of Dheeran Chinnamalai page-3
- ^ "Chinnamalai, a lesser-known freedom fighter of Kongu soil". The Hindu.
- ^ "Dheeran Chinnamalai statue to be installed in Odanilai soon". The Hindu.
- ^ "Government of Tamil Nadu : Archives of Press Releases - Tamil Nadu Government Portal". tn.gov.in.
- ^ "India Post".
- ^ newstodaynet-04-04-2012
- ^ "The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Stamp on Dheeran Chinnamalai released". thehindu.com.
- ^ "Postage Stamps". postagestamps.gov.in.
- Dheeran Chinnamalai Gounder by Pulavar S. Rasu, Samba Publications, 1996.
- Kongu Nattu Lion - Singham Dheeran Chinnamalai by Kavignar Magudam Manickam, Sakunthla Publications, 2001.