“Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
– Winston Churchill.
Preface
We read in our history books that our first war of independence was in 1857. But, the fight for freedom and the roaring war cry for routing the enemies started long before that in many parts of our motherland which were covertly concealed by pseudo historians, lest such inspiring accounts will ignite the flame of patriotism in the future generations and spur them into . Now having been provided enough information with the advent of internet, is it not our bounden duty to bring to limelight biographies of all those intrepid heroes?
Azhagumuthu Kone: A Background
We all remember the famous dialogue in the film, ‘Veerapandiya Kattabomman’, where the hero asks the british collector Jackson, ‘On what basis you are demanding tax from us? Why should we pay tax for you? Rain downpours and the crops grow; what did you do for us, for our farmers or for the womenfolk toiling in the field?’ This clarion call was actually much earlier in 1795 raised by one Azhagamuthu Kone as early as 1750. Therefore, Maveeran Azhagamuthu Kone (11 July 1728 – 19 July 1759), an Indian polygar from Kattalankulam in Thoothukudi District, was the India’s first freedom fighter. He was in fact, the forerunner of freedom fight even before the famous Panchalankurichi Veerapandiya Kattabomman and Nerkattaan Seval Poolithevan entered the scene. Even though our notorious historians have ignored him completely, still we can gather details of his fame from folklores and street-plays prevailing in plenty among the people at large.
The History
Azhagamuthu Kone was born in the royal family of Kattalankulam (Tirunelvelu district) in the year 1710 CE. Even from his childhood, he developed exceptional skills in martial arts and won many contests and was noted for his gallantry and tenacity. After his father’s death in the Anumanthakudi war in 1750, he assumed the throne.
During that period, British East India Company was looking for ways and means to take over power from the hindu kings and muslim sultans. After the battle of Plassey in 1757, British slowly started taking over control of territories and appointed nawabs, nizams etc. to collect taxes on their behalf.
Azhaghamuthu Kone opposed this. Taking it as a challenge to the self-respect and sovereignty, he not only refused to pay taxes but also influenced other fellow Palayakarars not to pay. This infuriated the british and they sent Colonel Heron and one Marudanayagam alias Yusuf Khan, to collect taxes on their behalf. This Marudanayagam, a hindu converted to Islam was a knave, an opportunist and an obnoxious stooge of the british.
In the battle that ensued in Pethanayakanur Fort in 1759 CE, Azhaghamuthu Kone gave a tough fight to the British forces led by that Marudanayagam. The enormous size and the superior weaponry of the opposing army did not deter Azhagamuthu Kone and his brave soldiers thanks to his inspiring leadership qualities. That wicked Marudanayagam, having realised that Azhaghamuthu Kone cannot be defeated in a straight fight, resorted to treacherous tactics and on the betrayal of one traitor Siva Sankaran Pillai, attacked him and his troops when they were asleep in the night. Six of his war commanders alongwith 248 loyal subjects were captured. In the course of his encounters Marudanayagam destroyed a few temples also.
His Gruesome End
To prevent Azhaghamuthu Kone from escaping, Marudanayakam as soon as he was caught shot him in his legs and tied him with iron chains. Marudanayagam asked him to plead for clemency and pay taxes, so that he can be let off. Resolute and relentless that he was, Azhaghamuthu Kone naturally scoffed at that offer with disdain and daringly declared that the british have no right to collect taxes in our nation. He refused to yield as a true warrior and preferred martyrdom to servility. Being an uncivilised primitive barbaric cannibal, Marudanayagam cut the right hands of all the 248 loyal subjects. Historical evidence point to the fact that after 248 hands were chopped off, the place looked terrible with a large pool of blood. Believe it or not that even after that torture, those 248 subjects, imbued with a spirit of patriotism, refused to yield and raised slogans against the british and hailed Azhaghamuthu Kone for his determination!
This further infuriated Marudanayagam and the british. They killed all the 248 loyal subjects, in spite of Azhaghamuthu Kone’s repeated plea to let them off. After killing 248 people, Azhaghamuthu Kone and his 6 commanders were all tied to the cannon mouth by that monster marauder and cannon balls were fired. Azhaghamuthu Kone and his six commanders were blasted to pieces and thus they laid down their lives in the service of motherland. This brutal barbaric killing happened in the intervening night of Friday and early dawn of Saturday on 18th November, 1757. What a devilish, barbaric, inhuman sadism!
Thus Azhagamuthu Kone died along with his six generals. The body was dismembered and the inscription on the cannon mound in the middle of the forest tells about this event.
The detailed life and history of Azhaghamuthu Kone (1710 to 1759 CE) was chronicled in the book “Vamsamani Deepikai” written by one Swami Deekshidhar in 1878, which enables us now to know about this brave son of Bharat Mata.
Azhagumuthu Kone, while dying, roared as under at the cannon gate:
“Lord Krishna! My Bharata mother! I made a revolution for the Tamil people. I fought for the rights of the Tamil land. I will die for the Tamil land. Servaimagan Azhagumuthu, who was descended from the Tamil king Azhagappa kone, who invaded Kalangadu and went to Ilangapuri by sea and defeated the Arya emperor, is standing at the cannon gate today. On that day the war of India started with the sacrifice of Aravan and today the liberation begins with the sacrifice of Aagumuthu and his soldiers. Let the slogan of liberation started by the Tamils in Athangaraikottai in Tenkodi today resound throughout Akanda Bharat. Let the flag raised by the Tamils today fly as a flag of liberation tomorrow. Today it is Azhagumuthu, tomorrow hundreds of Azhagumuthu kones will come…….”.
After the end of the war, the Kattalangulam palace and the fort built by Azhagumuthu Kone were destroyed by the British. Now the house where he lived is seen in ruins.
A Tragic Legacy
Now we see the strange spectacle of the true patriot Azhagamuthu Kone being left in the limbo by our current ‘historians’, while everyone rushes ridiculously to rave over the other fellow!
Moreover, this is not the only brutality of Marudanayagam [alias Yusuf Khan]. At the directive of his boss, the British, he had also several encounters with another polygar chieftain Poolithevan. He perfidiously killed Vennikkaladi, a brave general of Poolithevan. He has the cruellest record of hanging 500 pallars on a single day!
While such a ruthless savagery is not heard of anywhere in the annals of history nor even in mythological accounts of yore, readers will be shocked to know that this same Marudanayagam [alias Yusuf Khan], a traitor, a brutal beast, a sadistic Satan, a ferine biped, a treacherous turncoat is being attempted to be portrayed as a patriotic freedom fighter by some dubious charlatans in Tamil Nadu! What a disdainful derisive mockery of history!! As if adding salt to the wound that even today there are many places in Madurai and other places in Tamil Nadu continuing to commemorate this rascal by naming places like Khansa puram, Khansa medu, Khan Sahib Street, Khansa palayam, Khan Sahib canal etc. and perpetuating fake history!!
For a detailed biography of this Marudanayagam alias Yusuf Khan, readers may please refer to the following article in The Commune titled “Marudanayagam Aka Yusuf Khan: A Fake, Fraud, Friend Of The Fiendish Foreign Foes Falsely And Flagrantly Lionised”
References:
1. https://bharatvoice.in/history/veeran-azhagumuthu-kone-the-first-freedom-fighter-from-tamil-nadu.html
2. https://tamil.oneindia.com/news/chennai/flash-back-indias-first-freedom-fighter-maveeran-alagumuthu-kone-520633.html
3. https://www.pgurus.com/azhagu-muthu-kone-the-first-freedom-fighter-from-tamil-nadu/
4. https://vsktamilnadu.org/freedom75/freedom-75-unsung-hero-6-maaveeran-azhaghu-muthu-kone/
5. https://satyaagrah.com/sanatan/veer-gaatha/1940-veeran-azhagumuthu-kone
6. Yusuf Khan : the rebel commandant : Hill, Samuel Charles : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archivehttps://archive.org/details/cu31924024059259
Parasuram Sharma is a retired bank officer and an octogenarian whose interests include Sanathana Dharmam, Samskritam, history and politics.
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