In the history of Bharat’s fight against the British rule, Freedom Fighter Azhagumuthu Kone (1728 – 1757) may be called the first freedom fighter and martyr of Tamil Nadu who boldly opposed the rule of the foreigners and vehemently denied subjugation to the British orders by refusing to pay any tax.
Even as he was tied to the canon and blown to pieces by the canon ball, his loyalty to the Ettayapuram King and his devotion to the motherland stood sturdy and unshaken.
Not many sources are available regarding this freedom fighter but folklores continue to sing his fame across centuries which has motivated historians in the past few decades to search for sources that give more facts of this less known, unsung warrior.
The Politcal Backdrop
Azhagumuthu Kone’s forefathers were the ancient residents of Aayarpaadi and Vanagapadi situated in the banks of the Palar River. Several of his ancestors served as guards, soldiers, and commanders in the army of the Chola kings.
Azhagumuthu was born to Kattalankulam Chieftain Periya Azhagumuthu and Alagu Muthammal in1728 at Kattalankulam. Kattalankulam is currently situated 17 kms Southwest of Kovilpatti and it comes under the jurisdiction of Kovilpatti Taluk of the Thoothukudi District. His grandfather was Servaikarar Azhagumuthu Kone who ruled between 1691 and 1725 and became martyr in the Palangkottai battle.
Azhagumuthu’s father died in the Hanumanthakudi battle in 1750. Soon, in the same year, at the age of 22, Azhagumuthu became the King of Kattalankulam. His paternal uncle Chinna Azhagumuthu was his aide.
On 26th August 1751, Robert Clive along with an army of 500 soldiers went from Chennai and captured Arcot.
Due to the frequent wars between French and English, the British funds deteriorated. As a result, they decided to collect tax. In this effort, in order to collect tax from Arcot Nawab and his Palayankarars (polygars), the East India Company sent a troop of 500 European soldiers, 2000 native soldiers headed by Khan Sahib, and Arcot Nawab Muhammed Ali’s brother Mabus Khan under the commandership of Colonel Alexander Heran,
This troop left from Trichy towards South in February 1755. When the troop arrived at Dindigul, Dindigul Lakshmana Nayakar gave the amount asked by Heran and bowed before him.
Ramanathapuram Senapathy gave two Ports to the English and surrendered. Likewise, several chieftains submitted the demands of the British.
By 1750, the British East India Company had established its control over Tamil Nadu. The Arcot Nawab who was bankrupt in debt had to hand over the right to collect taxes to the British in return for some loan. In 1755, the Company started directly collecting the taxes from the Palayakarars (Polygars) of the Tirunelveli region. Khan Sahib was appointed by the English as the Commander of Madurai and Tirunelveli areas to collect taxes from the Palayakarars of these regions. They sent notice to Ettayapuram also asking to pay the taxes.
In 1755, Ettayapuram was ruled by Jagaveeraraam Ettappa Naickar. At the same time, Bhoothalaipuram in the Southeast of Ettayapuram was ruled by Bhoothalaipuram Ettaya. On the other side, the Kurumalai part of Ettayapuram was ruled by yet another relative of Ettayapuram King, Kurumalai Durai. All the three of them were called ‘Ettappan’ by the people and they ruled Etayapuram.
When the Ettayapuram king received the notice from the British asking him to pay the taxes, he had a discussion with one man – Azhagumuthu Kone.
The Making Of A Warrior
Azhagumuthu did not accept it. He argued with the Ettayapuram King saying, “Why should we pay taxes to immigrants?” Azhagumuthu refused to pay the taxes to the English. Ettayapuram King also accepted the feelings and logic of Azhagumuthu and refused to pay the tax.
Consequetively, Colonel Heran and Khan Sahib who were camping at Ellainayakanpatti, on the advice of Kovilpatti Vaithiyalinga Mudhaliyar, came to Ettayapuram to collect taxes. Now, stationed at the Eastern gate of the Ettayapuram Fort, they informed Jagaveeraraam Ettayappar of their purpose of coming. The Ettappa King refused to pay tax.
Seeing an opportunity, Bhoothalaipuram Ettaya told Khan Sahib that if he (Khan Sahib) made him the King of Ettayapuram, he would pay the taxes.
The English artillery attacked the Ettayapuram Fort. Hearing this, Azhagumuthu Kone came with his army and fought fiercely against Khan Sahib’s troop. The British army destroyed the Temple of Lord Shiva and the Poosai Mandabam in the East. When they were going to destroy the Perumal Temple, Azhagumuthu’s warriors headed by his paternal uncle Chinna Azhagumuthu prevented them. Chinna Azhagumuthu was shot dead by hidden soldiers of the enemy’s troop.
Meanwhile, as the defender of the Ettayappa King, Azhagumuthu continued fighting at the Melvasal – the Main Entrance against the British force. When he heard that the Company’s army is gaining control over the Fort, Azhagumuthu secretly rescued Jagaveera Ettappa Naickar and his warriors from the South gate and sent them to safe abode at Perunaalikadu.
Khan Sahib captured Ettayapuram. In April 1755, he declared Bhoothalaipuram Ettaya as the King of Ettayapuram. He collected the tax amount from the newly crowned king and left Ettayapuram for Tirunelveli with the war prisoners.
Bhoothalaipuram Ettaya, in due course of time, could not pay the tax. Seeing the circumstance, Kurumalai Durai, who wanted to become the king of Ettayapuram, expressed his wish to Khan Sahib’s friend Vembathoor Siva Shankaran Pillai.
In April 1756, Khan Sahib and Mabus Khan met at Kayathar and went to Ettayapuram on their way to Thiruviliputhur. At Ettayapuram, seeing the inability of Bhoothalaipuram Ettaya to pay taxes and keeping in consideration the eye of Kurumali Durai on the Ettayapuram throne, Khan Sahib arrested Bhoothalaipuram Ettaya and made Kurumalai Durai the King of Ettayapuram. Kurumalai Durai paid the tax amount of Rs.18,700/- to the British and Khan Sahib left from Ettayapuram.
Hearing that Kurumalai Durai had paid tax to Khan Sahib, Azhagumuthu got angry. At Perunaalikadu, Jagaveeraraam Ettayappa Naickar died of sorrow that his brother Kurumalai Durai had also betrayed him. Immediately, Azhagumuthu handed over the sword to Venkateshwara Ettayappar, son of Jagaveeraraam Ettayappa Naickar and crowned him the King. Since then, even today, Azhagumuthu Kone’s heirs are honoured by the descendants of Venkateshwara Ettayappar in the festivals of Ettayapuram Samasthanam.
When Khan Sahib came to know about the crowing of Venkateshwara Ettayappar, he felt highly insulted and got angry with Azhagumuthu Kone.
In order to retrieve Ettayapuram Fort, Azhagumuthu began to gather the army. He summoned warriors of Bethanayakanoor region, trained them and merged them with his army. He thus created a huge army. He divided it into two divisions. One troop was led by Venkateshwara Ettayappar and the other army was led by Azhagumuthu Kone himself. Both of them left with their respective armies in two different directions towards the Ettayapuram Fort.
The troop led by Azhagumuthu Kone halted at night at the Bethanayakanoor Fort to take rest. Having spied this, Siva Shankaran Pillai informed it to Khan Sahib and told him that it is the right time to attack them. He also incited Khan Sahib that if he does not destroy Azhagumuthu, not only will Ettayapuram be taken away from the hands of the English but also will give the guts to the other Palayakarars who will also start rebelling against payment of taxes. He added further that in order to revolt against Khan Sahib’s power, Azhagumuthu may gather all others.
Realizing the threat due to Azhagumuthu and the insult he cast to Khan Sahib by crowning Venkateshwara Ettayappar, Khan Sahib decided to assault Azhagumuthu’s army that night itself. Khan Sahib surrounded the Bethanayakanoor Fort and suddenly attacked Azhagumuthu’s aoldiers who were deep at sleep. Unable to respond to the sudden attack, several warriors of Azhagumuthu were killed and 255 others including Azhagumuthu were held captives.
Khan Sahib asked the captives – Azhagumuthu and his warriors, the whereabouts of Ettayapuram King. He asked them to beg pardon and agree to pay the taxes. But, none of the 255 captives agreed to bow before Khan Sahib. Instead, Azhagumuthu Kone roared saying, “In order to safeguard the honour of our Motherland, we are ready to accept death”. Azhagumuthu’s this patriotic conviction and fierce determination made Khan Sahib to tremble. Hence, Khan Sahib caused severe tortures on Azhagumuthu Kone and his captive-warriors.
As a punishment for not obeying the orders of the British, Khan Sahib cut the right hand of 248 of the captive soldiers. The remaining seven of them – Azhagumuthu Kone, Kechilanan Servai, Venkateswara Rettu Servai, Muthalagu Servai, Parivaram Muthirulan, his brother Segaveera Rettulakshmanan, and Thalaikattupuram Mayilupillai were tied to the mouth of the canon and shot. This brutal atrocity happened in between the mid night of Friday and early dawn of Saturday on 18th November, 1757.
Azhagumuthu Kone had sown the seed for Indian Independence against the British rule in the Tamil Nadu Soil 100 years before the First War of Indian Independence in 1857.
On 26th December, 2015, the Government of India released a Postal Stamp as a tribute to Freedom Fighter Martyr Azhagumuthu Kone.
REFERENCES:
1. Servaikarar Subash S.P.S, “Kattalankulam Servaikarar Alagumuthukone,” 2009
2. Pillai K.K., “South India and Srilanka,” 1958
3. Ganapathy Pillai W.E., “Etaiyapuram – Past and Present,” 1890
4. “Yadhavar Sigaram,” July 2015, Vol.-01:Issue-01
The Modi Calculations For 2024
“Don’t cross the path of Narendra Modi.”
In the past one week, this realisation has come to Uddhav Thackrey, Sukhbir Singh Badal, Hemant Soren and to Nara Chandrababu Naidu.
A warning was given to Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackrey in 2019, he did not listen. In thirty months, Uddhav realised his mistake. Found Droupadi Murmu as an excuse, and now wants to return to Modi fold. He is under pressure to take up the Hindutva line again. This pressure is coming from Eknath Shinde formerly his deputy.
Not only Uddhav but a realisation had come to Sharad Pawar also.
In one shot Narendra Modi took on Sharad Pawar and also Uddhav, the two top leaders of Maharashtra.
Sukhbir Singh Badal who had shown his trump card of “Farm Law” walked out of NDA. He too got routed in Punjab in May assembly polls, and is now waiting for Modi door to open.
Hemant Soren at Deoghar was full praise for Narendra Modi.
So, what is happening in the political scene?
An expected dramatic re-entry of Yogi Adityanath in Uttar Pradesh with double engine and bulldozer syndromes. The turn of Indian politics in 2022 began with this “UPYOGI”concept coined by Modi.
Shortly after UPYOGI Narendra Modi sprang yet another surprise of Droupadi Murmu.
These two projections are bound to yield fruits for National Democratic Alliance in 2024 Lok Sabha polls. NDA led by Modi is to face only regional satraps and not a gigantic national party Indian National Congress having been decimated in past ten years, to rule only Rajasthan and Chhatisgarh.
Next to UPYOGI coinage, Modi articulated yet another ‘theory” of “short circuit and short cut” at Ranchi. Speech.
This explicitly revealed his political push. “Whom did Modi have in mind?” has come to mark all our deliberations.
Now let us go back to 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Narendra Modi had two major slogans – Gujarat Model and Congress Mukt Bharat. If you correlate these two, an in-depth analysis of persona of Modi will be easy.
And if you stretch it further for 2024 Lok Sabha polls, BJP and in particular Narendra Modi is ensuring that 5 dynasts state parties are to be the arch rival for him, thus eliminating Congress from 2024 Lok Sabha poll scene as principle opposition party.
Why Indian Politics Turns Only During Presidential Polls?
Each time during the Presidential elections, Indian politics takes a different avatar. Be it 1969 (VV Giri) or for that matter 2017 (Ram Nath Kovind). But Narendra Modi rewrote the Indian system of Presidential polls, with his shrewdness. Added to his image of “Sab Ka Saath Sab Ka Vikas” the slogan has gone deeper into the mindsets of downtrodden.
You may criticise Modi, but he brought each of his political rivals into his wide spread net in 2022, with the ‘ tribal-woman’ card of Murmu. It was Modi who got Uddhav Thackrey to get elected to Upper House of Maharashtra. But in two years, Uddhav had to resign that. Let’s see how moves are being made in a few non-BJP ruled state.
The Maha Saga
A BJP general secretary said, “If the Shiv Sena is willing to embrace the Shinde-led rebels and have an alliance with the BJP, the central leadership will assist them. One phone call will keep Uddhav like the adage one apple keeps doctor away.
Sources say that there is a larger message in Thackeray’s decision to concede to his MPs on Murmu: that he is willing – even eager – to maintain cordial relations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and mend broken fences with the Centre. Through Shiv Sena Uddhav Thackrey decision on Murmu, Thackeray would want to subtly convey that the Sena-BJP relationship is still an open-ended affair.
The Shiv Sena’s decision to back National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominee, former Jharkhand governor Droupadi Murmu, for the presidential election might not change the outcome for the poll to elect India’s first citizen (she was winning anyway), but it has major implications, in Maharashtra and nationally.
Sena’s support is not merely a morale booster, but open the doors for reconciliations between Modi and Uddhav, Modi and Soren, Modi and Badals, Modi and Naidu.
But interpreting the decision – which came only after an overwhelming majority of Sena parliamentarians told Uddhav Thackeray to back Ms Murmu – holds significance for India’s richest state.
It indicates that after striking a combative pose, Mr Thackeray is hitting conciliatory notes (last week, he said that the doors of Matoshree, the seat of Sena power, were open to rebels who brought his government down) because he realises that any more confrontation with chief minister Eknath Shinde will lead to further splintering in the party.
It shows that his hold on the party remains tenuous and despite his public gratitude to alliance partners, the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party, the Maha Vikas Aghadi is on its last legs.
It indicates that the Sena is yet to recover from the vertical split it suffered last month, and continues to play catch-up. And, it has underlined the Bharatiya Janata Party’s astuteness in nominating an Adivasi woman to the highest office, making it politically and symbolically tough for parties to oppose her elevation.
Modi’s Trip To Jharkhand
Timing of Modi visit to Jharkhand to open Deoghar airport and AIMS hospital is important. It comes close to the Presidential Elections. The bonhomie between Modi and Soren was evident. CM Soren said, “If the Centre continues with its cooperation and if the public supports us, I can assure from this platform that Jharkhand would be among the leading states in the country within the next five years.”
Modi style of approach is unique. Modi will leave New Delhi for Deoghar but will stop at Patna. In other words, “two functions in one trip“ Never you would have seen him travelling up and down New Delhi. He will invariably stop over at a third place. Be it Indian or foreign visits.
From my political understanding, the Congress leaders and the three Gandhis, will get realisation of Modi, after they have burnt their fingers. At a time when the NDA, led by PM Modi, has announced Draupadi Murmu, a woman from Adivasi samaj, as it’s nominee for the President’s office, a move that will significantly empower the tribals, Congress leader Ajoy Kumar an IPS officer hailing from Karnataka served in Jharkhand -calls Draupadi Murmu evil by association! Just because she is a tribal.
Murmu, having already secured the support of several non-NDA parties such as the Biju Janata Dal, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the YSR Congress Party, is virtually sure of a victory in the July 18 election over Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha.
Short Circuit And Short Cut
“Short-cut politics is a challenge today. People could get votes through populist measures. But the truth is that any country that resorts to short-cut politics is bound to face short-circuit,” Modi said at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rally in Deoghar. “But there is no short-cut for hard work.”
Without naming any political party, Modi hit out at political opponents, saying previous governments used to resort to short-circuit politics. “I appeal from here in Deoghar that you need to reject short-cut politics because people who practice it would never give you new airports, roads and medical colleges in each district,” he added.
The Significance Of Telangana General Council
Insiders in Narendra Modi dispensation hinted to me that Hyderabad was chosen by Modi to hold BJP national executive and general council. BJP debates pros and cons. BJP gets feed back from RSS and other external organisations. Modi with his experiences of having addressed 1800 rallies in 8 years, gives him a pulse reading of Indian politics.
Having saturated in Hindutva belt the BJP outreach should hit at southern states, was the final resolution.
Close to presidential nominee announcement, the onslaught on “gore parivarvad” Narendra Modi wanted to show his power of pushing at Bob, Beta, Beti sarkar. Amit Shah in a lighter vein quoted that BJP politically punctured cycle in Uttar Pradesh and now moving to take the air out of four wheels of Car referring to the election symbols of Samajwadi Party and Telangana Rashtraiya Samiti. Now the road is clear for bulldozers for 2024 Lok Sabha polls, a “national highway” to New Delhi’s newly constructed Parliament House building.
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