Velu Nachiyar

  • Born a princess of Ramanathapuram and the only child of Raja Chellamuthu Vijayaragunatha Sethupathy and Rani Sakandhimuthathal of the Ramnad kingdom,
  • trained in war match weapons usage, martial arts like Valari, Silambam, horse riding and archery, proficiency with languages like French, English and Urdu;
  • married the king of Sivagangai, with whom she had a daughter;
  • drawn to battle after her husband, Udaiya Thevar, was killed by British soldiers and the son of the Nawab of Arcot; escaped with her daughter;
  • formed an army and sought an alliance with Haidar Ali and Gopala Nayaker with the aim of attacking the British;
  • arranged a suicide attack on their ammunition depo (carried out by Kuyili, a woman from the Arunthathi caste, who set herself on fire and walked into the British armory)
  • regained and ruled kingdom for ten more years.
  • She granted powers to the Marudu brothers to administer the country in 1780.
  • In 1790, the throne was inherited by her daughter Vellacci. Died on 25 December 1796.