Dheeran Chinnamalai’s 271st Birth Anniversary
- Dheeran Chinnamalai was a Palayakkarar (feudal chieftain) of the Kongu region who fought against the British East India Company.
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- He was born on April 17, 1756, near Kangayam in the present-day Tiruppur district, under the name Theerthagiri Sarkarai Mandradiar.
- He was one of the Palayakkarars who received training from both the French and Tipu Sultan.
- Inspired by his association with Tipu Sultan, he became highly proficient in guerrilla warfare, archery, horsemanship, and military tactics.
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- Initially, he opposed the exploitative taxation policies of Mysore; subsequently, he became a staunch opponent of the British East India Company.
- To establish autonomy in the Kongu region, he defeated the Mysore forces in a battle fought on the banks of the Noyyal River.
- Following the demise of Tipu Sultan in 1799, he constructed the Odanilal Fort to serve as a strategic base for resistance against the British.
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- He played a pivotal role as a key resistance leader during the Second Palayakkarar War (1800–1805).
- Employing guerrilla warfare techniques, he defeated British forces in battles fought at Kaveri (1801), Odanilal (1802), and Arachalur (1804).
- His final battle took place in 1805. During this conflict, Chinnamalai was betrayed by his cook and was subsequently hanged at Sankagiri Fort on July 31, 1805.
