Chennai, Aug 10 (IANS)
Dheeran Chinnamalai born as Theerthagiri Gounder on April 17,1756 was a Kondu chieftain and Pallayarakkar from Tamil Nadu who had revolted against the British East India Company in Kongu Nadu. He was born in Erode in Tamil Nadu.
He was the commander in Polygar war and had a large army comprising of several Kongu youths mainly in the second Polygar war that took place in 1801- 1802. A thousand member strong army under him had taken training from French Military to take on the British East India company.
This army led by Dheeran Chinnamalai had aligned with Tipu Sultan and were instrumental in the victories at Chitheswaram,Mazahavalli and Srirangapattana. After the death of Tipu Sultan, Dheeran Chinnamalai built a fort at Odanalai and settled down there. He and his army inflicted crushing defeats on the British East India company in battles at Cauvery in 1801, at Odanalai in 1802 and Arachalur in 1804.
Chinnamalai later left his fort to avoid Cannon firing and used guerilla war techniques against the British East India Company and was stationed at Karumalai in the Palani region and waged relentless wars against the company. He was later captured by the British and hanged at Sankagiri fort on 31st July, 1805.
Dheeran Chinnamalai belongs to the illustrious Palaiya Kottai Pattakarar family and the family had the title of Mandradiar and controlled large tracts of land. He had learned martial arts at a very young age and rode on horses and formed the Kongu Youth and even built an ordnance factory at Odanil fort to take on the British.
His cook Nallappan, later sided with the British and Dheeran Chinnamalai and his brothers were captured .The British was for truce with Chinnamalai and his brothers and a tribunal asked him to accept the British rule and to pay taxes in Kongu Nadu to them. Chinnamalai refused the British offer and informed them that he was ready to face the consequences. He and his brothers along with their loyal soldier Kannappan were hanged on July 31, 1805.
