Rani Velu Nachiyar:
The Prime Minister of India remembered the courageous Rani Velu Nachiyar on her birth anniversary.
- Rani Velu Nachiyar was born in January 3, 1730 in Ramanathapuram.
- She was the only child of Raja Chellamuthu vijayaragunatha Sethupathy and Rani Sakandhimuthal of the Ramnad kingdom.
- At the age of 16, she married the prince of Sivaganga, Muthuvadugananthur Udaiyathevar.
- She is known by Tamils as Veeramangai.
- She was trained in war to match weapons usage, martial arts like Valari, Silambam(fighting using the stick), horse riding and archery.
- She was skilled in the art of warfare and weaponry, Velu Nachiyar was also a scholar, and mastered several languages including English, French and Urdu.
- In collaboration with Hyder Ali and Gopala Nayaker, she waged a war against the British and emerged victoriously.
- She was the first queen to fight for the freedom from the British in India. She granted powers to the Marudu brothers to administer the country in 1780.
