Maveerar Thuyilumillam Images

”Let us write

Our history.”

Purpose & Disclaimer: All the information posted in this is meant for future generations of Tamileelam to know their history so that they don’t have to face the problems related to the pasthistory caused by the Sinhalese to the Tamils in Eelam over time.

” You are not dead to us

We never forget to think about you

You are the light to us

You are the God to us

You will live forever in us

Our maaveerars!”

{How to find the grave or memorial stone and to which Thuyilumillam it belongs to, you take the name of the maveerar in it and put it here – Martyrs war graves You will get information about where the body of this maveerar was sown. That way you can find out which Thuyilumillam tombstone is there. There can be multiple maveerar with the same name. So, attention should be paid. But due to lack of time, I did not pay much attention. Search for those who need it. I will do it step by step when time is avalaible.}

Evening,

6:05 pm – Remembrance ceremony
6:06 pm – Agavanakkam
6:07 pm – Lightning of the public candle (pothuchudar)… followed by small candles (eegaichudar). The Maveerar Day song will start playing.

“As long as you live

worship the maveerar

Giving life to others

is divine”

1991-1996 In Jaffna

This is from an article published on the Maveerar Naal 2005 by Nehru Gunaratnam, a senior political analyst in Canada:

“During the early stages of the liberation war, the bodies of the martyred LTTE soldiers were distinguished by both burial and cremation.

According to the religious faith and wishes of the parents, the bodies of the fighters were cremated and buried.

In public cemeteries, the remains of the fighters were cremated or were disposed of.

During the struggle, the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam had a compelling need to bury the bodies. During the war with the Indian occupation army, the national leader and his LTTE were stationed in Manalaru forests. Bodies of fallen freedom fighters were buried here and there in the forest because if the bodies were cremated, the Indian army would be able to detect the direction of the smoke and the hideouts of the fighters.

Now the sacred bodies of the freedom fighters, buried in Manalaru, were consciously re-placed at the same place i.e. Manalaru Thuyilumillam. This Thuyilumillam also has a unique heroic history.

There is a tradition in the world of retrieving and carrying away the remains of soldiers abandoned or buried at war sites when favorable conditions appear. The LTTE coined the phrase Thuyilumillam.

The bodies of the freedom fighters are sown here without distinction between male and female. This phrase conveys the LTTE’s concept of heroism.

The first Thuyilumillam was started in Koppay. In the early days, the bodies of the freedom fighters were buried and burned in the dustless soil of Koppay.

In 1991, a decision was made that bodies of freedom fighters would be buried, not cremated. Regarding this, in the 1991 October-November LTTE statute, the the body of maveeran will be buried in the Thuyilumillam built for it. And the graves are kept here.

It will forever remain a symbol of sacrifice in our land. It also said that this decision was in accordance with the wishes of the majority of the freedom fighters. After it was decided to bury the bodies, the first body of Captain Solai was sown at Koppay Thuyilumillam on 14th July 1991.

If we don’t get the body, we freedom fighters have a habit of placing memorial stones. At the same time, it is another custom of ours to place the body in one Thuyilumillam and a memorial stone for him in another Thuyilumillam.

The bodies of many maveerar of South Tamileelam have been sown in Visuvamadu Thuyilumllam and Mulliyavalai Thuyilumillam.

Their memorial stones have been installed in the Thuyilumillam of South Tamileelam. The body of Colonel Nathan and Captain Gajan are buried in the Paris General Cemetery. Memorials stone to them were erected at the Visuvamadu Thuyilumillam.

Our number of Thuyilumillam is 25. The total number of graves and memorial stones is 20,000. (2005 Maveerar Naal details. Note that numbers increased as more Thuyilumillam were temporarily established during the post-war period.)

Let’s see our programs next.

Once the body of the freedom fighter is obtained, it is brought to a certain place. A uniform is worn on that tanned body. At the same time the details of the maveeran are confirmed and the rank is given to him. The body is then placed in the ark. The freedom fighter´s name and rank are engraved on the ark.
The ark containing the body is taken to the recipient’s or relative’s house with military honors as per the District Political Department. After the house salutation is over, the body is taken to a public place or maveerar place for the veeravanaka ceremony.

After that Veeravanakkam is held. Firstly, lightning of the public candle (pothuchudar) is finding place. Then lightning of small candles (eegaichudar) followed by garlanding of the fallen maveeran. Preference is given to parents, married spouses and children.

For memorial stone laying and event, similar procedure is followed. At the memorial stone event, the picture of the maveeran is given to the owner of the Thuyilumillam. After garlanding the fallen maveeran, agavanakkam is offered. Then memoirs of the fallen maveeran are performed next.

Finally with military honors body is taken away to the Thuyilumillam. Flowers are offered there. Then the ark and the body are taken to the platform and placed on it. Then the oath is recited.

After the oath is recited, military honors are settled. After the song ”Thayaga kanavudan…” is played, everyone pays agavanakkam (silence).

The body is carried with military honors to the grave site and buried. Everyone takes a handful soil and puts it on the grave. If it is memorial stone it will be floral salutation.

November 27, which is celebrated by Eelam Tamils as Maveerar Day, is the memorial day for the first fallen freedom fighter in the Tamileelam liberation war, our Lt. Shankar (Sathyanathan.)

Since 1989 on 27th November, we have been observing Maveerar Day every year. The first is fallen freedom fighter , which is of great significance as it is celebrated as the day of all maveerar. Maveerar Day has a special significance as the biggest event in Tamileelam.

From 1990 to 1994, a week from November 21 to 27 was celebrated as Maveerar Week.

Since 1995, 25th, 26th and 27th November are observed as Maveerar Rising Days. In 1994, the start time for Maveerar Day was changed from midnight to 6.05 pm.

It was the time of the first fallen freedom fighter Lieut. Shankar. First there will be preceded a speech by our national leader – the Maveerar Day speech. Then at 6.05 pm, all church bells in Tamileelam will ring for one minute after the Maveerar Day speech.

After that respect (agavanakkam) is paid. A flame is lit in front of each grave and center stone in all the Thuyilumillam by family, friends, other freedom fighters etc. The main flame, installed in the center of the Thuyilumillam, will also be lit.

During Maveerar Day, the Maveerar song for that day is played in the Thuyilumillam “Moliyagi engal moochaagi…” – It was first played in 1991 at the Koppay Thuyilumillam. The song was written by poet Puthuvai Ratnathurai.”

The remains of the graves taken from the demolished Thuyilumillam in Jaffna in 1996 are thus placed in a glass case and kept at Koppay Maveerar Thuyilumillam. I do no know about other districts!

“We light candles on the grave

We go forward with your dream in our mind..”

Small candles (eegaichudar)

The small candles lit by people is called “eegaichudar”.

Seed ground

“Falling like a seed on the ground

Sprouting again and again

Forever

That is our maveerar!

Tamils – your national day is

Maveerar Day!”

”In most places the freedom fighters will stand in silence on either side of the grave.”

”This is how the freedom fighters come in a row and put a handful soil in the grave.”

”This is how the common people come in a row and put the soil in the grave. When any of their blood relatives come they are supported by male/female freedom fighters. This is because they can be emotional and sad and can fall in the grave.”

Stage for the chests of maveerar

The chest of the maveeran, which is taken to the Maveerar Thuyilumillam, is placed on the stage for maaverar chests and will be saluted with agavanakkam (silence memorial). It is a cultural ritual of Tamileelam.

Capital of Tamileelam

Alankulam Maveerar Thuyilumillam in Thirukonamalai.

It was located in Sampur. The special feature of this is that the memorial stones here were found to be very different looking among the Maveerar Thuyilumillam set up in Tamileelam.

These scouts would point out to the visitors the exact location of the memorial stones and graves of the maveerar. The book in their hand has the names of the freedom fighters and grave numbers. By keeping it, they will indicate the location of the place of the maveerar.