The eldest of the Marudhu (medicinal) brothers was known as either Periya-maruthu or Maruthu-pandiyar Velunacharya.
The eldest of the Marudhu (medicinal) brothers was known as either Periya-maruthu or Maruthu-pandiyar Velunacharya. He held the title of the youngest chief minister (திவான்) and was also the most efficient general in that time. The Marudhu brothers consists of; Periya Marudhu and Chinna Marudhu, they are also known in history to have improved on the variant design of the boomerang; called Valari.
Towards the end of the 18th century, the brothers rose to become the most influential rulers of the Sivaganga kingdom. They were a major revolutionary force within the Southern side of the Indian continent from 1800 – 1801.
56 years before the first published Indian liberation war (1857) commenced , on the 10th June 1801, the marutha (medicinal) brothers ignited the idea of struggle for freedom against the occupying British empire.
The lost city of Sivaganga regained it’s sovereignty from the British empire on 1772, with the formed alliances of Queen Veluna-charya, Marutha brothers & the armed forces of Mysore ruler Haider Ali in 1780.
The territory occupied by Nawab were plundered and they also defeated the occupying British forces at Kollangudi. In order to defeat the occupying British empire, Maruthu pandian first formed the Ramanathapuram Coalition alliance. However in order to coordinate such alliances, the Maruthu brothers (Periya Marudhu and Chinna Marudhu) decided to form the Peninsula Confederation in 1799 in order to have a united front against the occupying British empire.
On 10th June 1801, on the hilltop of Tiruchirapalli fort and at Thiruvarangam, the Maruthu brothers called for a revolution against the occupying European Aliens, thus uniting the various factions found within the indigenous Tamils against a common enemy. Resulting in a defeat of the British occupying forces in 1801, liberating Sivaganga.
In typical fashion, the Occupying British empire bought indigenous natives from other parts of its’ empire namely from neighbouring island of Ceylon and England. However the additional forces did little to prevent the defeat of Lieutenant Colonel Agniu and Lt. Colonel Innis by the Maruthu brothers.
On September 1st, 1801, Lep. Commanders Colonel Agnew, Lt. Col. Ince, Lt. Col. Spray, Major Shepherd, McCauley, and Blackburn decided to regroup and launch a much more aggressive campaign by attacking on all fronts at Kalaiyar Temple forested region. The overwhelming odds against the Maruthu brothers cause them to retreat further into the dense jungle. Resulting from the retreat, the Peninsular Federation lost its hold on Dindigul & Cholapuram.
Maruthu Pandiyar was wounded and captured in the battle of Cholapuram and after a further intense search, Chinna Marudhu (the younger brother) was also caught. The Maruthu brothers and their families were all killed by the occupying British empire by hanging them on 24th October 1801, at the fort of Tirupputhur ending the royal lineage and pausing the liberation efforts.
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