Early freedom fighters of Sivagangai remembered in Chittoor

Chittoor Municipal Corporation Mayor C. Amuda and former chairman of the A.P. Mudaliyar Development Corporation T.G. Suresh on Thursday paid rich tributes to the portraits of Periya Marudhu Pandi and Chinna Marudhi Pandi, the two brothers who ruled the Sivagangai region of the present-day Tamil Nadu between 1780-1801 and one of the earliest freedom fighters against the British Raj.

The Mudaliyar community leaders from Chittoor, Tirupati, Nellore districts and several parts of Tamil Nadu converged at the Gangineni Cheruvu tank bund, here on the Vellore road to pay the tributes.

Speaking to the media, Mr. Suresh said that as per the Tiruchirapalli Proclamation during the British Raj, the two brothers were executed along with 530 of their family members, followers and chieftains by the British rulers on October 24, 1801. “This made them the earliest freedom fighters who revolted against the British empire, seeking freedom, in India. During the last 223 years, the Mudaliyar community all over the world celebrates the sacrifice of the Marudhu brothers as Guru Pooja,” he said.

He further said that the Andhra Pradesh government had allotted land for arranging the statues of the Marudhu brothers on the Gangineni Cheruvu bund and all arrangements were made for their construction soon. “The bronze statues of the two kings of the Sivagangai region are being readied by expert sculptors from Hyderabad,” Mr. Suresh said.

Published - October 24, 2024 07:32 pm IST