Maruthanayagam alias Khan Sahib

Though this post is about Maruthanayagam alias Khan Sahib, a brief mention about his contemporaries and chronological events of revolts by local chieftains of Tamil Nadu against the East India Company and Britishers  are mentioned to highlight the fact, that seeds of rebellion against British administration were first sown by a series of brave warriors from Tamil Nadu against the mighty British administrators.  

Maruthanayagam alias Khan Sahib Mohammed  Yousuf Khan was a great warrior against the Britishers from the South. He was a contemporary of Hyder Ali and Pulithevan. Pulithevan and Hyder Ali were opposed to Britishers from beginning . But  Khan Sahib was a friend turned foe of the Britishers. Khan Sahib was finally betrayed by his own men and was hanged by Britishers at Sammattipuram near Madurai .  Pulithevan was the first to rebel against the East India company and Britishers in the history of India  . Maruthanayagam alias Khan Sahib was the second  person to rebel against East India company and Britishers in the history of India .  This was nearly 100 years before the Meerut Seopy mutiny,which is widely believed to be the first rebellion against Britishers . But the fact is much before the Meerut Sepoy Mutiny there was a mutiny by Sepoy's at the Vellore fort . But the rebellion by Pulithevan and Khan  Sahib were 100 years before these mutiny's by sepoy's. The Chronological events were as follows .

a)1757 Pulithevan of Nelkattumseval from Tirunelveli district defied the Nawab of Arcot Muhammed Ali, appointed by East India Company, to collect taxes.when he tried to extend his control over Madurai and Tirunelveli ,Pulithevan revolted . The Britishers could not contain the revolt by Pulithevan  .Britishers used the serivces of Khan Sahib to put down the revolt . Finally Khan Sahib managed to put down the revolt by Pulithevan in 1761. Much against  the wishes of the Nawab of Arcot Muhammed Ali, the Britishers appointed Khan Sahib as the commander for Madurai and Tirunelveli . The revolt by Pulithevan was the first ever revolt in India against Britishers ,that sowed the seed for the freedom struggle . 

b)The Birtishers used Khan Sahib to control all local chieftains who were anti British,because he was a warrior par excellence . But very soon they realised it is time to stall the growth of Khan Sahib. By the time Khan Sahib earned the appreciation of Madurai and Tirunelveli people as an able and unbiased administrator. Khan Sahib had already earned the wrath of Mysore Kingdom .A jealous Arcot Nawab,along with Britishers and the remaining local Kingdoms like Tanjore,Sivaganga,Travancore,Ramnad and pudukottai joined together to attack Khan Sahib.  It is at this time Khan Sahib waged a fierce war against the Britishers and proved a tough nut to crack.Khan Sahib fought the Britishers during 1763-64. This is considered as the second revolt against Britishers in the history of India . 

c) Queen Velu Nachiar of Sivaganga in Tamilnadu was the first Indian queen to revolt against the Britishers .She was the first woman to fight against British for freedom much before Rani Laxmibhai of Jhansi fought the Britishers. For the first time in history, Velu Naachchiyar formed an exclusive army for women.She was the first person to have introduced the guerrilla warfare,and  human Bombs in her attacks . With unique arms and ammunitions, she kept the British army at bay even after her husband, the King of Sivaganga was killed by the Britishers .Velu Nachiyar died in 1790 .

c) Kattabomman was another warrior who waged a war with the British six decades before the Indian War of Independence.  He was hanged in 1799.His fort was destroyed and his wealth was looted by the British army.  He was captured and hanged in 1799 at Kayatar . A statue of Kattabomman is now present at  the site where he was hanged . 

d)The Marudhu brothers were the first to issue a proclamation of independence from the colonial British rule from Trichy Thiruvarangam Temple, Tamil Nadu on 10 June 1801, more than 56 years before what is generally said to be the First War of Indian Independence.The Marudhu Pandiyars  were captured at Cholapuram and they were  hanged at  the Fort of Tiruppathur, Sivaganga District, Tamil Nadu on  October 24, 1801.

e) Dheeran Chinnamalai  born as  Theerthagiri Gounder  was a Kongu chieftain  from Tamil Nadu who rose up in revolt against the British  East India Company in the Kongu Nadu. He was captured by the British who hanged him at Sankagiri Fort on 31 July 1805.

f)Vellore Sepoy Mutiny happened in July 1806 . The sepoys killed 200 British troopers. The revolt was against the new dress code introduced by the Britishers .Both Hindus and Muslims in the force resented the dress code and revolted. The Meerut Sepoy Mutiny was nearly after half a century at 1857.The rebellion was against the use of paper cartridge greased by mutton tallow. Historians cite this as the 'First war of Indian Independence '. But this is an aberration of history and facts . Pulithevan and Maruthanayagam revolted against Britishers a century earlier. 

Maruthanayagam was born at Panaiyur in Ramnathapuram district in Tamilnadu in 1725 AD . It is reported at Panaiyur at that time there was mass conversion to Muslim community and Maruthanayagam from the pillai community also embraced Islam  and assumed the name Mohammed Yousuf  Khan.While Maruthanayagam was a friend of the East India Company ,the Britshers were overawed by the prowess of Maruthanayagm as a warrior .They utilised him to collect  taxes from local chieftains known as 'palayakarar' in Tamil. Maruthanayagam  left his village at a young age to work as a domestic  helper for a French Governor at Pondichery .Later he left  for Tanjore and joined the Tanjore army as a sepoy.An English captain Brunton had a liking for  Maruthanayagam and educated him . Then he moved to Nellore in Andhra . In the mean time he became tax collector, a Havildar and then a Subedar in the army.At this time  he married a Portuguese girl by name Marsha . There arose a struggle for the Arcot throne between two heir apparents Chand Sahib and Muhammed khan Wallaja  .Chanda Sahib was supported by the French and Wallaja Khan by the Britishers.The Nellore army was deputed to support Chand Sahib .Khan Sahib was in the Nellore army that supported Chand Sahib,the Arcot ruler .But Robert Clive's army defeated Chand Sahib at Kaveripakkam.Chand Sahib's local army defected to the English army after the defeat .Thus Khan Sahib came under British army .

Khan Sahib was trained in European warfare.But he had a natural flair for war tactics and strategy .The English people regarded 2 Indians as war geniuses. Yusuf Khan was regarded for his strategy and Hyder Ali for his speed.Major General Sir. John Malcolm had gone on record that "Yusuf Khan was by far the bravest and ablest of all the native soldiers ever to serve the English in India". Later he was promoted as the commandant by the East India Company for his loyalty.In 1735 Colonel Heron with the help of Arcot Nawab ended the Nayak dynasty in Madurai. Col Heron became the Madurai Governor and started collecting taxes.But soon East India Company dissatisfied with Col.Heron's work replaced him with Khan Saheb .

Khan Sahib gave aid to Meenakshi temple and supported the weaving trade by the Sourashtra Community in Madurai .Khan Saheb during his regime redeemed the Alagar kovil temple land captured by his predecessors and handed them over back to the temple administration. Some other accomplishments  of Khan Sahib include saving Kallanai dam from being blasted by the French forces . When Madurai was ruled by Burkutullah he gave permission to build  durgha's in front of Madurai temples. Khan Sahib prevened this and drove people who were attempting to do this and ensured communal harmony . He also stopped misuse of Meenakshi temple lands and properties by Burkutullah and restored order. He also ordered relief to farmers in distress. Khan Sahib ensured law and order maintenance and peace in regions under his control .Looted property were restored to rightful owners . Gave funds as advance to weavers and helped to export their products.He ensured right wages for Madurai temple priests . He renovated the Nathiyunni  dam  across Thambiraparini river near Ambasamudram to help farmers.Colonel Fullarton in 1785 lauded Khan Saheb's administration as  follows "In Tinnevelly  and Madura, his whole administration denoted vigour and effect. His justice was unquestioned, his word unalterable; his measures were happily combined and firmly executed, the guilty had no escape from punishment." 

Khan Sahib waged a war against the king of Travancore without company's approval .So he was asked to pay a fine of 5 lakhs to the Nawab . He refused to pay the fine,took French support and hoisted French flag on Madurai fort . Governor Pigot called Khan Sahib to Chennai for a meeting . Khan Sahib refused to meet him . This irked the East India company authorities . Captains Monson and Breston waged a battle against Khan Sahib  Yusuf Khan in 1762. But they were miserably defeated  by Khan Sahib. In the final war in 1764 against Maruthanayagam ,his fort was besieged by his enemies.His foes stopped supplies like food,ammunition,weapons and medicine to the fort. But Khan Sahib was undaunted. His opponents then announced that if Khan Sahib surrenders he would be given amnesty .An irked Khan Sahib kept the British flag (EITC flag) in the mouth of cannon and fired it to tear the flag to pieces.A reinforced British force could not manage to hold on  against Khan Sahib's army and retreated to Teppakulam in Madurai and temporarily cried halt to the war. After a week they again resumed the war against Khan Sahib.In the mean time Khan Sahib sought the support of Hyder Ali and reinforced his army from Natham to Palayamkottai .The Britishers got latest weapons from England to fight Khan Sahib.But the English force was defeated in June 1764 war and pleaded for peace with Khan Sahib.

Then Captain Compell hatched a  plot as mentioned earlier to captured Khan Saheb and the fort on October 13, 1764,by treachery . When Britishers realised it is nearly impossible to kill Khan Sahib they bribed Yusuf khan’s Dewan Srinivasa Rao, Marchand the captain of the French mercenaries and Khan’s doctor Baba Sahib.When Khan Sahib was offering his prayers at the Madurai Fort,the  three men pinned him down and tied with him with his own turban .Marchand whisked away Khan Sahib out of the fort and handed him over to Major Campbell.Next day Khan Saheb was hanged  at Sammatipuram in a tree by Nawab of Arcot . Maruthanayagam alias Khan Sahib was killed at an young age of 39 .  On October 15 Khan Sahib was hanged near Sammatipuram in Madurai . When he was hanged he fell down alive mysteriously . This happened twice . They could kill him only on the third attempt . It is reported that since Khan Sahib was adept in Yoga techniques he enlarged his neck through his yoga techniques and the noose around his neck could not constrict his neck.Those who executed Khan Sahib believed he would come alive again by his magic powers and chopped his body into four pieces and buried them at various places , his head in Tiruchi, legs in Periyakulam, hands in Palayamkottai and body in Madurai,where he was hanged .A small  mosque was erected over the tomb that was later known as `Khan Sahib's  pallivasal.'A dargah in his memory was built in 1808 by Sahiah Imam.

Because the locals of Tirunelveli and Madurai revered Khan Saheb  many areas were named after Khan Saheb in Tamilnadu .Near Srivilliputhur there is a place called Mamsapuram . The original name of this place was Mohamed Khan Sahibpuram . Later the name was shortened as Mamsapuram . In  Nelkattanseval there is a  hillock  called 'Khansa medu' . Similarly in Madurai,soon after Khan Saheb's capture his fort was demolished to rubbles and  the rubble mountain was known as 'Khansa medu' . The street is still known as 'Khansa mettu theru'.There is another place called Khanpalayam in Madurai  named after Khan Saheb.The irrigation canal of Veeranam Lake is known as 'Khan Saheb canal'.There are KhanSahib purams in Palayamkottai,Viruthanagar and Trumangalam also.

Unfortunately there are no original photographs of this great warrior available in the public domain .In 1997 actor Kamal Hassan wanted to make a film on Maruthanayagam .He even started shoot for the film after an ambitious launch by Queen Elizabeth II.But unfortunately the production was stopped after  the British co-producer backed out. Kamal Still maintains Maruthanayagam is his dream project.The photos or images of Maruthanayagam available in web pages are that of Kamal as Maruthanayagam .   when one thinks about Kattabomman the image of Sivaji Ganesan comes to one's mind. Because the actor lived as Kattabomman when he portrayed the role in the film 'Veera pandiya Kattabomman' .Similarly Kamal Hassan's image as Maruthanayagam comes to mind when one tires to visualise Maruthanayagam .