Pandara Vanniyan

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Pandara Vanniyan
Tamil
British Rule
Born~1775
Vanni, Sri Lanka
Died31 October, 1810[1] (Succumbed to injuries from ambush by British forces[citation needed])
Katsilaimadu,[2] Sri Lanka
Names
Kulasegaram Vairamuthu Kumara
DynastyVanniar
ReligionHinduism

Pandara Vanniyan (

National Hero of Sri Lanka in 1982.[5]

Biography

Kulasegaram Vairamuthu Pandara Vanniyan was a native of Vanni. The 'Vanniyan' here is different from the caste of the same name. Much remains unclear about his family, but reports state that he had one sister, Nallanachal Vanniyan, and two younger brothers called Kayilaya Vanniyan (Minister) and Periya Meynaar (Commander of the State).

Pandara Vanniyan married into the Nuwara Wewa family, he gained political power in the south Vanni as well as in the north. It is said that he lived in Kumulamunai, which today is in Mullaitivu District. His statue of honour is located in Jaffna
.

History

Vanni functioned as a buffer zone between the north and the south of Sri Lanka. Historically, the Vanni encompassed Mannar, Vavuniya, Trincomalee, Polonnaruwa, Batticaloa, Ampara and Puttalam
hinterlands.

The beginnings of the people of the Vanni (Vanniar), who were ruled over by Vanniar Chieftains, has not been clearly established, but there is evidence of settlements in the region dating back 2000 years. Furthermore, there is information on the Konesar Kalvettu and in the old 'Vya' song of sixty Vanniar coming from Madurai in South India, accompanying the royal bride for the king at Anuradhapura in the first century BC.[citation needed]

Conflict with colonial rule

When the

Jaffna Kingdom was captured by the Portuguese in 1621, the Vanni was under their nominal control and it is thought that 'Parangichetticulam' of the Vanni is the former fort of the Portuguese
.

Around 1782, the continued conflicts came to an end when the

Dutch met nowhere a more determined resistance than from one of the native princesses, the Vannichi (widow) Maria Sembatte, whom they [carried] away as prisoner, and [detained] in captivity in the Fort of Colombo
."

The Flag of Pandara Vanniyan

Pandara Vanniyan fought against the

Vanniyan attacked the Government House in Mullaitheevu and drove out the garrison from Mullaitheevu,[1] which was under the command of Captain Edward Mudge of the 19th Regiment, before finally seizing the fort.[7]

Pandara Vannian captured the

Lt. von Driberg
as a prize for defeating Pandara Vanniyan.

This was followed by the "burning of all his houses, [whereby Pandara Vanniyan's] people ... dispersed into the jungle, and eventually out of the

Dutch.[9]

Death

Pandara Vanniyan was defeated in battle at the hands of

Tamil media outlets reported that it had been damaged by Sinhalese soldiers in light of recent ethnic tensions and criticized it as an act of destruction of Tamil heritage and culture.[11][12]

Legacy

Statue of Pandara Vanniyan, unveiled 10 August 2014.

Pandara Vanniyan was declared a national hero by the

Pandara Vanniyan
Memorial Day falls on 25 August each year.

Present-day

Tamils and Sinhalese of North Central and North Western provinces in Sri Lanka, which were once part of Vanni, revere Pandara Vanniyan highly. The Sinhalese
are known to summon the protection of Vanni Bandara Deio when they pass through jungles.

Wanni."[14]

Pandara Vanniyan is also the subject of the eponymous play by Mullaimaṇi Ve Cuppiramaṇiyam, 'Pantara Vanniyan.' The play was awarded a prize by the Ceylon Art Council in 1964, and was published thereafter in 1970.[15]

On 10 August 2014, three statues of former Tamil kings including Pandara Vanniyan, Ellalan, and Pararaja Sekaran were installed by Jaffna Clock Tower.[16]

References

  1. ^ a b "Grave stone of Pandara Vanniyan". www.canadamirror.com.
  2. ^ Duraisingam, Thambimuttu (2000). Politics and Life in Our Times: Selected Articles Published for Over a Century, Volume 2. Michigan: University of Michigan. p. 1490. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  3. ^ Sabaratnam, T. (3 September 2010). "Sri Lankan Tamil Struggle: Birth of a Unitary State". Association of Sri Lankan Tamils in the USA. Ilankai Tamil Sangam. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  4. ISBN 9788132118299
    .
  5. S2CID 40442344
    .
  6. ^ "Minister Sathyalingam stirs debate of Pandara Vanniyan history". TamilCNN. 16 August 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  7. ^ Tambiah, Henry Wijayakone (1954). The laws and customs of the Tamils of Ceylon. University of California: Tamil Cultural Society of Ceylon. p. 65. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  8. ISBN 9780646365701
    . Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  9. ^
    ISBN 9788132111689
    . Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  10. ^ Navaratnam, Ramon V. (1991). The fall and rise of the Tamil nation: events leading to the Tamil war of independence and resumption of Eelam sover[e]ignty. Michigan: University of Michigan. p. 118. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  11. ^ "கற்சிலை மடுவில் உடைக்கப்பட்டுள்ள பண்டார வன்னியனின் நினைவுச் சின்னம்". tamilwin.com. 22 April 2010.
  12. ^ "பண்டாரவன்னியன் நினைவுநாளும் அதில் உள்ள வரலாற்றுத் திரிபும் – அ.மயூரன் கட்டுரைகள்". thesamnet.co.uk. 31 October 2015.
  13. ^ Karunanidhi, Kalaignar Muthuvel (1991). Payum Puli Pandara Vanniyan. Chennai, India: Thirumakal. p. 467.
  14. ISBN 9780810853799
    . Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  15. ^ Subramaniam, Veluppillai (1970). Pantara Vanniyan. Ceylon Art Council. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  16. ^ "Statues of Tamil Kings unveiled in Jaffna". EPDP News. 11 August 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.[permanent dead link]

External links

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