The Tale of a Kongu chieftain told by a ghost

When there were no sources like stone inscriptions, copperplate grants, and palm-leaf manuscripts to write the history of a local ruler of Kongunadu, the available sources can be the oral tales about him. But, a history of this ruler was written based on the tales narrated by a ghost! 

Being a palayakarar or polygar, Ethalappa Naicker, who ruled a palayapattu (a group of villages) of Tali near Udumalpet, is said to have killed a British messenger by hanging him from a Tamarind tree to avenge the execution of Veerapandiya Kattaboman, the famed ruler of Panchalankurichi. It is interesting to learn that Ethalappan executed the British messenger in the same fashion as the British had killed Katabomman. 

“An ascetic by name Yogi Ramasami, who lived an austere life setting up an ashram at Thirumurthy Hills is believed to have been haunted by the ghost of Chinnayyan, the bodyguard of Ethalappan. The ghost regularly met Yogi Ramasami and narrated him the history of Ethalappan. Based on this oral tradition, Sundarasamy Kounder wrote the book Keerthi Veeran Ethalappan” 

“Thanjai Nagarathiliruntha

 Anthirei Kethish Paranki

Iirupathezhu vayathil 

Dheiveekamaki Adingina Samaathu “

The epigraph informs that the 27-year old Englishman Anthirei Kethish was from Tanjore. He ‘attained divinity’ and was buried here.

The inscription reminds one of a poem by Mahakavi Subramania Bharathi, in which the bard calls the English ‘Paranki’ (white gourd) as ‘Parankiyai Durai Endra Kalamum Poche’ (Gone are those days when we called the ‘white gourd’ as Lord!). Similarly, the inscription on the gravestone addresses the deceased Englishman as ‘Paranki’ 

An oral tradition maintains that Ethalappan hanged this British messenger in retaliation to the killing of Veerapandiya Kattabomman. 

“However, there is little historical evidence on this incident. The inscription on the tombstone informs just the death of Anthirei Kethish” says Nandakumar, on whose farmland the grave is found. Interestingly, the farmland is called ‘Thookkumara Thottam’, which hints at the tree used for hanging people. 

Nandakumar adds that the palace of Ethalappan was razed down in a cannon strike during his war against the British government. 

“The book Tali Ethalappan Varalaru, which narrates the Kongu polygar’s history, informs that Anthirei Kethish came to meet Ethalappan to hold peace talks with him after the British government sensed a possible defeat in the war against him. The Kongu polygor integrated all his neighbouring fourteen palayapattus and provided strong military support to Oomaithurai, the younger brother of Kattabomman. 

Nevertheless, the book hardly says anything about the death of Ethalappan. It just ends in a scene where Ethalappan informs his commander that he is moving northward and asking him to follow soon” 

“Why did Ethalappan have to move northward, as the Kurumalai, where he went absconding, is on the west to Tali? His expression ‘northward’ implies nothing other than his farewell to the world. In ancient Tamil society, such a farewell was called ‘Vadakiruththal’ (facing northwards and fasting unto death). In Jainism, the same is called ‘Sallekana’ “adds Jegadisan.