Arc-Veera Mangai Velunachiyar in Antiquity India (1772–1780)

Abstract

History books normally center on the activities and achievements of the kings of India, overlooking the accomplishments of the queens. The main reason for this is the consorts of the rulers were usually not associated with the actual administration of the kingdom except perhaps in a few cases. Some names of queens who were actively involved in administrative activities are available from the inscriptions of their times. Most of the queens were, however not involved in the day-to-day affairs of the kingdom, but were active in the religious and cultural spheres and their names are remembered even today in this context. The sculptures of many of the queens are seen in various temples, especially in Tamil Nadu, standing with intense devotion with folded palms, praying to the deities. In India, when monarchy was ruling the roost centuries ago, the ruling class was dominated by males. We seldom ever heard of women taking active role in the area of administration with some exceptions like Jansi Rani Lakshmi Bhai (1828–1858) and equally famous 18th - century Indian queen from Sivaganga, Tamil Nadu. Rani Velu Nachiyar (1760-1790) was the first queen to fight against the British in India, even preceding the famous Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi. Prior to these courageous women, circumstances forced yet another brave woman to take the reins of administration of a strife-ridden kingdom and successfully groomed it and regained the lost glory. Hence, the present study focuses on Arc-Veera Mangai Velunachiyar in Antiquity India and study based on secondary sources of data collection.