Veera Pandya Katta Bommanan

Veera Pandya Katta Bommana was a warrior king of Telugu Mutharacha orgin. Both KATTA and BOMMANA are the surnames of Telugu Mutharacha community. This can be ascertained from the list of Surnames published in this website itself. It is said that the court language of Kattabommu was TELUGU.

Kattabomman was said to be a palayakar / poligar and the people of palayakars are a subsect of Muthuraja in Tamilnadu today.

Veerapandya Kattabomman was born in Tamil Nadu to Aadi Kattabommu and Aarumugathammal on January 3, 1760 and became the 47th king of Panchalankurichi at an age of 30. Veerapandya Kattabomman’s father Aadi Kattabommu was a minister in the court of Jagaveera Pandyan, a desendent in the Pandya line. Jagaveera pandyan was issueless and declared Kattabomman as his successor. Since Kattabomman was the first of the new clan, he came to be known as Adi Kattabomman.

Aadi = Beginning = Starting = First one in the line

Eighteen kilometres north west of Tirunelveli lies the hamlet of Panchalankurichi, a place of historical significance. The chieftains ruling Panchalankurichi put up stiff resistance against the East India Company, between 1798 and 1801.

Veerapandiya Kattabomman was a fearless chieftain who refused to bow down to the demands of the British for agricultural tax on native land, a brave warrior who laid down his life for his motherland. The fight he launched in Panchalankurichi has been hailed as the inspiration behind the first battle of independence of 1857, which the British called the Sepoy Mutiny.

Azhagiya Veerapandiapuram (Ottapidaram of today) was ruled by Jagaveera Pandiyan. He had a minister Bommu who had migrated from Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu and a brave warrior. He was known as Gettibommu in Telugu to describe his strength and fighting qualities. This, over a period of time, became Kattabomman in Tamil. Kattabomman ascended the throne after Jagaveera Pandiyan, who had no issue, and later came to be known as Adi Kattabomman,...