The guru puja of Maruthu Pandiyar brothers, marking the 214th death anniversary of the freedom fighters, passed off peacefully in the district on Tuesday.
Hundreds of people paid their respect to statues of the leaders near Teppakulam by garlanding them since early morning. Among the leaders who garlanded the statues were Usilampatti MLA P.V. Kathiravan, founder of All India Moovender Munnani Kazhagam N. Sethuraman, and actors Karthik and Karunas.
The city police made elaborate arrangement to ensure the smooth conduct of the death anniversary as several vehicles from various districts would pass through the city to reach the memorial of the freedom fighters at Kalaiyarkoil in Sivaganga district.
The district police set up 10 check-posts on its boundaries to check the vehicles coming into the city. Besides, the vehicles proceeding to Kalaiyarkoil were allowed only through three check-posts set up at Varichiyur, Malampatti and near Purakoodu hillock.
Over 200 vehicles from several districts, including Madurai, Theni and Dindigul, passed through these check posts.
The police said that only those vehicles that got permission from their respective police stations were allowed to proceed to Kalaiyarkoil.
With the Sivaganga district administration imposing prohibitory orders, the police denied permission for hired vehicles to go to Kalaiyarkoil. Officials of Transport Department assisted the police in identifying the genuineness of the vehicles through online checking at the check-posts, the police said.
The district police were monitoring the movement of every vehicle that had gone to the memorial till they reached their homes, the police said.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Pon. Muthuramalingam, who was instrumental in installing the bronze statues of Maruthu Pandiyar brothers in the city, said that the bugle for the first war of Indian independence was sounded by the Maruthu brothers.
“Sadly, that episode has not been highlighted in the history of Indian independence,” he said. While the historians say that the Sepoy Mutiny in 1857 as first war of Independence, Mr. Muthuramalingam said that it was in 1801 that Maruthu Pandiyar brothers had declared war against the British administration.
The brothers had pasted the declaration of war in the walls of Nawab Palace in Tiruchi and at the Srirangam Temple.
The declaration minced no words against the mighty British and charged their rule for the starvation among the people and subverting the customs and traditions of the inhabitants.
They were the true leaders, in the sense, that they were keen on not allowing any caste, community, creed or regional differences among the people of the country in putting up a united fight against the British, the DMK leader said.
Kalayarkoil
The guru puja passed off peacefully in Sivaganga district also even as hundreds of people from the district and neighbouring districts paid homage at their memorial thanks to a massive security cordon.
Three days after State ministers paid floral tributes to Periya Maruthu and Chinna Maruthu at an official event at Tiruppattur, leaders of political parties and a large number of people, mostly youth, flocked the Samadhi on the occasion of Guru puja and paid their homage.
The Maruthu brothers had ruled the district towards the end of 18th century and were hanged near Tiruppattur bus stand for rebelling against the British. Their mortal remains were laid to rest in front of the Kalayarkoil temple.
Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan, Bharatiya Janata Party leader P. Muralidhar Rao, Congress leaders Su Thirunavukarasar and K.V. Thangabalu, and Mr. Sethuraman and Mr. actor Karunas paid tributes to Maruthu brothers.
