Rani Velunachiyar was the daughter of King Sellamuthu Vijaya Sethupathi (1749-1762) of Ramanathapuram. Moka Palaniappan Servai  father of the Maruthu Pandyas joined the government service as army commander under King Vijayasethupathi with VellayanServai.

King Sethupathi of Ramanathapuram established Sivagangai Samasthan in 1728 for his Son-in-Law UdayarDevar.

Maruthupandiyar who lived in Ramanathapuram palace who was known for their Heroic deeds was appreciated by Thandavarayan, who put to use of King Muthu Vaduganatha as a military commander in Sivaganagai seemai palace with good intention of both.

Maruthupandiyar received love and support from King Muthu Vaduganathan and served the queen Velunachiyar with great affection and royal loyalty.

In 1772, during the battle between the Nawab of Arcot and the British, they attacked King Muthu vadukanathar, who was staying in Kalayarkovil. In the batttle, King Muthu vaduganathar and his younger wife Gauri Nachiyar were killed by artillery shells on 25.6.1772. The Nawab of Arcot captured Sivaganga Seemai.

Rani velunachiyar stayed in kollangudi with her daughter Vellachinachiyar. Very saddened to hear the death of king and she vowed to successfully complete the task left by her husband. Maruthpandyas took Velu Nachiyar and her daughter Vellachinachiyar for safe keeping in Virupatchi near Dindiugal.

The people of sivagangai revolted against the Nawab of Arcot for 8 years from 1772 to 1780. King Haider Ali’s assisted in rescuing sivaganga seema from the Nawab of Arcot. Maruthupandyas won the battle and throne Velunachiyar as the queen of sivagangai palace. Velunachiyar made her daughter vellachinachiyar to the throne as the queen of sivagangai.

Although Queen Velu Nachiyar had lost her husband and Princess Vellachi Nachiyar was a virgin, the situation was such that aristocratic royal women could not be involved in governance and administration. So Rani Velu Nachiyar gave the Maruthupandiyars the power to rule her Sivagangai Seemai kingdom and in 1780 the Maruthupandiyars ascended the throne as the kings of Sivagangai Seemai.

Details of the Special Service Welfare Schemes implemented by Mamannar Maruthupandiyar during his 21 years as the Golden Kings of Sivagangai Seemai from 1780 to 1801.

King Maruthupandiyar built the 157-foot-tall Rajagopuram in Kalayarkovil.

In the sanctum sanctorum of the Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai, two Thiruvatsis with 1008 lamps have set up a new silver chariot, the Servaikaran Mani Mandapam.

New chariot for Thirukkoshtiyur Soumya Narayanan Perumal temple.

They have built a hall in front of the Thirumokur temple and done work on the temple.

Our King Maruthupandiyar, who made a new chariot for the Sri Sornakaleswarar Temple in Kalayarkovil and made the sculptor happy by giving his royal title as promised to the sculptor who made the chariot on the run.

Sri Shanmuganathan built a new chariot for Murugan at Kunrakkudi, a new swimming pool called Marungapuri and a new chariot for Thaipusam.

Annadanam Chatram in Narikkudi, the beautiful Meenampal Amman temple and the Ganesha temple were built.

Annathanam set up an inn in Sudiyur. Similarly, in Tirupattur, Singampunari, Pranmalai, Kamudi, Viruchuzhi, Veeragudi, Punangiyanur, Manor, Olukumangalam, Siruvayal, Kaliyanagari, Sarugani, Pasipattinam, Thirupullani, Alagankulam, Kovilur, Mukkulam and other towns, people still remember the temples and they are proud on their kings.

They set up a military training ground at Sankarapathy Fort and built a palace and fort, Palace Siruvayal, a palace at Muttur.

The cannon used against the British were victorious in the battle of against Kunduadithanpuli near Chattarasanpatti, the cannon which was used is now remembered in Chattarasanpatti.

Thus the Maruthupandiyars who ruled in the golden age made a British opposition by rescuing Kattabomman’s brother Umaithurai from the Tirunelveli prison and bringing him to Sivagangai Seemai through an organization called “Veerasangam”.

Thus Chinna Maruthupandiyar united all the kings against the white imperialist passage and forgot the caste and religion differences and declared heroism for Indian independence on 16.6.1801 by declaring war on “Jambudivu”. In this declaration of war, those who supported the whites started the declaration of war by writing on the walls of the Trichy hill fort that they would attain the sin of killing the bitter cow on the banks of the Ganges, and that those who lost their companions to the whites would be born sons-in-law and children born to the turks.

Due to the overwhelming love, support and co-operation of the Sivagangai Seemai people, the British were unable to defeat the Mamannar Maruthupandiyars. In this, the angry British befriended the Kayavars of Sivaganga Seemai and threatened to demolish the great tower at Kalayarkovil which they had built at the instigation of the Kayavars. They were hanged in Tiruppthur, along with the heirs of the MaruthuPandyas and 573 of their relatives.

The heads of the emperor Maruthu Pandya, who fought for freedom against the whites and gave his life as a gift  to Bharat, were buried on October 27, 1801, in front of the tower in Kalayarkovil.

Every year, the Government of Tamil Nadu celebrates the “Government Salutation” on October 24 in Tiruppathur, where King Maruthupandiyar was hanged, and the “Guru Pooja” on October 27 in Kalaiyarkovil.

The heroism of the Mamannar Maruthupandiyars was not destroyed.

“In our tribe it is sown as a seed and grows into a Big Tree”