Sethur in the
Srivilliputtur
Srivilliputhur (), is a Municipality in Virudhunagar district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. As of 2011, the town had a population of 75,396. The most important landmark of Srivilliputhur is 11-tiered tower structure dedicated to the Vatapat ...
taluk, at the foot of the
Western Ghats, northwest Tirunelveli, is traditionally recognized as one of the 72 palayams of Madura. Sethur today comes under
Virudhunagar District
Virudhunagar District is a district (an administrative district) of Tamil Nadu state in south India. Virudhunagar is the district headquarters of Virudhunagar district. Virudhunagar district was formed by the separation of Old Ramanathapuram Di ...
of
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
.
Polygar and History
Thiruvonnaatha Thevar was sent to protect the northwest area of Madura, which had been usurped by a neighboring
raja
''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested f ...
. He expelled the intruders, built a fort in Sethur and was made a
polygar
Palaiyakkarars, or Poligar, (as the British referred to them) in Tamil Nadu refers to the holder of a small kingdom as a feudatory to a greater sovereign. Under this system, ''palayam'' was given for valuable military services rendered by any in ...
. Polygar Tiruvana (Tiruvannata) Thevar was among the recipients of the letter Ranga Pillai wrote in 1751 in behalf of Dupleix to the 72 poligars of Trichinopoly.Now the Poligar Named "Sevuga Pandiya Thevar". He belongs the Pandaram Subcaste of Marava. It is Marava palaiyam.
Notable Events in History
*Seithur was one of the palayams that joined Puli Thevar’s coalition in 1754-1762 (see
Nerkattumseval
Nerkattumseval ( also Nelkattanseval, called Nellitangaville by the British ) is traditionally recognized as one of the 72 palaiyams of Madura, already in existence in the days of Nagama Nayaka and his son Visvanatha Nayaka. It falls under the Sa ...
).
*When Kollamkondan rebelled in 1764, following the execution of Yusuf Khan for having betrayed the
nawab
Nawab (Balochi language, Balochi: نواب; ar, نواب;
bn, নবাব/নওয়াব;
hi, नवाब;
Punjabi language, Punjabi : ਨਵਾਬ;
Persian language, Persian,
Punjabi language, Punjabi ,
Sindhi language, Sindhi,
Urd ...
, Seithur was quick to join.
*In 1792, taking advantage of a border dispute, the polegar of Sivagiri invaded Seithur, killed the polygar and replaced him with a cousin. The Company intervened, however, a restored Seithur’s independence. In 1803, Tiruvanna Thevar, the 47th polegar received his sanad from the Company and became a
zamindar
A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as a ...
; at the time he only held three villages.
Administrative Area
In 1879, the zamindari of Seither had an area of 91.44 sq. m. and a population of 11,916.
Kollamkondan
Kollamkondan was a territory (Zamin) in the former Tirunelveli province of Madurai Nayak Dynasty ruled by Polygar. Post Independence of India it split into as 2 villages Ayan Kollan Kondan and Zamin Kollan Kondan and come under Virudhunagar D ...
was merged under Seithur in the late 1800s.
[http://princelystatesofindia.com/Polegars/Seithur.html]
References
{{Reflist
Madurai Nayak dynasty
Palayam