Context:
Prime Minister of India remembered Rani Velu Nachiyar on her birth anniversary.
Rani Velu Nachiyar:
- Born on – January 3, 1730, to the Raja and Rani of the Ramnad kingdom.
- Married to the prince of Sivaganga, Muthuvadugananthur Udaiyathevar.
- Became queen of the Sivaganga estate (present-day Tamil Nadu) in 1780 after her husband’s death
- Referred to as – Veeramangai (brave woman).
- Skilled in warfare, martial arts (Valari, Silambam), horse riding, and archery.
- Collaborated with Hyder Ali and Gopala Nayaker to fight against the British.
- Known as the 1st queen to fight for freedom from the British in India.
- She went on to produce the 1st human bomb as well as establish the 1st army of trained women soldiers in the late 1700s.
- Her army commander Kuyili is believed to have set herself ablaze and walked into a British ammunition dump.
- Died in – 1796
Silambam:
- A martial art from Tamil Nadu.
- Promoted by the Pandyas, Cholas, and Cheras during their reign.
Source: PIB
Previous Year Question
Who among the following rulers advised his subjects through this inscription?
“Whosoever praises his religious sect or blames other sects out of excessive devotion to his own sect, with the view of glorifying his own sect, he rather injures his own sect very severely.”
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2020 Prelims]
(a) Ashoka
(b) Samundragupta
(c) Harshavardhana
(d) Krishanadeva Raya
Answer: (a)