Thirumayam Fort, Thirumayam –
History
Thirumayam was part of the northern outpost of
the Sethupathis of Ramnad in 17th century CE after the
fall of Vijayanagara rule. However, it was administered by the Pallavarayans. This fort was built by King Vijaya Ragunatha Sethupathi of Ramnad Kingdom in
1687 CE. Vijaya Ragunatha Sethupathi is popularly known as Kizhavan Sethupathi.
Later, the fort and the surrounding region of Thirumayam was handed over to his
brother-in-law Raghunatha Raya Thondaiman (1641–1730 CE), the founder of the
Pudukottai state.
Tanda Deva, the great-grandson of Kizhavan Sethupathi conferred
the town to the Thondaimans in 1723 CE in return for the military help Thondaimans
provided against Bhavani Shankar, a rival claimant to the throne of Ramnad
Kingdom. The Thanjavur Maratha general, Ananda Rao, invaded Pudukkottai in 1733
CE and besieged Vijaya Raghunatha Raya Thondaiman I at the Thirumayam Fort for
over a year destroying its defences and ravaging the town before returning to
Thanjavur.
The fort is locally known as Oomayan Kottai (fort of
the dumb). The dump (Oomayan / Oomaithurai) refers to the younger brother
of Kattabomman, the chieftain of Panchalankuruchi, who fought against the
British and was executed by the British. There is an unconfirmed tradition that
the fort played an important role during the Polygar wars. Oomaithurai took
refuge in this fort. However, he was betrayed by the Thondaiman King and handed
over to the British.
But the presence of British-era cannons in
the fort suggests one more player in its history and a past drenched in
bloodshed and executions. After his death, the British took over the fort,
destroying and looting large parts of it. Six surviving English cannons can
still be seen in this fort. They are mounted over the three entrance gates on
the north, south and eastern sides of the hill respectively. The fort has been
extensively renovated by Archaeological Survey of India in 2012.
