Pradani Muthirulappa Pillai - Clashing Perspectives

Clashing Perspectives

Unfortunately, when the child king grew up, being young, he could not discern his minister’s worth. There developed between them an ideological conflict too wide to bridge. The older and more experienced pradani felt that Ramnad ought to take a pragmatic approach and ought not to rise up against the British at that point of time. The younger Sethupathy was determined to bravely fight the British, caught up as he was with the heady struggle of the freedom movement.

Page 244 of the Ramnad Manual says: "In 1792, Ramnad country was ceded by treaty to the British Government who sent Colonel Martinz with English force to occupy the country which was considered rebellious and troublesome and to levy the annual tribute punctually from the Setupathy. He came and settled in the heart of the town occupying a bungalow, which still exists, on the bank of the Mugavai Urani, and bears the name Colonel 'Bungalow'. The stout Colonel's likeness in the stiff military dress of the period is depicted on the walls of the hall of installation in the palace, viz "Ramalinga Vilasam". He has behind him two young officers also in military dress. Facing them all, sits the Sethupathy with his consort. Behind the Sethupathy's chair stands the great minister Muthirulappa Pillai who was on intimate terms with the Colonel."

This painting can be seen in the Ramnad palace, Ramalingavilasam, even to this day. Shortly after this period, the pradani was dismissed in disgrace.

From the Ramnad Manual: "It is said that the minister became very proud and arrogant as his intimacy with the Colonel increased. The Sethupathy was in consequence obliged to dismiss him in favor of his rival Muthukumaru Pillai. The dismissed minister appears to have gone and resided at Madura as the "Renter" of the British Revenue."

The young King Muthuramalinga Sethupathy courageously challenged the British who deposed him in 1795. (Shortly after that, in 1803, the East India Company reduced Ramnad to a zamindari.) He was thus the last of the Sethupathy kings of the Ramnad kingdom. The other noteworthy kings were Thirumala Sethupathy under whose reign the kingdom expanded and grew, Kilavan Sethupathy who built the palace in Ramnad, and Muthu Vijayaraghunatha Sethupathy.