Pillar, Memorial for Chinnamalai, Vanchi
Jaya also lays foundation for modern auditorium.
Chennai: Chief minister Jayalalithaa on Monday inaugurated a commemoration pillar and memorial dedicated for freedom fighters Dheeran Chinnamalai and Vanchinathan.
The chief minister inaugurated them through video conferencing from the secretariat, a government release said. In 2012, Jayalalithaa had announced allocating Rs 60 lakh towards the construction of a commemoration pillar for Chinnamalai at Sankagiri (Salem district) where he was hanged by the British.
Known for his revolt against the British East India Company in 1792, when he intercepted a vehicle in Sankagiri that carried tax money from Dharapuram to Mysore, Chinnamalai fought successful battles between 1801 and 1804 in Cauvery, Odanilai and Arachalur. He was captured by the British and hanged at the Fort on July 31, 1805.
Vanchinathan, whose bust size statue was inaugurated by the chief minister, is known for gunning down an English collector Ashe inside a train at Maniyachi railway station before shooting himself to death during India’s freedom struggle. His memorial has been constructed at a cost of Rs 50 lakh at Senkottai in Tirunelveli.
The CM also laid the foundation stone for construction of modern auditorium at Omandurar government estate in Chennai at an estimated Rs 61 crore. A State Infomation Centre will also come up there, the release added.