Rani Velu Nachiyar's birth anniversary

• January 3rd marks the birth anniversary of India's first female freedom fighter, Rani Velu Nachiyar.

• "Veeramangai" Rani Velu Nachiyar was born on January 3, 1730.

• She was the queen of the Sivaganga estate, a permanently settled zamindari estate in the Ramnad subdivision of the Madura district of the Madras Presidency.

• She was the first Indian queen to wage war against the East India Company.

• The Tamil people proudly know her as Veeramangai ("Brave Woman").