Muhammed Yusuf Khan

Who was Muhammed Yusuf Khan?

Muhammed Yusuf Khan or Maruthanayagam Pillai was born in Panaiyur, Ramanathapuram District, Tamil Nadu, India in 1725. From humble beginnings, he became a warrior in the Arcot troops, later Commandant for the British East India Company troops. The British and the Arcot Nawab used him to suppress the Polygars in the south of Tamil Nadu. Later he was entrusted to administrating the Madurai country when the Madurai Nayaks rule ended.

Later a dispute arose with the British and Arcot Nawab, and three of his associates were bribed to capture Yusuf Khan; he was hanged on 15th October, 1764 in Madurai. The 250th Anniversary of Yusuf Khan's hanging falls on 15th October, 2014.