The fictional story of Nangeli depicts an Ezhava woman to have lived in the early 19th century in Cherthala in the erstwhile princely state of Travancore in India, and supposedly cut off her breasts in an effort to protest against a tax on breast.[1][2][3]
Viewed as a village tale, it is not mentioned in any of the historical records.[4] It gained much attention since the publication of a 2016 BBC article on this subject.[5][4][6]
She is no heroine of the written history. Some say she is just a legend of the times. Some say she is part of folklore. Some say, 'Show us the proof.'[...] There are some who argue that Nangeli is a fabrication because no 'records' exist of her.
However, the story has gained much traction over the last couple of years after BBC article covered it in 2016.