Travancore Rebellion
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The Travancore rebellion against the British
East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...
was led by the prime ministers of the Indian states of
Travancore The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...
and
Cochin Kochi ( , ), formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala. The city is also commonly referred to as Ernaku ...
in 1808–09 with support from
Sikhs Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Sikh'' ...
ruling Punjab.


Background

The East India Company–Travancore Subsidiary Alliance Treaty of 1795 established a
subsidiary alliance A subsidiary alliance, in South Asian history, was a tributary alliance between an Indian state and a European East India Company. Under this system, an Indian ruler who formed an agreement with the company in question would be provided wit ...
between the British East India Company and the Kingdom of Travancore. Under the treaty, the Company was to maintain a subsidiary military force in or near Travancore to defensively aid the kingdom from foreign powers, and the maintenance costs would be paid by the government of Travancore. The Company intervened during the Mysorean invasion on behalf of its ally Travancore in 1789, and defeated
Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...
in the
Third Anglo-Mysore War The Third Anglo-Mysore War (1790–1792) was a conflict in South India between the Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India Company, the Travancore, Kingdom of Travancore, the Maratha Empire, Maratha Confederacy, and the Nizam of Hyderabad ...
. Following the death of the Maharajah Dharma Raja, the next ruler Balarama Varma was weak and his ministers started having a greater say in the running of the country and became the ''de facto'' rulers of the state.page 337, A survey of Kerala History, Prof. A Sreedhara Menon, published by S.viswananthan Printers and Publishers, Madras, 1996 Following a revolt by a section of the Tranvancorean army and an attempt on the life of the Dalawa
Velu Thampi Velayudhan Chempakaraman Thampi of Thalakulam (1765–1809) was the Dalawa or Prime Minister of the Indian kingdom of Travancore between 1802 and 1809 during the reign of Bala Rama Varma Kulasekhara Perumal. He is best known for being one ...
in 1804, the Company's troops, at the behest of the Dalawa himself, initially protected the Dalawa and then later, put down the revolt. A further treaty in July 1805 replaced Travancore's military obligations with an additional subsidy of 401,655
rupees Rupee (, ) is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Afr ...
and a financial obligation to bear a proportion of any further costs incurred in defending the state. In 1806, the
Maharaja of Travancore The Maharaja of Travancore was the principal title of the ruler of the Kingdom of Travancore in the southern part of Kerala, India. The Maharaja of Travancore was the topmost ruler of Travancore until 1949, when Travancore was acceded to India. ...
did not have the funds to pay the additional subsidy in full. The Company remitted half of the subsidy for two years, so that the king could make military budget cuts to raise the funds to pay it in full afterwards. In 1807, the king still lacked the funds to pay the subsidy in full, requested permanent remission of half of the subsidy, and also requested that future payments. The British
Resident Resident may refer to: People and functions * Resident minister, a representative of a government in a foreign country * Resident (medicine), a stage of postgraduate medical training * Resident (pharmacy), a stage of postgraduate pharmaceut ...
at Travancore, Lieutenant Colonel
Colin Macaulay Colin Macaulay (13 April 1760 – 20 February 1836), was a Scottish general, biblical scholar and Abolitionism in the United Kingdom, key activist in the campaign to abolish slavery. Early life Macaulay was a son of the Rev. John Macaulay (1720 ...
, insisted on prompt payment of the arrears, which amounted to 662,669 rupees, and demanded military reduction and the disbandment Travancore's
Carnatic Brigade Carnatic may refer to: *Carnatic region, Southern India *Carnatic music, the classical music of Southern India *, the name of several ships *, a minesweeper of the Royal Indian Navy *, the name of several ships of the Royal Navy See also *Karnata ...
to raise the money. The king insisted on retaining the corps. The Company intended to discharge the unremitted half of the subsidy, and the entirety of it from 1807. Dalawa
Velu Thampi Velayudhan Chempakaraman Thampi of Thalakulam (1765–1809) was the Dalawa or Prime Minister of the Indian kingdom of Travancore between 1802 and 1809 during the reign of Bala Rama Varma Kulasekhara Perumal. He is best known for being one ...
claimed that the requirement of the additional subsidy was a product of extortion. In 1808, he and the king asked for the additional subsidy to be relinquished entirely. Resident Macaulay attributed the government's refusal to pay the subsidy by making military cuts to Dalawa Velu Thampi, and said that the king was satisfied with the subsidiary arrangements. After the dalawa received a letter from
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
George Barlow of
Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...
, he appeared happy, apologised to the resident for delaying the payment of the subsidy, and arranged for the payment to be made in installments. However, when the payments stopped after 60,000 rupees, with over 800,000 still unpaid, the resident suggested to the king that Velu Thampi be replaced as the Dalawa of Travancore. The king in turn requested the Madras Presidency to replace Macaulay as the Resident of Travancore. The Dalawa of Cochin,
Paliath Achan Paliath Achan or Paliyath Achan is the name given to the male members of the Paliam family, a Nair'', Menon royal family from the Indian state of Kerala who ruled over Chendamangalam, Vypin, parts of Thrissur and regions that were under the ...
, harboured discontent for Macaulay over the resident's friendship with his sworn enemy, Kunhikrishna Menon of Nadavarambu, the
finance minister A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfoli ...
of Cochin. He suggested to Velu Thampi that the resident be assassinated by military force. Velu Thampi accepted and prepared for battle, organising and training a group of Travancori
sepoy ''Sepoy'' () is a term related to ''sipahi'', denoting professional Indian infantrymen, traditionally armed with a musket, in the armies of the Mughal Empire and the Maratha. In the 18th century, the French East India Company and its Euro ...
s. He held secret meetings with the
Americans Americans are the Citizenship of the United States, citizens and United States nationality law, nationals of the United States, United States of America.; ; Law of the United States, U.S. federal law does not equate nationality with Race (hu ...
, the Calicutites and the
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
, the latter of whom gave assurances of military support from
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, including 500 artillerymen to land on the Malabar coast in January 1809.


Course

On 18 December 1808, open rebellion broke out in Travancore and Cochin. At midnight, the Resident's house in Cochin was stormed, though Colonel Macaulay and Kunhikrishana Menon managed to escape. The British garrison in Cochin, under Lieutenant Colonel John Chalmers, found itself under attack by thousands of militia as well as the state forces of Travancore. Reinforcements. including the 1st Battalion 17th Regiment of Madras Native Infantry (1/17th MNI) were dispatched from
Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...
and arrived in Cochin in early January 1809. On 19 January 1809, a large force of rebels attacked the town of Cochin, which was being defended by six companies of 1/17th MNI and fifty men of the
12th Regiment of Foot 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
under the command of Major W. H. Hewitt of 1/17th MNI. Major Hewitt and his men repulsed the attack after a gallant and skilful defence. In a dispatch to the Resident, Major Hewitt described the action:
... the detachment HM's 12th Regiment, and the six companies 1st Battalion 17th Regiment under my command, were attacked by three columns of the enemy on three different points about 6 o’clock this morning, and after a very severe engagement of three hours, we repulsed them on all sides with considerable slaughter, and captured their two guns ... from what I could observe in the field of action, the enemy's forces appeared about 3000 excellent disciplined troops, but from what I can collect from report, they amounted to much more.
In a second dispatch, Hewitt gave more details of the action:
... the enemy advanced along the glaces in sub-divisions in most perfect order, with a six pounder in front of their centre ... a four pounder flanking us ... I drew my party up under cover of a small part of the glaces, and at the distance of thirty paces gave them a volley of musketry, and charged them with the bayonet, they gave us two rounds from the gun, some from their fire locks and ran away.'' This disposed off the first column. The other two columns captured the fort, and ''... I despatched Captain Jones with a company to take them on their right flank, (which he did with great value) ... they ran in all directions ... their loss amounts in killed and wounded to about 300 men.
The casualties of 1/17th MNI were ten privates killed and 45 wounded in addition to Captain John Reid, who later died of his wounds. For the gallant defence, the battalion was later awarded the
Battle Honour A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or Military operation, operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In ...
of "Cochin". The British troops defeated the rebels in another battle at
Quilon Kollam (;), is an ancient seaport and the fourth largest city in the Indian state of Kerala. Located on the southern tip of the Malabar Coast of the Arabian Sea, the city is on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake and is 71 kilometers (44 mi) nort ...
. In the meantime, following Thampi's Kundara Proclamation on 11 January 1809, some British civilians and their native supporters were executed by the rebels in Travancore. In mid-January, the British assembled a force of 3000 in the south of Travancore to relieve pressure on Lieutenant Colonel Chalmers’ force and under Colonel
St. Leger The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over ...
, it entered Travancore via the Aramboly Pass and occupied the
fortress A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...
there. 100 Sikh soldiers were commanded under Jarnail (General) Sadhu Singh Chauhan and were able to hold the British soldiers long enough till a collaborated massacre of British soldiers happened, it is known as the Massacre of Aramboly. On 19 February 1809, the strategic forts of Udayagiri and
Padmanabhapuram Padmanabhapuram () is a town and a municipality near Thuckalay in Kanyakumari district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. As of 2011, the town had a population of 21,342. Padmanabhapuram was the capital of Travancore state in the past. In 17 ...
fell to the British. The army marched to
Trivandrum Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the largest and ...
, the capital of Travancore and camped at the suburb of
Pappanamcode Pappanamcode(Abode of Mahouts) is a locality of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala, India. Only 5 km from Trivandrum central railway station and bus stand. It is one of the major industrial centres in Trivandrum. Location Located o ...
, while another force entered Cochin and chased away the remaining rebels. The Rajas of both the states had not openly supported the rebels and at these turn of events, the Maharaja of Travancore defected to the East India company and appointed a new Dalawa. Following a severe defeat at Cochin, Paliath Achan, the Dalawa of Cochin, defected from the anti-British alliance on 27 February 1809. The Maharajah issued an order for the arrest of Velu Thampi, who was run to the ground by the Maharajah's soldiers at Mannadi. Velu Thampi committed suicide to avoid capture, and with his death, the rebellion promptly ended.


See also

*
Attingal Outbreak Attingal Outbreak (Attingal Revolt; April–October 1721) refers to the massacre of 140 East India Company soldiers by native Indians and the following siege of Fort Anjengo. The Attingal Outbreak is often regarded as the first organized revolt ...
(1721) *
Cotiote War The Cotiote War (Kottayathu war) refers to a series of continuous struggles fought between the Cotiote king, Pazhassi Raja Kerala Varma, and the East India Company across a span of thirteen years between 1793 and 1806. Pazhassi Raja aimed to p ...
(1792–1806) * Early resistance to British rule in Malabar (1792–1812)


References


Bibliography

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Further reading

* {{Kingdom of Travancore 1808 in India 1809 in India Colonial Kerala Conflicts in 1808 Conflicts in 1809 19th-century rebellions Kingdom of Travancore Rebellions in India Wars involving the British East India Company Wars involving British India