PAZHASSI REVOLT (1793-97) The most serious and widest revolt against the British in

South India was of Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja who is pictured by the British as Cotiote
Raja and is popularly known as Kerala Simham. As he belonged to the Patinjare Kovilakam
branch of the Kottayam royal family (Purakizhnad) which had its headquarters at
Pazhassi,the rebellion is called as the Pazhassi revolt. The most important source material to
study the revolt of Pazhassi Raja was the Thalssseri Rekhakal (Thalasseri consultations) of
the English East India Company. Inaddition to this, there are lot of secondary sources also to
study the revolt of pazhassi. William Logan’s Malabar Mannual gives a detailed description
of the rebellion in the British point of view and his A collection of treaties, engagements and
other papers of importance relating to British affairs in Malabar1841-1914 gives the original
documents such as proclamations and declarations of Pazhassi.

Relations of Pazhassi with East India Company

In the early days Pazhassi had maintained cordial relations with the company. During the
second Anglo-Mysorian War when Mysoreans attacked Tellicheri. Pazhassi sent 2000 Nair
soldiers against Sirdar Khan in order to help the English. They even captured an outpost at
Muttungal(Badgara). By 1782, Kottayam, Eravinad and Kadathanad became free from
Mysorean authority. By the Treaty of Mangalore in 1784, all territories were given back to
them by the English. But, afterwards Kottayam Ravi Varma,the elder brother of Pazhassi
Raja contacted Tippu and agreed to pay Rs.65000/- as tax to Mysore. But Mysore demanded
Rs.81000/- which was heavy burden to the peasants. Thus the peasants opposed this and
started struggle. In this struggle Pazhassi was with the peasants and he gave leadership to the
struggle and organized the natives. The most important event which exasperated Pazhassi
even more was that his brother who paid visit to Tipu in 1786 for peace talks and compelled
to sign in a treaty with him which caused for ceding Wynad to Tipu Sultan. Pazhassi was not
ready to leave Tipu to enjoy Wynad and decided to make problems to Tipu. He started a
guerilla warfare that constantly harassed Mysore troops in Wynad and neighborhood. In this
time, he entered in to a treaty with the English against Tippu and by 1790 he assumed the
leadership of Kottayam. In 1790, the British recognized Pazhassi Raja as the head of
Kottayam instead of the original Raja who was in refuge at Travancore. But by the Treaty of
Seringapattanam signed between British and Tipu in 1792, Malabar was ceded to the British.
Afterwards British began to work for establishment of their supremacy in Malabar.

The First Pazhassi Revolt (1793-1797)

The primary cause of the first revolt organized by the Pazhassi Raja was the mistaken
revenue policy of the British. The Mysoreans had collected their revenue directly from the
cultivators through their officials. But the British reversed this policy and framed out the
collection of revenue to the different Rajas for lump sums. This policy of the British had lot
of implications. The assessments of the local Rajas were harsh and beyond the capacity of the
peasants to pay. Pazhassi was not on good terms with his uncle Vira Varma, Raja of
Kurumbranad. In 1793, Vira Varma surrendered Kottayam to British and convinced the
British commissioners to let him collect tax in Kottayam. At this time, British had adopted a
hostile approach to Pazhassi Raja who had consistently refused to accept British suzerainty
and decide to make the obedient Vira Varma as the head of Kottayam. Vira Varma, on the
one hand undertook to collect tax in Kottayam directly, and on the other hand instigated
Pazhassi to oppose the British. Early the lease was for one year, but in 1794 it was renewed
for a period of five years. More than all these, the British assessment of revenue was more
callous and beyond the capacity of the peasants to pay. The peasants resisted its forcible
collection by the agents of the British and thus challenged British authority. Pazhassi Raja
took up their cause and opposed the extortion of the peasantry. Pazhassi decided to challenge
the British by organizing an open rebellion. He prevented the British from collecting revenue
in Kottayam and threatened to cut down the pepper wines. He stopped all collection of
revenue from Kottayam on 28th June 1795 and openly challenged the British authority. He
gave asylum to one of the Iruvazhinad Nambiar whom the Supervisor had declared a rebel.
Two Mappilas who had committed robbery in the house of a Chetti were at this time
sentenced to death by the Raja .The Company’s officials ordered the Raja’s arrest on a charge
of murder. But they failed to carry out the order. The Company decided to collect tax in a
more serious way. British troops were stationed at Kottayam bazaar and Manathana in 1795
to help the Kurumbranad tax collectors. But the officials could not carry out the work of
revenue collection due to the resistance and tactics of Pazhassi Raja and his men. In April
1795 a contingent of British troops under Lt. Gordon made an attempt to seize the Raja in his
palace at Pazhassi, but on entering the palace they found that “the bird had flown away”. So
they plundered the palace of Pazhassi and carried away all the valuables. The Raja sought
asylum in the Puralimalai jungles in Wynad and adopted guerilla system of warfare. The
British troops stationed at Wynad were forced to withdraw. In June 1796 he stopped all
traffic on the Kuttiadi Ghat. The British now entered into negotiations with the Raja and
permitted him to return to this palace at Pazhassi. But due to a misunderstanding between the
officials of the Company and the Raja, Pazhassi Raja withdrew again to the Wynad jungles
along with his followers. On 18th December 1796 the British Commissioners issued a
proclamation forbidding the people to co-operate with the Pazhassi Raja. At the same time,
Raja established contacts with Tipu’s men beyond the border and sought the help of Mysore
in driving the English out of Wynad. Some of the Kurumbranad Raja’s men also crossed over
to the Raja’s side. In January 1797 a series of revolts took place in which several Englishmen
lost their lives. The British forces were overpowered by the Kurichias and Nairs. They
assembled in groups, erected barriers, cut off British communications and refused to pay
taxes. The Rajas of Kurumbranad and Parappanad, who were loyal to the Company joined
hands with Pazhassi. The eastern branch of Zamorin’s family too allied itself with Pazhassi
Raja. The Moplahs of Malabar led by Chempan Pokker and the Gounders of Coimbatore
joined the rebels. Pazhassi Raja also sought help of Mysoreans driving out the English from
Wynad. The geographical peculiarities of Wynad and the strong support he received from the
tribals prevented the British to take any effective action against the Raja. The situation was so
critical that Duncan, the Governor of Bombay, was forced to admit that the ‘great evil in this
unhappy contest arises principally out of Pazhassi Raja’s extra ordinary success which
renders it dangerous to the company’s interests and disgraceful to our national character’. In
March 1797, a British force under Col. Dow marched without opposition to the Periya Pass
and he was to be joined by another contingent under Lt.Mealey. In battles fought on three
consecutive days from 9th to the 11th March, British forces were overpowered by thousands
of Nairs and Kurichias who had rallied under the banner of the Pazhassi Raja. Col.Dow
decided to withdraw his forces from Wynad, but on their way they were attacked by the
Pazhassi troops. On March 18, 1797, a contingent of 1,100 men under Major Cameron was
ambushed and cut into pieces while making their way through the Periya Pass. The situation
was thus so difficult to the British. Jonathan Duncan, the Governor of Bombay came to
Malabar and worked out a compromise with the Raja. As per the agreement signed in 1797,
the agreement with the Kurumbranad Raja was cancelled and the rebellion was brought to an
end through the mediation of the Chirakkal Raja and Parappand Raja. By the agreement, the
British decided to withdraw their forces from Wynad. Pazhassi called off the rebellion and he
accepted a pension of Rs. 8000/ per annum and agreed to live in peace with the Company.
The company also agreed to restore the treasure captured from the Pazhassi palace. As per the
treaty Company has given back the confiscated Pazhassi palace. Peace was thus restored for
the time being, but it was only a truce. It was only a temporary settlement and did not last
long and soon to be violated.

Pazhassi Revolt II(1800-1805)

The peace agreement between Pazhassi and the British East India Company only had a short
life. Pazhassi was provoked by the British move to take possession of Wayanad which had
been ceded to them by the treaty of Srirangapattanam. Wayanad was a traditional possession
of Kottayam Raja and that Pazhassi is in control of this region since 1793. Pazhassi saw this
move of Company as an encroachment on his country’s ancient provinces. The Raja
retaliated by collecting a large force of Nairs and Kurichias which was now supplemented by
Mappilas and Pathanas, later being ex- soldiers of Tipu who became unemployed after Tipu’s
death. Raja was served by several loyal lieutenants as Kunnavath Sankaran Nambiar, Kaitheri
Ambu Nair, Edachenna Kungan Nair and the Kurichia leader Thalakkal Chandu. Raja
himself was a brilliant strategist and he gave special training to these troops in the technique
of guerilla warfare so as to carry on the fight effectively against the English in the jungles of
Wayanad. British Government at Madras appointed Major General Arthur Wellesley as
British army commandant of Mysore, South Canara and Malabar. He planned a double
pronged move from Malabar Coast and Mysore into Wynad and began preparations for it.
General Wellesley came to Tellicheri and planned his military strategy against Raja.
Wellesley devised minute plans of operations. Net works of roads were constructed. Military
outposts were set up at strategic places to counter the guerrilla tactics and from these outposts
he could send light detachments in all directions to hunt out the guerillas. But raja realized
the fact that Wellesly had left to Deccan on a military mission and marched across Kuttiyadi
pass and below he made a junction with Unni Mootha Mooppan, a Walluvanad Mappila
leader and his men. Soon several great nobles like Kampuratt Nambiar of Iruvazhinad,
Peruvayal Nambiar and Kannavath Sankaran Nambiar also joined Raja with their men.
Pazhassi stared his resistance in the monsoon of June-July 1800. His troops came down the
Ghats and attacked Mr. Brown’s spice plantations at Anjarakandi and some of the British
outposts. Wellesley send a large force under Colonel Sartorius to recapture rebel held
Kottayam, but the plan could not be carried out as there were not enough troops in Malabar.
Wellesley advised Commissioners to stop all communications with Wayanad so as to starve
Raja of supplied. But shortage of troops made all his plans in vein. In 1801, a large British
troops of over 10,000 men under Col. Stevenson entered Wynad from Mysore. They blocked
all passes that linked Wynad with Malabar and then converge on the Raja’s palace at
Pazhassi. By that time the rebel went underground. The British troops achieved a large
measure of success in their hands. Raja became a wanderer in the jungles accompanied by his
wife and close followers. His followers were hunted down and prominent leaders like
Chuzhali Nambiar and Peruvayyal Nambiar were captured. Peruvayal Nambiar was hanged at
Kannavam. British also threatened brutal penalty and confiscation of property for all those
rebels who failed to surrender in six weeks time. But a pardon was also issued for
surrendered rebels. Most of Raja’s chief supporters including Kannavath Sankaran Nambiar
were arrested. Brtish troops under Lt. Edward captured him on the hill near his house at
Kannavanam. Kannavath Sankaran Nambiar and his son were hanged and their property was
confiscated. (The tree on which Nambiar and his son hanged was preserved until recent past
and then the tree fell away. It stood at Chittariparambu junction near Koothuparamba). The
murder of Sanakaran Nambiar was a serious blow to the Pazhassi struggle. The British
believed that war was over and went ahead with exploitation program. In January 1802 Major
Macleod, the Collector issued orders disarming the district and threatened those who kept
arms with death penalty. He also doubled the rate of tax and ordered a reassessment of tax of
whole Malabar in a mere forty days. In October 1802 the rebels under the leadership of
Edachena Kungan Nair and Thalakkal Chandu captured Panamaran fort and massacred its
seventy strong garrisons. Wellesley was enraged at this rebel attack and dispatched 500 men
to retaliate. But by then the victory at Panamaram thrilled the rebels ad they afterwards
controlled all passes in Wynad. Edachena Kungan went to Pulpally shrine and issued a
proclamation to people to join Raja’s war and volunteered 3000men. They were posted at
Valliurkavu at Mananthavadi,Edappally etc. . 100 men under Kungan’s brother were posted
at Periya Pass and 25 men at Kottiyur Pass. Rebel outposts were setup at the route from
Dindimal to Valliurkav. Edachena Kungan led an attack on a British detachment headed from
Mysore to Manathavadi, but unfortunately a British troop detached one of the block made by
the rebels and many of the rebels were caught as prisoners and many of them were murdered.
Afterwards, the rebels concentrated in Kottayam and in 1802 they raided a supplies convoy
near Kottiyur. The Britsh were frustrated by Kottayam people’s total lack of co-operation.
Soon the rebellion spread into Chirakkal. Raja’s army by the end of 1803 was ranging as far
as Kannur and Thalasseri. In March 1803, a rebel force marched to Calicut and captured Sub-
Jail and killed all guards and seized their firearms and ammunition. They also released
prisoners, many of whom were joined with the rebels. Following this incident Major Macleod
resigned from his post.

Martyrdom of Pazhassi raja In 1803,

Wellesley left for Europe after three years of inconclusive war with Raja and accept the post
of Duke of Wellington. In 1804, Thomas Harvey Baber, a young and energetic British officer
was appointed as the Sub-Collector of Tellicheri and he was entrusted with the responsibility
of crushing the Pazhassi forces. The Company officials organized a new body of 1,200
policemen called Kolkar to deal with the small body of Pazhassi troops in the various parts of
the country. With the help of Kolkars Baber could suppress several local uprisings in the
Chirakkal area. In April 1804 he ordered the people in each locality to be non cooperation
with the rebels and told to give full information about the movements of the rebels. In this
situation, Raja was forced to withdraw all the men into jungles of Wynad. The Madras army
under Col.Macleod pursued them into the jungles and crushed all opposition. On 16th June a
proclamation was issued offering rewards for the apprehension of the Pazhassi Raja and his
close lieutenants. The Kolkkars were entrusted with the task of capturing the rebels. Many
encounters took place in between Pazhassi’s troops and the Kolkkars. Thalakkal Chandu, the
Kurichiya hero was captured in one such encounter. The British made a strict blockade to
Pazhassi in the jungle. Baber chased the Raja to the Jungles. On 30th November 1805, the
British troops surrounded Raja and his men on the Banks of Mavilaythodu(Kangarapuzha).
After a severe battle of 15 hours, Pazhassi forces were routed and the Raja was shot dead.
Local tradition says that the Raja committed suicide by swallowing the diamond in his ring. It
has been also said that Pazhassi emptied his pistol to his own chest in order to escape capture
by the British. Baber was so touched by the gallantry of the Raja that he carried the dead
body of Raja in his own palanquin to Manathavady and cremated it with customary honor.
Baber wrote” thus terminated the career of a man who has been enabled to preserve in
hostilities against the company for nine years…”. He reported to the principal Collector of
Malabar in his letter dated 31st December 1805,” although a rebel, he was one of the natural
chieftains of the country and might be considered on that account rather a fallen enemy”. The
death of Pazhassi Raja symbolized the collapse of the resistance movement. The other leaders
either committed suicide or were killed in encounters or deported. In true sense Pazhassi
revolt was a popular struggle or people’s war for national liberation. In this struggle all
classes of people irrespective of caste of religion took an active part in it. Baber characterized
Pazhassi Raja as ‘an extra ordinary and singular character’. The revolt of Pazhassi marks an
important stage in the history of resistance movements against the foreigner’s domination in
Kerala. This struggle was for defense of freedom and the object of resistance was liquidation
of foreign rule and nothing else. The Pazhassi episode marked the beginning of an era of
resistance against the British in Kerala