Poligar Uprising Part II

Marudu Brothers

                      Despite the exemplary repression of palayakkars in  1799,  rebellion broke out again in 1800, this time in a more cohesive and united manner.  Although the 1800-1801 rebellion was   to   be   categorized   in   the British records as the Second Palayakkarar  War,  it  assumed  a much broader character than its predecessor.

                     It was directed by a confederacy consisting of Marudu Pandian of Sivaganga, Gopala Nayak of Dindugal,  Kerala  Verma  of Malabar   and   KrishnappaNayak and Dhoondaji of Mysore.  The insurrection which broke out in Coimbatore in June 1800, soon spread to Ramanathapuram and Madurai.

                     By May 1801, it had reached the Northern  provinces,  where Marudu Pandian and Melappan provided the leadership. Oomathurai, the brother of Kattabomman emerged as a key leader.  In   February   1801,   Oomathurai and two hundered men by a cleverly move took control of panchalamkuruchi Fort.  The   fort   now   re-occupied   and reconstructed by rebel forces, Panchalamkuruchi became the centre of the uprising.  Three thousand  armed  men  of Madurai and Ramanathapuram, despatched  by  Marudu  Pandian,  joined up  with the Panchalamkuruchi forces.

                      However,  British  forces  quickly asserted itself.   The Palayakkarar forces   based   at PanchalamKuruchi were crushed. By the orders of the government, the site of the captured fort was ploughed   up   and   sowed   with castor oil and salt so that it should never again be inhabited. The      British      forces      quickly overpowered the remaining insurgents.  The Marudu brothers and their sons were put to death. Oomathurai   and   Sevatiah   were beheaded   at   Panchalamkuruchi on 16th   November, 1801. Seventy-three   of   the   principal rebels were sentenced to transportation.   So savage and extensive was the death and destruction  wrought  by  the English that the entire region was left in a state of terror.  The suppression of   the Palayakkarar  rebellions  of  1799 and 1800-1801 resulted in the liquidation of the influence of the chieftains. Under the terms of the Karnatak Treaty (31 July, 1801), the British assumed direct control over Tamil Nadu.

                      The Palayakkarar system came to a violent end and the Company introduced the        Zamindari settlement in its place.

League of the Palayakkarars

Polygar Wars

                      Polygar  war  or  Palayaikarar  war refers to the wars fought between the Polygars (Palaiyakkarars) of former  Madurai  Kingdom  in Tamil Nadu, India and the British East  India  Company  forces between March 1799 to May 1802 or July 1805.

                      The   British   finally   won   after carrying out long and difficult protracted juggle campaigns against the Polygar armies and finally defeated them.

                     Many lives were lost on both sides and   the   victory   over   Polygars made large part of territories of Tamil Nadu come under British control enabling them to get a strong hold in India.

First Polygar War 1799

                      The war between the British and KattabommanNayak of PanchalankurichiPalayam in the then Tirunelveli region is often classified as the First Polygar war.  In  1799,  a  brief  meeting  (over pending taxes) between Kattabomman and the British ended in a bloody encounter in which the British commander of the forces was slain by the former.  A   price   was  put        on Kattabomman’s head prompting many Polygars to an open rebellion.  After  a  series  of  battles  in  the Panchalankurichi fort with additional reinforcements from ThiruchirapalliKattabomman was defeated, but he escaped to the jungles in Pudukottai country.

                      Here     he     was     captured     by Pudukottai Raja (after an agreement with the British) and after a summary trial Kattabomman  was  hanged  in front of the public in order to intimidate them, near Kayatharu Fort,  close  to  the  town  of Kovilpatti  and  in  front  of  fellow Polygars too who had been summoned to witness the execution. Subramania      Pillai,      a      close associate of KattabommanNayak, was also publicly hanged and his head was fixed on a pike at Panchalankurichi for public view.  Soundra Pandian Nayak, another rebel leader, was brutally done to death by having his head smashed against a village wall.

                     Kattabomman’s brother Oomaidurai was imprisoned in Palayankottai prison while the fort was razed to the ground and his wealth looted by the troops.

Second Polygar War 1800-1805

 Despite  the  suppression  of  the First  polygar  War  in  1709, rebellion broke out again in 1800. The Second war was more stealthy and  covert  in  nature.  The rebellion broke out when a band of polygar armies bombed the British barracks in Coimbatore in 1800.The  leaders  were  more  cohesive and   united   with   people   from Kerala and Mysore taking part.

                      In  the  second  poligar  war  that followed, Oomaithurai allied himself with Maruthu brothers (who ruled Sivagangai) and was part of a grand alliance against the Company which included DheeranChinnamalai and Kerala Verma.  The  Company  forces  led  by  L.t. Colonel Agnew laid siege to the Panchalakurichi fort and captured it in May 1801 after a prolonged siege and artillery bombardment.  Oomaithurai  escaped  the  fall  of the fort and joined Marudu brothers at their jungle fort at KalayarKovil.    The   Palayakarrars   were   all   in control in their forts, had artillery and even had a weapon Pandiyan Brothers joined up with the Panchalankurichi forces.

Defeat

                     The  British  finally  won  after  a long      expensive   campaign   that took more than a year. However,   the   superior   British military  who  had  recently defeated the powerful Tipu Sultan of Mysore quickly asserted itself.  The  British  had  better  artillery compared to the Polygar troops who had country-made gunfire artillery,   barring   a   few   proper ones received from erstwhile Tipu Sultan’s army.

                      The war being regional in nature, the      British   forces   could   easily mobilize additional forces from other regions. Eventually    the    Polygar    forces based at Panchalankurichi were crushed and by the orders of the colonial  government,  the  site  of the  captured  Panchalankurichi Fort was Ploughed up and sowed with salt and castor oil so that it should never again be inhabited.

                     The     colonial     forces     quickly overpowered the remaining insurgents.  The Marudu brothers and their sons were put to death, while Oomathurai and Sevathaiah were  beheaded  at Panchalankurichi          on          16 Novermber 1801.

End of the Polygar system

                      After    a    long    and    expensive campaign the British finally defeated the revolting Polygars, of whom many were beheaded and hanged           while      others      were deported to the Andaman Islands.

 Of the Polygars who submitted to the British some of them were granted Zamindari status, which has only tax collection rights and disarmed them completely.   (The Zamindari system originated in Bengal, but was adopted by the British).