We have earlier seen that Cheraman Ramavarma Perumal had allotted the area around Kozhikode to his sons Manavedan and Mana Vikkiran as a parting gift. Initially what they got was only a circular area within which a roosters crowing will be audible. This royal family has names like Kunnalakkonathiri, Eralppad, and Saamoothiri etc. denoting the Zamorin. Samoothiri is the most popular form of addressing the royal highness. Areas including the beach were under the control of Polathiri who was the ruler of Polanad. The first battle fought by Zamorin to enhance his territory was against Polanad. History has it that the Zamorin had even constructed a fort in between Kozhikode and Polanad to facilitate this fight. But in spite of several attempts, the Zamorin could not over power Polanad. It was after influencing and secretly negotiating with ministers and servants of Polathiri that he could annex Polanad.
Kozhikode beach was for a long time a center of interest for the foreign powers. At one point of time Kozhikode was controlled by persons belonging to the Chetty community. There is mention in the old Tamil classics that main factor which contributed to the business prosperity of Kozhikode was the activities of these Chetty community. Later when Arabs and Portuguese reached the place for trading purposes, Kozhikode became the biggest trading center in Kerala. It is evident from old records that since the beginning of 14th century the Kingdom of Kozhikode extended for about 170 miles from the Arabian seacoast to the eastern hills. Kannur to the north and Kochi to the south and Koyambadi to the east were the boundaries of the Kingdom. Koyambadi is the old name of Coimbatore.
By the end of 16th century the Zamorin’s Kingdom extended to all areas north of Kochi. By middle of 17th century the area under his control shrunk to places between Thrikkodi and Chettuva only. Every Zamoorin had an ambition to conquer the whole of Kerala which made them war mongers and they had to suffer the bitter consequences of it, later. His ambition to conquer Palakkad resulted in the onslaught of Malabar by Hyder Ali and later his son Tipu sultan. If the Zamorin did not attempt conquering of Palakkad, the Mysore Sultans would have come to neither Malabar nor the area eventually would have come under British rule. It can be safely concluded that even the later Hindu Muslim antagonism was the bitter outcome of the policy of expansionism followed by the successive Zamorins.
It was during 1756-57 Zamorin conquered Naduvattom which was the main business center of Palakkad. Palakkad King could not counter the attack of Zamorin who had a powerful army of Nairs. With an idea to annex the whole of Palakkad in due course, the Zamorin positioned his entire army at Naduvattom. Komu Achan who was the king of Palakkad sought the help of Mysore King to wrest back the area conquered by Zamorin. The Mysore King entrusted the work of helping Komu Achan, to Hyder Ali who was the captain of his army at Dindigul. Since Hyder Ali had to go urgently to Sreerangapattinam, he deputed his brother in law, Mukhdum Ali to help the king.
An army of 2000 horsemen and 5000 foot soldiers entered Palakkad under the command of Mukhdum Ali. This was the first instance of the Muhammadan army entering Malabar. This army along with that of Komu Achan , defeated the Zamorin. A defeated Zamorin sought a peace treaty from Mysore. Naduvattom was surrendered to Mysore and an amount of Rs. 12 lakhs was agreed to be paid by the Zamorin towards war expenses incurred by the Mysore King. Since the Zamorin expressed his inability to pay the entire amount in one go, the Mysore King agreed to settle for payment in installments. But the Zamorin was playing oversmart. He influenced one Mr. Diyoraj, a minister of Mysore King by offering to pay him personally the amount promised to the King. To settle the feud between himself and Hyder, Diyoraj agreed to this and declared that the claim of Rs 12 lakhs by the King of Mysore has been relinquished. To receive the promised amount as per the secret deal, Diyoraj sent his trusted lieutenant Heri Singh to Palakkad but the money was not given by the Zamorin. Diyoraj was killed in 1758. This was before the return of Heri Singh. History records that Mukhdum Ali, brother in law of Hyder was the person behind the midnight deceit and murder. Mysore did not relinquish its claim over the agreed Rs 12 lakhs in spite of the secret deal with Diyoraj. What Hyder Ali did was to attempt to take over reign of Mysore from the King. Through very discreet and secret moves he succeeded in removing the other minister Mr. Nunjeraj and employ Mr. Gunde Rao in his place who was prepared to follow Hyder’s instructions. In 1761 June Hyderali removed Gunde Rao also from power and appropriated the topmost position in administration of Mysore.
In the meanwhile it is also pertinent to analyze what was happening in Malabar. The Kings of Kannur and Kolathiri used to be constantly in conflict with each other. Same time those Europeans and Arabs who reached Malabar on commercial ventures had more or less gained a firm footing here. Their activities were such that remind us of the Malayalam proverb that “If you allow a blanket seller to sit somewhere, he will soon occupy enough space for sleeping”. They used to quarrel, loot, plunder and fight furiously among themselves. It was the British who could finally establish their supremacy in Malabar. They made fortresses in the centers where they had an upper hand and remained ever prepared for fighting wars. They also had established good facilities for reinforcement of army troops with cannons and ammunitions and communication channels in case emergencies arose. The local rulers did not observe anything strange about these arrangements. They thought that it was for protecting their own specific business requirements. Each kingdom had their own Nair armies who protected their territories. They had never anticipated or wanted to take help from the British. But the latter were only too willing to help them militarily in case of need.
It was in such a situation that the Mysore forces marched to Palakkad and the subsequent developments evolved. The moves of the local rulers were closely monitored by the British. The British got information that Hyder Ali might attack Malabar. Thinking that it was better to enter into a treaty with him, the British concluded one in 27th May 1763. Both had mutually agreed not help their enemies under any circumstances. The English surrendered the forts back to the French which were annexed from them earlier. On 9th October 1764, Hyder Ali sent a message to British through a messenger named Ananda Rao. The content of the note was that the Mysore Force is going to march into Malabar forthwith. What he meant by the message was that the British should not interfere in that. The Mysore army was marching to Malabar with definite aims. If possible they should help Mysore in this expedition. Hyder Ali demanded that if that was not possible they should take a neutral stand. The British discussed in detail the pros and cons of it. Hyder Ali was coming to conquer Malabar. There will be a grave threat to the very existence of the British East India Company in such areas. In the circumstances the Company informed him that they will not be able to take a neutral stand if he ventured into Malabar.
On February 10th 1766, the Company representative from Neeleswaram sent a report that Hyder Ali has put up a camp with a huge force to attack Malabar. On the basis of this report two officers from the company’s Tellichery office went and saw Hyder Ali at his camp in Madayi. When they exchanged their anxiety in the matter, Hyder Ali promised them to continue to allow all the privileges they enjoyed in Malabar as before. They also exchanged details of the local rulers who were in treaty with the company and requested the Nawab that they should not be disturbed under any circumstances. This meeting and decision was held on February 23rd 1766.
The marauding army of Hyder Ali consisted of 4000 horsemen and 6000 foot soldiers. In addition to these 12000 Moplah fighters belonging to the Kannur Ali Raja also assisted Hyder Ali in the expedition. There was a naval back up also to fight in the waters if necessary. The beginning of the onslaught was with the capture of a temple by the Muslims. This was before the British men met the Nawab. Once the Hyder’s army marched into Chirakkal, the Muslim army of Kannur Ali Raja was highly enthused. They conquered the palace of Kolatthiri at Chirakkal. The royal family members had to seek refuge in the Thiruvanghat temple.
It was the Moplah soldiers of Ali Raja who committed more atrocities. After the Kolathiri and his family took refuge in the temple, thousands of Hindus fled from their homelands fearing for their dear lives. On March 7th the army of Hyder attacked the British camp at Randathara. This provoked them. Though it was an accident, Hyder Ali responded to it in a hilarious but authoritative mood. His comment was that instead of the flag of England, if Hyder’s flag was hoisted there, this would not have happened. The company was not prepared to tolerate the attacks against the local lordships who were in treaty with them. As a result the English people gave asylum at their place in Tellichery to all the refugees running away from Muslim fighters. This was not viewed with favor by the Sultan. His request to supply necessary ammunition and guns was also rejected by the British. This caused a rage in Hyder Ali’s mind against the English.
The ruler of Kannur, Ali Raja took advantage of the mental rage of Hyder and decided to wreck vengeance on the Hindus and Hindu kings through him. Ali Raja repeatedly asked Hyder to attack the Tellichery fort where Hindus were given asylum by the company. Soon Hyder’s army entered Kottayam ( place in North Kerala). Once they saw the Muslim warriors of Kannur and Mysore the local Muslim army men also deserted their King and changed their allegiance to them. This made the conquest of Kottayam very easy for Hyder. This action was viewed very seriously by the English company. They decided to fiercely resist attacks on places in their control or which pledged allegiance to them.
Hyder had to employ some tricks to enter Kadathanad. On the opposite side of Mahe River, a strong contingent of Nair army was camping ready to fight any onslaught. If they crossed Mahe river soon they will end up as cannon fodder for the Nair army. Hyder’s strategy was to cross the river unobserved by the enemy force. For this Hyder moved his force to some more distance, and they swam across the river. The Nair force was oblivious of this strategy and spent their time looking across the river in anticipation of a direct attack. Once they landed on the other shore Hyder’s army attacked the Nair force of Kadathanad from behind. Unable to fight back the unexpected and sudden attack, the Kadathanad force was completely massacred.
Hyder Ali became furious over the opposition met by him in his first attack on Malabar. He gave very cruel orders to his army to butcher anyone who came across their way. The Muslims of Kannur also joined them in this. The policy of total annihilation of Hindus was easy for Hyder’s forces to implement with this help. The areas through which their army marched soon became devoid of any human life. Dead bodies drenched in blood remained scattered everywhere for kilometers together. The rising smoke from torched houses filled the skies. Every single temple on the way was pillaged and set to fire. Those who said that Islam was a religion advocating peace were proved wrong by these people with their swords.
William Logan records that they did not spare even women and children. This group of marauding army with a devilish and monstrous mind by indiscriminate looting, torching and beheading of innocent people were moving further to conquer Kozhikode too. Hyder Ali entered Kurumbra Nadu with this aim. At that time Zamorin was at Trikkovil Kovilakam at Ponnani. He wished to avoid a great catastrophe by meeting Hyder and persuading him to stop his terrible onslaught on Kozhikode. With this aim he reached Kurumbra Nadu. He offered to surrender his entire possessions in exchange for avoiding an attack on Kozhikode. But Hyder was not pacified by this offer. He demanded ten million gold “Varhans” (Pagodas- equivalent to 2.55 grams). Zamorin had no means to pay so much gold coins. Immediately Hyder Ali detained the Zamorin and put him in prison. He was brought to Kozhikode under escort of 500 horsemen and 2000 foot soldiers and kept a prisoner in a room of his own Palace. Unable to perform even the daily chores under cruel torture by Hyder, he had to commit suicide by setting fire to himself. When Hyder Ali reached Kurumbra Nadu, the Zamorin was presiding over the Mamankam festival at Thirunavaya. It was on the third day after the celebrations that Zamorin started his journey from his Trikkovil palace to meet Hyder. This has been recorded by Vella Nambudiri as under.
“Kalattu Gopala Pisharody has been ordered to be the headman at Ponnani. While staying at Vakayur with him and me three days after Mamankam, hearing that the Paradeshi’s (Foreigner-Hyder Ali) onslaught is there, after thinking about the situation seriously, the King said firmly that we will go and meet him before he enters our territory and if unable to stop him we will fight and die while Gopalan should go to the east and stay there.”
{Vakayur is a place on a hillock one kilometer west of Nava Mukunda temple at Thirunavaya. The place is called VakayurKunnu where the Thali Shiva temple was situated. This temple was destroyed during Hyder Ali’s attack. In 1835, those missionaries who came for conversion of locals to Christianity buried the remains of the old temple under the ground and constructed a tile factory above it. Though the Kerala Archeological department excavated the site during 13th and 14th of September 2003, and found out the remains of the temple and the idol of Siva with its seating, they themselves very confidentially buried these items again. During the 28 days celebration of Mamankam festival held once in every 12 years, the Zamorin used to stay at a temporary palace constructed at Vakayur. He used to oversee the administrative matters of the kingdom also while staying here. -Note by the author}
Vella Nambudiri is the person who had witnessed the ordeal suffered by the Zamorin and his desperate decision, hearing the news of Hyder Ali’s arrival at Kurubranad. The decision was to plead for a treaty and if it did not materialize to fight and perish till the end. It was only after allotting necessary grants for the day to day functioning of Panniyur temple that Zamorin proceeded to meet Hyder Ali. When the negotiations for a peace treaty failed Zamorin returned to Kozhikode. Vealla Nambudiri gives details about this incident as below.
“A Thelugu – Aithula Naikkan – named Nabha- is a very powerful man. He has conquered many places outside Kerala. Realizing that it is very difficult to defeat him or buy peace by offering riches as well as safely return from his presence it was decided to attempt suicide by immolating himself. Towards this he arranged everything without any ones knowledge in a residential quarter of Ayampadi Kovilakam (Ambadi Kovilakam) and immolates himself. Such self- immolation is impossible for anyone to attempt these days. What we can say of it is that it was nothing but a divine salvation. In the chaos that followed the remaining lords and ladies of the royalty got terribly scared and escaped to Veanattkara kingdom. Those from Thirumanassery fort went and settled in Edappalli.
Since, afterwards the territory was ravished and captured by the marauding army on horseback and cavalry all the Brahmins also escaped to Venattukara. The King of that place was not only very brave and strong but a strict follower of “Dharma” (Duty bound by highest standards of morality) also. He started giving all aids necessary for the day to day living of all these refugees belonging to Royal and Brahmin families.”
In this respect one thing that has to be noted is Vella Nambudiri has not mentioned anything about the arrest and imprisonment of Zamorin who reached Kurumbranadu, later brought to Kozhikode, and kept in jail without even allowing him to perform his daily routines.
After the demise of Zamorin, Hyder Ali appropriated Kozhikode and the connected territories and brought them under his complete control. From Kozhikode the Dutch Commissioners approached Hyder Ali and promised to cooperate with them. Another King who was scared by the attack of Hyder Ali was the King of Kochi who bought peace by presenting eight elephants and two lakh rupees to him in advance and accepting his superiority. Hyder Ali gave an undertaking to the Dutch Commissioners that he will not attack Kochi. Same time he was not prepared to enter into any treaty with the Travancore King. He demanded that the King of Travancore also presented him with twenty elephants and ten lakh rupees, like his counterpart in Kochi. Since the king of Travancore was already a vassal of the Nawab of Hyderabad he was not prepared to do like the King of Kochi and to accept the superiority of Hyder Ali.
Hyder appointed one of his revenue officials, named Madanna as the Governor of Kozhikode for looking after the administration of areas conquered by him. He also kept ready a contingent of 3000 Mysore soldiers in Kozhikode always ready to march in any direction in case of need. This contingent was supported by the Moplah army of Kannur Ali Raja also.
Earlier Hyder Ali had retained a force of about 3000 soldiers at Madikeri under the control of Raza Sahib before plundering and conquering regions including Kozhikode. While returning to Coimbatore he took along with him three ministers of Zamorin in bondage. On the way he reached Trikkavu. To know the designs of Hyder, Vella Nambudiri came to Trikkavu and met him. Let me quote from the relevant records of what transpired between Nambudiri with Hyder.
“Our people had almost all escaped to Edappally and Trichur. After that the Nawab (Hyder Ali) had come to Ponnani -Trikkavil palace compound. Has he not a number of warriors, captains and horses under his control? Such a big force he has.
Since there was no one who could negotiate with him and, the three ministers whom he has imprisoned and dragged along with his troop cannot achieve anything, and he had met various people everywhere in the kingdom and made them to reduce in writing about amounts of ransom to be agreed to be paid for releasing the ministers and entrusted the Coimbatore King Manadandan in charge of the conquered area. As per the orders of Nawab no harm was done to people of this area. On the arrival of the Nawab at Trikkavu, I engaged an intermediary and went and saw him. This is how it was:
He was standing facing the east with one foot resting on a stone, built a little raised from the edge of a well towards east. He wore a head dress, shirt and trousers made of special cloth and had a stone studded ring on the baby finger. As he stood like this I went nearby and saluted him. He returned the salute. Then he talked a lot about general things. In the temple compound, from east to south entire area has been laid with good clothes. At the southern edge near the Koothambalam (dance house) there is a building. A special cloth is spread on the floor and a special square cushion pillow has been kept slanting. As he proceeded towards it wearing his sandals, I followed him and he sat facing north relaxing on the slanted cushion. Then he beckoned me to come near and sit. I also sat.
When he asked where my “Mana’ (Brahmin house) was, and I said that it is near Thirunavaya, he asked whether it is near the river and on the south side or north side. I replied that it was on the south side of the river. Then he asked where is the gold pot used by the King of Thirunavaya and whether there is gold under the base of the sanctum of temple. I said that where you kept your feet is sort of a correctly measured subsidiary foundation and it is like that at some places and there is no gold beneath it. Golden pots were all taken away by some people.
Then he talked about the general news of the area. Since he had come to fight on the east some time back and returned on the offer of paying twelve lakh rupees, It was not given and due to financial tightness it was allowed to be paid a reduced amount of Rs 3 lakhs and even that was not given. {Historians had recorded that the Zamorin had agreed to pay Rs.12 lakhs in installments towards war expenses incurred by Hyder. It is from the account of Vellayil Nambudiri that we come to know of the reduced amount of Rs 3 lakhs agreed to by Hyder Ali.}
“Then Attayil Chathu Menon was sent to Pattanam (Sreerangapattinam) asking to hand over Palakkad also for Rs 6 lakhs which was agreed but then that was also not given. Then, now it was promised to pay 26 lakhs if he (Zamorin?) was taken to Kozhikode, and even that was not paid.
He asked me to pay the amount without leaving the country, and I replied according the present state of affairs. This was also heard by Thencheri (the friend of Nambudiri who accompanied him). When Thencheri told him that we are the close servants of the expired King, he asked what we did and Thencheri said that we were handling his civil cases. Then he commented that we are very intelligent people and have only to remain at the house but should also try to take out the cash. He also asked us to arrange for necessary puja worships at temples.
There is a person to translate what is said in between us. This is the fact.
Having sat there all through the day, this was the matter talked about. Then someone brought one cloth and two bundles betel leaves and two betel nuts. A Brahmin was called and asked to hand over the cloth to me and after I received it, he said that now what remains for me is to return to my house and we both should go together and for help two people were sent with us and with them we reached Thirunavaya. After completing the evening ablutions and prayer at the river, we came to our house. Those who accompanied us saluted and left. This is the fact. Those of my family had gone to Edappalli. I am to stay back to know further facts.”
(The language used being an ancient style of Malayalam writing, cannot be literally translated. Only the approximate meanings can be brought out.)
The brutal rage with which Hyder Ali came to Kozhikode had almost subsided by the time he reached Ponnani. The reason for this change is not clear. Hyder had mentioned that the Zamorin owed him in all Rs. 26 lakhs and his intention was only to collect the amount. It is worth noting that he had received both Vella Nambudiri and Thenchei, with due respects, knowing fully well that they were Zamorin’s close aides. He presented them with clothes, beetle leaves, and nuts while sending back along with an armed escort by two people. The fact – he also had an eye on gold kept inside the temple has also come out during the interview.
While Hyder Ali was seriously engaged in establishing his supremacy over Malabar, the British East India Company made an attempt to wrest back the area Randathara, – ( an area earlier under control of English factors) was made on April 17th of 1766. The naval boats and armaments sent for this purpose were attacked and captured by the Muslim Seamen of Kannur Raja at Valapattinam and their European sergeant was imprisoned. The English people rightly guessed from this that Kannur Ali Raja was helping Hyder Ali. Ali Raja on realizing this returned the captured boats and armaments.
Hyder Ali reached Coimbatore on 24th June 1766. During this march his army suffered huge losses due to some natural calamities. Several horses and cavalry perished. Having known that Hyder had gone to Coimbatore the Nair army of Kottayam and Kadathanad braced themselves again for a fight. The aim of Nair force was to capture back areas which were surrendered to the marauding army of Hyder who massacred a number of innocent Hindus. They established defense posts up to Vettatthu Nadu in South Malabar. In case of a conflict their decision was to annihilate all Moplahs and secure freedom. These soldiers freed Kadathanadu and Kottayam from outsiders. Though Ali Raja marched with a support of 200 soldiers they could not go beyond Quilandy due to the stiff opposition from Nairs. Ambu Thampuran, who saw the success of Nair soldiers, recaptured two forts and Nairs from Kottayam also recaptured the Nittur Fort. The Nairs put up strong defense to retain all areas up to Vettatthunadu, north of Bharatha river. They remained prepared with forts and moats and fortification walls equipped with crenels through which cannons could be fired. In the meanwhile they assassinated five French men who were going to join Hyder’s army. Logan writes that two women were also killed.
There were fierce battles between Muslims and Nairs in South Malabar. The fact that heavy casualties were caused to Muslims in this conflict was not known to Hyder Ali’s force at Madakkara The tactics of Nairs were to skillfully hide such information from them. It was only when a Portuguese sailor went from Ponnani and after suffering great hardships reached Madakkara and informed the Captain of Mysore army, Razza Sahib about the conflicts in South Malabar where Muslim and Nair soldiers were fighting with each other and that the areas conquered by Hyder Ali have been lost, they marched towards the new war front. Because of a very heavy monsoon, all rivers, rivulets and streams were in spate. Raza Sahib’s army could not go forward and were isolated. If they returned they will become easy prey for the Nair army. With the monsoon in full swing they could not fight back also. This information that they were isolated like this was conveyed to Hyder Ali at Coimbatore. An angry Hyder Ali immediately marched into Kerala. He gave strict instructions to his people not spare anyone alive and destroy everything.
A description about Hyder Ali’s force is as follows.
“Sepoys and Topazses were included in the force. – 3000 horsemen and 10000 foot soldiers- the horsemen moved without even saddle pads. The cavalry marched with only loin clothes and without shoes. To prevent the back sacks from getting wet everyone was given a wax coated piece of cloth. Only for 300 European soldiers and those who came from Colombo, use of umbrellas were allowed. Hyder had realized that for fighting in heavy rains, extra ordinary routines and procedures were essential and that was why this change was introduced. Those Europeans and others who retained their own routines were exposed to severe diarrhea. The cannons needed for the assault were carried by elephants. ((Malabar Manual- William Logan page 274.)
Wherever Hyder Ali’s men marched, Hindus were massacred in cold blood. Everywhere, dead bodies deformed by sword cuts and bullet injuries were laying in pools of blood. All the temples and houses on the way were pillaged and set ablaze. To escape from swords of the Mysore army which engulfed the area like flood waters, many resorted to hiding themselves in deep forests. When Hyder’s force reached near Bharatha river, they inflicted heavy damages to life and properties in Vettatthu Nadu by plundering homes and temples and setting fire to everything belonging to Hindus indiscriminately. Big temples which were pillaged and damaged partly or wholly were Nava Mukunda temple of Thirunavaya, Temple of Brahma and Siva at Thavanur, Kodakkal Tali temple, Mahadeva temple at Thruprangod, Mahadeva temple at Trikkandiyur, Vamana temple at Kalad, Lakshmi Narasimha temple of Edamana. Further several small temples were also destroyed.
Hyder Ali and his army demolished the eastern gopuram of Trikkandiyur Mahadeva temple and entered the inside premises and smashed the wooden structure holding a lakh of lamps and the Gopurams (entrance tower) and Mukhamandapam (sacred pillared pavilion in front of the sanctum). The head of the idol of sacred bull (Rishabha) was severed. They tried to enter the sanctum sanctorum and pluck out and throw away the idol but could not succeed. Hence it was badly disfigured. The remnants of the attack of Hyder are still visible in the temple. Even now the idol of the deity worshipped at Thrikkandiyur temple is the same which bears the cut mark inflicted by Hyder.
At Edamana Lakshmi Narasimha temple the idol was cut in the middle and the same duly rejoined was used for worship till 2013. After Hyder Ali’s attack, the nuisance from Muslims increased and the entire members of Edamana family took refuge at Trikkandiyur near Vanneri Mana. There they established a new “illam” and constructed a temple and consecrated the damaged idol therein. That was also the family temple of great mathematician Kelallur Neelakanda Somayajippad who lived 300 years before Isaac Newton. Presently this is known as Chenthala Vishnu temple. The new idol in place of the disfigured one of Lakshmi Narasimha Murthy was consecrated in the temple just three years before this book was originally written, under the leadership of a temple renovation committee led by Sri.Sankara Narayanan and Sri. Ramakrishnan.
Vella Nambudiri who was a direct witness of the atrocities committed by Hyder Ali and his army, records some of the incidents as under.
“After Nawab went to Coimbatore and remained there, thinking that this land can be recaptured by a war, one king of Puthiya Kovilakam collected some fighters and started fighting. They could claim back some areas. Then “Madannan”was at Thirunavaya. There also the war commenced. Then they remained within temples and royal residences. They also fought. Chonakara also fought with all vigor. Then, there, Kalat Gopala Pisharody was appointed head man at Ponnani. He is also there. Hearing this news at Coimbatore, Nawab and his army came fast. At the same time Bouddha (Muslims) also came to the southern bank and fought. All the lords and a big group of people are there. When the fight began there, they all ran away from there. The Nawab and his army came to Vellanattukara, and seized girls and Brahmins as slaves, torched houses, executed many by the noose or sword. Then the Nawab and his people came to the northern bank. With Muslims on the southern bank, they torched all the houses, temples, and the schools where Vedas were being taught to children. Many people of Vettatthunadu were forcibly converted to Islam. Then they went in different directions. Such a confrontation has not happened before. What more danger is there to come? Particularly Thirunavaya temples and entry towers were all torched. This is the facts.”
(This record in vintage Malayalam cannot be literally translated. What is provided is an approximate meaning of the text.)
Vella Nambudiri describes in detail about the plunder and demolishing of Thirunavaya Navamukunda temple. The Muslims extracted the idol of Devi and sold off the same to someone at Kochi. Vella Nambudiri went to Kochi and bought back the same so that it could be re consecrated later at the temple. We can get a clear picture of the atrocities committed by Hyder Ali and his troop on Hindus and their houses and temples. Hyder Ali and his successor Tipu Sulatn constructed a road on the western area of Vettatthunadu to facilitate transportation of armaments and cannons. This is even now known as Tipu Sultan road. When the Sultan of Mysore and his army resorted to plunder and massacre, the fisherman folk of the coastal area had either to embrace Islam or jump into the sea and perish. The fisher folk who had not known anything other than the sea and their hutments, due to the threat to their lives at sword point, had to convert to Islam. All the ancestors of the present Muslim fishermen inhibiting the shores of the western sea were Mukkuvas (Hindu cast).
During the onslaught of Mysore army Hindus lost several temples like Sreekrishna temple at Paravanna, Siva temple of Nechikkat, Mahadeva temple of Thanniyur etc. In all the temples the idols were dug out. These were later converted to mosques. There are pseudo intellectuals now who claim that these conversions were not forced but through persuasion only and the mosques were constructed according to Hindu architecture which alone was known to the craftsmen there. Their purpose is to establish that Hindu temples were not converted to mosques. It was not only the Fishermen folk but Many Nambudiris and people belonging to the tapper community were also forcibly converted to Islam. Many of the affluent Muslim houses were earlier joint family mansions of Hindu Nambudiris and Nairs. Mandayappurath Krishnan Menon and his brother Govinda Menon were converted to Islam by Hyder and his men. Hyder gave them the right to collect taxes and the title of Mooppan. Their successors belonging to Muslim community are even now there known as Mandayappurath Mooppans. Some Nambudiris belonging to Kazhinjikkara mana in Thupramkode were also forcibly converted to Islam. Those who were converted like this still continues as Muslims under the house name of Kainikkara. Kazhinjikkara was later on corrupted to Kainikkara due to passage of time.
Tipu Sultan road extends up to the northern bank of Bharathapuzha. Many families on the southern bank of the river also converted to Islam fearing that the Sultan and his army will reach there also. If we cross the river from Purathur Pallikadavu, the families you will meet are descendants of the hapless people who got converted like this.
It was in Vettatthunadu that stiff resistance to Hyder’s army took place. We had already seen that the Nair soldiers fought with such vigor and gallantry that the motto was to fight till victory or perish in the attempt.
Hyder fought with the Nairs of Vettatthunadu by dividing his force into three divisions. A division of his army numbering around 6000 under the command of Portuguese Lieutenant was instructed to fight from the right wing. Another division of Toppasses under the command of a British Officer was deputed attack from the right wing. Hyder himself led the force from the middle. A reserve force of Europeans was also kept ready to be utilized in case of emergency.
The right wing commenced the attack. The patriotic soldiers of Vettathunadu fought back with all their might solely keeping the security of the land in mind. Hyder’s soldiers fell one by one before the roaring guns of the Nairs. Hyder’s army began to get reduced in strength. The war which caused great anguish for Hyder Ali was the one fought at Vettatthu Puthiyangadi. The reserve force of Europeans under command of a French officer met Hyder Ali and sought permission to slaughter the Nairs en masse. An earlier incident in which five French men were killed at the place was the reason behind the French commander’s wrath and he wanted to take revenge for that. Once he got the permission from Hyder Ali the French troops wielding swords and spears crossed the moats and destroyed the embankments and pounced on the Nair force. Their onslaught helped to please Hyder Ali. Many Nair soldiers were falling dead before the attack by swords and spears. The French army retreated only after completely destroying their enemies and torching the town. In this war, several Hindus were killed and temples destroyed. Many families escaped to the forests to hide themselves from the marauders. Though Hyder Ali was the winner of the war fought at Vettatthu Puthiyangadi, it was the interference by the French troop which made it possible. Had it not been for this French Commander, Hyder would have had to surrender before Nairs of Vettatthunadu or get killed there. Hyder Ali honored the French commander with the title” French Commander Bahadur” He was also appointed as the General of Mysore’s cavalry force numbering about 10000as well as the general in chief of his Cannon force. Hyder Ali presented everyone who fought for him a gift of Rs. 30 each.
Vettatthu Nadu became totally empty of any life due to Hyder’s attack. Scattered bodies of slain men alone were visible everywhere. Where temples and houses once stood, smoke emanating from heaps of charred remains only could be seen. More than Hyder Ali’s army people were afraid of the European force led by the French Commandant. To take advantage of this fear Hyder Ali spread a rumor which created panic among all the Hindus. “Thousands of cruel European soldiers who consume human flesh are coming and Hyder has decided to detail them all over Kerala.” was the rumor. Hindus could not even think of such an eventuality. They had already seen enough of torching of houses, cold blooded murders, demolition of temples and killing of their domestic animals. If more Europeans come to repeat these atrocities everyone will be annihilated from the land where they were born. After spreading this rumor Hyder declared a general amnesty and asked that all Hindus hiding in forests and hills to come back. No Hindu believed Hyder’s words. Then he tried another trick. He used the Brahmins who showed allegiance to him to search and persuade these hiding Hindus to come out. Terrified Hindus did not accede to the request of Brahmins also. Probably guilt feelings about the atrocities committed by him might have had started tormenting his mind. Such a second thought about grave sinning might be the reason for Hyder Ali’s efforts in this direction. The war fought at Vettathu Puthiynagadi and butcheries carried out at Vettathunadu were that much brutal.
Hyder Ali started thinking about other ways to bring back the Hindus. Meanwhile his army was massively infected with vomiting and dysentery. People believed that this was the punishment inflicted by god for the atrocities committed on innocent people. Those who escaped to the forest did not come back in spite of his best efforts. Ali Raja of Kannur advised Hyder Ali that he should stay away from Malabar for some time to persuade these people to come back. Accordingly he decided to go back to Coimbatore.
Before going he sowed the seeds for a potential revolt among Hindus. He declared a proclamation against Nairs. Whatever rights and facilities were being enjoyed by Nairs in society was removed by this proclamation. The Nairs will be hereafter treated as the lowest cast. Those casts who used to respect and subserve Nairs should not do so. The Nairs will have to show respect and subservience to erstwhile lower casts. Hereafter Nairs will have no right to carry swords. Other casts are given the right to carry swords. If someone finds a Nair carrying a sword, he can be immediately killed. All these proclamations were intended to create a ruckus among various casts and he believed that since the cast system was then deep rooted, the Hindus will perish on their own in this quarrel. But Hyder Ali’s tactics did not work out. Nairs gave little value to such orders.
Hyder Ali’s next move was to win over the Nairs. He offered to restore all the benefits enjoyed by Nairs if they converted to Islam. This also did not meet with complete success. Some Nair families embraced Islam. The remaining ones migrated to southern districts and Travancore. Many descendants of such families are still living in parts of Kochi and Travancore. The author knows of such a family named Vettiyattil in Trichur. Their roots are in Vettatthunadu. A write up about their past had appeared in Janmabhoomi daily. Members of the Vettiyattil Family at Karuvannur read about this and after several generations they merged together. This attracted a lot of public attention too at that time. Vettiyattil family members who were separated and migrated elsewhere during the siege of Hyder Ali joined together once again and even celebrated a family get together.
The Hindus did not fall for the tricks and intimidations of Hyder Ali. The Mysore Army after conquering Vettathhunadu, marched towards Manjeri. There they constructed prisons and created a terrible atmosphere all over Malabar. Those Hindus who fell into the hands Hyder’s army were brought to Manjeri and mercilessly slain or hanged. Later they were put in prison without food and destined to die of starvation. Out of 15000 people imprisoned in Manjeri jails only 200 remained alive.
Hyder Ali believed that the cruelties inflicted by the army were good enough to maintain his power in areas conquered by him. He also believed that it was better to be in good terms with the English. On the basis of this, an order was issued that the pepper produced in Malabar should only be sold to the British traders
Hyder Ali with an intention to attack Travancore sent an army of 4000 sepoys from his camp at Avara, Adivaram, and Wayanad was sent towards south. By the time they reached Kottayam about 2000 Nair soldiers fought with them and inflicted great losses on his army. With this, armed conflicts against Mysore occupation became once again alive. News that Hyder Ali conquered Mangalapuram port reached the English Factors at Tellichery. The British too decided to take revenge on Hyder Ali. Knowing fully well that the main strength of Hyder in Malabar was Ali Raja and his troops, as a first step towards conquering Kannur the English troops attacked Hyder’s Avara Fort. This resulted in treating the British as enemy of Mysore. Several incidents following this happened in Malabar and Travancore. Hyder’s Son Tippu fought actively in these wars.
During the months preceding December 1782, severe battles were fought between English forces and Tipu nearby Ponnani. 200 soldiers of Tippu perished while another one thousand were seriously wounded. On the English side 41 Europeans and 47 natives lost their lives. Out of them 8 were officers. Tippu stayed back at Ponnani to continue to put up a severe fight against British. Hyder Ali was at Srirangapattinam at this time. Afflicted with cancer he was facing death. He summoned his commanders and other officials and instructed them to serve his son the same way they had served him. He surrendered finally to death on 7the of December 1782. Without being aware of the death of his father Tippu was engaged in organizing assault on British. He marched towards the east on December 12th. He was informed about the death of his father only on 2nd January 1783 from Tirur. Immediately he went to Srirangapattinam. After taking over the reign of Mysore subsequent to the death of his father, Tipu decided to enlarge the area under control. His aim was to bring the entire Kerala under the rule of Mysore.
Those who want to paint Tippu as a benevolent autocrat with great tolerance for other religions, point out about his having constructed a temple at Sirangapattinam. They reiterate that he was not against Hindus. It is also seen that he had great faith in astrology. In spite of all this, the genocide both Tipu and Hyder Ali committed on Hindus of Kerala cannot be forgotten so easily even after many centuries.
On February 11, 1789, Tippu entered the mainland after crossing the Thamarassery mountain pass. He had given strict instructions to his soldiers not to spare the life of even one Hindu especially Nairs. Consequently there was a refugee influx of Hindus from North Malabar. The Kottayam King and his family members along with close aides escaped to Travancore. Tipu’s assault force consisted of 46 companies with 19000 soldiers and a cavalry of 400 horsemen camping at Kuttippuram in Kadathanad. About 2000 Nairs scared by the arrival of Tippu’s force took refuge in the old fort of Kadathanattu Raja in Kuttippuram. Tippu’s army surrounded this fort and threatened that unless all the Hindus inside the fort embraced Islam everyone will be shot and killed. All of them were forced to be converted to Islam by this horrifying threat. All men were forced to undergo circumcision. Then all of them irrespective of their gender they were forced to eat cow meat.
The conversion at Kuttippuram was a great achievement for Tippu. He decided to pursue forced religious conversion in all areas till Travancore. People felt the urgent need for help from the English to resist the atrocities committed by Tippu. The sought such help from the company. For the English also Tipu was an irritant in the eye for pursuing their business interest.
Instead of detailing the cruelties inflicted upon Hindus by Tippu, it will be easier to examine the contents of letters Tippu sent to his Generals during the period which will expose the cruel mind of Tippu. Sardar K.M. Panicker, the renowned historian and political analyst has translated Tippu’s letters into Malyalam which were published in Bhasha Poshini magazine of 1099 Chingam 1st (Malayalam era)
Letter No: 1.
To the Commander of Army at Kozhikode, sent on 14th December 1788.
–Have sent Mir Hussain Ali with two assistants. By the grace of God he will reach there without more delay. With his help you should imprison all non-believers and kill them. All men below 20 years of age should be kept in prison. The rest of them should be hanged on trees.
Letter No: 2.
Letter to Commander Mir Hyder of Kodanger, dated 14th December, 1788.
I have the secret information that the Kings of Kodanger and Kadathanad have allied with Bajirayir. Either by deceit or design when you get them in hand, they should be immediately imprisoned and dispatched to hell as expenses. If these dogs come to hands, the above action should be carried out. This is my command.
Letter No: 3
To Sheikh Kuttub dated 1st December 1788.
I am happy finding the report you have sent. Whoever has come in your hands, all above age of twenty should be hung on trees. If they hide in nooks and corners and forests, to find them out, instruct Dilkhan to split his force in to three.
Letter No: 4
-Sending 242 Nair prisoners.
A table showing their kind and construction is also being sent. After converting them to Islam, give each of them 6 yards of cloth and a turban for each man and an 8 yard cloth and blouse each to the women. Further they have to be kept with special care. If any deficiency happens to my order or even one among the prisoners escape you will become subject to my great disfavor.
Letter No: 5
To Abdulkhadar of Kodangeri. On 22nd March 1789.
-Converted more than 12000 nonbelievers into Islam. There are some Nambudiripads also among them. This should be brought home to the nonbelievers there. They should be fetched by sending men and converted to Islam. Nambudiris and such people should not be spared. Make them wait telling that the special dress for them is on the way.
Letter No: 6
To Siyad Abdulla, Dated 18th January 1790.
With the grace of God and help from Muhammad, we have almost entirely converted the non-believers. A few are remaining in areas near to Kochi. I have decided to make them too Mohammadans. I have considered this as a religious war.
What we can see here is a Tipp Sultan who converted Hindus into Muslims at sword point.
After marauding the whole of Kerala, Tippu on 24th July 1790, moved his army towards Coimbatore. This was in a context where General Meadows, Commander of British army and Governor of Madras had initiated steps for a counter attack against Mysore in Thiruchirappalli. On the second day of shifting his army to Coimbatore, General Meadows commenced action. A highly powerful English army followed Tipu. But soon Meadows got orders to return. This was because of the futility of pursuing Tippu who ran his siege and genocide along the other side of Western Ghats.
Meanwhile the army under command of Cornwallis conquered Bangalore on 21st March 1790. The destination of the English force was Srirangapattinam itself. The English also had a desire to put an end to the war with Tipu forthwith. During the onslaught the English conquered Arikkara which was a strategic center of Tippu. Though they tried to conquer Srirangapattinam fort, due to delay in receipt of necessary ammunition in time Lord Cornwallis had to stop his military action. By this time a force under command of General Abercrombie reached Mysore and combined with the force of Cornwallis, but they could not lay siege on Srirangapattinam Fort.
An army under the command of Abercrombie marched again towards Mysore on 1791 November. Another English force consisting of 8400 soldiers marched via Palakkad with heavy artillery along with a force numbering 16721 led by Nizam which moved towards Mysore on 25th June 1792. On 10th February both these combined forces captured Srirangapattinam Fort.
Tippu’s chance to fight for the last time with English was provided by himself. A French Frigate carrying civil and military officers anchored at Mangalapuram on 26th of April 1798 to help Tipu fight his wars. Cautioned by this, the English prepared for the ultimate war with Tipu. General Stuart marched from Kannur with a force of 6420 on 11th February 1799. This force was attacked by Tipu’s men while on Wayanad mountain pass. Simultaneously he opened war with the force led by General Harris also. Both the English forces marched to Srirangapattinam and laid siege to the fort. During the fight, Tippu was overpowered and he surrendered before the English. He was shot dead by the British.
After the era of Tippu, Malabar was completely under control of the British. Some kings wholeheartedly and a few others after much persuasion accepted the English supremacy. Those who had undergone the tortures and atrocities of Mysore Sultans did not think it in any way inferior to accept such supremacy.
