PONNANI DURING MYSOREAN

INTERLUDE

Ammad Kunnath “The rise and growth of Ponnani from 1498 A.D. To
1792 A.D.” Thesis. Department of History , University of Calicut
 CHAPTER 5

PONNANI DURING MYSOREAN INTERLUDE

In the history of south India the latter half of

the 18th century was a critical period. The two large

kingdoms in this part of the country, the carnatic and

Mysore were both in the throes of political confusion

and economic decay. This confusing political situation

in the south provided the opportunity for any ambitious

chieftain to fight for the crown. The position of

Mohammed Ali, the Nawab of the carnatic was not

secure. The carnatic wars fought between the English

and the French with the veiled objective of getting

control over the destiny of south India put the Nawab

in to perpetual dependence up on the English. Mysore

was also in a miserable condition. Mysore was one of

those principalities which had been founded on the

break up of the vi~ayanagarempire, It was founded by

Raja Odayar (1578- 16 17) who claimed yadava descent.

He was a puppet in the hands of his ministers. Hyder

a soldier of fortune distinguished himself in the several

campaigns which Mysore fought. l Haider's military skill

as well as his financial acumen swept him in to supreme

power in Mysore in 1761. 2

Immediately after his accession to the throne of

Mysore Hyder Ali embarked on his expansionist are er.^

His conquest of the Bednore Kingdom in 1763 brought

him to the very borders of Kerala. It was the absence

of a central authority in Kerala that enabled the rulers

of Mysore to interfere in Kerala politics resulting in a

deep impact on Kerala polity and society. Kerala of

t h i s time consisted of four important territorial

divisions, Kozhikode, Kolathunadu, Cochi, a n d

Travancore and there had been wide spread dissen-

sions among the rulers which brought about Mysorean

1. Lewin B. Bownng, Haider Ali and Timu Sulthan, Oxford (1 899),

P.41.
2. Ibrahim Kunju. A.P. Mappila Muslims o f Kerala Tn'vandrurn
( 1 989). P.74
3. Sheik Ali. B, British Relation with Haider AliJ Bangalore, 1967,
P.31.
invasions. Rivalry among the local chiefs and support

of some petty muslim r u l e r s also proved to be

favourable. It was quite natural that the wealth of

Malabar and Malabar's proximity to the sea attracted

the attention of Hyder Ali to attack Malabar.

In 1766 Hyder Ali invaded Malabar with 12000

men. This was a t t h e r e q u e s t of t h e Aliraja of

Cannanore and the prince regent of Kolathunadu.

Hyder marched his army in to north Kerala a n d

conquered the Kingdoms of Kolathu Nadu, Kottayam,

Kadathanad and Kurumbranad one after the other and

reached the gates of Calicut the capital of the Zamorin.

The Zamorin sent all members of his family to Ponnani

and committed suicide after blowing u p his p a l a ~ e . ~

Hyder now became master of the Zamorin's dominion,

but he preferred to retire to Coimbatore with the

onset of the monsoon. Hyder Ali appointed his Brahmin

4 , Panikkar. K.M.A Historq o f Kerala (1498-1801) Coinbatore

( 1 960) P. 64
officer Madanna as the governor of the newly acquired

territories and garrisoned Calicut. He assumed the

monopoly of exports from Malabar, setting u p his Chief

factory a t Badagara. The rates of tribute to be received

from the defeated Rajas were also fixed. The Ali Raja

of Cannanore5 who had become the ally of the Mysore

5. Cannanore city was under the control of Muslim family known

as Arakkal. This only Muslim royal family of Kerala followed
the 'Marumakkathayam' system of inheritance. The senior
most member of the family, whether male or female, is its head.
The male Chief is called the Ali Raja and the female chief
the Arakkal Beebi. This dynasty is known as Arakkal
swarupam of the Ali Rajas. It is believed that the first ruler of
this dynasty was Mohamed Ali and that the dynasty was
named after him. Another version about the origin of this
designation is that this only Muslim ruler of Kerala might have
accepted the title 'Ali' after the name of one of the four 'Pious
Caliphs'. AS they enjoyed suzerainty over the high seas and
remained masters of the Laccadives and Maldives islands of
the Arabiansea-they were called the 'Azhi' (sea) rajas or the
'Lords of the sea', from which the designation the 'Ali Raja'
might have been derived. The Ali Rajas of Cannanore en~oyed
fill support of the Muslims of Malabar. A number of naval
battles were fought by them against the Portuguese and they
played an important role in expelling the Portuguese from the
coast of Kerala.
ruler replaced the Kolathiri Raja a s the Chief power of

north Kerala.6 Hyder's departure was the signal for a

mass rebellion in the occupied areas. The Nairs of

Kottayam and Kadathanad were in the fore front of the

rebellion.

Hyder Ali r e i n v a d e d M a l a b a r a n d took

stern measures to suppress the rebellion. He defeated

t h e Nayars7 a t Puthiyangadi a n d made Manjeri his

6. Roland E. Miller - Mappila Muslims o f Kerala, Madras (1 992)

P. 8 7.
7. Namboodiri N.M, Vellayude Charithram (Mal), ~ u ' k a ~ u r a m
(1 999)' P.23.
The term 'Nair' was originally a designation meaning literally
'commandant', a term that is supposed to have derived from
the word 'Nayakar' meaning 'leaders'. At one time there was
the domination of the Nair in the society of Malabar. There are
I 16 sub divisions in the Nair caste. Megasthenes in his 'Indica'
refers to a caste called 'Nare'. K.P. Padmanabha Menon opines
that Nares were Nairs and so they were the original inhabitants
living in south India even before the fourth century B.C. Francis
Buchanan argues that the Nairs were descendants of the
'Nevars' of Nepal who might have migrated to south India and
settled there. He enumerates 12 sub divisions of Nair castes
and attributes distinct function enjoined on each. At present
the Nair caste constitutes 15%of the total population of Kerala.
headquarters. But he could not remain here for long

and returned to Mysore in order to engage himself in

military operations against the Mahrattas.

The difficulties of Hyder Ali emboldened the

Kerala chiefs to rise again in rebellion. Kottayam was

in the Vanguard of rebellion in the north and a

Mysorean force of 4000 troops was beaten back. In

Calicut where the Mysorean garrison was closely

besieged by the rebels, the situation was saved for

Hyder by the diplomacy of Madanna. Hyders army

which was on the verge of defeat withdraw after

receiving of monetary compensation from the Nair

chiefs. The Zamorin also agreed to pay an annual

tribute to Haider. Negotiations were opened with the

chiefs in North Kerala also and Hyder agreed to

withdraw his troops on the following terms 1) A war

indemnity was to be paid to him 2) The Ali Raja was

not to be disturbed 3) Palghat with its fort was to remain

in his possession. The Mysore troops were withdrawn

from Kerala in 17688. The Zamorin and the Kadathanad

and Kottayam Rajas returned to their possessions. For

more than six years nothing more was heard of Hyder.

The Malabar Rajas werehappy at the thought that they

had seen the last of him. Instead of strengthening their

defensive preparations to present a united front against

Hyder they again started quarrelling among themselves

and Malabar was once again in the grip of division and

disunion. The Zamorin began to quarrel with the

Cochin Rajag over a minor issue ie the appointment of

a priest to the Triprayar Temple by the Cochin Raja.

8. Sreedhara Menon A. A survev o f Kerala History, Kottayam

( 1 967) P.290.

9. The State of Cochin was originally known as Perumpadappu

and the ruling family was known as Perumpadappu swarupam.
The Rajas of Cochin claims their descent from Ceraman
Perumal. They were Kshatria rulers. The relation of the Raja
of Cochin with the other rulers of Kerala was conditioned by
the fear that he night lose his Kingdom by the aggression of
others. He had recognised the Zamonn of Kozhikkode as the
Suzerain in the 15th century but took the earliest opportunity
to throw away the paramountancy of the zamorin and allied
himself with the Portuguese and later with the Dutch.
More over the chieftains of Malabar withheld the annual

tribute to Hyder taking advantage of haider's wars with

the English and the Marathas.

By November 1773, Hyder had conquered Coorg

which gave him an easy access to Malabar through

Coorg and Wayanad. This was exactly what he did

when he embarked on his second invasion of Malabar

in December 1773. Hyder despatched a force under

Sayyid Sahib by way of the Thamarasseri pass and

another under Srinivas Rao by way of Coimbatore and

Palghat. The Kerala chieftains failed to offer any worth

while resistance and Mysorean authority was restored

all over north Kerala. During this great military

expedition Hyder Ali stayed at Ponnani. At this time,

the fort of Palakkad was reconstructed with the help of

French engineers. Hyder Ali and Tipu Sulthan

introduced new war weapons a n d relied on

French technology for war.1° Hyder now decided on

18. Mohammed Moyinudheen "Sun set at Serinqapatam after the

death o f Tipu Sulthan". Orient Longman ( 1 997) P.36.
the conquest of Cochin. An army was despatched under

Sirdar Khan which succeeded in capturing all the

territories u p to Trichur. The Cochin ruler sent

e m i s s s a r i e s to Seringapatam a n d secured t h e

withdrawal of the Mysore troops by agreeing to pay

tribute to Mysore. Hyder next planned an invasion of

Travancore and sought the permission of the Dutch

for his troops to march through the territories under

their control. The Dutch refused to oblige where upon

Hyders military chief Sirdar Khan captured the Dutch

f o r t s of Chettuvai a n d Pappnivattam a n d t h e

principality of the Kodungallur Raja. Sirdar Khan could

not continue his campaigns further south a s he had

been blocked by the Travancore lines or 'Nedumkotta'

built on the initiative of Raja Kesava Das.

When war broke o u t in Europe between

the English and the French (1778)it found its echoes

in Kerala. At one stage Hyder Ali had attempted to ally

himself with the English, but he had failed as the

latter regarded him a s a rival of their own interests.

Hyder offered help to the French a t Mahe and this

resulted in retaliatory measures on the part of the

English. English forces penetrated Malabar in 1779,

capturing Mahe and cutting off the French aid on which

Hyder Ali h a d depended." B u t t h e English a t

Tellicherry were in great trouble as Hyder Ali beseiged

Tellicherry in July 1780. The English had to evacuate

Mahe and concentrate on the defence of Tellicherry.

The struggle continued for one and a half years. At

last the English succeeded in saving Tellicherry and

recapturing Mahe. The military set backs of Hyder Ali

in the war encouraged many Malabar chieftains to rebel

against him. The Rajas and chiefs of southern malabar

helped the English forces to drive out Mysore forces

from the area. Towards the close of November, 1781

Tipu arrived by way of Palakkad to save the Mysorean

1 1 . Rollancl E. Miller. Mappila M u s l i m s o f Kerala, M a d r a s ( 1 992)

P. 88)
possessions in Malabar. But before Tipu could achieve

any positive result, Hyder Ali passed away (December

7, 1782) and Tipu left Kerala in haste to occupy the

throne of Mysore.12 By the time of his death Mysore

had become the greatest Kingdom in south India not

only in size but in every respect. Born poor and

destitute and an illiterate Hyder Ali stands unique

among the unique. personalities of India. He was a

self made man and achieved greatness a s his talents

for warfare, politics and governance were more than

substantial. The life of Hyder Ali adds an adventurous

chapter in the history of India.13

When Hyder Ali died Tipu Sultan was in Ponnani.

Suddenly he left Ponnani for Mysore.14 The boyhood of

Tipu Sultan is shrouded in obscurity. He was born on

12, Sreedhara Menon. A - Kerala History and its makers Madras

(1 990) P.170-171.

13. Balakrishnan. P. K. Tipu Sultan, Calicut ( 1 989) P. 36

14, Krishna Ayyar. K. V. A Histow o f Kerala, Coimbatore ( 1 965)

P. 258
November 10, 1750. 'Sultan' was not the title added to

his name by Tipu when he ascended the throne. His

original name itself was Tipu Sultan. His life proves

that he had received proper education and training in

life to be a disciplined soldier and an efficient ruler.

He began his military career at the young age of fifteen.

The Mysore army that attacked Malabar in 1766 had

the presence of Tipu Sultan as an ordinary soldier.

From that date onwards Tipu had been serving his

father a s a worthy son.I5 Hyder Ali sent him to Malabar

when the Mysore army had been defeated by the

English and when the Rajas and chieftains of Malabar

turned against the Mysorean authority. But before Tipu

could do anything worth while he had to return to

Seringagatam to occupy the throne of Mysore.16 It is

probable that Tipu Sultan reached Seringapatarn about

15. Lewin B. Bowring Haider Ali and Tipu Sulthan, Oxford (1 8 99),
P.217.

P 6. Charles Stuart, A Descriptive cataloque o f the oriental library

o f the late Tipoo Sultan, Cambridge ( 1 809), P.265.
the 20th of December 1782 and without much display

of pomp of ceremony ascended the throne.17 When he

became the ruler he followed his father and continued

the struggle against the British. He wished to form

the unity of south India against Britian. Hyder Ali and

his son Tipu Sahib swore on the Koran ever lasting

hate for English and crush them.18

The news of the death of Hyder was received with

wild acclamations of joy both by the Madras and

Bombay governments. They hoped that a war of

succession inevitable in oriental annals, would keep

Tipu busy for a considerable time. This interval of

peace, they hoped to utilise for fresh conquests and

consolidating their conquests and increasing their

bargaining power with him. There was, however, no

war of succession, and on that score, the English hopes

17. Gholam Mohammed "The History o f Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan
- New Delhi ( 1 976) P.P 264-265.

18. Karl Marx, Notes an Indian History, Moscow ( l 965) P. 95.

were dashed to pieces. But it did not prevent them

from attempting to complete the conquest of Malabar19.

The Bombay government in order to create a diversion

on the west and there by force the Mysoreans to

withdraw from the carnatic had sent a contingent to

attack Bidnur one of the richest and most strategic

provinces of Mysore. Bidnur and Mangalore fell before

the English. But the fruits of the victory could not be

enjoyed forlong a s Tipu Sultan himself controlled the

military operations and recaptured Bidnur and

Mangalore. An armistice was concluded on 2nd August

1783. While negotiations for concluding a more lasting

peace had been going on between the English and Tipu

Sultan Col. Fullarton attacked Mysorean territory from

the south and captured the Palghat fort from the

Mysorean garrison and left it in t h e Zamorins

charge. This provoked Tipu to embark on another

19. Ibrahirn Kunju. A.P, Mysore - Kerala relations in the eiqhteeah

century, Tnvandrum ( l 975) P.24.
military adventure in Kerala and conquer the whole of

south malabar up to Kotta river. The English however

succeeeded in checking his further advance. The

English also managed to win the Arakkal Beevi to their

side. The treaty of Mangalore which brought about

the second Mysore war to a close was a gain a s far as

Tipu had been concerned. The English gave up their

claims on Malabar and declared the rulers of Kerala to

be the friends and allies of Tipu. This was tantamount

to a recognition of Mysorean suzerainty over Malabar.20

The second Anglo-Mysore war had impressed up

on Tipu Sultan the strategic importance of Malabar to

the security of Mysore. During the war Malabar

had become the battle ground for the Mysorean

and English armies in turn, and Malabar offered an

easy approach to the Mysore Kingdom. Realising the

20. Sreedhara Menon. A. Kerala Histow and its makers, Madras,

(1 990) P. 1 71.
strategic importance of Malabar Tipu was anxious to

strengthen his hold over the territory. So he confirmed

the appointanent of Arshadbegkhan an officer of rare

talents, humanity and integrity, made by Hyder before

his death and sent him to Malabar. But Arshadbegkhan

the new governor of Malabar was helpless as Tipu's

officers oppressed the civilian population by their unjust

exactions. Even the Mappilas of Ernad rose in open

rebellion against this. To tackle this situation Tipu

Sultan himself arrived in Kerala at the head of a large

army in January 1788 and conquered the territories

up to Calicut without any serious fighting.

After effecting these conquests Tipu turned his

attention to a thorough reorganisation of t h e

administrative set up of Kerala. Arshad Beg Khan had

made considerable reduction in the revenue demand

in southern Malabar in order to relieve the distress of

the people caused by the rebellions headed by the

princes of the Zamorin's family. Tipu gave priority to

the transfer of the capitalz1of the province of Malabar

from Calicut to Feroke on the south bank of the Beypore

river. He built a strong fort at the place and connected

it with the other parts through a regular net work of

roads. All the inhabitants of Calicut were also to move

to the new capital Farukhabad. But the beginning of

the monsson upset his plans. Tipu was forced to

withdraw to Coimbatore. Availing of this opportunity

the people returned to their homes. Thus the Sultan's

"Transfer of Capital" ended in a failure. Had it not

been for the war of 1790-92 and ultimate overthrow

of Tipus power in Malabar, Farukhabad would

have prospered.22 The peculiar social customs like

21. The transfer of capital of the province of Malabar from Calicut

to Feroke on the southern banks of the Beypore river in the out
skirts of Calicut city, was a failure. A. Sreedhara Menon calls
it as a grandiose or pompous project of Tipu Sulthan. AI1 the
inhabitants of Calicut were also to move to the new capital
Farukhabad. But the beginning of monsoon upset his plans
and the transfer of capital ended in apparent failure.

22. Ibrahim Kunju A.P. Mappila Muslims o f Kerala, Tn'vandmm

(1 989)P. 77
polyandry and matrilineal law of inheritance that

prevailed in Kerala seemed to be primitive and obsolete

to Tipu Sultan. And so he was determined to bring

about a radical re-organisation of social structure. He

issued the famous Kuttippuram proclamation which

read: (". ....I hereby require you to forsake these sinful

practices and to be like the rest of mankind.. .."). He

wanted the people to forsake polyandry, matrilineal

system etc. The Kuttippuram proclamation created

widespread resentment and the people rose in rebellion.

A large number of Brahmins fled to Tranvancore.

The Rajas of Kadathanad and Kottayam sought

English protection. The nairs of Calicut and south

Mdabar headed by Ravi Varma and other princes of

t h e ']Padin~areKovilakam' t u r n e d against their

oppressors and laid seige to Calicut. Tipu sent a large

army of 6000 men to raise the seige but failed. Early

in P389 Tipu himself marched to Malabar. After leaving

a force at Calicut to deal with the Nairs he proceded

north words. Alarmed at the advance of Tipu the local

204
chiefs took refuge in the British settlement a t

Tellicherry and later fled to T r a v a n ~ o r e .After

~ ~ giving

a warning to the chief of the Tellicherry factory against

the protection given to the local chiefs Tipu went to

Cannanore and then to Coimbatore.

The Raja of T r a ~ a n c o r ehad

~ ~ given shelter to

Zamorin and other local chieftains. So Tipu Sultan

was angry towards the Travancore Raja. At first he

tried to win over the Travancore Raja by diplomacy but

23. Sreedhara Menon. A, A Surveu o f Kerala Histo-, Kottayam

(1 967), P.294.
24. Travancore the southern kingdom of Kerala was a small state
lying between the south of Quilon and north of the cape comorin.
It rose in to prominence with the accession of Marthanta Varma
as its ruler in the year 1728. He aimed at the unification of
Kerala and the establishment of centralised form of
government. After conquering and annexing a number of small
principalities he turned against Cochin. Much of the tem'tories
of Cochin was annexed with his Kingdom. But he came to the
rescue of Cochin when the Zamorin conquered Cochin. A treaty
was signed between the Raja of Cochin and the Zarnorin of
Calicut according to which they agreed to abide b y the
arbitration of Marthanta Vanna the ruler of Travancore in case
of a future dispute.
failed. Tipu Sultan now decided to invade Travancore

and subdue that state. Tipu could not fulfil his mission

as the Travancore lines put u p stubborn resistance and

as he received information that the British had declared

war on M y s ~ r e . ~ ~

The provisions of the Treaty of Mangalore that

brought the second Anglo-Mysore war to a close, were

Z .

not favourable to the English. The sentiments of both

English officers and merchants of Bengal and Madras

were that .they considered the treaty merely a truce

which would not last long. Lord Cornwallis the governor

general himself was determined to break the power of

Tipu, the inveterate enemy of the English in south India.

Me had by this time succeeded in concluding alliance

with the Nizam and the Marathas to fight Tipu, When .

the preparations were completed Cornwallis declared

war on Tipu on the pretext of Tipus war with Travancore

25. Velupillai T.K, Travancore State Manual, Vo1.2, Tn'vandrum

(1 940),P.431.
(1790-92), a cause, the legality of which is yet to be

scrutinised. Tipu was defeated. The treaty of

Seringapatam brought the third Anglo-Mysore war to

an end and Malabar was one of the provinces ceded to

the English by Tipu Sultan on the conclusion of peace.26

British supremacy was established over Malabar. The

establishment of British power in Malabar in 1792 had

brought considerable changes in the existing traditional

system of land control and agrarian relations in this

region. However such changes did not affect on native

institutions which had functioned a s a unit of %and

control.27

Tipu Sultan lost half of his Kingdom. The

remaining half was under post-war miseries. The

third Anglo-Mysore war put Tipu Sultan in to a debt

of 3 crores and 30 lakhs of rupees to be paid a s war

26. Muhibbul Hassan Khan, Histow o f Tipu Sulthan Bombay,

(1 951), P.255.

27, Kurup. K.K.N,William Loqan, Calicut ( 1 991), P. I

indemnity. The war also gave a severe blow to the pride

and self confidence of the Sultan. But he could never

be disheartened. He got an interval of seven years, a

period in which there had been no wars. But we may

not be misled to think that Tipu had no history during

these seven years. It was the history of a unique ruler.28

He was bent up on the reconstruction of the war-torn

economy. He was to concentrate on public welfare.

He had been equally great a s a ruler and warrior. In

the entire history of India there is one and only one

warrior who could boast of having fought against the

English and that was none but Tipu Sultan.

Tipu Sultan paid with in two years the war

indemnity imposed up on him in 1792 and got back

his hostages. Me could not forget his heavy territorial

and other losses and made haste to strengthen his

military and financial resources. He negotiated with

2 8 . Kirnzani, Meer Hussain Alikhan "Historu the Reiqn o f Tipoo

Sultan" (trans) W. Miles (London) 1842 PP. 124-1 25.
many important Indian states to join hands with him

for the formation of an anti-British league and sent

letters to Persia, Arabia etc. But the charge for the

declaration of war on Tipu by the English was the

allegation that he had made a conspiracy with the

French to drive away the English from India. In

February 1799 Mysore was invaded from the east and

west. The fourth Anglo-Mysore war was a short and

swift affair. Early in May Seringapatam was stormed

by the English. Noble Tipu Sultan is the brave man

who died in the battle field a s a soldier." Tipu Sultan

was pure, orthodox and abstemious. He was a man of

irrepressible energy who transacted much business

systematically. His physical and intellectual vigour was

extra ordinary. He was learned and showed an avidity

of western knowledge. He was active with his pen and

spoke Hindustan, Kannada and Persian fluently. He

29. Menderson. J.R. The coins o f Hyder A2i and Tipu Sultan Madras
( 1 921) P. 14.
could express opinions on religion, science, medicine,

engineering and all branches of administration, civil

a n d military. He wrote innumerable letters a n d

possessed a good library of more than 2000 books on a

variety of subjects. Coupled with his energy and talents

were his extra ordinary bravery and moral courage.

He refused to save himself in his last moments by

surrendering his French soldiers. He was a strategist

and tactician. He was saturated with reforming zeal

which affected the army, commerce, banking weights

and measures, the calendar and coinage.

But it is quite unfortunate to note that both the

English and the so called national historians compete

in ignoring the services of this great statesman, shrewd

diplomat, benevolent ruler and brave warrior. Tipu

Sultan a great patriot, the tiger of Mysore who roared

before the bullets from the guns of the English, is kept

away from the list of patriotic freedom fighters who

sacrificed their lives to the cause of freedom, Tigu had

been crucified by history itself. And this was the

tragedy not only of Tipu Sultan but also of history.30

"Muslims have played a very significant role in

the national struggle for freedom. They have been in

the fore front of it. It was, after all from their hands

that the British had versted power in India. When

British imperialism was spreading its tentacles over

the country and devouring one province after the other

the first man to realise the gravity of the danger was

th-elion hearted Tipu Sultan of Mysore. He saw clearly

that unless determined efforts were made in time to

thwart the nefarious designs of greedy aliens, the whole

of India would ultimately be swallowed by them. With

this resolve, he unsheathed the sword and jumped in

to a fierce life and death struggle against the Britlsh

exploiters.

30. Sreedharan. M. P Tipu, Traaed y o f History Malayala Manorama

daily - dated 03.05.1 998.
 Tipu Sultan made a valiant bid to unite the

Indian princes against the British usurpers. Me even

wrote to Sultan Salim I11 of Turkey, to join hands with

him for the expulsion of the British. His whole life was

spent in the struggle. He came on the verge of success,

*

the British were about to be swept out of the land. But

they managed to achieve through diplomacy what they

could not gain by arms. They clearly obtained the

support of some rulers of the south and by the use of

other methods of treachery and deceit brought to

nought the patriotic ambitions of that gallant son of

My sore.

He preferred death to life of servitude under the

British. His famous, historic words spoken a little

before he met his death were, "to live for a day like a

tiger is far more precious than to live for a hundred

years like a Jackal".

The historians of India does not tell of a brave

patriot and a more uncompromising enemey of foreign

rule. In his life time he was the most hated man among

the English to give bent to their spite. Englishmen in

India even went to the extent of giving to their dogs the

name of Tipu Sultan. Paying tribute to the Sultan,

Mahatma Gandhi wrote in "Young Indian, that he had

no peer among those who attained martyrdom in the

cause of the country and Few Indian rulers

have been so much maligned and misrepesented a s

Haider and Tipu Sultan have been. The latter in

particular, h a s been portrayed as "a monster, pure and

simple". The policies and activities of these two rulers,

especially their rule of Malabar, have been made targets

of bitter attack. 'A careful study of their policies and

activities will, however, clear many of these charges .32

The Mysorean conquest of Kerala left a lasting

impression on t h e political, economic, social a n d

3 1 . Abdul Hasan Ali Nadvi "Muslims in India" Lucknow ( 1 980)

P. P.105-106.

32. Ibrahim Kunju. A.P Mysore - Kerala relations in the 18th

c e n t u q . Trivandrum (1 995) P. 56.
cultural fields. Though the Mysorean rule lasted only

for less than two and a half decades (1766-1790) it

was decisive in the entire history of Kerala. The

invasions of Hyder and Tipu Sultan led to the decline

of t h e old feudal order in Malabar a n d to t h e

introduction of modern progressive ideas about state

and government. The Mysore Sultans organised a

centralised system of administration in the territories

which came under their control. The only system of

government known to the Indian sub continent at that

time was despotism and Tipu's system could not be

different. The Sultan was the embodiment of all civil,

political and military authority in the state. He was

his own foreign minister, his own commander-in-chief

and acted a s the highest court of appeal in his kingdom.

He invigorated the whole system by principles of good

government and by economic management of material

resources to which the neighbouring powers bore no

comparison. Inspite of the a b s e n c e of any

constitutional checks on his authority, Tipu Sultan did

C
not behave like an irresponsible despot. He displayed

a high sense of duty to his office and believed that his

subjects "constitute a unique trust held for God the

Real Master". He took great care to work for the welfare

and happiness of the people".

Tipu S u l t a n ' s zeal for i n n o v a t i o n a n d

improvement prompted him to introduce a number of

changes in the system of government he inherited from

his father. H.H. Dodwell gives Tipu the credit of being

the first Indian sovereign who sought to apply the

western methods to h i s a d m i n i ~ t r a t i o n . ~
Each
~

department was put under the charge of a chief assisted

by a number of subordiate officers who constituted a

Board. The decisions in the department were taken

after full discussion where members enjoyed the sight

to dissent. The decisions were taken by a majority of

voters and the minutes of the meetings were recorded.

33. Dodwell H,H, Cambridqe History o f British India, Vol.6, Delhi

( 1 963), P. 10.
However, the final decision in all important matters

rested with the Sultan. Under Tipu there had been an

efficient system of provincial and local government.

Even the critics of Hyder Ali and Sultan agree to the

truth that they were among the great rulers of India.34

The Nairs who played a prominent part in the resistence

to Haider and Tipu lost their position of pre-eminence

in the body politic of the state and their disappearance

from the scene enabled the Mysore rulers to set up a

centralised system of administration in the territories

which came under their

During the Mysorean rule the land revenue

system was re-organised on modern lines. The tenants

lost their position of impotence and became important

in the society when they were freed from their lords.

By and large Tipu continued the revenue system of

3 4 . Samuel Strandberg "Tipu Sultan the tiqer o f Mqsore or to fiqht

aqainst odds9'New Delhi ( 1 980) P. 76.

35. Kirmani, Meer Hussain Alikhan, History The Rain o f Tipu

Sulthan, (trans) W. Milles London 1842, P. 4 33,
Hyder Ali but introduced greater efficiency in to it.36

He tried to establish direct relationship between the

government and the cultivator by discouraging the

Jemmi system, resumption of unauthorised 'inamn

(rent free) lands and confiscation of the hereditary land

rights of the Zamindars. The government employed

the method of inducement-cum-compulsion to bring

more land under cultivation. The Amil, in charge of

the district, toured his district and sanctioned advances

of money (taqavi loans) to the needy peasants. The

actual produce from the land determined the quantum

of Tax.37 Money rates were also fixed for payment of

taxes. In Malabar land tax was unknown until the

Mysorean rule. When Haider conquered the country

the necessity for organising a n efficient land revenue

administration was felt. The tax was collected directly

36. Namboodiripad. E.M.S, Kerala Yesterday, Todavand Tomorrow,

Trivandrum ( 1 967), P. l 00.

37, Buchanan F, A Journey from Madrass throuqh the countries

o f Mvsore Canara and Malabar, Vo1.2, London, 1807. P. P. 189-
1 90.
from the tenant through officials. The tenant thus got

an added dignity in the new set up and the interests of

the Janmi or land lord were adveresely affected.38

Mysorean occupation created several difficulties for the

Brahmin and Nayar communities in particular. The

native Brahmins were known as Nambudiris in

Malabar. They were the largest Janmi class who

received royalty from the temples. It was a share of

the Pattam39which "the Kanakkarn40used to pay the

landlords and which the Mysorean government now

claimed as rent. During the pre-colonial period ie under

Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan Ponnani underwent changes

especially in the social field. Though the Nayars lost

their feudal status they enjoyed many privileges and

continued to exploit the Ezhava community and other

lower classes. A group of the jobless Nayar soldiers

38. Sreedhara Menon. A. A surveq o f Kerala History, Kottayam

( l 967) P.296.

39. Pattam = rent

40. Kanakkar = cultivating tenant

settled near Kollanpadi in Ponnani. Their settlement

is known as ' M e n ~ n t h a r a ' .There

~~ is also a large area

with Ezhava domination known as ' E z h a ~ a t h u r u t h i ' ~ ~ .

Majority of Ezhavas here were agricultural labourers

who lived on bare subsistence. In the time of Haider,

temple lands were exempted from assessment; but

"Cerikkal landsn43were considered a s private property

and assessed. Tipu considered that temple lands were

mostly managed for the benefit of a select few higher

caste people and there fore he had them assessed to

land tax.44

There was tremendous progress in trade and

commerce, both foreign and inland during the Mysorean

41. 'Menonthara' = A place in Pallappuram Amsom in Ponnani.

42. 'Ezhavanthuruth' = A large area inhabited by the Ezhava

community. This place in Ponnani is now known as Ezhava
thuruth village.
43. Cenkkal lands = crown lands

44. Ibrahirn Kunju. A.P 'Mysore Kerala relations in the Eiqhteenth

century' - Tn'vandrum ( 1 975) P. 64.
rule. Tipu Sultan especially realised that a country

could be great only by developing i t s t r a d e a n d

commerce a n d in this field h e stood equal to his

European contemporaries. Tipu's trade policy was

aimed a t making the government the chief merchant

of his dominion a n d the trader was to enrich the

treasury. So he established tight control over inland

and foreign trade. He realised the importance of trade

with the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea regions. Tipu

Sultan arranged for the opening of trade centres in

foreign countries such as Cutch, Muscat, Jiddah,

Ormuz, a n d o t h e r places.45 He even planned to

establish commercial relations with Pegu and China.

A commercial board was established and the Regulation

of 1783-94 set forth the general duties of the officers

in the department. He declared government monopoly

of trade in sandal wood, pepper, cardamom, betelnut,

gold and silver bullion, and export of elephants etc.

45. Gopal. M.H. Tipu Sultan's Me/sore, an economic study, Bombay

( l 971) P. 19.
He purchased pepper from the producers a t 100 rupees

a candy46and this shows that there was direct dealing

between the producers and the government. A number

of factories were established in the Mysore state which

manufactured wide range of articles ranging from war

ammunition, sugar, paper, silk fabrics, small tools and

fancy goods.

The most important contribution of Mysorean

a d m i n i s t r a t i o n w a s t h e improvement of i n l a n d

communication. A s the country was split u p in to

several petty kingdoms, the need for good roads was

never felt. For military and administrative purpose, a

series of good roads connecting the principal towns of

t h e province were quite essential, a n d from t h e

beginning of his reign, Tipu paid close attention to the

subject. Tipu constructed a net work of roads in

Malabar. The coastal road from Beypore to cranganore

46. Candy = 4.54Kg

which still retains the name of Tipu Sultan road runs

through Tanur, Ponnani, Veliyancode and Chetuva.

There was another gun road from Tanur to Palakkad

by way of Puthiyangadi, Tritala and Lakkidi.47The most

important of Tipus roads were (1) From Calicut to

Pulavayi, via Perunilam, Chekkur and Tamarasseri (2)

From Malappuram to Putuppanam, connecting it to the

ghats (3) From Malappurarn to Tamarasseri (4) From

Feroke T a m a r a s s e r i via, Calicut, E l a m a r u t i ,

C a t t a m a n g a l a m , Perunilam (5) From Feroke to

Coimbatore via, Tirurangadi, Venkatakkotta, Pattambi,

Kavalappara, Mankara river, Valayar (6)From Palakkat

to Dintukal (7) From venkatakkotta to Coimbatore

via Angadipuram (8)From Chaliyam to Cherruvay via,

4 7*Kareem. C.K. Kerala under Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan. Cochin
(1 973)P.161.
Dr. Kareem goes on and reveal the rapid and intensive nature
of the construction of roads. 'The intensive nature of the work
undertaken and the fast pace at which it was executed can be
known when we see that this grand work was completed with
in six years immediately after the second Anglo-Mysore war'.
Tanur, Ponnani, Veliyankod, Chavakkad and along the

island of Cherruvay to Kondungallur. These roads are

even now called Tipu Sultan Road (9) From Feroke to

Mysore (via)Kondotti, Nilambur, Karkur pass and Gajjal

h a t t i p a s s ( 1 0 ) From C a n n a n o r e to Mysore, via

Tellicherry a n d Periyacuram (1 1) From Tanur to

Palakkad and Coimbatore via, Puthiyangadi, Tirunavay ,

trittala, Kavalappara a n d Lakkidi a n d (12) From

Palakkad to Kollamkod via Chittur and

Thathamangalam. These roads were helpful not only

for administrative efficiency and militany operations

but also for the promotion of trade and commerce.

1.

Many of them were connected with Feroke his capital

and Ponnani his exporting centre in Malabar. Tipu

Sultan established ware houses in the different parts

of the country to store the goods.48 The principal ware

house was a t Vadakara. Ware houses were establi-

shed at Mahe, Koilandi, Calicut and other places. The

48. Gopal. M.H,Tipu Sultan's Musore-an economic Study, Bombay

(1 971) P-20.
English East India Company lost its lucrative business

in Malabar because of the nationalisation of trade by

Tipu Sultan. In the council proceeding of the Bombay

government it was recorded as follows: "Tipu seemed

determined to persevere in prohibiting the exportation

of the coastal production and while the Malabar Rajas

continue under his yoke the company can derive little

or no benefit from the trade at Te1licher1-y.~~

Tipu had

a good coinage. His coins were discovered at many

places in Ponnani. The coins of Tipu Sultan exist in

far greater variety and number than those of his father.

Compulsion of circumstances required Tipu

Sultan to give his maximum care to the raising and

maintenance of a n efficient military force, His infantry

was disciplined after the European model with Persian

words of command. French officers were employed to

train his troops and he raised a French Corps though

4 9 . National Archives of India, Foreign Department, Secret and

Political proceeding 26th August, 25 September 1 789, SN. 96.
P. 1849.
small in size. The strength of Tipu's army varied in

accordance with t h e military requirements a n d

resources available. On the eve of the third Anglo-

Mysore war Tipu's military forces comprised 45000

regular infantry a n d 20000 horse besides some

irregular force. Both Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan realised

the importance of a naval force but could not rise to

the level of their main adversary, t h e East India

company. English occupation of Tipu's Malabar

possessions in the third Anglo-Mysore war drew the

Sultan's attention to the need for a n effective naval

task force. In 1796 Tipu set u p a Board of Admirality

and planned for a fleet of 22 battleships and 20 large

frigates. Dockyards were established a t Mangalore,

Wajidabad and Molidabad. Realising the fact that his

resources were unequal to the potential and resources

of the English Tipu Sultan is said to have remarked; "I

can ruin their resources by land but I can not dry u p

the sean. This statement of Tipu has resemblance to

that of Napolean Bonaparte who after his defeat at the

naval Battle of Trafalgar against the English remarked

that "I am impotent at Sea".

The conquest of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan

resulted in far reaching social changes. it shook the

very foundation of the traditional Malabar. The Mysore

invasion administered a 'shock treatment' to the

traditional Kerala society.50 The Mysorean rulers

curtailed the privileges of high caste Hindus like

Brahmins, the Kshatriyas and Nairs who exploited the

lower castes. The Menons and Nayars were land lords

in Ponnani and at Trikkavu area the Brahmins had

landed property with Devaswam51 a n d enjoyed

privileges by tradition. All Hindus were equal before

the Mysorean rulers. Several measures of the Mysorean

rulers, especially of Tipu Sultan served to shatter

the myth of social superiority of the higher castes and

50. Sreedhara Menon. A 'A Surverl o f Kerala History', Kottayam

(1 967) P.296.

51. Devaswam - property belonging to temple.

instilled among the members of the lower classes a

consciousness of their own dignity and status.52 It is

proper to say that the Mysore invasion sounded the

death knell of the old social order and inaugurated a

new era of social change in the history of Kerala. The

Muslims have been given several privileges and their

diginity also increased during the time of Hyder Ali and

Tipu Sultan.53 Ofcourse the Muslims enjoyed a feeling

of security and were not generally disturbed as they

were not hostile to the rulers, though there had been

hostilities against Mysorean rulers by some Muslim

chieftains.

A large number of Edicts attributed to Hyder Ali

and Tipu Sultan became the subject matter of criticism.

All allegations of cruelty and bigotry of Haider Ali and

Tipu Sultan were built u p on the basis of these

52. Panikker. K.M, A Histom of Kerala 1498-18 0 1 Annamala Nager

( (1 9 6 0 ) P.345.

53. "Christava Viinana Kosam" - Alapuzha ( 1 9 7 5 ) P. 2 63.

proclamations. But a careful, serious and dispassionate

study of those alleged proclamations or edicts proves

that they were the creations of the so called historians

or were misinterpretted. Tipu was aware of the crude

practices of Polyandry and half-nakedness prevailing

in Malabar, which he tried to reform. He might have

issued the Kuttippuram proclamation assuming the role

of a social reformer. But the opinion current among

o u r h i s t o r i a n s t h a t t h e i m p l e m e n t a t i o n of t h e

proclamation by his officers was tantamount to forcible

conversions i s baseless. History does n o t bear

testimony to such wholesale and forcible conversion.

None of the contemporary sources make any mention

of such conversion. Even the hostile historian of Tipu

Sultan Sri. K. M. Panicker evaluated the editct thus:

"It was not religious bigotry that made Tipu to issue

this amazing proclamation. He was firmly convinced

that in asking the Nairs to give u p what he called their

obscene habits he was undertaking a mission of

civilization. It is the narrow reformer's mind anxious

for the moral and material welfare of the people and

not the fanaticism of a bigot desirous of converting the

'Kafir' that speaks in this proclamation". K.M. Panicker

continues to say that after this proclamation he began

to honour Hindus with Islam. This is the universal

appraisal of the effect of the proclamation. The English

constantly carried on the propagation of sensational

news of mass circumcisions and forcible conversion to

mislead the Hindu rulers of India. If we look in to the

original s o u r c e s dispassionately with a view to

searching out historical truth all the prevalent stories

of atrocities of Mysorean rule in Kerala will disappear.54

One surprising fact about this story of religious

persecution is that all writers agree that both Hyder

and Tipu were exemplarily tolerant rulers as far as other

parts of the Mysore kingdom were concerned; but in

Malabar they practised inhuman persecution on their

54. Kareem. C.K 'A probe in to the veracity o f the Malabar edicts of
Haider Ali and Tlpu Sultan' Al. Harmony (cJulySeptember 1 999)
P. 23.
Hindu and Christian subjects. There is some apparent

contradiction in this story of persecution. The fact was

that Hyder and Tipu persecuted their Malabar subjects,

not on account of their religion but on account of their

continued rebellion and sabotage. Both the rulers were

as ruthless to Hindus as to Muslims, when it was a

matter of security of state. Hyder and Tipu ordered

forcible conversion of some prisoners of war as a

measure of punishment for rebellion and continued

opposition to Mysorean authority. But they do not

appear to have adopted it as a state policy and gone

about converting people.55 The 1787 proclamation of

Tipu Sultan made social or religious discrimination in

Mysore unlawful. "Religious harmony is of prime

importance in Islam. Islam warns against forcible

conversion. There should be a spirited contest among

people to perform good deeds. I take this rule equal

to my heart ..........., I have learnt with all respect the

55. lbrahirn Kunju. A.P., Musore - Kerala Relations in the Eiqhteenth

century, Trivandrurn ( 1 973) P. 68.
Hindu vedas .......-. From this day onwards, take it from

me, it will be unlawful on the part of my subjects in

Mysore or the Mysoreans living out side to show

religious or racial discriminati~n".~~

Then, is there

any relevance in the statement of Buchanan given

below? 'The Hindus were everywhere persecuted,

plundered of their riches, of their women and of their

children. All such as could flee to other countries did

so; those who could not escape took refuge in the

forests, from whence they waged a constant predatory

war against their oppressor^.^^

Another serious allegation made against Tipu

Sultan is the destruction of temples. A few temples

might have been destroyed during war operations. But

there is no evidence to show that destruction of temples

was adopted as a state policy. But we have defenite

evidence of scrupulous care being taken to preserve

56. Gidwani. B.S The Sword o f Tipu Sultan. P.229.

57. Buchanan. F. "A journey from Madras throuclh the countries of
Mtlsore, Canara and Malabar" Vol.1, London ( 1 807)PP.
B 90.
temples and other houses of worship. For example

when Sardar Khan and his army occupied Trichur in

1786 they camped in the Vadakkunnatha Temple

premises. Q u o t i n g t h e Temple G r a n d h a v a r i ,

Padmanabha Menon says t h a t t h e priests fearing

desecration of the temple, had closed the doors and

escaped. When they returned, after the retreat of the

army they found the doors intact and nothing was

missing ! We have also i n s t a n c e s of munificent

endowments being conferred u p on, or continued to

Hindu temples and Satrams. Tipu had been so tolerant

that there had been three temples, (Sree Ranganathan,

Narasimham and Gangatareswaram) just 100 metres

away from his palace. The Trikkavu temple in Ponnani

was damaged during the military operations of Tipu

Sultan and he gave financial assistance to modify the

temple. The statement of Lieutenant Moore, "when

a person travelling through a strange country finds it

well cultivated, populous with industrious inhabitants,

cities newly founded, commerce extending, towns

increasing and everything flourishing s o a s to indicate

happiness he will naturally conclude it to be under a

form of government congenial to the minds of the

people. This is a picture of Tipu's country", is a clear

evidence to the law and order and peace and prosperity

that prevailed in Tipu's dominions. The feudalistic

social and political structure of Malabar was completely

swept away and the most welcome changes in the socio-

political institutions and in the economic structure of

the country were brought about thanks to the Mysorean

regime.