Make our life magnified ; our life become delightful . European merchants who first reached Kerala conquered many parts of Kerala. Edachena Kungan Nair and Thalaykkal Chandu decided to revolt against British. The British were nowhere near in even tracing Pazhassi Raja in the forests of Wayanad. He cancelled the agreement given to Kurumbranad to collect taxes. First revolt of Pazhassi was against the bad policies made by British. The kingdom of Kottayam covers what is today the Thalassery taluk (1000 km2) of the Kannur District and … He was one of the earliest freedom fighters in India. My Words & Thoughts © 2020. All rights reserved, HAPPY DIWALI TO INDIAN ARMY WHO LIVE FOR ALL OF US, Amazing Durga Puja Pandals of West Bengal- exhibits rich culture and devotion, Deeper and true meanings of the Lord Krishnas Name. He is popularly known as Kerala Simham (Lion of Kerala) on account of his martial exploits. What followed was the British’s cunning and treacherous double game of tax centred exploitation of the peasantry and yet maintaining the sovereignty of Vira Varma as the local ruler. In 1801, Colonel Stevenson reached Wayanad with a grand army. However this time Pazhassi Raja presented the British with a blowing defeat that deemed eligible for global recognition till date. The name Cotiote Raja comes from the British anglicising the name Kottayam to Cotiote. Your email address will not be published. As it was not possible for British to collect tax and establish monopoly in Kottayam in the presence of Raja, they decided to arrest him. The Cotiote war of 13 years also happens to be the longest war fought by the English East India Company during their conquests in India and was much longer than the Anglo-Mysore wars, Anglo-Maratha wars, Anglo-Sikh wars and Polygar wars! Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. In the official report sent by Thomas Harvey Babber to main collector, he declared the death of Pazhassi Raja in the battle fought. Even while Pazhassi stayed in Wayanad, British were not able to collect taxes. She noted that Raja considered it a personal failure as a leader if he failed to uphold sovereignty of his kingdom. It included 1000s of tribal people. I belong to one of the beautiful places of the world, Kerala, nicknamed as 'God's own country'. A prince who went into the pages of history to be fondly remembered as Kerala Simham. In 1793 June, Pazhassi froze all sorts of tax collections initiated by British, and took over the power to collect tax. But Pazhassi Raja protested against the monopoly of East India Company rule. Pazhassi Raja resisted the troops of Hyder Ali in 1774 and ultimately led his kingdom to victory against the forces of Hyder Ali in 1793 through a deliberate and intended alliance with the British. They started new moves against Pazhassi. Kerala Simham Veera Pazhassi Raja: The Indian king who brought the British Army to its knees and defeated Arthur Wellesley, the vanquisher of Napoleon in Waterloo! Revolts of Pazhassi Raja against powerful guns of British using Indians’ bows & arrows gave strong challenges to British and he was able to resist and survive for a long time. Pazhassi earned strong support from tribal groups – Kurichyar and Kurumbrar and with their help, he conquered Kuttyadi Churam (mountain pass) and thus ruptured the communication between Wayanad and Low Malabar. It was a great setback to Pazhassi. Shammi Kapoor – The one and only Rockstar of Hindi cinema, Onappaatta, Onapakki and a few less heard words related to Onam, Kumud Chhugani – A forgotten name from Bollywood 1960s, How can a fictional script turn so hyper realistic? In 1797 Pazhassi Raja’s forces defeated an army of over a thousand troops led by Major Cameron where only a few of the British soldiers returned alive. Therefore Cotiote war waged by Pazhassi Raja is the only war in which the globally acclaimed Major General Arthur Wellesley failed and that too against a fiery local king. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. He was a warrior prince and de facto head of the kingdom of Kottayam, otherwise known as Cotiote, in Malabar, India, between 1774 and 1805. Things to note while shampooing your hair, Look into these few points to solve Sushant Singh Rajput mystery in a very short time, kerala's first freedom struggle against British, Sheila Dikshit – The longest-serving female chief minister of any Indian state, M. Kannappan – Veteran leader of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam from Tamil Nadu, Raj Kanwar – Bollywood director famous for his love triangles like Deewana, Ladla, Jeet, Judaai etc. Pazhassi Raja does not need an introduction. Common people of Kottayam, landlords and Kaitheri Ambu & Kannoth Shekharan – the nobles of Pazhassi Raja prevented British men from collecting taxes. British resisted the attack with the help of local police named Kolkaar. Required fields are marked *. With no chances left, in December the company made an agreement with Pazhassi. The guerilla warfare tactics of Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja thwarted and defeated the British forces led by the globally acclaimed Maj. General Arthur Wellesley - the Duke of Wellington, who had lateron led the British forces to victory at the second Anglo-Maratha War (1803), at the Battle of Waterloo (1815)against Napoleon Bonaparte and later became the British Prime Minister twice. Your email address will not be published. Kerala Varma got the name Pazhassi Raja as he was a native of Pazhassi. He started to build an army to wage guerilla warfare and established strategic camps which was positioned across the thick forests of Wayanad. He earned immense respect from the people for his firm decisions, resilience and successful war tactics. But there is also an argument that Pazhassi took his life by himself when he was severely wounded. By this time, Pazhassi Raja relocated to hilly areas of Wayanad so that he could find suitable hideouts to fight against British. He made a powerful army consisting of Nairs, Mappilas, Kurichyar and tribal people. They also captured Mappilas who supplied arms to Pazhassi Raja.