This is part 2 of a two part blog on Marthanda Varma, the maker of modern Travancore. Part 1 can be read here.
Battle of Colachel
Ask any student of Indian history and the most important battles they would have studied about would be the battles of Panipat or Plassey. Three battles were fought in the plains of Panipat and in each one an invader won (Babur to Abdali). An invading power, the British, won at Plassey. Battles of equal significance, fought against greater odds have been forgotten, especially battles where a foreign power was routed by an Indian ruler. Colachel was one such battle.
| Did you know… |
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| Colachel is a natural habour on the Malabar coast, very close to Kanyakumari. After the state re-organization, it became a part of Tamil Nadu. |
As we saw in the first part of the series on Marthanda Varma, the VOC had been rebuffed by the king and swords were drawn for battle.
The Dutch Governor, Van Imhof, called in reinforcements from Ceylon (present day Sri Lanka) where the Dutch had a very strong military base. These additional troops landed at Colachel and started attacking nearby villages. Their aim – reach the kings palace at Padmanabhapuram and capture it.
Between the devil and the deep sea
Marthanda Varma, who was at Thiruvananthapuram, got intelligence about the arrival of the Dutch forces at Colachel. He commanded an infantry group and arrived at Kalkulam, a small town that lie in between Colachel and Padmanabhapuram. Ramayyan, his minister, arrived soon thereafter at the head of a large infantry and artillery group and joined the kings forces. The Dutch were now with their back to the Arabian Sea and facing the full might of the Travancore army in front of them.
In this map, the red line shows the planned attack path of the Dutch. The green line is how Marthanda Varma’s forces counterattacked and pushed the battle to the enemy.
Representative Map of the general plan of attack at Colachel. Copyright, LetUsDiscoverIndia.com
Fighting commenced and lasted, on and off, for two months. Ramayyan’s troops broke through the Dutch line and the Dutch troop left many of their comrades dead or wounded and retreated back to the Colachel fort.
The fort was sieged and the Dutch managed to escape back to Cochin in the few ships that could still sail. Left behind was many muskets, cannon and swords. The Travancore army had conclusively defeated a European naval power at their own game!
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| While the Dutch were are Colachel, Marthanda Varma sent messengers to the French at Pondicherry requesting military aid. As per the terms of an agreement signed with the French, Travancore was to give trading rights and land at Colachel in return for French military help. By the time the French could provide any assistance though, the Travancore army had defeated the Dutch and the agreement was never put into action. |
The Dutch saga ends
The Dutch were not done yet. After losing at Colachel, the Dutch army regrouped at Cochin and kept instigating small princely states against Travancore. Finally in 1743, the combined forces of Kayamkulam and the Dutch, with the support of the Raja of Cochin, faced the Travancore army again. Yet again the Travancore army was victorious and inflicted great loss on the Dutch. Kayamkulam signed a treaty with Travancore and ceased all hostilities. Taking this opportunity, Marthanda Varma directed his troops further North and annexed Kottayam.
By this time, the Dutch had realized their costly mistake of waging war against Travancore. Marthanda Varma was resolute, he would never compromise with the Dutch. The Travancore army was superior in tactics and were fighting for honor and their motherland, the Dutch were fighting for spices. The Dutch blinked first and sued for peace.
| Did you know… |
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| A young Indian king in 1741 routed the most powerful naval power & business organization in Colachel. So what is so special about this, you may wonder. The world would have to wait a 150 more years before European naval power was to be challenged again. The next time an Asian army would rout a European power would be in 1905 when the Japanese defeated the Russians in Manchuria. |
A deal is struck
Under the terms of the peace agreement, the Dutch promised never to wage war against Travancore. In return Travancore would permit the Dutch to continue their trade in pepper. VOC would not ever support any king or prince who were against Travancore and if the need arises they would fight on behalf of Travancore. And to top it all, the Dutch would supply Travancore ‘munitions of war annually, to the value of 12,000 rupees’.
| Did you know… |
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| The Travancore army that fought against the Dutch would eventually fight for the British as part of the British Indian army. Known today as the 9th battalion of the Madras Regiment, it is the oldest continuously serving army unit in the country! |
Spicy monopoly
Travancore government took over the entire trade of pepper – the king of spices. Every farmer in the kingdom would have to sell pepper directly to the state and only the state could sell this sought after commodity to the Dutch and the British. This monopoly, backed by the power and might of Marthanda Varma, broke the back of VOC’s operations in the Malabar coast. They were now just any other trading company and had to appease Travancore to keep operating.
Within decades, VOC would completely be eased out of India much to the delight of the British.
| Did you know… |
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| Have you ever heard of the island of Run? Part of present day Indonesia, Run was world renowned for Nutmeg. Both the British and Dutch wanted to control the Nutmeg trade and Run immediately became a conflict point. After several fights and discussions, the militarily weaker British agreed to withdraw from Run. In return, the Dutch gave up one of their islands to the British. This island is located in the Eastern coast of USA, and was part of a small city that was then called ‘New Amsterdam’. The British were to rename the city to ‘New York’ later. And the island the Dutch gave up? We know it now as Manhattan. |
Outcome of the Dutch-Travancore conflict
The battle of Colachel and the eventual treaty between Travancore and the Dutch would have far reaching consequences. The Dutch, of course, lost their footing in India and had to exit the country soon. The British flourished at this, and the French-British war in the Carnatic would once and for all settle the question of the predominant foreign power in India.
The next time an Asian army would rout a European power would be in 1905 when the Japanese defeated the Russians in Manchuria.
For Marthanda Varma, his military strategy and decision to stand up for his kingdom yielded rich benefits. His small princely state was now pushing at the door of Cochin, and eventually the Raja of Cochin signed treaties to be a vassal of Marthanda Varma. The kings close association with the British, from whom he had purchased ammunition, was to continue and this relationship would play a decisive important role in the Anglo-Mysore wars.
The Lieutenants
Marthanda Varma would not have achieved all his successes without the support of two men whom he trusted most. These two couldn’t have been any more different in their backgrounds, but what united them was their devotion to the king.
Mr. Prime Minister
Ramayyan had steadily risen in his position with the king from that of a state secretary to the trusted prime minister and eventually as the commander-in-chief of the army. In his twin role as prime minister and army chief, Ramayyan oversaw the entire administrative and military activities of the kingdom.
Ramayyan was a Brahmin from Thirunelveli who came as a young boy to work in the palace of the Travancore kings. Impressed with his dedication, knowledge and sense of purpose he was handpicked by the young Marthanda Varma to serve with him. In the 17 years that Ramayyan was the prime minister, his strategizing and execution helped the king defeat the Dutch and expand his kingdom to the doorsteps of Cochin.
Administrator par excellence
Modern day Travancore and Kerala state remembers Ramayyan as an administrator par excellence. He conducted the first land survey in Kerala history. The Padmanabhaswamy temple was restored to its current form under his supervision.
Travancore state would never run out of money and have to be dependent on other powers for survival.
But probably the biggest administrative action of Ramayyan was to tabulate the expenses of the state. This was then matched against the state’s income and it was ensured that at no point the expense go beyond the income. Much as this may sound like a normal accounting practice, these methods would continue to be followed even to the 20th century. Travancore state would never run out of money and have to be dependent on other powers for survival. Instead, surplus money in Travancore would be used for the welfare of the subjects. Kerala’s enviable standards in literacy, health and women empowerment can all be traced back to this simple act by Ramayyan.
The Dutch Captain
Remember the Battle of Colachel and how several Dutch soldiers and officers were captured by the Travancore army. Foremost amongst them was the Admiral of the Dutch forces, Eustachius D’Lannoy. D’Lannoy was treated courteously by the king and overjoyed by the kind attention from the king, he agreed to work for the Travancore army. Marthanda Varma had closely watched the higher discipline and training of the Dutch soldiers and he entrusted D’Lannoy with improving the skills of the Travancore army.
Nedumkotta
D’Lannoy set out to work. He modernized the Travancore army, instilled higher level of discipline in them and started strengthening the defenses of the kingdom. A fort was built at Udayagiri in the south and here the army started making guns and cannons.
More significant was the work done in the North. D’Lannoy built numerous fortifications beyond Kollam, Kottayam and Kumarakom. A first line of defense was set up along Northern Travancore within Cochin territory. This defense line, called Nedumkotta, was a herculean effort and was fully completed in the time of Marthanda Varma’s successor.
Enmity with Mysore
In the 1750s, some of the northern territories that the king had added to Travancore started to show restlessness. The king did a tour of the provinces and was able to settle the unrest by his mere presence.
This enmity was to spill over during the time of Tipu Sultan and the war between the two states would result in Tipu’s defeat at the third Battle of Srirangapatna.
As an added protection, he wrote a letter to Hyder Ali of Mysore enquiring whether Mysore would lend troops if a need arise. Hyder Ali’s response was very supportive, and the Mysore ruler started getting his troops ready. Why was Mysore so interested? Travancore was a great ally to have in Hyder Ali’s stated intention of defeating the Samuthiri (Zamorins) of Calicut.
Marthanda Varma started having second thoughts after his initial letter to Hyder Ali. He realized that allowing the Mysore troops into Travancore would lead to lot of trouble in the future for his kingdom. So when the Mysore ruler informed him that his troops were ready, Marthanda Varma politely refused mentioning that there was perfect peace in his kingdom. Hyder Ali understood the real meaning behind this message and ‘thus was sown the first seed of enmity between Mysore and Travancore’.
This enmity was to spill over during the time of Tipu Sultan and the war between the two states would result in Tipu’s defeat at the third Battle of Srirangapatna.
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| The Nedumkotta defense line was so well planned and strong that when Tipu Sultan invaded Travancore he would not be able to cross it successfully. It is said that Tipu fell down at the Nedumkotta and had a life long limp from the fall. The Nedumkotta not only resisted Tipu but destroyed the spirit of his soldiers. Tipu had to be evacuated from Travancore leaving behind his royal palki, dagger and personal ornaments. By the end of the Travancore-Mysore wars, Tipu had become weak both financially and militarily. The British easily delivered the final blow and killed Tipu in the Battle of Srirangapatinam. British historians would conveniently keep out the preceding Travancore wars and how it had devastated the Mysore army and highlight only their efforts! |
Final Act
Travancore was now safe from all invaders and internal threats. But the frequent battles and the associated bloodshed slowly turned Marthanda Varma towards God and religion than ever before. At the same time he wanted to ensure that his kingdom always remained safe from any internal turmoil. A suitable precautionary measure had to be taken which would ensure everlasting love and affection of all citizens of Travancore towards the royal family.
Marthanda Varma hit upon a brilliant plan, something never heard before or after in the history of Indian royalty. On 17th January 1750, the king along with members of his family, his minister and royal prince went to the Padmanabhaswamy temple. There he laid down his royal sword in front of the great reclining image of Sree Padmanabha. The king declared that from that day onward he was only an agent of the deity and handed over the kingdom to the temple management. He would run the country as a trustee of the temple management. The king took on the title of ‘Sree Padmanabha Dasa’ or servant of Padmanabha.
This act had an enduring effect across generations. Even today, in the 21st century, the people of Travancore have an undying bond with the royal family. The common people hold the royal family as an example of selfless sacrifice before God. The members of the royal family also have tried to keep away from controversies and kept a simple life style, since they are agents of the deity and ruling on behalf of Sree Padmanabha.
Conclusion
Marthanda Varma with his determination and strength of character laid the foundation of modern Travancore. His steadfastness and refusal to bow before powers that threatened him defined his personality. In the process, he transformed Travancore from a small kingdom to the most powerful one on the Malabar coast.
Representative Map of Travancore at the end of Marthanda Varma’s reign. Copyright, LetUsDiscoverIndia.com
The final wish
When Marthanda Varma was on his deathbed, he summoned his successor and gave a set of instructions. The most important amongst them were:
- No deviation was to be ever made from the decision to dedicate the kingdom to Sree Padmanabha Swamy
- No quarrel should be there within the family, the family should always be united
- To keep financial independence of the country, expenses of the state should always be less than its income
Needless to say, these instructions remained unbroken.
Further Reading & Viewing
The best source to read and understand about Marthanda Varma and Travancore is Shungoonny Menon’s, ‘A History of Travancore From the Earliest Times’. Published in 1878, Rare Books Society of India has the free copy here. Marthanda Varma’s period is covered in Chapter II.
A nice to watch video on VOC & importance of the Colachel battle is on youtube:
Read an interesting blog on Ramayyan here, gives some aspects about the ministers devotion to the king and his contribution to the rise of Marthanda Varma.
I personally got hooked about the history of the Travancore royal family by C V Raman Pillai’s novels about the royal family and its fight with the eight noble Nair families. ‘Marthanda Varma’ published in 1891 is a fictional account of the period.
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