Rama Varma and the origins of Travancore-Mysore hostility

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This blog is part of a series on the royal family of Travancore. Earlier posts covered the rise of Travancore and its military power under Marthanda Varma. With the passing away of Marthanda Varma, his nephew Rama Varma took over the reigns of the kingdom. His forty year rule was marked by a nearly constant warfare with the father-son duo of Mysore, Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan. The Mysore-Travancore conflict was to play a decisive role in the fall of Tipu Sultan, the destruction of his kingdom and the unchecked rise of the British East India Company as the predominant power of the subcontinent. This blog looks at the evolving political situation, the origin of Travancore-Mysore hostility and examines the conflicts from the point of view of the kings of Kerala. Hidden in this conflict is the ultimate sobering lesson from history – where there is unity, there is always victory.

When spiders unite, they can tie down a lion

An Old Ethiopian Proverb

Travancore’s neighbors

Marthanda Varma, on his deathbed, had issued a set of instructions to his successor, Rama Varma. Chief amongst these was to ensure that the British East India Company (EIC) was always kept as a close friend and ally. The Travancore kings were never to undertake any activity that would harm friendship with the EIC. Why would a king who had ended Dutch rule & trade monopoly at the battle of Colachel be so worried about the British? As it turns out, Marthanda Varma’s note of caution was based on the geo-political state of the country at that time.

Arcot and the Carnatic Wars

In the year 1751, seven years before Marthanda Varma passed away, a historic battle was fought between the French East India Company (and their ally, the Nawab of Arcot) against the British East India Company. By the mid-18th century, the Mughal empire was in tatters. Commanders and Governors of far flung regions only barely remained under the Mughal umbrella. The Deccan was under the control of the Nizam of Hyderabad, and further south the Carnatic area was under the Nizam’s deputy – the Nawab of Carnatic who had his headquarters at Arcot (the Carnatic Nawab was also known as the Nawab of Arcot for this reason). The British trading port at Madras and the French port at Pondicherry were in the Carnatic region and hence it became important to both the British and the French to have the Carnatic ruler sympathetic to them.

Why would a king who had ended Dutch rule & trade monopoly at the battle of Colachel be so worried about the British?

The French had outwitted the British and had their man, Chanda Sahib, placed as the Nawab of Arcot. Muhammed Ali Khan, the British claimant to the Nawab’s post, retired to Trichy and an uneasy peace remained in the region for a while. In what would have far reaching consequences, Chanda Sahib, in a rash move, led an assault on Muhammed Ali Khan who was being protected by a small British army contingent. His aim was to once and for all put an end to the challenger to the Nawab’s post. There was no way that Chanda Sahib could lose, or so he thought – his troops were better trained, more in number, had better ammunition and had French support – but fortune, as they say, favors the brave.

Amongst the British at Trichy was a clerk of the EIC. His name – Robert Clive. Clive quickly took over command of the British army and instead of waiting for Chanda Sahib to attack Trichy, counter-attacked at Arcot, the Nawab’s capital.

The rest was history – against overwhelming odds, Clive took over Arcot, defeating the Nawab’s army and destroyed the French imperial plans in India. Chanda Sahib was put to the sword, Muhammed Ali was installed as the Nawab of the Carnatic as a British puppet and the British East India Company became the pre-eminent foreign power in the South.

Did you know…
Amongst other things, the victory of Clive at Arcot created the myth of British invincibility in India. A myth was created that the British could not be defeated and many Indian kings thought it wise to ally with the British. Marthanda Varma was one amongst them.

Plassey and the conquest of Bengal

The battle of Plassey in 1757 is well known to any student of Indian history. Fresh from his success at Arcot, Robert Clive moved to Bengal and defeated the army of Siraj-ud-Daula at Plassey. The treachery of Mir Jafar and his unethical means definitely helped Clive take over Bengal, but the end result was that the richest province in the whole country was under British rule. If anyone thought that the British rise to power could be checked after the Carnatic wars, the battle of Plassey well and surely sealed the matter.

Samuthiri – between the devil and the deep sea

Amongst Travancore’s immediate neighbors, the Samuthiri of Calicut was in the most precarious position. To the South of Calicut was Cochin and beyond that was Travancore; to the North of Calicut was the formidable kingdom of Mysore.

Calicut had a frosty relationship with Travancore: during Marthanda Varma’s time, the Samuthiri had tried to bully the Raja of Cochin in order to indirectly control Travancore. All that it ended up doing was to push Cochin into an alliance with Travancore and leaving Calicut bitter at both Cochin and Travancore.

The Samuthiri’s bigger challenge though was from the North. Mysore under Hyder Ali was flexing its muscles and the trade and commerce through the Malabar coast was something that Hyder Ali had his eyes on. Hyder Ali and his son were to wage wars over decades, to control the Malabar coast and expand their base in Kerala.

Mysore flexes its muscle

And that brings us to the most powerful kingdom in South India in the mid-18th century: Mysore. In the 1750’s, it was not just Robert Clive who was sharpening his battle skills. In Mysore, Hyder Ali had grown from being the commander of the Dindigul fort to becoming the de facto ruler of Mysore.

During Travancore’s conflict with the Dutch, Marthanda Varma initially had correspondences with Hyder Ali asking for support and Hyder Ali had responded positively. The Travancore king eventually backed out and this caused some bad blood between the two. Marthanda Varma was extremely cautious about Hyder Ali and his military prowess and this was another reason for Travancore to go the extra mile to keep the British as an ally.

Timeline

To help readers navigate through the timelines mentioned in this blog, an outline of the critical events that took place the latter half of the 18th century is detailed here. It is hoped that readers would find this timeline helpful in navigating the fluid political situation of that time.

Rama Varma

With the passing away of Marthanda Varma, his nephew Rama Varma came to the throne. The year was 1758 and Travancore was going through a phase of peace and prosperity. The Dutch who had been defeated at Colachel were now friends of the Maharaja of Travancore. The Raja of Cochin had accepted Travancore supremacy and the British and their protectorate of the Carnatic were on friendly terms with Travancore.

By nature, Rama Varma was peace loving and fully determined to continue the pro-people policies of his predecessor. Efficient officers were appointed to important positions, especially around revenue collection and public works, and these ministers ensured that the administrative system as designed by Marthanda Varma’s minister, Ramayyan Dalawa, was continued. Pepper remained the black gold for Travancore and the state’s monopoly on internal and external trade of pepper filled Rama Varma’s coffers.

A visionary king is someone who anticipates war and prepares for it. For, as the saying goes, well prepared is half won. Rama Varma had misgivings about the intentions of Mysore and thought it wise to build his military capability and also fortify the northern frontier of the kingdom. The task was assigned to Eustachius D’Lannoy, the commander of the Travancore army. D’Lannoy would go on to create a fortification the likes of which has rarely been recorded in the annals of Indian history.

Nedumkotta

D’Lannoy’s plan was simple – rather than stopping an invading army within Travancore territory, build a fortification line passing through the territory of the state of Cochin. The Cochin Raja was already indebted to Travancore, so a gentle request from Rama Varma was enough to get Cochin state on board and get approval for the fortification to pass through Cochin territory. Work began in right earnest. This defensive wall, called Nedumkotta or the Travancore Lines, ran from the west coast all the way to the Western Ghats.

^{This figure shows the original alignment of the Nedumkotta (the yellow line). It stretched from the Dutch trading posts on the Arabian Sea all the way to the natural defenses of the Western Ghats. The defensive wall was well away from Travancore proper and offered an opportunity for Rama Varma’s army to keep the fight away from the capital. Click on the picture to see an enlarged view. Picture copyright: Let’s Discover India}

Did you know…

It is said that the defensive wall was 20 feet thick and 12 feet high, dotted with small forts and underground caves (which doubled up as a store house for ammunition & food as well as a hiding place for soldiers). To the north of the barrier, facing the enemy, was a ditch 16 feet wide and 20 feet deep in which thorny shrubs were grown. And to the south of the barrier, wide roads were constructed for easy movement of men and materials.

D’Lannoy also got many foundries started and they churned out cannon balls for the army. From the Nawab of Carnatic, swords, shields and lances were procured, while the British and the Dutch supplied guns. It was only a matter of time before all this planning was to be put to the test: Hyder Ali was to storm into Malabar – the first of his many visits.

Hyder Ali comes visiting

In 1766, Hyder Ali of Mysore led an invading force into Malabar. His eyes were set on the strategic ports on the Arabian Sea and finding a way to link the port of Mahe on the Malabar coast to Mysore. What was special about Mahe that invited Hyder Ali’s attack? Mahe was under French control and the French were providing arms and armaments to Hyder Ali. These arms came via sea and landed at Mahe, so connecting Mysore with Mahe was militarily important for Hyder Ali.

The battle hardened Mysore army routed the Samuthiri in no time and occupied the entire Malabar coast. The Samuthiri sent his family further south to Cochin (who in turn sent them to Travancore). Left with no option to defend his city, the Samuthiri set his palace on fire and committed suicide. The whole of the country from Mangalore to the northern boundary of the Cochin state was now under Mysore control.

Hyder Ali now turned his attention to Cochin. The Raja of Cochin, who had no army worth its name to offer a fight to Mysore, immediately sued for peace. Agreeing to pay a tribute of “2 lakh rupees and 8 elephants”, the Cochin Raja became a tributary to Mysore. This actually put Cochin in a very unique position – it was now a tributary to both Travancore and Mysore. In effect, the state was double mortgaged!

Hyder Ali and Rama Varma

With the Samuthiri and Cochin out of the way, Hyder turned his attention to Travancore. Travancore may have powerful friends in the Arcot Nawab and the British, but in 1766 no other military power in South India would dare touch Mysore. Hyder Ali’s demand from Travancore – pay 15 lakh rupees and 30 elephants and agree to be a tributary to Mysore. Rama Varma’s, and Travancore’s, worst fears had come true.

With Mysore having no direct enmity, trade or land dispute with Travancore, it would have made better sense for Hyder Ali to cultivate friendship with Travancore. But at the peak of his power, Hyder Ali chose to bully Travancore. Rama Varma chose not to accept the request and alerted his troops for imminent battle. In 1766, the Nedumkotta was not fully completed, and if Hyder Ali had chosen war over Travancore, Rama Varma may not have survived and the future of India may have looked very different.

Hyder departs

While Hyder Ali was waiting for Rama Varma to agree to his terms, the Marathas attacked northern Mysore. Soon enough, others – notably, the Nizam of Hyderabad, the Nawab of Arcot and the British – got into the party. Hyder Ali returned back to his home turf to defend Mysore. Over the next year and a half, friends and foes changed sides at blistering speed and there was near continuous warfare between the kingdoms. To give an idea of how fluid the situation was, sample this:

• The Marathas who initiated the attack on Mysore withdrew after collecting a payment from Hyder Ali
• The Nizam of Hyderabad joined hands with the British and attacked Hyder Ali. Midway through the battle, the Nizam and Hyder Ali joined hands after exchanging money and titles
• Mysore was now fighting both on the northern, western and the eastern fronts. When Hyder Ali focused on the Carnatic, the British took over Mangalore. When Hyder sent troops to Mangalore, the Marathas joined hands with the British and retook the Carnatic.
• The Nizam started having second thoughts and joined hands with the British against Mysore.

These wars, known as the First Anglo-Mysore war, ended in victory for Mysore. The British and Hyder Ali signed the ‘Treaty of Madras’ and hostilities ended. Mysore had made territorial gains and now controlled the whole of Malabar.

Rama Varma heaved a sigh of relief – Travancore was safe, for the moment. It had by now become amply clear that the only way to protect Travancore was to stop the enemy at the Nedumkotta. Renewed attention was focused on completing the defensive lines.

Hyder Ali returns

Although Hyder Ali had nominal control over Malabar, the Nair chieftains of Malabar rallied under the descendant of the Samuthiri and kept harassing the Mysore troops. Trade and military movement were disrupted and slowly and steadily the local rulers started taking back their territory from Mysore. In 1774, Hyder Ali returned to Malabar via Wayanad with a huge force. Regaining control of Malabar and putting an end to the unrest from the local Nair rulers were Hyder Ali’s main aims. Given that there were no strong opponents to the Mysore army in Malabar, this was a relatively easy task. A much bigger price awaited down south – the rich and strategic territory of Travancore.

The British had been licking their wounds after their inglorious defeat in the first Anglo-Mysore war. Hyder Ali’s entry into Malabar gave them an opportunity to further muddy the waters of the political landscape in North Kerala. Frequent battles ensued, with control of forts moving back and forth between Mysore and the British.

Rama Varma shows his mettle

As with Hyder Ali’s first attack in Malabar, the local rulers stood no chance against the powerful Mysore army. Leaving behind able bodied men who could conduct guerilla warfare, the rest of the royals escaped to Travancore. Amongst them was the Samuthiri of Calicut. Hyder Ali was furious at Travancore giving protection to his enemies and demanded that they be returned back to face punishment – a demand that Rama Varma politely refused.

It is a testimony to the character of Rama Varma that he refused the ‘request’ of the Mysore Nawab to return back the Malabar royals

It is critical to note the odds that Rama Varma faced at this juncture. Mysore was politically, militarily and strategically a far more superior power than Travancore. Hyder Ali was a military general turned Nawab and was used to constant warfare. Rama Varma, on the other hand, was an able and just administrator and not used to the battlefield. He had an alliance with the British, but that alliance was never put to the test and hence could not be fully relied upon. Keeping in mind this background, it is a testimony to the character of Rama Varma that he refused the ‘request’ of the Mysore Nawab to return back the Malabar royals.

Cochin capitulates

An enraged Hyder Ali ordered his troops to attack Travancore. Between Travancore and near certain destruction stood the kingdom of Cochin and the trading ports & forts of the Dutch. The Dutch, after the battle of Colachel, had developed a very cordial relationship with Travancore. When Hyder Ali knocked at the Dutch doors to allow passage through their territory into Travancore, the Dutch played a delaying game. The Dutch Governor at Cranganore (present day Kondungallur in Kerala) wanted permission from his higher-ups and that would take time, so Hyder Ali was requested to wait.

The Mysore army hadn’t stormed into Malabar and made its way to Travancore to wait for permission from Dutch bureaucracy. An alternate route existed to Travancore – this was via the territory of the Raja of Cochin. Remember that the Cochin ruler did not have any stomach for a fight against Mysore during the first Anglo-Mysore war and had paid money and elephants as a tribute. Nothing much had changed in the intervening 6 years – Cochin paid ‘four lakh rupees, four elephants and promised an annual tribute of one-and-a-half lakh rupees’ and stepped aside for the Mysore army to pass through. Hyder Ali’s troops were now at the Nedumkotta.

Untold story of Pazhassi Raja

In the annals of Kerala history, there is but one ruler who is known as the ‘Lion of Kerala‘. This was Pazhassi Raja, the ruler of a small kingdom in the mountainous regions around present day Wayanad. Fiercely independent, Pazhassi Raja was against his people, land and freedom being controlled by anyone. When Hyder Ali swept through Wayanad into Malabar, it was Pazhassi Raja who was spearheading guerilla attacks on the Mysore forces. Hyder Ali’s troops surrounded the British fort at Tellicherry near present day Kannur, and the helpless British requested and joined hands with Pazhassi Raja to help beat back Hyder Ali’s forces. Pazhassi Raja’s condition for support – he, his kingdom and people would never pay tribute to either Mysore or the British and his independence was paramount.

As time would tell, the British had no intention of keeping their word. In 1777-1779 though, they had no option but to extend a hand of friendship towards Pazhassi Raja. With the Mysore-Travancore armies facing each other at the Nedumkotta, the Raja and his forces struck Hyder Ali’s troops. Sardar Khan, Hyder Ali’s general who was deputed to defeat the British, occupy Tellicherry and subdue all the local rulers, was killed. General rebellion now broke out in North Malabar and sensing an opportunity, the British occupied the French port of Mahe in 1779. That was a big personal blow to Hyder Ali as he had committed to the French that Mahe was under his personal protection. Mysore declared war on the British and the second Anglo-Mysore war commenced.

The Dutch played a delaying game… Hyder Ali was asked to wait

Travancore would have to wait for the moment as Hyder Ali moved his troops back to Malabar and into conflicts with the British. Pazhassi Raja’s stubborn refusal to run way or give up his land and freedom had just saved the day for Travancore.

Tipu Sultan takes over

The second Anglo-Mysore war needs multiple posts by itself, but it can be said that the war ended in a stalemate. Travancore troops aided the British war effort in the battles of Palghat and Calicut. Hyder Ali, suffering from cancer, passed away in 1782 and his eldest son Tipu Sultan took over the reigns of Mysore. If Malabar had suffered enough from the onslaught of Hyder Ali’s army, worse was to come from Tipu.

In 1784, the second Anglo-Mysore war ended with the signing of the ‘Treaty of Mangalore’. As per the terms of the treaty, all powers retreated back to their positions prior to the battle. A war that started with Hyder Ali entering Malabar through Wayanad in 1774, and further bloodied by the British opportunistically trying to take over North Malabar had led to death and destruction in South India and ended in a stalemate. Malabar continued to be under Mysore and the Carnatic, especially Thanjavur, was ravaged by Hyder Ali’s troops. Travancore escaped destruction and the Nedumkotta was still left untested.

Within five years, Tipu Sultan and his army, aided by the famed ‘Mysore rockets’, would put the Nedumkotta to its ultimate test.

In the next blog in this series we will examine the effects of Tipu’s attacks on the Malabar and how Rama Varma stood steadfast to his Dharma and came to be called as ‘Dharma Raja’.

Further Reading

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. Rama Varma’s reign and the Mysore attack on Travancore is covered in Chapter III.

Marthanda Varma’s reign was covered in a two part blog series earlier, the first of which can be read here.