Everything about Velu Thampi Dalawa totally explained
Velayudhan Chempakaraman Thampi (1765 - 1809) was the
Dalawa or Prime Minister of the
Indian kingdom of
Travancore between 1801 AD and 1809 AD during the reign of His Highness
Maharajah Bala Rama Varma Kulasekhara Perumal. He is best known for being one of the earliest individuals to rebel against
British supremacy in India.
Early life
Velayudhan Chempakaraman Thampi was born in the village of Kalkulam to Sri Kunjumayitti
Pillai and his wife Valliyamma Pillai
Thankachi in 1765, near the town of Nagercoil in present day Indian state of
Tamil Nadu which then comprised a southern district of the
Travancore country. He came from a family that had been honoured with the high title of
Chempakaraman for their services to the state by Maharajah
Marthanda Varma. Velayudhan Thampi, better known as Velu Thampi, was appointed a
Kariakkar or
Tahsildar for the same district during the initial years of the reign of Maharajah Bala Rama Varma.
Rise to Dalawaship
Bala Rama Varma was one of
Travancore's least popular sovereigns whose reign was marked by unrest and various internal and external problems to the state . He became King at the young age of sixteen and came under the influence of a corrupt nobleman known as
Jayanthan Sankaran Nampoothiri who belonged to the
Zamorins kingdom. One of the first acts of atrocities during his reign was the murder
Raja Kesavadas, the existing
Dewan of Travancore at the instigation of Sankaran Nampoothiri. Sankaran Nampoothiri then became Dewan or Prime minister. Sankaran Nampoothiri was a corrupt minister who started ordering the
Tahsildars of the districts to pay him amounts of money which he determined without any reference to the revenue of the districts. Likewise he ordered Velu Thampi to pay him an amount of Rs. 3000 to which he responded asking for three days time. At the end of the third day Velu Thampi arrived at the capital of
Trivandrum and forced the weak Maharajah to banish the
Namboodiri Dewan and his associates from the country and instead appoint him as the
Dalawa. This was immediately complied to by the frightened Maharajah and Velu Thampi was appointed the
Dalawa of
Travancore.
Acts as Dalawa
After Velu Thampi became Dalawa of
Travancore he faced serious opposition from two relatives of the late
Raja Kesavadas who applied for help to get rid of Velu Thampi from their associates at
Bombay. These letters were intercepted and presented to the Maharajah in a negative light, who ordered the immediate execution of the two men, Chempakaraman Kumaran Pillai and Erayiman Pillai. Having cleared his way, Velu Thampi became the Dalawa facing no more opposition. The
Madras Government sanctioned his appointment within a few months.
Velu Thampi wasn't an able statesman like
Ramayyan Dalawa or
Raja Kesavadas his immediate two predecessors. He was of rebellious nature. Within three years of the death of
Raja Kesavadas the country was plagued with corruption and various problems caused by the banished Namboodiri Dalawa. Velu Thampi resorted to harsh punishments with a view to improve situations in his country. Flogging, cutting of the ears and nose, nailing people to trees etc were some of the punishments adopted during his reign as
Dalawa. The harshness however had its effect and peace and order was restored within the state within a year of Velu Thampi's accession to Dalawaship .
Intrigues against Velu Thampi
The undue severity and overbearing conduct of the Dalawa resulted in resentment amongst his own colleagues, the very same people who had assisted his rise to power. A conspiracy was formed against him under the influence of Kunjunilam Pillai, a powerful cabinet official of
Travancore who succeeded in getting the Maharajah to sign a royal warrant to arrest and immediately execute Velu Thampi Dalawa. The Dalawa was at
Allepey when he got intelligence of the conspiracy and immediately hurried to
Cochin to meet the
British Resident Major Macaulay who was a good friend of his now. The Resident had already received evidence that Kunjunilam Pillai had a major hand in the murder of
Raja Kesavadas and hence he, arming Velu Thampi with a small force of British soldiers, deputed him to
Trivandrum where the conspiracy of Kunjunilam Pillai was investigated. Pillai was found guilty of murder and conspiracy and accordingly punished. With this obstacle removed, Velu Thampi regained his former influence once again .
Mutiny of the Nair Troops
The armies of
Travancore consisted of the
Nairs and when in 1804 Velu Thampi proposed a reduction in their allowances, the same was met with immediate discontent. The troops believed that this proposal was at the suggestion of the British and immediately resolved in the assassination of both, the Resident Major Macaulay as well as the
Dalawa Velu Thampi. Velu Thampi fled to
Cochin again to his friend, the Resident as the
Nairs marched to
Trivandrum in a strong army of ten thousand sepoys and demanded of the Maharajah the immediate dismissal of the Dalawa and ending of any alliance with the British. Meanwhile the Resident and the Dalawa collected forces at Cochin and assisted by the Carnatic Brigade marched to
Trivandrum and put an end to the mutiny. Several of its leaders were executed in the most gruesome manner. One Krishna Pillai, a commander of a regiment, had his legs tied to two elephants which were driven in the opposite direction, tearing him to pieces.
Alliance with the British
The Treaty signed with the British East India Company by the popular Maharajah
Dharma Raja Rama Varma in 1795 was revised in what is known as the Treat of 1805 after the insurrection of the
Nair troops in
Travancore. It increased the British force stationed in
Travancore and the amount of money to be paid as tribute to the British. This was the main change brought about in the Treaty of 1805 .
Velu Thampi's Position
Travancore was at that time, owing to all its internal problems, facing a heavy financial crisis and the ratification of the Treaty by Velu Thampi created serious discontent as it increased the dependence of
Travancore on the British and also made indebted it to the English Company. In spite of being fully aware of the financial crisis in Travancore, the Resident Major Macaulay pressed Velu Thampi for immediate payment of the large amount of tribute and the expenses of putting down the mutiny of the Nair troops. The Maharajah meanwhile wrote to the
Madras government for the recall of the Resident and appointment of a new resident which was denied. But this news made the Resident more obstinate against
Travancore and he pressurised the Dalawa for payments immediately.
The Dalawa was now disillusioned with the
British whom he'd considered a friend and who considered any "aggression on
Travancore as an aggression on themselves" as per the previous treaties. His discontent was first given vent to by the assassination of the ambassador of the Resident in the court. The Maharajah had communicated his discontent with the Dalawa to this ambassador, a certain Subba Iyen, and this information was known to the
Maharajahs wife, Arumana Amma, a noblewomen of the Arumana Ammaveedu family. She was a lady of influence, who apparently communicated Royal secrets to the Dalawa, and she informed the Dalawa of the Maharajah's intention to dismiss him, with support from the Resident. This increased the anger of the Dalawa against the British. First the Resident demanded for impossible amounts of money and now he'd started interfering with the internal affairs of the state.
Affairs in Cochin
Just as in
Travancore affairs in the neighbouring
Kingdom of Cochin was also of great confusion and distaste against the Resident. The Rajah of Cochin had retired to a small village near Alwaye while the kingdom was actually run by his powerful minister and relative, the
Paliath Achan Govindan Menon. Paliath Achan wanted the assassination of a powerful and trusted aide of the Rajah, a certain Kunju Krishna Menon (whose daughter later married
Ayilyam Thirunal Maharajah of
Travancore), who was protected by the Resident. This increased the hostility between the
Paliath Achan and the Resident who started interfering in the internal affairs of
Cochin as well, incurring serious displeasure from the
Paliath Achan.
Velu Thampi's Insurrection
Velu Thampi Dalawa and the
Paliath Achan, Govindan
Menon, met and decided on the extirpation of the
British Resident and end of British supremacy in their respective states. Velu Thampi organised recruits, strengthened forts and stored up ammunition while similar preparations was made by the
Paliath Achan in Cochin. Velu Thampi applied to the
Zamorin of Calicut and to the
French for assistance, but both didn't acknowledge the request. The plan of the
Paliath Achan and Velu Thampi was to unitedly attack the Fort of
Cochin and murder the British Resident Major Macaulay and Kunju Krishna Menon. Another force was appointed to attack the British garrison at
Quilon. This was in the year 1807.
The Resident realised the object of the simultaneous preparations on
Travancore and
Cochin and immediately wrote of the
Madras government for reinforcements. His Majesty's 12th Regiment and two native battalions were ordered to aid the Resident. Velu Thampi pretended great alarm at these preparations and begged permission to resign his office and retire to
Malabar in the English territories. The same was agreed upon and on 28th December 1808 Velu Thampi was to be escorted to
Malabar. The intention of Velu Thampi however was to divert the Resident's forces away from
Cochin in which he succeeded. That night a body of armed men led by the
Paliath Achan, surrounded the Residency at Bolghatty Palace and surprised the Resident, who was under the impression that the menace of Velu Thampi was finally over. The Resident and Kunju Krishna Menon however succeeded in escaping and reached
Quilon. The disappointed Velu Thampi asked his troops to attack them at Quilon.
The Nair troops meanwhile attacked the Subsidiary force of the British at
Quilon. In spite of greater numbers, the troops were not organised and lacked a leader and hence for the night on 30th December 1808 the British under Colonel Chalmers held their ground. The Dalawa didn't lose heart. He collected a force of thirty thousand men and again attacked the British on 15th January 1809. The British organised their armies strategically and the Nair sepoys were finally repulsed. The British regiments in Cochin were attacked by the
Paliath Achan but here too he was defeated.
Velu Thampi then went to Kundara where he made his famous proclamation in January 1809 urging the people to fight the British. The proclamation had its effect and the whole country rose like one man against the British. This was now a desperate game being played by Velu Thampi. He exploited the religious orthodoxy of the people by making them believe the British were Christian missionaries. The proclamation even influenced the Maharajah at
Trivandrum who felt now that Velu Thampi was his only true friend. Wholesale butchery of foreigners took place in
Travancore, thereby disgracing the cause of the rebellion. The British realised that the Dalawa was now desperate.
Rebellion Quelled
Colonel Leger came from Madras on 6th February 1809 and camped on the Aramboly pass. He entered Travancore the next morning and attacked the lines of the Nair troops near the Palamcottah fort. The Nair troops were defeated and the Dalawa himself fled to
Trivandrum. Having secured entry into
Travancore the British now moved into the interior and within a few days the two important forts of
Padmanabhapuram and Udayagiri also fell into their hands. Meanwhile at
Quilon where the Nair troops were planning yet another final attack heard of the fall of these forts and losing heart dispersed, the cause of overthrowing the British yoke, being forgotten. Velu Thampi himself fled from
Trivandrum touching at Kilimanoor where he called on the Royal family there. After staying there for the night he proceeded northwards but was overtaken in the Bhagawati Temple at
Mannadi where he was surrounded by the British. The Maharajah had joined hands with the
British for his capture under the influence of Ummini
Thampi, a government official. However the Dalawa wasn't taken alive. In the Temple he asked his brother to cut his throat, which on being refused, he did it himself. Velu Thampi thus passed away in the Mannadi Temple. His brother surrendered and was taken to
Quilon and executed there. Velu Thampi's body was taken to
Trivandrum and exposed on a gibbet. The man who informed the British of the Dalawa's whereabouts received an award of Rs. 50,000 from the British. Velu Thampi's ancestral home was razed to the ground and his relatives after being flogged and banished, were taken to the
Maldives when, while touching at
Tuticorin many of them committed suicide.
The Paliath Achan
Following the end of Velu Thampi Dalawa, the
Paliath Achan without any support left surrendered to the British. He lost all support from the Rajah of Cochin, who wished to get rid of the
Paliath Achan who was the actual ruler of
Cochin and recover his position under subordination of the British. Govindan Menon, the then Paliath Achan was first deported to
Madras, where he was kept prisoner at Fort St. George for 12 years. He was then taken to
Bombay and remained a prisoner there for 13 years, finally passing away at
Benares.
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