72 Facts About Pazhassi Raja

Pazhassi Raja earned the epithet "Kerala Simham" on account of his martial exploits.

Pazhassi Raja was a member of the western branch of the Kottayam royal clan.

Pazhassi Raja fought a war of resistance against the Mysorean army from 1774 to 1793.

Vira Varma, to whom Pazhassi Raja was a nephew, was appointed by the East India Company authorities as the Pazhassi Raja of Kottayam.

The conflict was renewed in 1800 over a dispute on Wayanad and after a five-year-long war of insurgency, Pazhassi Raja was killed on 30 November 1805 in a gunfight at Mavila Thodu, in the present-day Kerala-Karnataka border.

Pazhassi Raja was born as a Kshatriya Varma in the Royal Padinjare Kovilakam of Purannattukara Swarupam, the royal lineage of Kottayam.

Kerala Varma got the name Pazhassi Raja as he was a native of Pazhassi.

In 1774, at the age of 21, Pazhassi Raja took over the throne to replace his uncle who had fled to Travancore.

Pazhassi Raja vowed to resist Hyder Ali's troops, and stayed in Kottayam, where he gathered a force and began guerrilla battles against the troops of Mysore as he had neither guns nor troops enough to face them in an open battle.

Pazhassi Raja set up a large number of bases in the nearly impenetrable forested mountains of Puralimala and Wynad and repeatedly inflicted severe minor losses on the Mysore army in Kottayam as well as in Wayanad.

Pazhassi Raja's troops were recruited from several castes and tribes- that includes Nair forces Nambiars, Thiyyas, Kurichiyas and Mullukurumas.

The nephew of the escaped Raja named Vira Varma and his nephews, Ravi Varma and Pazhassi Raja now took over the reins of government.

Pazhassi Raja become the most powerful figure in Kottayam, much to the chagrin of his uncle Vira Varma.

Pazhassi Raja sent a force of 2000 Nairs to aid the EIC defence of Thalassery, and this enabled the factories to hold on successfully.

The destruction of the Coorg army in Wynad enabled Pazhassi Raja to throw a whole new army into the contest at Thalasseri.

Pazhassi Raja decided not to let Tipu enjoy Wayanad in peace and kept up a guerrilla warfare that constantly harassed Mysore troops in Wayanad and its neighbourhood.

Pazhassi Raja joined the East India Company with a force of 1500 Nairs to capture the Mysorean stronghold in Katirur.

Pazhassi Raja agreed to pay 25,000 rupees as tribute to the company.

Pazhassi Raja was disturbed when he heard about the terms which the Company put forward to the Rajas of Malabar in 1792, because the EIC had signed a cowl with him in 1790 which promised to respect the independence of Kottayam.

Pazhassi Raja resisted the East India Company from 1793 onwards till his death in 1805.

Pazhassi Raja fought two wars to resist Company intervention in the domestic affairs of his kingdom.

Pazhassi Raja was not on good terms with his uncle Vira Varma, Raja of Kurumbranad.

Pazhassi Raja calculated that a good collection might please the EIC and that they would let him seize all of Kottayam.

Vira Varma Raja, on the one hand, undertook to collect tax in Kottayam directly, but on the other hand, he encouraged Pazhassi Raja to oppose the company's domination.

Pazhassi Raja threatened that if Company officials did not give up their enumeration of pepper vines, he would have the vines destroyed.

In 1793 Tipu's Vakils protested to the Company that Pazhassi Raja, who was an EIC subsidiary, had overrun most of Wayanad.

The Pazhassi Raja was very angry at this decision and decided to retaliate by ruling his country as per customary law.

The year before the lease was concluded the Pazhassi Raja had provided asylum to a Nayar noble, Narangoli Nambiar of the Iruvazinad royal clan, who had been declared an outlaw by the East India Company for the murder of three men who had killed his kinsman.

The EIC became angry that the Pazhassi Raja had executed by impalement two robbers as per customary law.

In 1795, after a year, Vira Varma Pazhassi Raja got Kottayam on lease but was not able to collect tax there due to the efforts of his nephew Pazhassi Raja.

Pazhassi Raja was angry at Gordon's actions and sent a letter to the Supervisor at Thalassery.

Pazhassi Raja was angry that one of his former generals, named Pazhayamviden Chandu, had become an agent of Kurumbranad Pazhassi Raja and what angered him even more was that this turncoat had the audacity to boss him with Vira Varma's and EIC blessings.

Pazhassi Raja shifted his HQ to Purali Range and then into Wayanad.

Pazhassi Raja then blocked all Company communications between Wayanad and Low Malabar through Kuttiyadi Pass.

The East India Company commandant was Colonel Dow, who Pazhassi Raja knew well from the Siege of Thalassery.

Pazhassi Raja thought that this old friend might help him mediate with the Company administration.

Pazhassi Raja offered to give up the struggle provided he was pardoned and his treasure and house restored.

Pazhassi Raja feared that the East India Company planned to seize him [not knowing that their truce terms were kept blocked from him by his uncle] and retreated into the depths of Wayanad.

However, Pazhassi Raja was still eager to avoid a war and came to meet the Northern Superintendent with a bodyguard of 1500 armed Nayars.

The EIC Commissioners' attitude was arrogant; they were already prejudiced against Pazhassi Raja and were therefore blind towards Pazhassi Raja's logical argument that Vira Varma had no business in Kottayam.

Pazhassi Raja then visited the Mysorean commandant at Karkankotta in 1796 and in 1797 held an audience with his old enemy Tipu in Mysore, who posted 6000 men at Karkankotta to aid Pazhassi Raja in case of war and to supply ammunition to rebels.

Pazhassi Raja began to set up outposts in Kottayam and sent more troops to Wayanad.

Pazhassi Raja's plan was to block Periya Pass and then crush a large rebel force in Kannoth once their retreat is blocked.

Pazhassi Raja left with a small band of men but was ambushed on way by Raja's men aided by Mysorean sepoys but Dow escaped unhurt.

Pazhassi Raja retaliated by collecting a large force of Nayars which was now supplemented by Mappilas and Pathans, latter being ex-soldiers of Tipu who became unemployed after Tipu's death.

Pazhassi Raja planned a double-pronged move from Malabar Coast and Mysore into Wayanad and began preparations for that end.

Pazhassi Raja observed Major General-latter had brought reinforcements and building roads in Wayanad and outposts across rebel country.

Pazhassi Raja learned that Wellesley had left to Deccan on a military mission-Pazhassi Raja who understood that Major General's absence is a great chance swiftly made his move.

Pazhassi Raja found that he could no longer contact his supporters in Southern Wayanad and Southern Malabar.

Pazhassi Raja became a wanderer in forests but even then, to surprise of the East India Company, he ruled out compromise it seems he understood that there was no alternative to full freedom.

Pazhassi Raja had six close aides and 25 musketeers in his wanderings.

Pazhassi Raja then visited his secret bases in Kottayam and then moved into Kadathanad and into jungles of Kurumbranad.

Pazhassi Raja immediately declared total disarmament of Malabar and threatened those who kept arms with the death penalty.

Pazhassi Raja doubled the rate of tax and ordered a reassessment of tax of whole Malabar in a mere forty days.

An estimated 3350 partisans of Pazhassi Raja took part in this operation that extended south as far as Ernad.

In 1803, Wellesley left for Europe, after three years of inconclusive war with Pazhassi Raja, later destined to become Duke of Wellington, vanquisher of Napoleon at Waterloo.

Also, the effort of Kungan to rally Nayar nobles of Wayanad to support Pazhassi Raja's war-effort had succeeded.

In light of the above points, it will not be far-fetched to believe that Chetti who guided Company troops to Pazhassi Raja's hideout mentioned by Baber in his letter could be a servant or agent of Pazhayamviden Chandu.

Pazhassi Raja is alleged to have credited Menon so as to deny credit to Clafam and his superior Colonel Hill.

Kunjani, the wife of Pazhassi Raja who was taken the prisoner, committed suicide in captivity at Kappanaveedu, near Thalassery.

Pazhassi Raja believed that he was duty-bound to protect his subjects from exploitation and oppression.

Frenz supports this view and opines that Pazhassi Raja was committed to the welfare of his people and freedom of his country.

Pazhassi Raja noted that Raja considered it a personal failure as a leader if he failed to uphold sovereignty of his kingdom.

Criticism leveled against Pazhassi Raja for allying with the East India Company during his wars with Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan is not rational in light of an analysis of contemporary South Indian history.

Pazhassi Raja allied with Company initially not because he was their vassal, but because the Kingdom of Mysore was an enemy of both.

Swaminatha Iyer, a Company agent had noted as early as 1797 that extreme popularity of Pazhassi Raja was because he remained in his country with his subjects during Mysore invasions and shared with them the trials and tribulations and due to his extreme generosity to this peasantry.

Pazhassi Raja took initiative to rebuild his country which was devastated by Mysore invasions.

Pazhassi Raja is credited with the spread of agriculture in Wynad.

Pazhassi Raja started a program that encouraged tribesmen in Wynad to adopt settled agriculture.

Pazhassi Raja was assisted by eighty chieftains during his wars and some were entrusted with administrative responsibilities.

Pazhassi Raja had a stronghold in Todikulam near Kannavam which belonged to his supporter Kannavath Sankaran.

Pazhassi Raja appears in numerous folk songs in North Malabar, in which his resistance to the East India Company is the primary subject.