Poligar Revolts in South India

The Poligar Revolts were a series of armed uprisings against the British East India Company between 1755 and 1805 in the southern region of Tamil Nadu and parts of Andhra Pradesh. Led by local feudal chieftains known as Palaiyakkarars or Poligars, these conflicts emerged as early armed resistance against British tax collection, territorial annexation, and the dismantling of traditional authority.

Origins of the Poligar System

The Poligar system was established during the expansion of the Vijayanagara Empire and formalized under Viswanatha Nayaka, the ruler of Madurai, and his minister Ariyanatha Mudaliar around 1529.

Structure and Duties of Palaiyakkarars

• The entire region under Nayaka rule was divided into seventy-two administrative domains called Palayams.
• Poligars were granted land holdings in exchange for maintaining military troops, collecting revenue, and supplying armed units during wars.
• They maintained local law and order through police rights known as Padikaval or Arasu Kaval.
• The chieftains belonged to two primary geographical divisions: Eastern Palayams ruled predominantly by Telugu-speaking Nayak chiefs, and Western Palayams ruled mainly by Marava chieftains.

Causes of Conflict with the East India Company

The crisis began following the Carnatic Wars, when the Nawab of Arcot faced heavy debts owed to the British East India Company.

Treaties and Loss of Revenue Rights

• Under the Carnatic Treaty of 1781, the Nawab transferred tax collection rights over Tirunelveli and the southern Carnatic districts to the Company.
• The Carnatic Treaty of 1792 gave the British direct power to collect tributes from the Poligars and use military force against defaulters.
• Poligars viewed British tax collectors as foreign usurpers, as traditional custom granted chieftains absolute authority over local revenue within their domains.
• British policies demanded the surrender of weapons, demolition of mud forts, and absolute submission to colonial courts.

Early Phase: Resistance of Puli Thevar (1755–1767)

Puli Thevar, the chieftain of Nerkattumseval, pioneered the armed opposition against the combined forces of the Nawab of Arcot and the East India Company.

Military Actions and Alliances

• In 1755, Puli Thevar formed a confederacy of Western Poligars and successfully repulsed the joint expedition of Alexander Heron and Mahfuz Khan.
• He forged political ties with Hyder Ali of Mysore and French officers to secure artillery support.
• British commander Yusuf Khan (also known as Marudhanayagam) captured Nerkattumseval in 1761 after a prolonged siege.
• Puli Thevar recaptured his fort in 1764 following the execution of Yusuf Khan, but was finally defeated by Captain Campbell in 1767.

First Poligar War (1799)

The First Poligar War broke out in 1799 in the Tirunelveli region under the leadership of Veerapandiya Kattabomman, the ruler of Panchalankurichi.

Confrontation and the Siege of Panchalankurichi

• Kattabomman refused to pay tax arrears to Collector Colin Jackson, leading to an altercation at Ramanathapuram in September 1798 where British Officer Lieutenant Clarke was killed.
• Major S. Bannerman led Company forces to besiege the mud fort of Panchalankurichi in September 1799.
• Kattabomman offered fierce resistance but fled to the dense jungles of Pudukkottai after his fort was breached.
• Raja Vijaya Raghunatha Tondaiman of Pudukkottai captured Kattabomman and handed him over to the British.
• Kattabomman was publicly hanged from a tamarind tree at Kayathar on October 17, 1799.
• His associate Subramania Pillai was executed at Nagalapuram, and Soundra Pandian was executed at Gopalapuram.

Second Poligar War (1800–1801)

The Second Poligar War, also called the South Indian Rebellion, covered a much wider region including Tirunelveli, Sivaganga, Madurai, Dindigul, and Malabar.

Formation of the South Indian Confederacy

• In February 1801, Oomaithurai and Sevathaiah, brothers of Kattabomman, escaped from Palayamkottai prison and rebuilt the Panchalankurichi fort in six days.
• The rebellion was coordinated by the Maruthu Pandiyar brothers (Periya Maruthu and Chinna Maruthu) of Sivaganga.
• Leaders including Dheeran Chinnamalai of Kongu Nadu, Gopala Nayak of Dindigul, and Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja of Malabar joined the South Indian Confederacy.

The Tiruchirappalli Proclamation

• In June 1801, Chinna Maruthu issued the Tiruchirappalli Proclamation, considered an early written call for unified native resistance against foreign rule.
• Copies of the proclamation were posted on the walls of the Nawab’s palace at Tiruchirappalli and the outer walls of the Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam.

Suppression by Colonial Forces

• British forces under Colonel Agnew and Colonel Innes launched a campaign from Trichy and Madurai.
• Panchalankurichi Fort fell in May 1801, forcing Oomaithurai to join the Maruthu brothers at the jungle stronghold of Kalayarkoil.
• British troops captured Kalayarkoil in October 1801 through naval and infantry reinforcements.
• Maruthu Pandiyar brothers were hanged at Tiruppattur Fort in Sivaganga district on October 24, 1801.
• Oomaithurai was beheaded at Panchalankurichi on November 16, 1801.

Political Impact and Treaty of Carnatic (1801)

The suppression of the Poligar revolts reshaped the administrative map of South India.

Administrative Changes

• On July 31, 1801, the Nawab of Arcot signed the Carnatic Treaty, ceding direct administrative control over the entire Carnatic region to the British East India Company.
• The Poligar system was abolished, and all local mud forts were razed to the ground.
• The Company introduced the Permanent Zamindari Settlement, disarming the chieftains and converting remaining loyal Poligars into passive zamindars without military rights.
• Seventy-three rebel leaders were captured and deported to Penang (Prince of Wales Island) in Malaya.

Summary of Key Leaders and Regions

Important Facts and Historical Details

Viswanatha Nayaka introduced the original Palayam system under the advice of his minister Ariyanatha Mudaliar. The word Palayam translates to a military camp, and Palaiyakkarar means the holder of a military camp. Puli Thevar was the first Indian chieftain to defeat British forces when he routed the troops led by Captain Alexander Heron in 1755. The fort of Panchalankurichi was completely razed to the ground by British orders in 1799, and its name was removed from local land registers to erase its memory. The Tiruchirappalli Proclamation of 1801 addressed all Indian people regardless of religion or caste to unite against British dominance. Dheeran Chinnamalai carried out guerrilla attacks in the Kongu region using tactics learned from French officers and was executed in 1805 at Sankagiri Fort, marking the final end of the Poligar resistance era.