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{{short description|Battle in 1749 between Thekkumkur and Travancore, India}}
{{EngvarB|date=January 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Battle of Changanassery
| partof = the Travancore-Thekkumkur War
| image = File:Map of Thekkumkur in 1790.jpg
| image_size = 300px
| caption = Map of Thekkumkur Kingdom
| date = September 1749
| place = [[Changanassery]], [[Thekkumkur|Kingdom of Thekkumkur]], [[India]]
| result = Victory for the [[Travancore|Kingdom of Travancore]]
| combatant1 = {{flagicon image|Flag_of_Kingdom_of_Travancore.svg}} [[Travancore|Kingdom of Travancore]]
| combatant2 = {{flagicon image|Flag_of_Thekkumkur.png}} [[Thekkumkur|Kingdom of Thekkumkur]]
| commander1 = {{flagicon image|Flag_of_Kingdom_of_Travancore.svg}} [[Marthanda Varma]]
*[[Ramayyan Dalawa]]
*[[Eustachius De Lannoy]]
*Kumaraswamy Pillai
| commander2 = {{flagicon image|Flag_of_Thekkumkur.png}} [[Aditya Varma Manikandan]]
*Vazhappadathu Panicker
*Pathillathil Pottimar{{Executed}}
| strength1 = 10,000–12,000 soldiers
| strength2 = Unknown
| casualties1 =
| casualties2 =
| coordinates = {{Coord|9.451|N|76.545|E|display=inline}}
}}

'''The Battle of Changanacherry''' was a battle between the kingdoms of [[Thekkumkur]] and [[Travancore]] in September 1749.<ref name=":0">Shungoonny Menon - A HISTORY OF TRAVANCORE - First edition: 1878, New edition: 1983, Page 130, 131 - {{ISBN|978-8170200406}}</ref> Defeat in this decisive battle led to Thekkumkur losing its dominance and expanding the Tranvancore empire to the southern border of [[Meenachil River|the river Meenachilar]].<ref>http://www.ktm.kerala.gov.in/history.htm {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311003543/http://www.ktm.kerala.gov.in/history.htm |date=11 March 2007 }} Official website of Kottayam</ref>

The kingdom of Travancore conquered the princely states of [[Kayamkulam]] and [[Ambalapuzha]] under the leadership of [[Ramayyan Dalawa]] (the Dewan of Travancore). Thekkumkur army provided assistance to counter Travancore's invasion of princely state Ambalapuzha. Realizing this, King Marthanda Varma decided to invade Thekkumkoor following the fall of Champakassery (Ampalapuzha).<ref>A. Sreedhara Menon (1987). Political History of Modern Kerala. DC Books. pp. 140–. {{ISBN|978-81-264-2156-5}}. Retrieved 10 August 2012.</ref><ref>N.E Kesavan Namboothiri, Thekkumkoor Charithravum Puravrithavum (Kottayam: National Book Stall, 2014), 8-9.</ref>

== The cause of the war ==
In the 13th century, Thekkumkur Rajdhani was shifted to [[Puzhavathu]] in [[Changanassery]] after [[Thrikkodithanam]], [[Vennimala]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vaikhari.org/vennimala.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110423110651/http://www.vaikhari.org/vennimala.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=23 April 2011|title=Vennimala Sree Rama Lakshmana Perumal Temple|website=www.vaikhari.org}}</ref> [[Manikandapuram]] and others. The last king of Thekkumkur was [[Aditya Varma Manikandan]] and he resided in the [[Neerazhi Palace]] at Changanassery. After hearing of the military advance of the [[Travancore]] under the leadership of [[Ramayyan Dalawa]]; the crown prince of [[Thekkumkur]] then advised ''Aditya Varma Manikandan'' to make a friendship with Travancore kingdom by understanding the downfall of princely state [[Purakkad|Ampalapuzha]] (Chempakassery) and the fall of princely state [[Kayamkulam]].<ref>https://www.namboothiri.com/ articles/naaduvaazhikal.htm</ref>

Then crown prince (Ilaya rajah) went to [[Thiruvananthapuram]] and met [[Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma]] and requested help. Aditya Varma Manikandan, angry at the crown prince's action, a messenger was sent to Thiruvananthapuram carrying a letter purportedly written by his sick mother.<ref>The Travancore State Manual Vol 1 to 4; Publisher : Kerala Council for Historical Research; {{ISBN|8185499268}}; Edition : 1996; Pages: 2500; Author:T.K. Velu Pillai; Editor:S.Raimon; Category:Manuals; Year of Publishing:1940
</ref> The crown prince had told king Marthanda Varma that this was a strategy to annihilate him, but king persuaded him to go to Changanassery to meet his sick mother and gave him some gifts for Thekkumkur king Aditya Varma Manikandan.

When the young prince reached Thekkumkur, he was assassinated by the royal guards at the behest of his elder brother.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Thiruvananthapuram/unravelling-a-17th-century-multilingual-school/article25753903.ece|title=Unravelling a 17th century multilingual school|first=U.|last=Hiran|newspaper=The Hindu |date=15 December 2018|via=www.thehindu.com}}</ref> The king spread the news that the prince Kotha Varma had died of a snake bite. Recognizing the news from Thekkumkur about the wrong decision of the Thekkumkur king, Marthanda Varma of Travancore ordered Ramayyan Dalawa to march to Thekkumkur and capture the king Aditya Varma Manikandan<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/ahistorytravanc00menogoog|title=A History of Travancore from the Earliest Times|date=30 November 1878|publisher=Higginbotham|via=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref>A Sreedhara Menon (1 January 2007). A Survey Of Kerala History. DC Books. pp. 166–. {{ISBN|978-81-264-1578-6}}. Retrieved 9 August 2012.</ref>

== The War ==
[[File:Ramayyan Dalawa.jpg|150px|thumb|Ramayyan Dalawa]]
When the [[Travancore]] troops reached [[Aranmula]] in the south of [[Thekkumkur]] kingdom, the [[Telugu Brahmin]]s stopped the Travancore army in the belief, that in Travancore the life of a Brahman was sacred, and consequently that they would not be in danger of being attacked. On this, [[Ramayyan Dalawa|Ramayya]] requested Captain D'Lanoy to do his duty without shrinking. D'Lanoy called a few companies of his detachment, consisting of Christians, Moplahs and fishermen, directed them to drive away the mob of Brahmans and clear the way for the march. By the confusion created by the Brahmins, sufficient time was afforded to the King [[Aditya Varma Manikandan]], who was at a place near Aranmula, to flee from his country to the north. After defeating the Telugu Brahmins at Aranmula, Ramayan Dalawa took over [[Thiruvalla|Thiruvalla gramam]], where the [[Vilakkilli Madom Pottimar]] gave no resistance. Ramayyan's next target was the [[Neerazhi Palace]] of [[Thekkumkur]] at [[Changanassery]]. The Thekkumkur had a larger and stronger army than the other princely states ([[Kayamkulam]], [[Purakkad|Ampalapuzha]]) conquered by the Ramayyan. The Thekkumkur fort and the Neerazhi palace at Changanasseri were attacked in September 1749.<ref>Thekkumkoor Charithravum Puravrithavum, Author: Prof N E Kesavan Nampoothiri, Publisher: NBS (National Book Stall, Kottayam: 2014), {{ISBN|9789385725647}}</ref>

On 11 September 1750, [[Ramayyan Dalawa]]h took possession of [[Changanassery|Changanasserri]], the seat of the Thakankoor Rajah. The State treasury, jewels, arms and property of a considerable value, fell into [[Ramayyan Dalawa|Ramayyan]]'s hands, among which were some brass guns and mortars of European manufacture.

The [[Vazhappally Pathillathil Potimar]] (administrator of [[Vazhappally Maha Siva Temple]]) assisted the Thekkumkur king in the Neerazhi Palace and transferred him to Nattassery at [[Kottayam]]. The Kannamperoor wooden bridge at [[Vazhappally]] was destroyed to prevent the Travancore troops from following them in the event of adverse weather. The Thekkumkur king Aditya Verma fled to [[Calicut]] and was given refuge by the [[Zamorin of Calicut|Zamorin (Zamuthiri)]]. By this time, Ramayyan had influenced Vazhappadathu Paniker, the commander of Thekkumkur, and had learned the movement secret of the Pathillathil Pottimar. Proceedings of 11 September 1749; On the 28th of the year Malayalam era 925 Chingam (11_September_1749 AD), the capital of the Thekkumkur conquered by Ramayyan Dalawa and merged to Travancore kingdom.<ref>{{cite book|last=Menon|first=P Shungoonny|title=History of Travancore from the Earliest Times by P Shungoonny Menon (Dewan Peishcar of Travancore)|year=1878|publisher=Higginbotham and Company|location=Madras|pages=152, 153}}</ref>
<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://travel.manoramaonline.com/travel/getting-about-kerala/kottayam/2019/09/07/kottayam-history-historic-sites-churches-temples-fort.html|title=Remains of Kottayam's glorious past|website=OnManorama}}</ref>

==The Vazhappally Pathillathil Pottimar==
[[File:Salagramam (3).jpg|150px|thumb|left|Vazhappally Shala - A temple at Vazhappally that was attacked]]
The Pathillathil pottimar (''10 Brahmin families as the administrator of Vazhappally Maha Siva Temple'') were charged with treason because they helped the Thekkumkur' Rajah Aditya Varma Manikandan to escape the Changanassery and resist the march of Marthanda Varma's army by demolishing the Kannanperoor bridge at Vazhappally.<ref>N.E Kesavan Namboothiri, Thekkumkoor Charithravum Puravrithavum (Kottayam: National Book Stall, 2014)</ref> The Vazhappally Pottimar initially deterred the Travancore army by the fate of the Thekkumkur Rajah and they did not expect Marthanda Varma to kill Brahmins who is the administrator of Vazhappally Maha Siva Temple.

Most of the male members of the Brahmins family were either killed or exiled after sufficient evidence of conspiracy and murder was procured. Their houses were dug up (''Kulamthondal'' - {{langx|ml|കുളംതോണ്ടൽ}} - a common punishment of the time) and all their assets and armies seized by the victorious [[Marthanda Varma]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://palathully.com/2018/02/|title=February 2018 – Palathully}}</ref><ref>AIYA, V. NAGAM (1906). TRAVANCORE STATE MANUAL: with a foreword by VED from VICTORIA INSTITUTIONS. VICTORIA INSTITUTIONS, Aaradhana, DEVERKOVIL 673508 India www.victoriainstitutions.com</ref> At the beginning of the 20th century, only one family was left in the Vazhappally Gramam from Pathillathil Pottimar.
{{clear}}

==Aftermath==
After the battle, Marthanda Varma arrived at [[Changanassery]]. Many of the Nair nobles and chiefs called [[Kartha]]vu, [[Kaimal]], Elayadam and [[Panicker]] of the Thekkumkoor, as well as those of [[Ambalappuzha|Ambalapuzha]] and [[Vadakkumkur]] presented themselves before the victorious Marthanda Varma at [[Changanassery|Changanasserry]] and acknowledging his sovereignty, paid homage with large nuzzers.<ref name=":0" /> [[Ramayyan Dalawa|Ramayya]] marched to the north, and after fortifying the positions between Thekkumkoor and Vadakkumkoor from Kumarakam to the east up to the hills at Koondoor, marched towards the north to settle the northern boundary, which was extended to the southern bank of the Periyar which runs to the west by [[Aluva]].<ref name=":0" /> All the country south of the Dutch possessions at [[Kodungallur|Kodungalloor]] thus became the Travancore Maha Raja's dominions. Marthanda Varma thus extended his country from [[Kanyakumari]] to [[Periyar (river)|Periyar]], and brought all the Rajas, petty chiefs, and nobles into subjection.<ref name=":0" />

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* Travancore State Manual by V.Nagam Aiya (1906)
* Thekkumkoor Charithravum Puravrithavum by N.E Kesavan Namboothiri (2014)
* History of Travancore by Shungunny Menon
* {{Cite book|first1=V. Nagam|last1=Aiya|author-link1=V. Nagam Aiya|title=Travancore State Manual|publisher=Travancore Government Press | url=https://archive.org/details/travancorestate00aiyagoog|year=1906}}

{{Kerala topics}}

[[Category:Battles involving Travancore|Changanassery]]
[[Category:1750 in India]]
[[Category:Changanassery]]
[[Category:Kingdom of Travancore]]
[[Category:Kingdom of Thekkumkur]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1749|Changanassery]]

Battle of Changanassery - Revision history

YvetteJasso5372 at 21:40, 3 March 2026