Thampi Chempakaraman Velayudhan, popularly known as Velu Thampi, was the Dalawa (the equivalent of Prime Minister in modern times) of the Kingdom of Travancore who led an insurrection against the British East India Company in the early 18th century.
His rebellion is considered to be one of the earliest freedom struggles of India when the British had entrenched themselves in the subcontinent
The information regarding Velu Thampi Dalawa will be useful for candidates appearing for their Government Exams.
Background of Velu Thampi Dalawa
Velu Thampi was born on May 6 1765 to Manakkara Kunju Mayatti Pillai and his wife Valliyamma Pillai Thankachi of Thalakkulam in the present day Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu.
His family had earned their lands and titles while serving under the erstwhile ruler of the Kingdom of Travancore, Marhtanda Verma.
Beginning in 1798, Bala Rama Verma ruled Travancore. His reign was marked by internal and external aggression due to palace intrigues and corruption in the administrations, making him the least popular of the Travancore sovereigns. At the time Velu Thampi had been appointed the Tahsildar (district officer) of Mavelikara.
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Years of mismanagement and corruption had emptied the state treasury and the solution to remedy this was to collect money by ordering all the district officers to pay a large amount of gold to the state without keeping in mind the revenue that could be produced.
In Velu Thampi’s case, he was ordered to pay Rs.3000, a princely sum during that era. Citing three days to pay off the amount, Velu Thampi instead issued a call to arms and led the people of his district along with all of Travancore in an insurrection. Soon the palace at Travancore was surrounded and the rebels put forth their demand which called for the dismissal of Jayanthan Sankaran Nampoothiri and his two ministers. Sankaran Nampoothiri was a corrupt nobleman who was considered a bad influence on the young Bala Rama Varma and the principal architect of the current situation.
The demands were met and Velu Thampi was appointed the Dalawa of Travancore.
Role as Dalawa of Travancore
Velu Thampi faced serious opposition from his rivals when he became the Dalawa, but he overcame such obstacles through his deft political instincts. The insurrection he had led did not solve the immediate problems which had preceded it. Breakdown in law and order and rampant corruption were still commonplace throughout the kingdom. As a way to improve the situation, Velu Thampu resorted to imposing of harsh punishments against the guilty such as flogging and mutilation of external organs. However, the measures yielded results and order was restored within a year of him becoming Dalawa.
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To reduce the burden of the Travancore state in maintaining a fighting force, Velu Thampi reduced the allowance of the Travancore army. This move was met with furious discontent by its members who mutinied almost immediately. They marched to the state capital and demanded the dismissal of the Dalawa. Velu Thambi instead fled to Cochin where he sought the assistance of the British East India Company (founded on December 31 1660) stationed there. The British marched to Travancore and put down the rebellion of the Travancore army, executing the leaders of the mutiny.
The consequences of the British assistance became apparent when Travancore was forced to sign a Treaty in 1805 as per their policy of “Subsidiary Alliance”. The treaty increased the number of British troops stationed in the kingdom whose maintenance had to be borne by Travancore.
The Kingdom now faced a financial crisis as they now had to pay for the expenses of the British troops stationed in within its borders. On top of it, this gave leeway for the British to interfere in the internal matters of the kingdom, something which Velu Thampi was vehemently against.
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Velu Thampi Dalawa’s rebellion against the British
The British put pressure on Travancore to pay tribute as well as the expense incurred when putting down the mutiny of its army. They also tried to get the King to dismiss the Dalawa. For his part, the Dalawa began to foment a rebellion against the British presence in the state.
Velu Thampi organised an armed force, bolstered defences and stocked up for a long war, while appeals were made to the Calicut Zamorin and the French, but the requests went unheeded. Velu Thampi sought to assault the Cochin fort and kill the British resident there in order to weaken their influence in the region. Other forces fought with the British garrison at Quilon resulting in the battle of Quilon in 1809.
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The battle ended in a defeat for Velu Thampi’s forces and British, furious at the insurrection against this act sought to capture the Dalawa and execute him publicly to make an example out of him.
In the aftermath of the battle, Velu Thampi fled from Trivandrum he committed suicide rather than fall be captured by the British
Legacy of Velu Thampi Dalawa
The sword that was used by Velu Thampi Dalawa to fight against British imperialism, was kept with the Kilimanoor royal family. In 1957, the sword was presented by a member of the royal family to President Rajendra Prasad (passed away on February 28, 1963). It now rests at the Napier Museum in the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram
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