Poligars: The Lesser Known Fighters

The powerful lords and controllers of resources, Poligars were the feudal lords in southern India who exercised considerable power over their territory. However, when challenged by the British imperialist powers they wielded swords to fight.

Map of Peninsular India, source: Wikipedia

The term palaiyam means ‘territory’ in Tamil. The territory under the control of the Poligar is called Palaiyappattu, the region of his control is granted to him by the King, who is the bigger authority. At times, the Palayippattu is also called Pollam.

“As regards the origin of giving the title of Poligar, it is believed that it were the Vijaynagar chiefs who, in an attempt to pacify the old local chieftains, who were the vassals of the Pandyas, the emigrants from the North, who had left their country, perhaps, owing to the Muhammadan peril, incorporated them all into a system of Government, which would conduce to the peace and prosperity of the country.”

These lords were the head of the estate, they maintained regular armed forces, trained them, and provided support to the regional kingdom. They performed the role of adjudicators, maintained peace in their territory by resolving conflict and took charge of the administration by constructing reservoirs, converting fallow land, and laying foundations of new villages in the area. The Poligars were primarily, military leaders who had huge cavalry. It was through these activities that the Poligars maintained themselves. They collected revenues from the subjects and were entitled to one-fourth of the total. The rest of the three-fourths was the King’s share.

There is no doubt that the Poligars are rarely recalled for their anti-British stance. The forgotten subject, the Poligars like Kattabomman Niacker and Maruthu Brothers are venerated as symbols of anti-colonialism. But these stories are rarely told, lost as the minor characters, the Poligars fought the British in a series of wars from 1798 to 1805.

The first Poligar war was fought in 1799 in the region of Tirunelveli of Tamil Nadu. This war was fought by Veerpandiya Kattobomman, a Poligar who had refused to acknowledge British suzerainty. The death of the British commander who demanded Kattobomman’s surrender sparked conflict and culminated in the eventual defeat of Kattabomman.

The second Poligar War was fought in 1800. This war lasted a whole five years and a large number of troops from Western Tamil Nadu took part in the war. The leaders of the war, the Maruthu brothers played a crucial role in the alliance against the British. The poligars bombed the British military barracks in Coimbatore. It was in the second war that the French had copiously helped the rebels. Unfortunately, the Panchalankurichi fort, which was a Poligar stronghold under Kattabomman was lost to the British forces. The British resorted to guerilla warfare, attacking Polygars from the forest and finally succeeded in 1801.

The last war of the Poligars was led by Polygar Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy in the region of Kovelakuntla. The 5,000 peasants rose in revolt against the British East India Company against the brutalities of the Permanent Settlement. The final war ended with the defeat of Narasimha Reddy.