THE BATTLE OF COLACHEL-forgotten war

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        As a young girl who was born and brought up in Cape Comorin, the southernmost part of India, I wish to share about the forgotten war that was fought in my native. Many people don’t know about it, even though it was the first victory of an Indian kingdom over a European naval force.



During the early 18th century, the Malabar coast was ruled by many political powers. In 1729, Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma, a young king known for his courage and bravery ascended the throne. He extended the boundaries of his empire by conquering the neighbouring states. During his time, the Dutch had a monopoly over the black pepper trade. The Dutch, who hadn’t faced any threats till date, couldn’t digest Marthanda Varma's expansionist policy. Feeling the danger, the Dutch Governor of Ceylon, Gustaaf Willem van Imhoff, visited Cochin in 1739. He also warned Marthanda Varma personally about their military action against the Travancore Kingdom. To his surprise, the young king, Marthanda Varma replied that he was planning to attack Europe someday. Enraged by his reply, the Dutch waged war on the Travancore Kingdom at the end of 1739.

On November 26, 1740, the Dutch blockaded the coast of Travancore. The Dutch chose Colachel in order to capture Padmanathapuram, Travancore's capital. Colachel is a coastal town located in the Kanniyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. The Dutch Army began to capture nearby villages in Padmanathapuram. During this time, there was a requirement for troops, but the Dutch government couldn’t send much force due to the Java War in Indonesia. Marthanda Varma waited for this moment and took advantage of it. The Travancore army didn’t have a lot of weapons, and the king planned to destroy the supplies of the Dutch. The Dutch were blocked by the Travancore army from all four sides. The heavy rains ensured the Dutch had no dry gunpowder, and the fire destroyed the food they had. The Dutch had no options and they surrendered.

    Travancore Kingdom is the first Asian kingdom to defeat a European power. In memory of the victory, the Indian government erected a victory pillar in Colachel. More over, the Travancore Force used palm trees as a resemblance of cannons in order to create a image of weapons in the minds of the Dutch. The Battle of Colachel represents the courageous young Indian King , who faced one of the strongest forces of his time. It isn’t about the physical strength of the Travancore force; it’s all about their inner strength and the unity of the people.

" A disaster of the first magnitude for the Dutch, the battle of Colachel shattered for all time their dream of the conquest of Kerala. " - Professor A. Sreedhara Menon

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