The normans, led by william the conqueror, were victorious, and took over control. Dp ramachandran, a war veteran and military history enthusiast who is directing the reenactment, said, the battle of colachel is important in the colonial history. All the contents of this video have been taken from the newspapers and the letters of that time or from the book india. The history of kerala, india, dates back more than several millennia. The dutch defeat in the battle shattered their dreams of dominating the spice trade in asia as well as the conquest of kerala. Since the a class official history books, circulated and propagated were. He then adopted a european mode of discipline for his army and expanded his kingdom northward to form what became the modern state of travancore. Colachel is situated 68 km from thiruvananthapuram in kanyakumari district. Sanyal gave the example of the battle of colachel, which was one of the earliest defeats of a european power in asia, the dutch losing to marthanda varmas forces.
It will change the way you have looked at military history up until now. Reunification of the kuru states of hastinapura and indraprastha under the pandavas. The battle of colachel the animosity between travancore and the dutch began years before the battle took place. They were losing access to keralas spice, and the cost of maintaining a military presence was bleeding them. The battle of colachel was a turning point and dutch power in the indian ocean would go into. How marthanda varma defeated dutch in battle and crushed their.
Martanda varma rebellion of the tampi brotherssuppression of the feudal nobilityramayyan dalawaabsorption of attingalwar with quilonconquest of elayadathu swarupam battle of colachel 1741annexation of kayamkulamconquest of the northern kingdomstravancorecochin treaty 1757policy. Unsurprisingly, it was rooted in the commercial interests of the dutch company. The battle of colachel was a death blow to the power the dutch east india company in the malabar coast. Battle of colachel,where travancore defeated the dutch voc force which ws considered 1 of d strongest forces at dt time. On the 10th of august, 1741 the forces of the dutch east india company faced the travancore army of marthanda varma in colachel. Reddiquette til about the battle of colachel 1741, in which marthanda varma of travancore crushingly defeated the dutch east indies company, marking the end of dutch influence in india. Military heritage weeks to bring the armed forces closer to people and render their history more appealing. Could marthanda varma have won the colachel war without the.
If you find our videos helpful you can support us by buying something from amazon. Viswanathan anand released sanjeev sanyals new book. He built a sizeable standing army of about 50,000 men, as part of designing an elaborate and wellorganised war machine, reduced the power of the nair nobility on. The battle of colachel is a prominent battle in how it shaped the history of india and it needs to be identified and framed within its rightful context, as such. Travancore, under raja marthanda varma defeated the dutch east india company.
Before the state reorganization in 1956, it was part of the travancore state. There are many battles that the indian subcontinent has had against european powers, but among them, the most significant one is the battle of colachel and it is a case of huge and surprise victory. He built a sizeable standing army of about 50,000 men, as part of designing an elaborate and wellorganised war machine, reduced the. Koshy notes that although the confrontation is popularly referred to as battle of colachel in several books, there was no continuous exchange of gunfire at colachel. Our history books and mainstream narratives are filled with vivid descriptions of battles in which indic forces. Sadly, his name is in oblivion in our national history textbooks. Discussing cases ranging from that of mahmud ghazni to the lesser known history of the battle of colachel, he voiced concerns plaguing many minds regarding indias precolonial history that has. What was the most consequential battle in history and why. Battle of colachel travancore, a tiny kingdom in the southern tip of the peninsula holds the reputation of being the first asian power to beat a european force in a land and sea battle. Dp ramachandran, a war veteran and military history enthusiast who is directing the reenactment, said, the battle of colachel is important in. Marthanda varma agreed to spare the dutch captains life on condition that he joined his army and trained his soldiers on modern lines. The battle of colachel or battle of kulachal was fought on 10 august 1741 o. The battle is historically significant for opening up india to greek political seleucid, greco.
Why rana daggubati of baahubali fame is playing king. It was the first time in indian history that a native army. Fr claret and dinakar wrote a tamil book, titled colachel war. A battle in which an indian king defeated one of the fiercest armies of the time and amassed unimaginable wealth. But few who go there realise that it was once a battlefield, where a historic faceoff took place. This was at a time when the dutch east india company voc, considered the worlds. The allure of battle provides new and fresh insights into war studies and offers new and fresh perspectives on military history. On july 31, 1741, in a most unique amphibious battle the forces of king marthanda varma defeated the dutch, both at sea and land.
Koshy notes that although the confrontation is popularly referred to as battle of colachel in several books, there was no continuous. Also, the history books on the subject do not refer to the contributions of the gentleman, though i admit that the history books sadly do not record every single event. How marthanda varma defeated the dutch east india company in the travancoredutch war. A malayalam version of this book is also being brought out simultaneously. Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from wikipedia or other free sources online. In this connection, i would like to make it clear that this book does not represent an attempt on my part to write a comprehensive history of kerala. The battle of kulachal 1741 eclipse of a european power. Colours of glory finding a firmer place for our armed.
How marthanda varma defeated dutch in battle and crushed. The sovereign was, powerless under the willful nobles of the state when anizham thirunal marthanda varma was born in 1706. Vandome, and john mcbrewster, it was the earliest example of defeat of an european power in asia. Could marthanda varma have won the colachel war without. Witness glimpse of 1741 battle of colachel on chennais shores. When a similar situation unfolded 277 years ago on the shores of nowkanyakumari, it went down in history as the battle of colachel. The colours of glory foundation organised a reenactment of the battle of colachel on the shores of chennai. India has a glorious military history of roughly 2500 years. Return of panchal lands held by drona to the original panchala state. The battle of colachel had spawned innumerable folk tales, but authentic verifiable history was in short supply, said fr antony claret. Well done to people like sanjeev sanyal who have taken up that mantle.
Was there any european nation defeated by indian kings. The mammoth book of battles is a good way to get a broad look at some of the pivotal battles of the 20th century. If xerxess persian invasion of greece of 480 bc had been successful then the entire history of the world would have been different. Stone age carvings in the edakkal caves feature pictorial writings believed to date to at least the neolithic era around 5,000 bc, indicating the presence of a prehistoric civilization or settlement in this region. Marthanda varma and the battle of colachel live history india. History of kerala project gutenberg selfpublishing. July 31 marks the day of the victory of travancore forces over a vastly superior european naval force, a landmark event in indian history. These folktales had succeeded in sidelining the fishermen. Books why rana daggubati of baahubali fame is playing king marthanda varma. I am shocked that a lot of people dont know about this which was part of the travancoredutch war. The battle of hastings was a bloody, allday battle fought on october 14, 1066 between english and norman forces.
King marthanda varma of travancore, faced the dutch east india company in 1741, and emerged victorious after the battle. Witness glimpse of 1741 battle of colachel on chennais. Marthanda varma captured all the dutch forts and crushed their expansion in india. Marthanda varma defeated the dutch voc forces at the battle of colachel in 1741. A quaint little beach town in the kanyakumari district of tamil nadu, colachel is a popular vacation spot these days.
The first battle that was fought against the power of the european domination in asia was the battle of colachel. Territoryless pandavas of the kurus with the support of the panchala tribe and others. The fact that our modern culture could have been based on persian culture rather than greek. The battle was fought on 10 th august 1741 the date of the battle is july 31, 1741, by the julian calendar and august 10, 1741, according to. Reviewed in the united states on november 22, 1999. After the defeat of the dutch by king anizham thirunal marthanda varma in 1741, a victory pillar had been erected near the beach in commemoration of the victory. Battle of colachel project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. If makers of aamir khan and amitabh bachchanstarrer thugs of hindostan were looking for inspiration other than johnny depp, they could have looked at kunjali marakkar and the battle of colachel.
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