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Nedumkotta
Nedumkotta or the Travancore lines was a wall built as a protection against consistent invasions from Mysore during the (de facto) rule of Tipu Sultan in South India. It was built by the Dharma Raja Karthika Thirunal (d.A D 1764), King of Travancore, with the request, support and permission of the Kingdom of Kochi. It was constructed by Rama Varma under the supervision of his commander Eustachius De Lannoy. The work was started in 1762 and it was completed only by 1775. The lines consist of a ditch about sixteen feet broad and twenty feet deep with a thick bamboo hedge in it, with a slight parapet, good rampart and bastions on rising grounds almost flanking each other from one extreme of the lines to the other. The construction of Nedumkotta or the Travancore Lines is considered to be a unique and unparallel episode in Indian history by historians.
The Nedumkotta was a defence fortification constructed along the northern borders of the erstwhile Travancore allied Cochin State of 1757–1762 AD. The places north of Nedumkotta was under Zamorin occupied Cochin (1757–1762). It passed through the territories of the then Cochin State.
The Nedumkotta was built primarily to resist the invasion under Hyder Ali Khan against Travancore State and southern parts of Cochin State. It was raised mainly with clay and mud, and reinforced with stones, laterite and granite at strategic places. It started from the Krishan Kotta on the west coast, above Kodungallur, and stretched up to the Anamala Hills on the Western Ghats. It was about 48 km long, 20 feet wide and 12 feet high. The lines consisted of a ditch, sixteen feet wide and twenty feet deep with a thick bamboo hedge, a slight parapet and rampart and bastions on rising grounds almost flanking each other from one side of the lines to the other.
Its alignment was along the Periyar river on the west coast up to Chalakudy from where it went along the Chalakudy river up to the Annamalai Hills in the east. There were underground cells to store gunpowder and other war materials, special chambers for soldiers to live, and look-outs and mounted field-guns all along the fortification. On the north side of the fortification, ditches were dug twenty feet wide and sixteen feet deep, and filled with thorny plants, poisonous snakes, and hidden weapons. On the south side as well as on the top of the fortification, wide roads were laid for the convenience of military movements. The construction work was started in 1762 and was completed only by 1775 from where it was extended to Vypin.
Much to the dislike of Tippu Sultan, parts of the Travancore Lines were built on Cochin territory and a large part of the Cochin State was behind Travancore lines. This was a violation of Mysore's territorial agreement and was considered as an encroachment of its territory. Tippu Sultan contacted Travancore Raja to destroy the Lines as early as possible. Tippu Sultan wrote to the Raja, "The Cochin Raja has been my tributary fifty or sixty years – after I possessed the Calicut country you erected lines on a part of the Cochin country. This conduct is not proper, you must demolish the line", to which Cochin Raja replied that the areas where the Lines were established was given to him earlier than the Cochin country became a tributary to Mysore, quote, "I possessed it and had lines were erected on it when I was included in the Treaty of peace which the Honourable English Company made with you. If I had not a right to it, why did you then not demand it".
In about June–August 1787 after learning about the geography of Malabar and Travancore and constructing several roads leading into Travancore both from the north by coastal side and from the east by the Cambam and Guddalur passes, Tippu Sultan then invaded Malabar. He persecuted the people and chiefs, massacring all those who refused to take up Islam. Many families including that of Samoothiri fled Malabar and took refuge in Travancore. Around 30,000 noble Brahmin families were sheltered under the Dharmaraja of Travancore. This angered Tippu and he wanted Cochin to surrender all those families who fled Malabar, but the Raja refused to give in. Tippu could not make a bold appeal to the war as Travancore was included in the Peace Treaty between Mysore and the East India company as a friendly country to the company. Tippu then resorted to Samoothiri to attack Cochin, promising him in return the restoration of a portion of his territory, to which Samoothiri promptly refused. Tippu then requested the help of the Cochin Raja to speak to Dharma raja to become a tributary of Mysore which was then was defied by stating that nothing would be done against the will of the East India Company. This enraged Tippu, who planned then to invade the Travancore demolishing Nedumkotta.
The Maharaja informed the Madras Governor, Sir Archibald Campbell, the proceedings and requested him to lend him 4 English officers and 12 Sergeants to command his army and, anticipating an early invasion by Tippu, commanded Dewan Kesava Pillai to look to the frontier fortifications. The governor then wrote to Tippu that an invasion against Travancore would be considered as a breach of the Treaty made with the Company. He also offered two or three battalions to assist Raja in his frontiers. Two regiments under Captain Knox were stationed near Ayacotta for the first time and Mr. George Powney, a Civil Officer, was sent as an agent of the Company to the Travancore Court. Travancore Raja also entered in to a treaty with Dutch Army by which he was handed over the Cranganore Fort and Aycotta.
The fortification was constructed during the regime of Rama Varma Raja, popularly known as Dharma Raja of Travancore, and under the direct guidance and supervision of the then Prime Minister, Ayyappan Marthanda Pillai, and the then commander of the Travancore Army, the Dutch Captain D'Lenoy. This historic defence line was comparable to the Great Wall of China except that the latter was more ancient and greater in length. It was under the protective cover of this Nedumkotta that a small army of Travancoreans under the command of Raja Keshavadas defeated and frustrated near Alwaye a formidable army led by Tipu Sultan. Today there is no physical evidence of the historic Nedumkotta in the form of even ruins anywhere in the Chalakudy taluk-Konoor (Koratty Kizhakkummuri), Muringoor Thekkummury, Kadukutty, Kuruvilassery, Pallipuram and Poyya- through which it passed. Names of forts remains in Chettuva, Mullurkara, Thrissur and Enamanakkal. However, some place names having a reference to the historic fortification are still popular in the northern borders of the erstwhile Cochin and Travancore States – Krishnan Kotta (meaning Krishnan Fort), Kottamukku (fort corner), Kottamuri (part of a fort), Kottaparampu (fort land), Kotta Vazhi (fort road), Kottalaparampu (magazine ground), Palayam (cantonment), etc. It started from Pallipuram Kotta near the sea, touches Kottamukku, Krishnankotta and extended till the Foot hills of the Anamalai in the Western Ghats. The Chalakudy river and lagoon which falls on the alignment was left alone as they themselves were a barrier. A trench, 20 feet (6.1 m) deep and 16 feet (4.9 m) wide was built along the northern side of the wall for the full length. At some places the wall reached 50 ft (15 m) in height. Hollows were made inside where about 100 soldiers could hide and make an ambush. A company of soldiers was stationed about every kilometre with ammunition store house at strategic points. There were also caves in the nearby wells to hide in the possibility of an unannounced attack. Muringoor Kottamury (3 km south of Chalakudy) is the place where the NH47 crosses the Nedumkotta.
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Nedumkotta
Nedumkotta or the Travancore lines was a wall built as a protection against consistent invasions from Mysore during the (de facto) rule of Tipu Sultan in South India. It was built by the Dharma Raja Karthika Thirunal (d.A D 1764), King of Travancore, with the request, support and permission of the Kingdom of Kochi. It was constructed by Rama Varma under the supervision of his commander Eustachius De Lannoy. The work was started in 1762 and it was completed only by 1775. The lines consist of a ditch about sixteen feet broad and twenty feet deep with a thick bamboo hedge in it, with a slight parapet, good rampart and bastions on rising grounds almost flanking each other from one extreme of the lines to the other. The construction of Nedumkotta or the Travancore Lines is considered to be a unique and unparallel episode in Indian history by historians.
The Nedumkotta was a defence fortification constructed along the northern borders of the erstwhile Travancore allied Cochin State of 1757–1762 AD. The places north of Nedumkotta was under Zamorin occupied Cochin (1757–1762). It passed through the territories of the then Cochin State.
The Nedumkotta was built primarily to resist the invasion under Hyder Ali Khan against Travancore State and southern parts of Cochin State. It was raised mainly with clay and mud, and reinforced with stones, laterite and granite at strategic places. It started from the Krishan Kotta on the west coast, above Kodungallur, and stretched up to the Anamala Hills on the Western Ghats. It was about 48 km long, 20 feet wide and 12 feet high. The lines consisted of a ditch, sixteen feet wide and twenty feet deep with a thick bamboo hedge, a slight parapet and rampart and bastions on rising grounds almost flanking each other from one side of the lines to the other.
Its alignment was along the Periyar river on the west coast up to Chalakudy from where it went along the Chalakudy river up to the Annamalai Hills in the east. There were underground cells to store gunpowder and other war materials, special chambers for soldiers to live, and look-outs and mounted field-guns all along the fortification. On the north side of the fortification, ditches were dug twenty feet wide and sixteen feet deep, and filled with thorny plants, poisonous snakes, and hidden weapons. On the south side as well as on the top of the fortification, wide roads were laid for the convenience of military movements. The construction work was started in 1762 and was completed only by 1775 from where it was extended to Vypin.
Much to the dislike of Tippu Sultan, parts of the Travancore Lines were built on Cochin territory and a large part of the Cochin State was behind Travancore lines. This was a violation of Mysore's territorial agreement and was considered as an encroachment of its territory. Tippu Sultan contacted Travancore Raja to destroy the Lines as early as possible. Tippu Sultan wrote to the Raja, "The Cochin Raja has been my tributary fifty or sixty years – after I possessed the Calicut country you erected lines on a part of the Cochin country. This conduct is not proper, you must demolish the line", to which Cochin Raja replied that the areas where the Lines were established was given to him earlier than the Cochin country became a tributary to Mysore, quote, "I possessed it and had lines were erected on it when I was included in the Treaty of peace which the Honourable English Company made with you. If I had not a right to it, why did you then not demand it".
In about June–August 1787 after learning about the geography of Malabar and Travancore and constructing several roads leading into Travancore both from the north by coastal side and from the east by the Cambam and Guddalur passes, Tippu Sultan then invaded Malabar. He persecuted the people and chiefs, massacring all those who refused to take up Islam. Many families including that of Samoothiri fled Malabar and took refuge in Travancore. Around 30,000 noble Brahmin families were sheltered under the Dharmaraja of Travancore. This angered Tippu and he wanted Cochin to surrender all those families who fled Malabar, but the Raja refused to give in. Tippu could not make a bold appeal to the war as Travancore was included in the Peace Treaty between Mysore and the East India company as a friendly country to the company. Tippu then resorted to Samoothiri to attack Cochin, promising him in return the restoration of a portion of his territory, to which Samoothiri promptly refused. Tippu then requested the help of the Cochin Raja to speak to Dharma raja to become a tributary of Mysore which was then was defied by stating that nothing would be done against the will of the East India Company. This enraged Tippu, who planned then to invade the Travancore demolishing Nedumkotta.
The Maharaja informed the Madras Governor, Sir Archibald Campbell, the proceedings and requested him to lend him 4 English officers and 12 Sergeants to command his army and, anticipating an early invasion by Tippu, commanded Dewan Kesava Pillai to look to the frontier fortifications. The governor then wrote to Tippu that an invasion against Travancore would be considered as a breach of the Treaty made with the Company. He also offered two or three battalions to assist Raja in his frontiers. Two regiments under Captain Knox were stationed near Ayacotta for the first time and Mr. George Powney, a Civil Officer, was sent as an agent of the Company to the Travancore Court. Travancore Raja also entered in to a treaty with Dutch Army by which he was handed over the Cranganore Fort and Aycotta.
The fortification was constructed during the regime of Rama Varma Raja, popularly known as Dharma Raja of Travancore, and under the direct guidance and supervision of the then Prime Minister, Ayyappan Marthanda Pillai, and the then commander of the Travancore Army, the Dutch Captain D'Lenoy. This historic defence line was comparable to the Great Wall of China except that the latter was more ancient and greater in length. It was under the protective cover of this Nedumkotta that a small army of Travancoreans under the command of Raja Keshavadas defeated and frustrated near Alwaye a formidable army led by Tipu Sultan. Today there is no physical evidence of the historic Nedumkotta in the form of even ruins anywhere in the Chalakudy taluk-Konoor (Koratty Kizhakkummuri), Muringoor Thekkummury, Kadukutty, Kuruvilassery, Pallipuram and Poyya- through which it passed. Names of forts remains in Chettuva, Mullurkara, Thrissur and Enamanakkal. However, some place names having a reference to the historic fortification are still popular in the northern borders of the erstwhile Cochin and Travancore States – Krishnan Kotta (meaning Krishnan Fort), Kottamukku (fort corner), Kottamuri (part of a fort), Kottaparampu (fort land), Kotta Vazhi (fort road), Kottalaparampu (magazine ground), Palayam (cantonment), etc. It started from Pallipuram Kotta near the sea, touches Kottamukku, Krishnankotta and extended till the Foot hills of the Anamalai in the Western Ghats. The Chalakudy river and lagoon which falls on the alignment was left alone as they themselves were a barrier. A trench, 20 feet (6.1 m) deep and 16 feet (4.9 m) wide was built along the northern side of the wall for the full length. At some places the wall reached 50 ft (15 m) in height. Hollows were made inside where about 100 soldiers could hide and make an ambush. A company of soldiers was stationed about every kilometre with ammunition store house at strategic points. There were also caves in the nearby wells to hide in the possibility of an unannounced attack. Muringoor Kottamury (3 km south of Chalakudy) is the place where the NH47 crosses the Nedumkotta.
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