Editing Pazhassi Raja (section)

====Capture of Panamaram Fort====
[[Image:Moat around Panamaram fort site.JPG|thumb|250px|Remains of the Moat surrounded the Panamaram [[Fortification|fort]]. Now it is almost covered with creepers and bushes, Panamaram, [[Wayanad district|Wayanad]], Kerala.]]
[[Image:Koli tree near Panamaram fort site.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Koli tree near the Panamaram [[Fortification|fort]]. Talakkal Chandu was executed somewhere near this tree., Panamaram, [[Wayanad district|Wayanad]], Kerala.]]
The first major event was the capture of [[Panamaram]] Fort. [[Edachena Kunkan|Edachena Kungan]] who planned the operation and was helped by 150 Kurichia bowmen under Talakkal Chandu. Fort had 70 men under Captain Dickenson and there was a large force of 360 men under Major Drummond only a few miles away in Pulinjali.{{sfnp|Kurup|2008|p=103}} So if Major came to help Captain in time Kurichia force would be overwhelmed by gun-fire and numbers. But Kungan and Chandu decided to take risk.{{sfnp|Kurup|1980|p=}}{{Page needed|date=June 2014}}

The whole garrison was slaughtered in the surprise attack led by the two generals and they lost only 5 dead and 10 wounded. Dickenson himself was killed.{{sfnp|Balakrishnan|2011|p=69}}{{sfnp|Elayavoor|2007|p=21}} Rebels got 112 muskets, six boxes of ammunition and 6000 rupees. They also destroyed the whole fort.(The remains of the fort can be seen now near Panamaram High School).{{sfnp|Rajayyan|1971|p=283}}

Wellesley was enraged at this rebel audacity and dispatched 500 men to retaliate. But by then rebel victory had roused all of Wayanad and Kottayam.{{sfnp|Menon|2007|p=316}} Edachena Kungan, the hero of Panamaram success, went to Pulpally shrine and issued a proclamation to people to join Raja's war.{{sfnp|Rajayyan|1971|p=282}} 3000 men volunteered.{{sfnp|Balakrishnan|2011|p=69}}  They were posted at Valliyurkav at Mananthavadi, Motimjarra [?], and Edappally and 100 of them under the brother of Kungan posted themselves at Periya Pass and 25 men were posted at Kottiyur Pass. Rebel outposts were set up en route from Dindimal to Valliyurkav. The rebel army was mostly composed of archers and swordsmen, but some had muskets.{{sfnp|Kurup|2008|p=104}}

Edachena Kungan led an attack on a Company detachment headed from Mysore to Mananthavadi. The harassment began once this force entered Wayanad till it reached a stream between Manathavadi and Bhavully river. There they were blocked by a rebel force entrenched on the opposite side of the stream. But to ill luck of rebels, a reinforcement which had caught up with blocked Company army outflanked the rebel entrenchment and took a large number of [[Prisoner of war|prisoners of war]].{{sfnp|Kurup|1980|p=}}{{Page needed|date=June 2014}}

Besides, East India Company reinforcements arrived in Wayanad from all directions. But they could find rebels nowhere.{{sfnp|Menon|2007|p=316}}

The rebels now concentrated in Kottayam. In 1802, they raided a supplies convoy near Kottiyur.{{sfnp|Balakrishnan|2011|p=69}} The Company administration were frustrated by Kottayam people's total lack of co-operation. To add to their trouble, in 1803, a rebel force took to field in Kurumbranad* & Payyormala*{{sfnp|Rajayyan|1971|p=283}} and people were sympathetic to rebels.{{sfnp|Kurup|2008|p=106}} Kungan marched towards Pazhassi to wipe out the Company outpost there but had to retreat, though they suffered serious losses. Soon rebellion spread into Chirakkal where armed bands of partisans launched operations and often fought against the Presidency troops openly. Raja's army by end of 1803 was ranging as far as Kannur and Thalasseri.{{sfnp|Menon|2007|p=316}}{{sfnp|Elayavoor|2007|p=21}}{{sfnp|Rajayyan|1971|p=283}}{{sfnp|Kurup|2008|p=111}}{{sfnp|Balakrishnan|2011|p=70}} An estimated 3350 partisans of Pazhassi Raja took part in this operation that extended south as far as Ernad.{{sfnp|Balakrishnan|2011|p=69}}

In March 1803, a rebel force marched as far as Calicut and captured Sub-Jail where they killed all guards and seized their firearms and ammunition.{{sfnp|Kurup|2008|p=106}} They also released prisoners, many of whom joined ranks of the rebel army.{{sfnp|Elayavoor|2007|p=21}} This was too much for MacLeod and he resigned immediately after this event.{{sfnp|Rajayyan|1971|p=283}}{{sfnp|Kurup|2008|p=107}}

In 1803, Wellesley left for Europe, after three years of inconclusive war with Pazhassi Raja, later destined to become Duke of Wellington, vanquisher of Napoleon at Waterloo.<ref name="Panikker">Historical preface of Kerala Simham, Sardar KM Panikker, [1941], DC Books, 2008 Edition, Kottayam 686,001</ref>

In 1803, the East India Company had 8,147 soldiers to fight Pazhassi Raja. But as the situation was slipping out of control, the EIC military command in Malabar requested for another 5,000 men. This reinforcement arrived in early 1804 and thus increasing their total force to 13,000 men.{{sfnp|Balakrishnan|2011|p=70}}

In 1804, a large Presidency army arrived and 1200 Kolkar were also ready for action.{{sfnp|Kurup|2008|p=111}} Most importantly Thomas Hervey Baber, a civil servant was appointed as Sub-Collector.{{sfnp|Elayavoor|2007|p=35}}{{sfnp|Kurup|2008|p=112}} It was he who crushed Pazhassi's Revolt forever. It is indeed ironic that what a military genius like Wellesley could not attain, was achieved by Baber&nbsp;– said to be just a 'civil servant.' Baber had both a personal motive&nbsp;– to avenge the death of his friend Major Cameron, the first husband of his wife Helen Somerville Fearon at the hand of Pazhassi Raja on 9 January 1797 at Periya Pass. Baber became a civil servant to protect the interests of a small but influential group of merchants that included his in-laws&nbsp;– the Inglis and Money families of Bombay. It is noteworthy that Baber's son Henry Fearon Baber married the Granddaughter of George Harris, 1st Baron Srirangapattam and the nemesis of Tipu Sultan.

In 1804, a huge rising led by Kalyat Nambiar [a powerful Chirakkal noble but Raja's sympathiser] and Raja's men in largely forested eastern Chirakkal was defeated by the company.{{sfnp|Kurup|2008|p=111}}{{sfnp|Menon|2007|p=317}}{{sfnp|Rajayyan|1971|p=286}} If there was large and long revolt warfare in Chirakkal, it would have immensely profited Raja. Though there was a lot of supporters of Raja in Chirakkal, as revolt collapsed fast as rebels opted for open confrontation instead of time-honoured guerrilla warfare. Another cause for the failure of revolt was treacherous Kolkar also served their White pay-masters well.{{sfnp|Kurup|1980|p=}}{{Page needed|date=June 2014}}

So once more rebel force had retreated to Wayanad. They were hotly chased by East India Company who had 2000 Sepoys and 1000 allied Kolkars. A reward of 3000 pagodas was offered for Raja along with 1000 Pagodas for Edachena Kungan and bounties were put on heads of 10 other associates of Raja.{{sfnp|Kurup|1980|p=}}{{Page needed|date=June 2014}}

But rebels, mostly Kurumbas, struck at Churikunji [?] in Wayanad.{{sfnp|Kurup|2008|p=119}} Though they had to withdraw, they had devastated their enemy. That year, a party of Kolkar nearly caught Raja but he escaped thanks to timely warning of a Kurumba guard.{{sfnp|Elayavoor|2007|p=36}}

But monsoon and brutal climate of Wayanad soon aided Raja. Of 1300 Kolkar only 170 were not sick by October.{{sfnp|Kurup|2008|p=120}} Raja and Edachena Kungan organised a large force of Kurichias and Kurumbas at Pulpally shrine and positioned them to as far as Kurichiyat.{{sfnp|Kurup|2008|p=119}} Also, the effort of Kungan to rally Nayar nobles of Wayanad to support Raja's war-effort had also succeeded.{{sfnp|Kurup|1980|p=}}{{Page needed|date=June 2014}}

The EIC for past couple of years did not have to suffer the loss on a scale of Periya in 1797, but matters were not easy for the Company at all. Even in Kottayam which had become quiet might explode once more and a large rebel force with Raja as the head was still at large. But one must remember that the whole revolt is a one-man show as Wellesley himself remarked once-“''We are not fighting 1000 men [Raja's army]&nbsp;... but one man&nbsp;... Kerala Varma''.”-Raja's end would mean end of revolt.<ref name="Panikker" />