Editing Pazhassi Raja (section)

====Siege of Thalasseri====
[[Thalassery|Thalasseri]] or Tellicherry in the late 18th century was a harbour-fort which was held by the East India Company as a factory. The value of Tellicherry as a naval base meant that her capture could seriously impact the situation of the [[Bombay Marine]] on the west coast. Also rebels in North Malabar bought arms and ammunition from the East India Company in Tellicherry. So if Hyder could capture this fort, he could, at a stroke, cripple both the rebels in North Malabar as well as [[Company rule in India]] at a regional basis.

So in 1778, Hyder's vassal, the Raja of Chirakkal, besieged Thalasseri and enforced an economic blockade under order from Hyder himself.{{sfnp|Menon|2007|p=296}} The East India Company factories at Talassery armed Pazhassi Raja's men to enable them to recover Kottayam from the Mysorean occupation army. This move by the Company ensured that the Chirakkal army was now at risk of being struck in the rear by Pazhassi Raja's force. The Chirakkal troops began to retreat, but Pazhassi chased and devastated the Chirakkal army, and then marched to Kottayam where he obliterated the Mysorean occupation and overran all of western Kottayam. But at this critical moment when the Mysorean army in Malabar could have been destroyed by a joint action on the part of the Company and the Rajas, while their factories at Talassery were instructed by the Governor not to upset the nominal peace with Hyder.{{sfnp|Kurup|1980|p=}}{{Page needed|date=June 2014}}

Thus the EIC decision not to exploit the victory at Thalasseri was exploited by Mysore. The Chirakkal army reinforced by a Mysorean contingent under Balwant Rao marched into Kottayam. Pazhassi's men, though secretly supplied with arms and ammunition by the company, could not hold or defeat this huge host and soon the [[Kottayam (Malabar)|Kottayam]] army was forced to disperse after a fight. Then the Mysore-Chirakkal army captured Kadathanad and installed a puppet Raja who joined hands with Mysore. In 1779, a huge Mysore-Chirakkal-Kadathanad army besieged Thalasseri. Pazhassi Raja sent a force of 2000 Nairs to aid the [[Siege of Tellicherry|EIC defence of Thalassery]], and this enabled the factories to hold on successfully.{{sfnp|Kurup|2008|p=27}}{{sfnp|Elayavoor|2007|p=14}}

By the end of 1779, Sardar Khan, the Mysorean general was sent to Thalasseri to bring the siege speedily to a successful conclusion.{{sfnp|Menon|2007|p=296}}{{sfnp|Elayavoor|2007|p=14}} Sardar Khan came with a force of 10,000 troops and 30 heavy guns.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Murland|first1=Lieutenant Colonel HF|title=Baillie-Ki-Paltan: A History of the 2nd Battalion, Madras Pioneers 1759 – 1930|date=2005|publisher=The Naval and Military Press Ltd|location=East Sussex|page=48}}</ref> Sardar Khan knew that it was Pazhassi Raja's help that enabled the East India Company to resist him and so he opened negotiations with Pazhassi&nbsp;– his offer was the restoration of Mysore occupied territories of Kottayam if Pazhassi would ally himself with Mysore and pay an immediate tribute of 500,000 rupees. It was well beyond the capacity of Kottayam to raise so huge a sum in so short a time. But Pazhassi did his best to pay Sardar Khan [probably in the hope that the latter would make concessions] and 60,000 rupees was paid to the latter. But Khan was not satisfied and rejected Pazhassi's request that his possessions in Malabar be restored.{{sfnp|Elayavoor|2007|p=27}} This greedy and tactless approach of Sardar Khan's made sure that there was little chance for Mysore to capture Thalasseri. The Kottayam army became far stronger with their major victory in 1779 at Kalpetta (Wynad) where the whole Coorg army of 2,000 was surrounded and decimated by Pazhassi Raja's troops. The destruction of the Coorg army in Wynad enabled Raja to throw a whole new army into the contest at Thalasseri.{{sfnp|Kurup|1980|p=}}{{Page needed|date=June 2014}}

In 1780, Pazhassi Raja proposed a plan to the East India Company to break the Mysorean siege of Thalassery: he and his men would strike the enemy in the rear from the east as the EIC came out of the fort and struck the Mysorean line in front. Both armies would effect a junction that would split the enemy into two. The Mysorean and allied troops could then be routed easily. But it was only in 1781 that the Company understood the value of this plan and their Bombay authorities agreed to it. An operation was carried out as per Pazhassi's plan; it ended with the destruction of the Mysorean forces. What followed was a rebellion in Kottayam by the Nayar militia led by Pazhassi Raja. Soon, the Mysoreans were ousted.{{sfnp|Kurup|2008|p=28}}
[[File:Province of Malabar 1809 - Arrowsmith.png|thumb|Map of the Malabar Province 1809, after the death of Pazhassi Raja]]