Person · Dalawa & rebel leader
Velu Thampi Dalawa
Also known as Velu Thampi
The Travancore Dalawa (prime minister) Velu Thampi Dalawa (6 May 1765 - 29 March 1809) who led the 1808-1809 Travancore uprising against the British East India Company's Subsidiary Alliance under Resident Colin Macaulay. Born at Thalakulam in Kanyakumari district, Velu Thampi became Dalawa in 1802 under Balarama Varma and issued the 11 January 1809 Kundara Proclamation — one of the earliest anti-colonial declarations in India calling for armed uprising. His 1809 campaign was crushed within three months by Hislop's British forces. He killed himself at Mannadi Bhagavathi temple on 29 March 1809 rather than be captured. The 2010 Thalakulam Dalawa Statue honours his legacy.
- Date
- 1765–1809
- Function
- Social reform & movement
- Confidence
- Established / referenced
Connections (1)
- Samadhi atMalayattoor
Velu Thampi Dalawa killed himself at Mannadi Bhagavathi temple on 29 March 1809 rather than be captured by Macaulay's British East India Company troops. The Mannadi temple sits in Pathanamthitta district 50 kilometres from Thalakulam (his birthplace) and 60 kilometres from Malayattoor. His body was buried at Mannadi and the temple preserves his cenotaph as a Travancore royal memorial.
Sources
Standard biography; regional historiography.
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