Maritime contacts Sangam period Tamilakam Cheras Spice trade Ays Ezhil Malai Confluence of religionsMamankam festival Calicut Venad - Kingdom of QuilonValluvanad Kolattunadu CochinArakkal kingdom Minor principalities Age of Discovery Portuguese period Dutch period Rise of Travancore Mysorean invasion British PeriodBattle of TirurangadiMalabar DistrictNorth MalabarSouth Malabar Battle of Quilon Communism in KeralaLakshadweep Economy Architecture Velayudhan Chempakaraman Thampi of Thalakulam (1765–1809) was the Dalawa or Prime Minister of the Indian kingdom of Travancore between 1802 and 1809 during the reign of Bala Rama Varma Kulasekhara Perumal.

[1][2][3] Bala Rama Varma was one of Travancore's least popular sovereigns whose reign was marked by unrest and various internal and external political problems.

[4] He became rajah at the age of sixteen and fell under the influence of the corrupt nobleman Jayanthan Sankaran Nampoothiri from the Zamorin of Calicut's kingdom.

People from all parts of Travancore united to surround the palace and demand the immediate dismissal and banishment of Jayanthan Sankaran Nampoothiri.

They also demanded that his two ministers (Matthoo Tharakan, Sankaranarayanan Chetty) be brought to a public place then undergo flogging and have their ears cut off.

[6] After Velu Thampi became Dalawa of Travancore, he faced serious opposition from two relatives of the late Raja Kesavadas who sought assistance to get rid of him from their associates in Bombay.

[citation needed] The Dalawa's undue severity and overbearing conduct resulted in resentment amongst the Nair nobility, the very same people who had assisted his rise to power.

A conspiracy was formed against him under the influence of Kunjunilam Pillai, a powerful Travancore cabinet official who succeeded in getting the Maharajah to sign a royal warrant to arrest and immediately execute Velu Thampi Dalawa.

[7] The Dalawa was at Allepey when he received news of the conspiracy and immediately rushed to Cochin to meet the British Resident, Col. Colin Macaulay, who, by that time, had become a good friend.

The Nairs marched to Trivandrum with a ten thousand strong army of sepoys and demanded that the Maharajah immediately dismiss the Dalawa and end any alliance with the British.

Meanwhile, the Resident and the Dalawa collected forces at Cochin and, assisted by the Carnatic Brigade, marched to Trivandrum and put an end to the mutiny.

In spite of being fully aware of the financial crisis in Travancore, the Resident Col. Macaulay pressed Velu Thampi for immediate payment of the large amount of tribute and the expenses of putting down the mutiny of the Nair troops.

Following this, Subba Iyer, the envoy of the Resident, who had met up with the Dalawa for discussions, was found dead, ostensibly due to a snake bite.

Dalawa Velu Thampi organised recruits, strengthened forts and stored up ammunition while similar preparations was made by the Paliath Achan in Cochin.

[14] The plan of the Paliath Achan and Velu Thampi was to join forces and attack the Fort of Cochin, storm the defences and murder the British Resident Colin Macaulay and Kunju Krishna Menon.

Under the leadership of Vaikom Padmanabha Pillai, troops from the garrisons at Alleppey, Alangad and Paravoor were transferred stealthily through the backwaters in covered boats to Kalvathy[15] where they met up with four thousand of Paliyath Achan's followers.

Velu Thampi then sent a part of his force to launch another amphibious attack on the British garrison at Cochin, which was defended by Major Hewitt.

[20] A sick lady, who was a member of this party, was permitted to travel unharmed to Cochin, since it was contrary to the laws of Travancore to kill women.

[21] In the aftermath of the battle at Quilon, Velu Thampi moved to the southern border of Travancore to bolster the defence at Aramboly pass located at Aralvaimozhi.

The two mile long fortifications at the Aramboly pass were guarded by masonry walls and had around 50 artillery pieces covering the road from Palayamkottai.

On the morning of 10 February 1809, the British attacked the flanks of the fortified lines from the southern mountain and Velu Thampi fled from Aramboly.

[22] The British forces moved into the interior of Travancore on 17 February 1809, and were held up by Thampi's men who were entrenched in a fortified dugout in Kottar.

Velu Thampi fled to the Bhagavathy temple at Mannadi where, when surrounded by the would-be captors, he committed suicide [citation needed].

[26] During the trial for the murder of prisoners on the 30 January 1809 at Purrakad beach, Padmanabhan Thampi was found guilty of complicity in the act and was hanged at Trivandrum on 10 April 1809.

The Government of Kerala instituted a memorial to Dalawa Velu Thampi, a research centre, a museum, a park and a statue at Mannadi near Adoor.