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| Attingal revolt 1721, Kerala.acebook.com |
Considered as the earliest violent resistance or rebellion against the British in the subcontinent the Attingal revolt of April to October, 1821 took place during the reign of Rani Aswathi Tirunal Umayamma. During her reign that the British came to Attingal in 1680, with eyes glued on the natural resources and abundance of spices, especially pepper in the region that could be profitably exploited to the company's advantage. More often than not, EIC never stuck to the trade treaty and violated the conditions mentioned in the treaty. Their unwanted interference in the internal matter of the administration and their illegal fortification of the settlement without proper consent from the queen angered the queen. Natives from various communities in the region came together as a single organized force and revolted to stop their illegal activities. The four medieval kingdoms in Kerala — Kozhikode, Kolathunadu, Cochin and the Venad Royal House wanted to get rid of the British traders out of Kerala
Being the head of the Venad Royal House and an able administrator, Rani Umayamma had an independent and well-trained army. Quite conversant with nuances of running a kingdom, she gained the respect of her subjects. Never had she made compromise on the welfare of the people and the growth of her kingdom. She was very careful in dealing with the Europeans and more so with the untrustworthy British traders.
Having got the consent in 1694 to build a fort in Anchuthengu to further expand the trade from her, The EIC was keen to improve the infrastructure - road construction connecting the hinterland, etc. Their aim was to expand the trade routes and have better advantage over their competitors - Dutch and Portuguese traders who had been operating there for a long time and were keen to establish the trade routes there. Rani initially thought it would put an end to the trade activities by the Dutch.
The royal house was quite unhappy with the English company that violated the trade agreement and acted contrary to the trade agreement. The settlement was fortified beginning in 1695 and the Anchuthengu fort was completed in 1699. The Dutch and the locals pressurised the queen to prevent fortification of the settlements by the English. Unperturbed, the English continued with the fortification which caused resentment among many local feudal lords and local people. They sensed monopolisation of pepper trade by the English,
Their infrastructure activities damaged the agricultural lands and livestock in the region. Besides, they made blasphemous remarks on the local religious and cultural beliefs. The carping remarks were so disdainful the angered natives under Kudaman Pillai violently protested against their interference in the religion and internal matter of the land. The uprising turned into violent protest called Attingal Revolt of 1721. It lasted several months. Realizing the looming grave situation in otherwise a peaceful land, Rani lost no time to send the army to the site to stop the ungrateful and arrogant British from constructing the fort.
The state army and the lightly armed people were no match for the British who had powerful cannons and artillery power. They defeated the locals and secured the fort firmly. Buying property around the Sarkaradevi Temple, unsavory remarks by them on religion and culture further aggravated the volatile situation into a big revolt. With the passing away of Umayamma Rani in 1698 another queen took the reigns in a tumultuous time.
The East India Company followed unethical methods in trade by paying Rs. 5 for a quintal of pepper, far less than the Dutch. But when they exported it to Europe the markup was way high 100 times Rs. 500/quital. It was an out right ripoff. The main reason behind the resentment was large-scale corruption, exploitation and the manipulation of black pepper prices by the company.
The native resolved to fight it out as the English Co's dealings were ever against the interest of the natives. The massive revolt was led by Kudaman Pillai, a local feudal lord. The company wanted to please the new Rani in a bid to cajole her with expensive gifts. and sent them through their representative William Gyfford. Gyfford with 32 men and soldiers went to Attankal palace. Sensing the danger, that very night, the trained rebels stealthily entered the palace and slayed Gyfford and others until no one was left alive.
This Attingal outbreak was the most gruesome and earliest violent revolt against the English company. But the British played it safe and there was no major condemnation from them. Historians are of the opinion that considering its brutality and its significance in our freedom struggle to get the British out, the Attingal Revolt is not yet received better attention in history textbooks that it deserves, in view of its time - early 1700s. According to historian Sasibhooshan, “The British tried to underplay the incident as it would affect their international standing. The East India Company would also find it difficult to get recruits from Britain if the magnitude of the bloodshed gets reported correctly. On the other hand, palace historians tried to downplay it as they were worried it would affect the foreign trade from Attingal.”
It is said the revolt took place with the prior permission of the queen. The local people then laid siege to the fort and it was said that the siege continued for about 6 months. The historians of the southern states in particular want the indian govt. to declare it the earliest revolt by the native to free the country. In Order to emphasize its importance the students of the Government Fine Arts College Thiruvananthapuram put on display a huge mural on Attingal revolt on National Highway 66 in Thiruvananthapuram, . It is a way to 'remind people of the ferocity of the first revolt against the British and to not have its legacy erased in time.'
Why is this mural on display? Because ''There are hardly any writings about the Attingal Revolt, nor are there any images to be used for reference.''.
The main reason behind the public resentment against the British was primarily triggered by large-scale corruption, wheeling dealing and the manipulation of black pepper prices by the company
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attingal_Outbreak#
Recommended further reading:
A massive memorial for the Attingal Revolt of 1721, on its 300th anniversary by S.R. Praveen, Published on 18 September 2021.
Attingal revolt was among earliest acts of resistance against British imperialism by Cithara Paul, Published on 22 August 2021.
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