India is no stranger to wars and warriors that lead men to victory. It has had a history of kings that have shown their valour in times of need and helped their kingdoms prosper and grow.
Another fact, albeit, a sad one was that we lagged behind the rest of the world in terms of scientific achievements and technology, blinded by our own communal, territorial and regional disputes.
The kings instead of forming alliances tried to conquer each other’s lands and the West saw an opportunity in dividing the already warring States and slowly sink their teeth into the economic exploits of India that had been virtually untouched for ages.
The Portuguese were the first to land on the coast of Calicut in India and while initially, they sought out new trading relationships, they soon realized that the land hadn’t been claimed by anyone but the numerous kingdoms that couldn’t hold their own against the Navy that the west brought with them.
The Dutch followed their lead and made Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka) their main base of operations with the establishment of the Dutch East India Trading Company (VOC), in 1602.
The Dutch pioneered the trade in the early 17th century and soon started deepening their grip on the major hotspots of trade and travel.
In the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, there is the most southern end district of India, Kanyakumari. In that district lies the city of Colachel. If you travel there today, it is a good vacation spot with both tourists and pilgrims flooding in heavy numbers.
But back in the day, it served as the battleground for one of the most gruesome wars ever fought for the conquest of India and its outcome wasn’t favouring the West.
Colachel was a part of the kingdom of Travancore, a throne that was graced by Sri Padmanabhadasa Vanchipala Maharajah Sri Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma Kulasekhara Perumal, or Marthanda Varma for those of you that have a hard time remembering names. His brawn on the battlefield and brains in leading the army were worthy of that name.
He marched to the rhythm of the war drums to conquer lands for the settlement of political disputes, captured major oceanic trade routes (more on that later) and managed to establish dominance in most of what makes modern-day Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Marthanda Verma realized early on that his people lacked the advancements made by the Europeans in equipment and strategy, he saw through it and this served his purpose in the Battle of Colachel, in 1741.
The Dutch East India Company had gained control of numerous economically and tactically advantageous regions and marched towards the South. They faced the army of King Verma in Colachel on the 10th of August, 1741.
The reason for this war to ensue was the control Verma had established over oceanic trade routes already, he wanted to undercut the West’s profits and exercise authority over what goods were traded from his ports and who docked into them.
Black pepper was in trend, they called it ‘black gold’ and Verma formed an alliance with Syrian Christian traders, issuing Royal permits to those that wanted to trade black pepper and some other goods in his territories.
The Dutch wanted in on the black pepper trade and war was an acceptable outcome for them, they weren’t scared after a century of chipping away at India’s standing pillars of power.
King Verma used Western strategies and formations in battle and revolutionized his army along with revamped weaponry and tactical advantages over the Dutch that were alien to the terrain, he delivered a crushing defeat onto them, something they had never anticipated.
This single war brought the ambitious Dutch expansion and conquest to an abrupt end. Post-war, he adopted a prisoner of war by the name of Eustachius de Lannoy to further exchange his army in the ways of the West and promoted him to the post of war general later on in life. The Dutchman remained loyal to Verma for his grace and together they won a great number of battles in the years that followed.
Verma went on to form a war and trade alliance with the king of Kochi at the time and helped him survive in the struggle for power against the northern state of Calicut.
He gained even more authority after breaking the Dutch barring of Kerlan coasts and trading ensued on a level never witnessed before, he was ambitious and generated an ungodly amount of wealth as a consequence of his pursuits.
In 1753, the Dutch resigned to his might and a treaty was signed at Mavelikkara, handing over most of the pepper produce-yielding territories to Verma.
Marthanda Verma was a devotee of Lord Vishnu, and in the later years of his reign, he devoted his kingdom to Lord Vishnu, acting as his vice-regent or protector of the realm, Padmanabhaswamy Temple as it’s seen today was rebuilt during Verma’s reign and he was known for his patronage to various temples during his time.
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