| Battle Of Colachel |
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| 1741 | |
| naval battles of the travancore-dutch war | |
| kanyakumari | |
| kingdom of travancore | |
| naval battles involving travancore | |
| SHOPPER'S DELIGHT | |
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This battle is important because it marked the decline of Dutch influence over India, assisting the British East India Company 's rise and eventual British rule. The battle The battle began when a force of Dutch Marines under the leadership of a Flemish commander, Captain Eustace De Lannoy (also spelt D'lennoy) were sent to Travancore to secure a trading post from the Raja. They landed with artillery in Kulachal, then a small but important coastal town, and captured the territory up to Padmanabhapuram , the then-capital of Travancore. The arrival of the Raja's army from the north forced the Dutch to take up defensive positions in Kulachal, where they were attacked and defeated by the Travancore forces. The key element of the Raja's army was his personal bodyguard, known as the Travancore Nair Brigade. This unit was later integrated into the Indian Army as the 9th Battalion of the Madras Regiment in 1954, and it recently celebrated its tercentenary. There is a war memorial in Colachel even today.... According to Local people here in Colcahel, When the Dutch came with Tanks the King by making a fake appearance of Tanks by loading coconut trunks in Bullock carts frightened those Dutch.... Some twenty eight Dutch soldiers were taken prisoner. After the defeat, the commander joined the Raja's army in return for his life being spared, and served in it for over two decades. Background The seeds for the battle were laid when the Raja began expanding his small kingdom by entering into territorial disputes with his neighbours, the Kingdoms of Kayamkulam and Kollam in 1731 . These disputes began impacting the VOC since they had factories for exporting Pepper in these areas. The destruction of crops in the war made it difficult for the Kollam merchants to fulfill their agreements with the Dutch. By 1733 VOC pepper exports came down to less than half the quantities of 1730 -31. To help the three Kingdoms mediate the VOC deputed their emissaries, William Feling, Abraham Van De Welle, Ezechiel Rhabbi and Brouwer to Kayamkulam in May, 1734 to negotiate with the Raja, though unsuccesfully {Link without Title} . The annexation of ''Eleyadathu Swarupam'', the largest Pepper producing area in southern Kerala, by the Raja during 1737 made a confrontation between him and the VOC inevitable. The advent of English traders in this market also made the price of pepper soar. All of this forced the VOC to engage the Raja and thus began the Travancore–Dutch war of 1739 that led to this battle. Impact A direct outcome of the event at Kulachal was the take over of pepper trade by the State of Travancore. This development was to have serious repercussions on the Dutch and the trading world of Kerala at large. In 1753 the Dutch signed the treaty of Mavelikkara with the Raja agreeing not to obstruct the Raja's expansion, and in turn to sell to him arms and amunition. This marked the beginning of the end of Dutch influence in India. The VOC began selling Indonesia n spices and sugar in Kerala until 1795 , at which time the English conquest of the Kingdom of Kochi ended their rule in India. Capitan De Lannoy, who joined his service, was promoted to the Senior Admiral (''Valiya Kappithan''), and modernised the Travancore army by introducing firearms and artillery. Colachel This small town is on the route from Thiruvananthapuram to Kanyakumari on National Highway 47 in present day state of Tamil Nadu 's Kanyakumari district in India . It is situated very close to Mahendragiri , where the Indian Space Research Organisation 's Rocket testing facility is located. Captain De Lannoy From 1741, Captain De Lannoy remained in command of the Travancore Forces, and was involved in the annexation of Attingal, Quilon, Kayankulam, Panthalam, Ambalapuzha, Edapalli, Thekkanpur and Vadakkanpur. He modernised the Travancore army, and built the ''Nedumkotta'', a line of fortifications in the North of the Kingdom, which held up the army of Tipu Sultan in 1791 , during his ill-fated invasion of Travancore. Being a Christian, he was not allowed inside the Fort of Padmanabhapuramm, the capital of the Kingdom. So, he established himself at a place called Udayagiri, about a mile and a half from the capital, where he raised a Fort, today known as the Udayagiri Fort (also known in Malayalam as ''Dillanai Kottai'' — De Lannoy's Fort). After the demise of Marthanda Varma in 1758, Capt De Lannoy retired from active service and lived in Udayagiri. He died in 1777, and was buried in the Fort. De Lannoy's tomb, along with those of his wife and son, is situated at a small Chapel inside the Fort. The tomb bears the inscription "Stand, Traveller, and behold! For here lies Captain Delannoy, who served Maharaja Marthanda Varma and Travancore faithfully for three decades". Tributes
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