Shamaiya Iyengar

Last updated September 18, 2023

Shamaiya Iyengar (Shyama Iyengar) popularly known as Anche Shamaiya, ^[1] son of varadaraja Iyengar, dewan of Krishna Raja Wadiyar II (varad-rao) and grandson of Vasudeva Iyengar(A great Sanskrit scholar), was the minister of the police and the post office (also served as the intelligence department) during the time of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan. He was originally from Sulikunte in Kolar district of Karnataka ^[1] (also known as Sulkunte), near Budikote in Bangarpet. Although it is said he was born in shambonahali or shamaiahhalli after his name sake (source: Mysore State Gazetteer) in the tumkur district, his ancestors had migrated by then to sulikunte(sulakunte) agrahara formerly known as soolikere village in Kolar district from tumkur. Shamaih and his ancestors were also religious gurus to what Lt Col Kirkpatrick refers to as the brinjara people's( most likely the people of the vanniyar caste) and they were influential in defending shamaiah against British allegations.

Shamaiya had met Hyder when he was a young man. He rose to the height of his power when he was appointed as the head of the post office and police which also served many other functions (Anche Guritana) in 1776 (Some historians put this date at 1779) after helping catch a corrupt official in hiding who had run off with significant money from the state treasury who is referred to as tremalrao. It is said he used his agents and network of emissaries to track him down and bring him back to face justice.

He was honoured with an umbrella, medal, pearl necklace, received 5000 varahas as reward and 1000 varahas as allowance from Hyder Ali. Shamaiah enjoyed great success as an all round administrator during the time of Hyder. It was said that shamaiah was so trusted and an important figure that all courtiers except shamaiah were to compulsorily attend Tippoos wedding. Shamaih was left free to look after the affairs of the state even when the most important nobles and administrators were forced to attend the wedding. Shamaih was the only Hindu allowed to wear the mohammeden elite noble green headdresss and ride on a palanquin during the time of Hyder.

Later in Tipu sultan's time an alleged insurrection to overthrow Tipu and re establish the Hindu king was plotted around 1783. Shamaiya was believed to be the leader of the insurrection. Although some sources suggest it was a simple misunderstanding over some lost jewels and money which was given the spin of a coup. Many alleged conspirators were put to death instantly, it is not known why Shamaiya did not suffer the same fate. It is believed that Tipu ordered him to be put in heavy iron's and was occasionally fed on a low diet, flogged publicly with chilli powder applied to his back and later blinded, suspecting political conspiracy. Shamiaya and his brother Rangaiya persisted to their last in denying any involvement in the insurrection. Shamaiya was extremely popular and got along with all communities and all parties so well that Tipu kept him imprisoned instead of executing shamaih.

Tipus Sanad in 1783 mentioning Shamaiah as Anche Shamaiya, to provoke divisions between the tenkalai sect mandyam iyengars and vadakalai parakala mutt members.

Extract from Sannad of Nawab Tippu Sultan Bahadur of

Mysore (15 th September 1783 A.D.).

“The ‘Nirup ’ is addressed to Kuppaiya, Deva- sthanada-Sime-Parupatyagar or manager of the department of temples in the State to the system of reciting invocatory verses in the temple at Melukote (see above). It is stated in this nirup that Anche Shamaiya (an officer under Tlpu) was violating the old usage in the temple at Melukote regarding the use of invocatory verses and it was now ordained that both forms of invocation which begin with “Ramanuja-dayapatra” and “Srisailesha-daya- patra” might be used. Further the Parupatyadar was ordered to be fair to both the sects of Vadagalai and Tenkale (which used the above invocations) and to remove the image of Pillai Lokacharya (a saint of the Tenkalai sect) to its original place at Melukote and to take the God in procession to Kesavaswami mantapa and other mantapas and distribute tirtha (sacred water) and prasada consecrated food offered to God during the Tirunakshatra and conduct the services with zeal in the usual manner.”

Around 700 mandyam iyengars of the bharadwaja gotra, including men women and children were massacred in large numbers near the same period. They were hung in a tamarind grove near the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangapattinam. It is assumed that shamaih and the excuse of a coup was used to persecute a peoples that had resisted the jiYa tax and who had kept their loyayies to their old masters (The wodeyar dynasty)

It is also said that many members of the jeystimalla (jetti) clan of Brahmin wrestlers and athletes were also massacred en masse at the same time. This is due to the threat perception that such Hindu athletes and warriors would be dangerous if a rebellion ever broke out. This community was and is still popularly known as the jetti or the jetti pehelvan community in and around mysore. They can found in their wrestling establishments known as garadi mane in the Mysore region.

Tipus Sanad in 1793 aimed at himiliating shamaiah even further by changing authority of the village his family lived in and handing it over to the parakala matha

The Sanad of Tipu Sultan in 1793 regarding Sulakunte Agrahara is a document that specifies the grant given to the Parakala Matha of Mysore by the ruler. The contents of the Sanad are as follows:

The grant of the village of Sulakunte Agrahara, along with all its rights, revenues, and other benefits, to the Parakala Matha for its maintenance and upkeep.

The grant of the privilege to the Parakala Matha to hold a weekly market in the village, which would provide additional revenue to the Matha.

The grant of the right to construct tanks, canals, and other waterworks in the village, and to use the water thus obtained for agricultural purposes.

The stipulation that the Parakala Matha must pay an annual tribute of 1000 Pagodas to the government.

The requirement that the Parakala Matha must maintain law and order in the village, and ensure that the villagers pay their taxes regularly

Adherents of his family believe that Shamiaya was a victim of political conspiracy planned by Tipu himself or other jealous ministers and may have even involved Mir Sadiq . Some accounts say that Shamaiya was killed in 1784 but lieutenant colonel Grants' memoir indicates he was still alive in 1806.

According to the "Mysore Gazetteer: Volume IV" by J.H. Elliot and W.H. Moreland, Shamaiah was arrested along with several other officials after the fall of Srirangapatna to the British forces in 1799. He was accused of conspiring against the British and was put on trial. During the trial, it was alleged that Shamaiah had supported Tipu Sultan's efforts to drive the British out of India and had also been involved in an assassination plot against British officers. However, the evidence against him was not considered strong enough to prove his guilt beyond doubt. Despite this, Shamaiah was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment in the Andaman Islands. However, it is believed that he was later pardoned and allowed to return to Mysore, where he lived out the rest of his life. The exact details of his trial are not known beyond what is mentioned in the Mysore Gazetteer.

Shamaiya's elder brother Ranga Iyengar was also a highly placed officer under Tipu.^[1] His younger brother Aprameya was also given a position in the government.

He is also referred to as anche shamaiah, inchiwalla, anchewalla, shamia in many records. Rangaiah has been referred to as Bungea, rungea in many records.

a contemporary of shamaiah says this regarding the imprisonment and torture of Shamaiah hy Tipoo:

"Shamaiah, who had been imprisoned and tortured for the supposed concealment of treasure, and whose life was only spared at the intercession of the vakeels, or ambassadors, of the English Company, was, on the departure of the Sultan, set at liberty."

Lieutent colonel william kirkpatrick also talked about the various qualities of shamaiah:

"Shamaiah, an Iyengar Bramin, of very superior abilities, was the author of several learned works, and among others, of a complete commentary on the Vedanta Sutra, one of the most abstruse and difficult of the Hindu sciences. The Sultan was much attached to him, and employed him on all occasions which required great skill and judgment, in political as well as religious matters."

"Shamaiah, a celebrated Brahman minister of the last reign, possessed of great talents and acquirements, was appointed Dewan, or prime minister."

"This account of the appointment of a Brahman to the prime ministerial office in the Mysore Government is singular, and speaks highly of the merit and influence of Shamaiah, who is said to have enjoyed the complete confidence of Hyder Ali, and to have been the first native who was allowed to wear a green turban, which had been reserved exclusively for Mussulman nobles."

"Shamaiah was a man of high birth and had received a liberal education, and his talents were of the first order."

"In Shamaiah's papers were found, after his death, letters and papers of Hyder and Tippoo, which evinced the highest opinion entertained by these princes of his ability and integrity."

"It is not the least extraordinary feature in the history of Shamaiah, that he should have been able to preserve the favor and friendship of Hyder and Tippoo for so many years; a fact which speaks highly of his political wisdom and fidelity."

"The character of Shamaiah, as given by the natives, was that of a Brahman of great learning and probity."

Overall, Kirkpatrick holds Shamaiah Iyengar in high esteem and portrays him as an exceptionally talented and intelligent minister who earned the respect and trust of the ruling princes of Mysore

William Kirkpatrick mentions the following works by Shamaiah Iyengar:

"An historical account of the principal circumstances attending the reign of Haidar Aly and Tippoo Sultan" (in English)

"Sulabhāna nighantu" (in Sanskrit)

"Rasendra chintamani" (in Sanskrit)

He also notes that Shamaiah was the author of several other works, but does not provide their titles.

Nobody knows the contents of these books. Or even if any copy of them survived anywhere.

"Shamia Saheb, a minister of Tippoo's, was employed by him to translate certain English works into the Canarese and Persian languages, and was much esteemed by that Prince for his literary abilities." (Source: "An Account of the Kingdom of Mysore" by William Kirkpatrick, page 379)

"Shamaiah Sahib, who was distinguished by the titles of Rajah and Musnavy, had written many poems and songs, and had been much patronised by the former Sultauns, as well as by Hyder Ali and his son, by both of whom he was much esteemed."

"Shamaiah wore a green turban, which was considered a mark of distinction among the Mahomedans; and he was considered to be so great a favourite with Hyder and Tippoo, that they frequently seated him beside them on their musnuds, or thrones." (Chapter 14, p. 238)

He was such a famous part of Mysore between 1770s and 1799 that many English, Muslim and Mysore wadiyar commissioned historians have mentioned him in many books. He was in touch with the British, Persians and French. He was a man of great character but ultimately He was a victim of circumstances of his time. Left blinded by Tipus torture and sidelined by the British, he was a victim of the circumstances of his time. The British also used him in 1799 after the death of Tipu in a fake trial to scare many influential people within Mysore. First they gave him the death penalty, then commuted it to life in prison in the Andamans but was never taken there. He probably livef the rest of his days in mysore. He was a man loved by all communities including the mohemmedans. He owned large lands including most of tumkur but British confiscated the lands after the fall of Tipu in 1799.

He was probably born near the mid-1700s and died somewhere near 1820s. He is survived by many descendents. Although a lot of property was confiscated from Shamaiah, he still had a good amount of property to his name and his descendents were large landowners with one of his descendents of the same name "(Su) shyama Iyengar" living in the late 1800s and early 1900s was only one of two tax payers to pay more than 1000 rupees in land tax in the entire kolar district.

Overall Shamaih was a highly intelligent and capable administrator and leader who was able to handle everything from diplomacy to internal affairs to warfare. He was man well respected by all including Hyder and Tipu, the British and even the French. He was a scholar and a master accountant. Despite all this he was a victim of the circumstances of his time in a very exited and chaotic political time.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tipu Sultan</span> Ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore from 1782 to 1799

Tipu Sultan, commonly referred to as Sher-e-Mysore or "Tiger of Mysore", was the Indian Muslim ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery. He introduced a number of administrative innovations during his rule, including a new coinage system and calendar, and a new land revenue system, which initiated the growth of the Mysore silk industry. Tipu was also a pioneer in introducing Channapatna toys. He expanded the iron-cased Mysorean rockets and commissioned the military manual Fathul Mujahidin, He deployed the rockets against advances of British forces and their allies during the Anglo-Mysore Wars, including the Battle of Pollilur and Siege of Srirangapatna.

Hyder Ali was the Sultan and de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born as Hyder Ali, he distinguished himself as a soldier, eventually drawing the attention of Mysore's rulers. Rising to the post of Dalavayi (commander-in-chief) to Krishnaraja Wodeyar II, he came to dominate the titular monarch and the Mysore government. He became the de facto ruler of Mysore as Sarvadhikari by 1761. During intermittent conflicts against the East India Company during the First and Second Anglo–Mysore Wars, Hyder Ali was the military leader.

The First Anglo-Mysore War (1767–1769) was a conflict in India between the Sultanate of Mysore and the East India Company. The war was instigated in part by the machinations of Asaf Jah II, the Nizam of Hyderabad, who sought to divert the company's resources from attempts to gain control over the Northern Circars.

The Anglo-Mysore Wars were a series of four wars fought during the last three decades of the 18th century between the Sultanate of Mysore on the one hand, and the British East India Company, Maratha Empire, Kingdom of Travancore, and the Kingdom of Hyderabad on the other. Hyder Ali and his succeeding son Tipu fought the wars on four fronts: with the British attacking from the west, south and east and the Nizam's forces attacking from the north. The fourth war resulted in the overthrow of the house of Hyder Ali and Tipu, and the dismantlement of Mysore to the benefit of the East India Company, which took control of much of the Indian subcontinent.

The Third Anglo-Mysore War (1790–1792) was a conflict in South India between the Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India Company, the Kingdom of Travancore, the Maratha Empire, and the Nizam of Hyderabad. It was the third of four Anglo-Mysore Wars.

The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War was a conflict in South India between the Kingdom of Mysore against the British East India Company and the Hyderabad Deccan in 1798–99.

Tipu's Tiger or Tippu's Tiger is an 18th-century automaton or mechanical toy created for Tipu Sultan, the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in India. The carved and painted wood casing represents a tiger mauling a near life-size European man. Mechanisms inside the tiger and the man's body make one hand of the man move, emit a wailing sound from his mouth and grunts from the tiger. In addition a flap on the side of the tiger folds down to reveal the keyboard of a small pipe organ with 18 notes.

An Agraharam or Agrahara was a grant of land and royal income from it, typically by a king or a noble family in India, for religious purposes, particularly to Brahmins to maintain temples in that land or a pilgrimage site and to sustain their families. Agraharams were also known as Chaturvedimangalams in ancient times. They were also known as ghatoka, and boya. Agraharams were built and maintained by dynasties such as the Pandya, Cholas, Kadambas, Pallavas, Vijayanagara and other deccan dynasties since ancient times.

Religion in Karnataka has played a very important role in shaping modern Indian religions and philosophy.

Fathul Mujahidin is a military manual that was written by Zainul Abedin Shustari at the instruction of Tipu Sultan, the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in South India considered a pioneer in the use of rocket artillery. Mysore started to equip their army with rockets in the 1750s and during the Second Anglo–Mysore War (1780–1784) Tipu and his father Haider Ali used this technology against British troops. Tipu Sultan used rockets in battle with the British Army in the 1792 Siege of Srirangapatna, a battle at the end of the Third Anglo-Mysore War.

The Treaty of Mangalore was signed between Tipu Sultan and the British East India Company on 11 March 1784. It was signed in Mangalore and brought an end to the Second Anglo-Mysore War.

Bangalore Fort began in 1537 as a mud fort. The builder was Kempe Gowda I, a vassal of the Vijaynagar Empire and the founder of Bangalore. Hyder Ali in 1761 replaced the mud fort with a stone fort and it was further improved by his son Tipu Sultan in the late 18th century. It was damaged during an Anglo-Mysore war in 1791. It still remains a good example of 18th-century military fortification. The army of the British East India Company, led by Lord Cornwallis on 21 March 1791 captured the fort in the siege of Bangalore during the Third Mysore War (1790–1792). At the time the fort was a stronghold for Tipu Sultan. Today, the fort's Delhi gate, on Krishnarajendra Road, and two bastions are the primary remains of the fort. A marble plaque commemorates the spot where the British breached fort's wall, leading to its capture. The old fort area also includes Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace, and his armoury. The fort has provided the setting for the treasure hunt in the book Riddle of the Seventh Stone.

KrishnacharyaPurnaiah, popularly known as DewanPurnaiah, was an Indian administrator, statesman, and strategist who served as the first dewan of Mysore from 1782 to 1811 under the Dewani System established by Tipu Sultan. He was instrumental in the restoration of the rule of the Kingdom of Mysore to the Wadiyar dynasty. After the death of Tipu Sultan, he continued to advice the succeeding child monarch Krishnaraja III.

The captivity of Mangalorean Catholics at Seringapatam (1784–1799) was a 15-year imprisonment of Mangalorean Catholics and other Christians at Seringapatam, in the Carnataca region of India by Tippu Sultan, the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. Estimates of the number of captives range from 30,000 to 80,000, but the generally accepted figure is 60,000, as stated by Tipu in the Sultan-ul-Tawarikh. The captivity was the most disconsolate period in the community's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace</span> Building in Bangalore, India

The captivity of Kodavas (Coorgis) at Seringapatam was the period of capture, deportation, and imprisonment of Kodava Takk speaking Coorgis who rebelled against Tippu Sultan, the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore, they were caught during a number of attempts to suppress their rebellion in the 1780s.

The captivity of Nairs at Seringapatam was imposed on the Nairs of Malabar by Tipu Sultan, the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore from 1786 to 1799. They were subjected to forcible conversions to Sunni Islam, the official religious sect sanctioned by the Ottoman Caliphate, whose approval and alliance was sought by Tippu Sultan. Those who refused conversions had to face many humiliations, hardships, torture, and even death. The Nairs were treated with extreme brutality due to their strong adherence to the Hindu faith and martial tradition. The captivity ended when Nair troops from Travancore defeated Tipu in the Third Anglo-Mysore War. It is estimated that out of the 30,000 Nairs put to captivity, only a few hundred returned to Malabar alive.

The Maratha–Mysore Wars were a conflict in 18th century India between the Maratha Empire and the Kingdom of Mysore. Though initial hostilities between the sides started in 1770s, the last battle began on February 1785 and ended in 1787.

The Mysorean invasion of Malabar was the military invasion of the Malabar region of Kerala, including the territories of the Zamorin of Calicut, by the then-de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore, Hyder Ali. After the invasion, the Kingdom of Cochin to the south of Malabar became a tributary state of Mysore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gumbaz, Srirangapatna</span> Mausoleum of Tippu Sultan, Hyder Ali and Fakr-Un-Nisa

The Gumbaz at Srirangapattana is a Muslim mausoleum at the centre of a landscaped garden, holding the graves of Tippu Sultan, his father Hyder Ali (Middle) and his mother Fakhr-Un-Nisa. It was built by Tippu Sultan to house the graves of his parents. The British allowed Tippu to be buried here after his martyrdom in the Siege of Srirangapatna in 1799.

References

1 2 3 Hayavadana, Rao Conjeeveram. Mysore Gazetteer : Compiled for Government. Bangalore: Government, 1930. Print.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[H1-1] 1 2 3 Hayavadana, Rao Conjeeveram. Mysore Gazetteer : Compiled for Government. Bangalore: Government, 1930. Print.

[1]