Thalakkal Chanthu

Last updated October 28, 2021

Thalakkal Chanthu, also spelled Thalakkal Chandu, was an archer and commander-in-chief of the Kurichya soldiers of the Pazhassi Raja who fought British forces in the Wayanad jungles during first decade of the 19th century.

Career

Chanthu began his career under Edachena Kunkan, who later promoted him to the rank of general.^{[ citation needed ]} Pazhassi Raja and his other generals and troops saw Chanthu as their ablest war leader.^{[ citation needed ]}

Panamaram fort massacre

The British East India Company fixed a high revenue tax on agricultural produce of Wyanad farmers causing widespread dissent.^{[ citation needed ]} One of the Company peons was killed by Edachena Kunkan when the peon demanded paddy from a Kuruchiya man.^[1] This prompted the entire Kuruchiya tribe to join hands with Edachana Kunkan who was carrying on a fight against the British on behalf of Pazhassi Raja.^{[ citation needed ]} The rebellion on 11 October 1802 by a group of tribal soldiers (comprising 175 Kurichya archers), led by Thalakkal Chandu and Edachena Kunkan, captured the British fort at Panamaram which was defended by the I battalion of 4th Bombay infantry.^[1] Commanding officer Capt. Dickinson and Lt. Maxwell were killed in action along with entire detachment of 70 soldiers which was guarding the fort.^[1]

The British forces launched a retaliatory attack and trapped Chanthu on 15 November 1805.^{[ citation needed ]} He was executed under a Koly tree. Edachana Kunkan committed suicide when he was surrounded at Panniyil later (now called Pannichal, Kerala).^[2]

Memorial

The Kerala State Government installed a memorial to Chanthu on 22 September 2012, near Panamaram Fort on the banks of the Kabini river.^[3] In the form of a museum, the memorial displays weapon models used by Chanthu and his tribesmen, the Kurichiya archers and the tribe's traditional agricultural implements.^[3]

Related Research Articles

Wayanad, is an Indian district in the north-east of Kerala state with administrative headquarters at the municipality of Kalpetta. It is the sole Plateau in Kerala. The Wayanad Plateau forms a continuation of Mysore Plateau, which is the southern portion of Deccan Plateau. It is set high on the Western Ghats with altitudes ranging from 700 to 2100 meters. Vellari Mala, a 2,240 m (7,349 ft) high peak situated on the trijunction of Wayanad, Malappuram, and Kozhikode districts, is the highest point in Wayanad district. The district was formed on 1 November 1980 as the 12th district in Kerala by carving out areas from Kozhikode and Kannur districts. About 885.92 sq.km of area of the district is under forest. Wayanad has three municipal towns—Kalpetta, Mananthavady and Sulthan Bathery. There are many indigenous tribals in this area. The Kabini River, which is a tributary of Kaveri River, originates at Wayanad. Wayanad district, along with the Chaliyar valley in neighbouring Nilambur region in Malappuram district, is known for natural Gold fields, which is also seen in other parts of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Chaliyar river, which is the fourth longest river of Kerala, originates in Wayanad plateau. The historically important Edakkal Caves are located in Wayanad district.

India's first freedom fighter Pazhassi Raja was born as Kerala Varma and was also known as Cotiote Rajah and Pychy Rajah. He was a warrior Hindu prince and de facto head of the kingdom of Kottayam, otherwise known as Cotiote, in Malabar, India, between 1774 and 1805. His struggles with the East India Company is known as the Cotiote War. He is popularly known as Kerala Simham on account of his martial exploits.

Kurichiya or Kurichiyar also known as Hill Brahmins or Malai Brahmins are a matrilineal tribe of Kerala distributed mainly in Wayanad and Kannur districts of Kerala, India. Kurichiyans are one of the Scheduled Tribes of Kerala practicing agriculture.

Manoj Kadampoothramadam Jayan, popularly known as Manoj K. Jayan, is an Indian film actor who predominantly acts in Malayalam and Tamil films in addition to a few Telugu and Kannada films, and he has also acted in a Bollywood film. Manoj has won three Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Actor, respectively for his portrayals of Hariharan's "Kuttan Thampuran" in Sargam (1992), "Thalakkal Chandu" in Pazhassi Raja (2009) and "Kunjiraman" in Farook Abdul Rahiman's Kaliyachan. His most critically acclaimed characters are "Kuttan Thampuran" (Sargam),"Thirumangalath Neelakandan Namboothiri" in (Perumthachan),"Kunjunni Namboothiri" in Parinayam, "Unnikrishnan" in Venkalam, "Ananthakrishna Warrier" in (Sopanam), "Digambaran" (Anandabhadram) and "Thalakkal Chandu" and many more. He is known for his polished acting skills and style quotient.

Pulpally is a mid-sized town in Wayanad District of Kerala, India.Pulpally also known as 'The land of black gold'. Pulpally is also famous for its pure wild Wayanad honey. The only Seetha devi temple in Kerala is situated on Pulpally. Geographically a small town in Sultan Bathery Taluk and a "Grama Panchayath" under the local self governance system. It is about 24 km from Sultan Bathery, and is almost surrounded by forest. The main source of income is agriculture.

Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja is an Indian Malayalam-language historical drama film based on the life of Pazhassi Raja, a king who fought against the East India Company in the 18th century. The film was directed by Hariharan, written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair and produced by Gokulam Gopalan. It stars Mammootty with Sarathkumar, Manoj K Jayan, Suresh Krishna, Suman, Kanika Subramaniam, Padmapriya, Thilakan and Jagathi Sreekumar in supporting roles. The music score and soundtrack were created by Ilaiyaraaja, while its sound design is by Resul Pookutty. The political situation of the time is portrayed from an Indian viewpoint in the film, and the locals are treated sympathetically. The film received an overwhelming response and it has emerged as one of the top grossers in Kerala’s box office history.

Panamaram is a village in Wayanad district in the state of Kerala, India.

Kallody is a village in the Edavaka Grama panchayath of the Wayanad district, Kerala, India. This village falls under the Mananthavady Taluk. The Hill Highway (Kerala) SH-59 passes through this village town.

Edachena Kunkan was a Wayanad Nair noble from Tirunelli, Wayanad, Kerala, India who joined the war effort of Pazhassi Raja during the 1770s and became commander of the Raja's army. His younger brothers joined him as generals. Kunkan was a popular leader in Wayanad, gathering support from people of many classes for Raja's war against the East India Company.

Banasura Hill is one of the tallest mountains in the Western Ghats of the Wayanad district, Kerala, India. The hill is named after Banasura, a mythical character of Indian legends. It is one of the highest peak exceeding 2,000m between Nilgiris and Himalayas after Chembra Peak.

Pazhassi Raja is a 1964 Malayalam biographical film, directed and produced by Kunchako. It is written by well known playwright Thikkodiyan and is based on the life of warrior king Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja. It stars Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair in the title role, with Prem Nazir, Sathyan, Satyapal, S. P. Pillai, Rajashree and Pankajavalli in other important roles.

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

Pallūr Ēman Nāyar(Poligar Eman" "Pulior Eman" was a Nayar lord of southern Wayanad, north east Kerala, India. He was involved in the Cotiote War, a conflict between the Cotiote princely ruler Pazhassi and the British East India Company. In 1799, Eman fought with the British. In 1802, Eman became a double agent for Pazhassi, who was his overlord.

Pazhayamviden Chandu was a general of Pazhassi Raja whose betrayal led to death of his Raja and British victory in Cotiote War.

Chandu Chekavar, also known as Chathiyan Chanthu, was a sixteenth-century warrior of the Chekavar family from the Hindu Thiyyar caste, mentioned in the folk songs of Northern Kerala called Vadakkan Pattukal. He belongs to the Thiyyar community of the Kadathanad region of Kerala.

Elapeedika is a village in the southwestern state of Kerala, India.

Pallur Rayrappan was a supporter of Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja of Kerala, India, who fought a guerilla-type war against the British East India Company during first decade of the 19th century.

Pazhassi Raja Archaeological Museum is a museum and art gallery in Kozhikode, Kerala. The museum has a rich collection of historical artifacts from 1000 BC to 200 AD.

Palayathuvayal Government Upper Primary School, Kolayad is an educational institution situated within the deep tropical forests of Kolayad Panchayat, Kannur district of North Kerala, India.

Thalassery was a trade hub where Chinese, Arab, and Jewish traders had considerable influence in the spice market before that the Greeks and Romans was in the trade. It was the European invasion that brought significant change as they enforced the trade with their military.

References

1 2 3 Logan, William (1989). Malabar Manual, Volume I ([Facsim. ed.]. ed.). New Delhi: Asian Educational Services. pp. 539, 540. ISBN 9788120604469.
↑ "Demand for memorial to tribal warriors". The Hindu . 15 November 2008. Archived from the original on 30 November 2010. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
1 2 "Monument to honour Chandu". The Hindu. 22 September 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2012.

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.

[Chandu-1] 1 2 3 Logan, William (1989). Malabar Manual, Volume I ([Facsim. ed.]. ed.). New Delhi: Asian Educational Services. pp. 539, 540. ISBN 9788120604469.

[2] "Demand for memorial to tribal warriors". The Hindu . 15 November 2008. Archived from the original on 30 November 2010. Retrieved 25 October 2012.

[memorial-3] 1 2 "Monument to honour Chandu". The Hindu. 22 September 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2012.

[1]

[2]

[3]