KOCHI: The toponymy of Padamugal in Kochi takes on back to Tipu Sultan’s onslaught in Kerala and the bloody battles that ensued. Conquering Travancore had been a dream of Tipu’s father Hyder Ali, who had subjugated the Cochin kingdom as a vassal state in 1776.
In 1789, Tipu decided to attack Nedumkotta or the Travancore Lines bulwark. It is said that Tipu’s troops from Coimbatore 30,000 infantry and 5,000 cavalry, 20 field guns arrived in Cochin. “Tipuvinte padayaligal (Tipu’s troops) were stationed here, thus the place came to be known as Padamughal. Pada means troops, mugal above,” says writer Kareem Kunnumpuram.
According to historical records, Tipu urged the Cochin maharaja to attack Travancore, but he refused and offered to mediate, instead. Subsequently, Tipu attacked the Travancore Lines, which led to the historic Battle of Nedumkotta that saw the invader’s humiliation.
Meanwhile, ward member Subaida Razak says there was “a tunnel in the area that Tipu’s troops captured in battle”. “Hence, the place was called padavetti jeyicha bhumi (land captured in battle), and that may have become Padamugal,” she adds. Author P Prakash, who has written on the history of about 300 places in Kochi, says the area was a camp of Tipu’s army. “According to historical accounts, many natives of the region were converted to Islam during that period,” he notes.
Prakash adds that “Chemmanam Kavala” in the area was named after the late poet Chemmanam Chacko, who lived here. “He used to quip that Padamugal was named after him, as he was a padayali (soldier) in writing,” says Prakash.