THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The 75th anniversary of Independence is indeed a remarkable milestone for any democracy. That journey was made possible by the willingness of countless freedom fighters to lay down their lives. And history stands witness to many a tale of bravery and struggle against the British imperialist empire.
One such rarely-quoted conflict that occurred on the shores of Kerala is the long-forgotten Attingal Revolt of 1721, which many consider among the first open rebellions against the British. A handful of natives comprising Nairs, Ezhavas and Muslims were trained in Kalari by a crafty minister, Kudaman Pillai, and they went on to cunningly kill 130 - odd Englishmen.
Attingal was then ruled by a rani (queen), as per the matrilineal system in vogue. The queen was the de facto head of the Venad Royal House, one of four medieval kingdoms in Kerala, the other three being Kozhikode, Kolathunadu and Cochin.
That was when the British East India Company were making inroads into Kerala to gain supremacy over their Dutch and Portuguese counterparts, so as to have monopoly over coastal trade, especially in spices.
As per historian M G Sasibhooshan, a quintal of pepper priced at Rs 5 would be bought from the natives by the Company, only to be sold at Rs 500 in Europe. By 1694, the English East India Company (EE IC) had succeeded in persuading the Rani of Attingal to build a fort at Anchuthengu, thereby reinforcing their trade presence while decimating the rest of the competition.
Such unfair trade practices naturally resulted in dealing a severe blow to the once prosperous people of the region. The presence of William Gyfford, who was sent by the company to take charge of the newly-built fort, only worsened the sense of distrust.
“The company sought to almost annihilate agriculture in the region, leading to a drastic loss of livelihood for the common man. This, coupled with numerous disdainful acts by the Britishers who never lost an opportunity to mock the religious and cultural beliefs and practices prevalent among the locals, angered the natives to such an extent that both Hindus and Muslims came together under Kudaman Pillai to take part in an uprising that later came to be known as the Attingal Revolt,” pointed out Sasibhooshan.
Englishmen were shrewd businessmen who had cunningly enticed the queen with expensive gifts, ensuring a free flow of profits for the company. The newly-appointed company officer, William Gyfford, was invited to the palace by the queen on the occasion of Vishu as a goodwill gesture. Taking advantage of the golden opportunity, Kudaman Pillai and his band of trained Kalari warriors infiltrated the palace. They attacked Gyfford and his men, when they were reportedly resting after a sumptuous feast. None of the 134 Englishmen survived the night.
The natives went on to capture the fort, and were able to hold on till the arrival of additional British forces. Historians consider the Attingal Revolt as the culmination of a long-simmering sense of discontent and injustice against the unfair trade practices of the British. “Most importantly, it was one of the pillars of the Indian Independence movement, where the Nair, Ezhava and Muslim communities united against the better-equipped British troops.
This sets apart the Attingal Revolt from other uprisings like the 1757 Battle of Plassey or the 1857 revolt,’’ Sasibhooshan said. The revolt hardly finds a mention in the state’s history textbooks, possibly due to an unwillingness to portray the Rani of Attingal as an accomplice, Sasibhooshan said. Not many British or Indian historians have referred to it either. Company records had put down the number of casualties to a mere 23, fearing a loss of morale.
It is only from Dutch records that a clearer picture emerged, wherein the conniving of the queen too was implied, a fact she vehemently denied till the end. Thushara Balakrishnan, a student with the College of Fine Arts in Thiruvananthapuram, along with her team, has depicted the Attingal Revolt in a mural on a 900-feet wall by NH-66 near the Aakkulam Bridge. “We have tried to recreate those times. Very few people seem to have knowledge about the Revolt. Our objective was to spread awareness. We hope this will inspire people to fight against all forms of injustice,” said Thushara.