Mysore invasion of Calicut

01Palakkad calls for help

The Zamorins had spent decades winning land from their old rival Valluvanad, from Eranad down to Nedunganad. In 1756 the Zamorin turned on Palakkad to the east and occupied Nadavattam, cutting that small kingdom in two. Komi Achan, the Raja of Palakkad, appealed to Haidar Ali, then faujdar of Dindigul for the Wodeyar kingdom of Mysore, whose lands lay just beyond the pass. Haidar sent a strong force under Makhdum Ali through the Palakkad gap.

02To the sea and back

The Zamorin was also at war with Cochin and could not hold both fronts. The Mysore and Palakkad troops swept through his eastern districts down to the coast. He came to terms, agreeing to leave Palakkad alone and to pay Mysore a large war indemnity. Once the Mysore army had gone back over the ghats, he paid only a part. Haidar was rewarded by the Mysore minister Devaraja with the jagir of Bangalore, and he did not forget the unpaid debt.

Dynasty · 1399 (traditional)–1950 CEWodeyars of MysoreThe Wodeyars began as chiefs around Mysore under Vijayanagara and became kings when Raja Wodeyar took Srirangapatna in 1610. Apart from the decades of Haidar Ali and Tipu Sultan, they ruled Mysore until Indian independence, and kept the Vijayanagara Navaratri alive as the Mysore Dasara.Read →