हिंदीOn this day

Second Battle of Pollilur

East India CompanyLieutenant-General Sir Eyre Coote
1781vs
Kingdom of MysoreHaidar Ali; Tipu Sultan

A year after Haidar Ali destroyed Baillie’s column at Pollilur, Coote fought him again on the same ground. Neither side broke, and the day ended without a decision.

Date: 27 August 1781Where: Pollilur, near Kanchipuram, Tamil NaduType: Battle
Photo: Unknown author · Public domain
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Cite

MLA

“Second Battle of Pollilur.” Hindu History, 2026, https://www.hinduhistory.in/battles/second-battle-of-pollilur-1781/. Accessed .

APA

Hindu History. (2026). Second Battle of Pollilur. Retrieved , from https://www.hinduhistory.in/battles/second-battle-of-pollilur-1781/

Result

Indecisive: both armies drew off after a hard day and both claimed the victory.

01Back on the old field

After Porto Novo, Coote joined the reinforcements coming down from Bengal and moved west. Haidar chose to make his stand at Pollilur, where in September 1780 he and Tipu had wiped out Colonel Baillie’s force; the Mysore army took heart from the place. Coote attacked on 27 August 1781 with his army in two lines, one of which was soon heavily engaged with Tipu’s troops.

02A drawn day

The fighting ran on through the day over paddy fields and broken ground. Haidar’s army lost heavily and fell back towards Kanchipuram, but the Company army was too short of food to hold the field, and Coote withdrew towards Tiruvallur. Both sides fired victory salutes. British writers called it a dubious victory at best. Two obelisks to Company officers killed that day still stand among the paddy fields.

Why it matters

The second Pollilur showed that Coote could hold his own against Haidar but not destroy him; the war in the Carnatic ground on.

Places near the battlefield 8

Manikandeswarar Temple, Tirumalperu (Thirumalpur)Standing
Cholas and the Southern Seas

Manikandeswarar Temple, Tirumalperu (Thirumalpur)

Tirumal is Vishnu and peru is what he gained: here, says the temple’s katha, Bhagwan Vishnu worshipped Shiva with a thousand lotuses and offered his own eye, and received the Sudarshana chakra. Appar and Sambandar sang it.

Vijayaraghava Perumal Temple, ThiruputkuzhiStanding
The Age of Great Kingdoms

Vijayaraghava Perumal Temple, Thiruputkuzhi

Here Shri Rama performed the last rites of Jatayu, the vulture king who fell fighting Ravana. Pul is a bird, kuzhi a pit: the name of the village is the grave of Jatayu.

Onakantheeswarar Temple, Onakanthanthali, KanchipuramStanding
Cholas and the Southern Seas

Onakantheeswarar Temple, Onakanthanthali, Kanchipuram

Here Sundarar sang to Shiva for gold, and the tamarinds of the tree are said to have turned to gold. Two asura captains, Onan and Kanthan, gave the shrine its name.

Kailasanathar Temple, KanchipuramStanding
The Age of Great Kingdoms

Kailasanathar Temple, Kanchipuram

The oldest standing structural temple in Kanchipuram, built in sandstone by the Pallava king Rajasimha. A Chalukya conqueror who took the city left it gifts instead of ruin.

Anekathangavadeswarar Temple, Kachi Anekathangavadam, KanchipuramStanding
Cholas and the Southern Seas

Anekathangavadeswarar Temple, Kachi Anekathangavadam, Kanchipuram

Anekapa is the elephant, the one who drinks with two mouths. Vinayaka himself set up and worshipped this linga, and Sundarar sang it. The name Kachi marks it off from the Anekathangavadam of the Himalaya.

Ekambareswarar Temple, KanchipuramStanding
Sultanates, Vijayanagara and the kingdoms that stood

Ekambareswarar Temple, Kanchipuram

The earth (Prithvi) sthala of the Pancha Bhuta lingas, where Mata Parvati shaped a linga of sand under a mango tree. Its 11-tier rajagopuram is one of the tallest in the south.

Pandava Thoothar Perumal Temple, Thiruppadagam (Kanchipuram)Standing
The Age of Great Kingdoms

Pandava Thoothar Perumal Temple, Thiruppadagam (Kanchipuram)

Shri Krishna sits here twenty-five feet tall, as he showed himself in the Kaurava court when he came as the Pandavas’ envoy. It is one of the three oldest Vishnu temples of Kanchipuram and the 48th Divya Desam.

Tirumetraleeswarar Temple, Kachi Metrali, KanchipuramStanding
Cholas and the Southern Seas

Tirumetraleeswarar Temple, Kachi Metrali, Kanchipuram

One of five Tevaram shrines inside Kanchipuram. A second linga here, Othavurugeesar, is the Lord who melted on hearing a hymn, and the linga bears the form of Vishnu’s feet.