The Aftermath Of Polygar War

The Aftermath Of Polygar War

In  Madras Presidency the Polygar War from 1750 1806, marked a great impact on the political, economical and social  life of the southern people. As with Bihar and Bengal being production centres of  saltpetre, the raw material for gun-powder, so was the southern region of Tamilnadu particularly the Sivakasi region of then Ramnad, which was under the control of Marvars ,Kallars and the Agambadiyars, the Mukkulathor feudatory warrior Lords. The main reason the British found to impose and implement the Criminal Tribes Act on Piramalai Kallars was from the time of Polygar War, from the middle of 1775. The British found stiff resistance from the Thevars of Southern Madras Presidency - the Kallars, Maravars and Agambadiyars who held the land and the right to govern and who had the priority to hold military troops. They were extremely against the expansion of East India Company .³⁶ The Kallars and their guerilla warfare were particularly effective against the British.

Education in Madras presidency from 1870

Another important aspect we find after the Polygar war was,  Macauley education was either ignored or prohibited  by the Mukulathors.  According  to Dr. D. Palani in his research ‘Socio- Political Ideas in Tamilnadu since Minto –Morley reforms,  he gives the table of graduates from Madras University between 1870 – 1918.³⁷

Year	Brahmins	Non-Brahmins	Indian –Christians	Muslims	Europeans
1870-1871	110	36	10	Nil	8
1880-1881	492	171	47	2	56
1890-1891	1461	445	168	20	75
1910- 1911	4074	1035	306	69	225
1918	10269	2213	1343	186	205

Another  table shows the Male Literacy of selected castes  - 1901- 1921.( in percentage) in Madras Presidency.

Communities	1901	1911	1921
Tamil  Brahmins	73.6	71.9	71.5
Telugu Brahmins	67.3	68.2	59.7
Nair	39.5	41.9	42.9
Chetti	32.0	39.1	39.5
Indian  Christians	16.2	20.4	21.9
Nadar	15.4	18.1	20.0
Balaja naidu- Kavaraai	14.3	20.9	22.3
Vellala	6.9	24.6		24.6
Kamma	4.8	12.2		13.6
Kappu Reddi	3.8	9.0		10.2
Velama	2.5	3.6		7.0

The Brahmin adoptability to the British , Education paved way for the Brahmins at the top position in the administration  to direct and rule the natives.³⁸ They tried to eliminate the  ruling warrior class not only socially but also politically. But when the percentage of education increased among the Non- Brahmins and the converted Christians and Nadars, whom the British started patronizing for various reasons, slowly started cutting an edge between Brahmin and non-Brahmin politics in Tamilnadu. Nothing of this affected the South Tamilnadu as their struggle continued  against the British.

 One more unique aspect we find  in 1920 in Madras presidency was that many lower castes organized themselves as an Caste sangam and petitioned to the British government ,to change their title and uplift themselves as Kshatriya caste. Next to Brahmins in the Indian caste stratifications. They are

a)Shanars of northern Tirunelveli and Ramnad, organized themselves as Mahaimai Sabha in1860,later in the early 19^th century as Nadar Mahajana Sangam.  In 1921, January the executive council of the Mahajana Sangam passed a resolution to disassociate itself from the word Shanar, as the toddy-toppers inferior in status in the caste stratification, into Nadar-Kshatriya.³⁹  To seek the official recognition to use the word Nadar- Kshatiya. Nadar Mahajana Sabha met G.T. Boag Superintendent of Census operations  of Madras Presidency and an order was issued on 7.7.1921  to term them as Nadar Kshatriya.⁴⁰

b)  . Komatis were inferior merchant caste, predominantly traders and moneylenders, originally from Northern Circars, settled in Salem Coimbatore and in Madurai during the Nayakar period .  Earlier in 1901 they requested to be raised as Vaishyas of Sanskritic Varna, but denied the status by the B ritish.⁴¹    In 1907 they formed the Arya Vaishya  Mahasabha, through the Mahasabha, they negotiated with the British government for their trading rights, and commercial interests and got the official recognition in the census report of1921.⁴²

c) Vanniyars ,who were commonly known as Kurumbars or Pallis of South Karnataka,  agriculture labourers and  middle class cultivators densely populated in North Arcot, South Arcot, Chengelpet  and Salem districts. The North Arcot Vanniya sangam was organized in 1920,  as  Vanniya  Kula Kshatriya Sangam claimed the higher status as Kshatriyas as in sanskritic varuna.   South Arcot Vanniya Kula Kshatriya sangam organized  much later in1944, but politically stronger after independence.⁴³ 

By the enforcement of the Criminal  Tribes Act from 1911, in Madras Precidensy.many inferior merchant castes, requested the British government  to raise them as upper caste. In 1921,census British accepted their request, for political and commercial reason.  Further the British  want to minimize the monopoly of the Brahmins supremacy,  as the anti- Brahminism gathered  strength in Madras Presidency from 1916 ,not only among Tamils but also other regional people like Malayalis, Telugus and Kannadigas of Madras Preisedency.

Another significant attitude of the British was that the  people of troubled areas who were in constant opposition with the British were marked as Criminal Tribes. This is reflected by the fact that the Kallars  and Agambadiyars of Tanjore and Cauvery delta did not fall under the Criminal tribes Act.<sup>44

[ The aricle is from the Doctorate Thesis of Dr.Manju Ganesh Thevar 'Criminal Tribes Act and Kallar Reclamation  1921-1947']</sup>

©  This document is under copy right  2018