Palaiyakkarar, Poligar, Polygar or Palegar or Polegar was the feudal title for a class of territorial administrative and military governors appointed by the Nayak rulers of South India (notably Vijayanagar Empire, Madurai Nayaks and the Kakatiya dynasty) during 16th - 18th centuries. The word is an English corruption of Palaiyakkarar (Tamil) or Palegaadu (Telugu) or Paaleyagaara (Kannada). The Polygars of Madurai Country were instrumental in establishing administrative reforms by building irrigation projects, forts and religious institutions. Their wars with the British after the demise of Madurai Nayaks is often regarded as one the earliest Indian Independence struggles. Many were hanged and some banished forever to Andaman Islands by the British. Puli Thevar, Veerapandya Kattabomman, Dheeran Chinnamalai, Marudu brothers were some of the most notable Polygars who rose up in revolt against the British rule in South India. The war against the British forces predates the Sepoy Mutiny in Northern India by many decades but still largely given less importance by historians.[1]
Palaiyakkarar was the head of Palayam (Tamil) or Paalem (Telugu), a fortified district or military camp devised by the famous general Ariyanatha Mudaliar of the Madurai Kingdom. Some historians say that the Palaiyakkarar system might have originated from the Kakatiya dynasty's model by Prataparudra, who similarly divided his kingdom among 77 Padmanayakas. Kongatiya now the family members lives in Tumkur District Kora village (kongatiya Thimmanna nayaka)
Soon after the Vijayanagara kingdom was formed, it started expanding. The formation was in 1336 AD. By 1378 AD, Kumara Kampana, the prince of Vijayanagaram had conquered the Madurai country. After that the whole of Tamil Nadu and then KeraLa followed. By the end of the century, the whole of South India, south of the Krishna-Tungabadra rivers were under its rule. Vijayanagaram was a military state. The country was divided into small territories under military governors called AmaraNayakkars. The territorial divisions were called 'Amara Nayakka Thaanam's. Later on this system gave place to the Palayam system. Dalavaay Ariyanatha Mudhaliar, the minister/general of Visvanatha Nayakkar of Madurai established 72 PaaLayams in the Madurai country. They were placed under the care of the PaaLayakkaarars. This system outlasted the Madurai Nayakkars. PaLayams like Sethu Nadu became kingdoms.
In the Vijayanagara empire, local chieftains called "palegar's" were allowed to rule with limited autonomy by their overlords. They had powers to collect revenue, maintain a small army and impose punishments. They numbered up to 200 during this period. However, they are supposed to have refused to come to the rescue of the empire at the Battle of Tallikota in 1565 CE, which marked the downfall of the Vijayanagara empire.
When the Vijayanagara Empire of southern India weakened after the mid-16th century, the Vijayanagara Nayaks, or governors, became the independent rulers of large tracts of southern India. Of the prominent Nayaks were the Nayaks of Madurai (1549 – 1736), ruling from Madurai and Tiruchirapalli. The Tanjore Naickers opted for a conventional system of administration, while the other Vijaynagar offshoots, namely the Nayaks of Gingee, and other territories under the Aravidu line of later Vijayanagara Kings based in Chandragiri - Vellore Fort, followed the Palayam or Palegallu system of administration,.[1]
The first Naicker king of Madurai Viswanatha Nayak (1559—1563); a shrewd administrator, assisted by his famous Dalavoy (Governor General) cum Pradhani (first citizen) Ariyanatha Mudaliar are credited with establishing "the polygar (palaiyakkarar) system” in Madurai Kingdom.
The Madurai kingdoms consisted of present day Western Tamil Nadu with Coimbatore, Salem and Kollidam river forming the northern boundary barring Tanjore Kingdom and Western Ghats forming the western border and Kanniyakumari in the South. To make the territorial administration more efficient, Viswanatha Naicker and Ariyanatha Mudaliar apportioned the country into 72 palaiyams to 72 chieftains, some of them locals and the rest Telugu leaders of detachments who had accompanied Viswanatha Naicker from Vijayanagar. Most Palaiyams were dry tracts of land with scanty rainfall found in the western parts of Tamil Nadu.
The Poligar's role was to administer their Palaiyams (territories) from their fortified centers. Their chief functions were to collect taxes, maintain law and order, run the local judiciary, and maintain a battalion of troops for the king.
They served as regional military and civil administrators. In turn they were to retain ¼ of the revenue collected as tax, and submit the remaining to the king's treasury. The Poligars also at times founded villages, built dams, constructed tanks and built temples. Also the rulers taxed regions according to the cultivable and fertility of the land. Often several new rainwater tanks were erected in the Semi-Arid tracts of western and south Tamil Nadu.
Their armed status was also to protect the civilians from robbers and dacoits who were rampant in those regions and from invading armies which often resorted to pillaging the villages and countryside.[1]
Viswanatha Naicker, the Madurai Nayak king, when rebuilding Madurai, built a double-walled fortress encompassing Meenakshi temple and Madurai town with giant moats filled with water. He also built 72 double-storied structures around the perimeter of the fort wall to serve as offices for each Palaiyakkarar.
In 1841, a British Collector Black Burn demolished all 71 bastions to extend the City and filled the deep moats to form the Veli streets. One of the surviving bastions still functions as a corporation office near Periyar Bus stand in Madurai.
In Palaiyakkarar’s local region, they built forts usually on a hill. Since cannon and gunfire artillery came into existence, when establishing the Naicker Empire most of them were fortified to withstand cannon shot of the enemy troops. Sankagiri fort on the Coimbatore-Salem highway of Deeran Chinnamalai is one that remains in its original state.
Notable Palaiyakkarars
Palayams ruled by Nayakkar communities and part of South Tamil Nadu.
Palayams ruled by Maravar communities and part of South Tamil Nadu.
The number of Palayams and the Palayakkar were not fixed. New Palayams were created and older palayams were merged with other Palayams. The number of Palayams ranged to over 200. The Kongu Nadu had the maximum number of "Palayams" in the whole of South India.
Kalahasti - Chenappa Naidu
Chandragiri - pulicherla -pulicherla venkata chandrappa nayunivaru mogarala-
Chittoor Nagari - palegar vakkala chengamma Nayannuvaru Bangarupalyam - muddu bangaru seshachalapathi Nayannuvaru
Puttur—chenna Ankama Naidu
Veeraballi (sanipai-Padamatanagiri)-Yaramalanayuni Thathama Naidu (R/o Sivaramappa naidu) .
Katineni erragudi- chakrayapet mandal - katineni Venkatapathi Nayunivaru (1529- 1542, Achyuta deva Raya )
Madurantagam
Pudukottai
Chengalpattu - Seshadri Pillai, the Poligar
Some Palayakkars are Maddikayala Teppalraj, Kuppum Venkatachala Naicker, Damerla Venkatapati Naicker, Strirama Singama Naicker, Rayalu Naicker, Vadamaraja Tanappa Naicker, Rangappa Naicker, Anapambattu Harikrishna Raj, Nakka Venaktarama Naicker, Adavi, Venaktapati Raj, Kulur Venkata Raj, Itambi Subburoya Pillai (the only Tamil of the group), Mul Raj, and Madupakam Ramachandra Naicker in Madras region. katineni yerragudi, katineni Venkatapathi Nayunivaru(1529-1545 , Achyuta Rayal).
Ariyalur - Malavarayan
Turayur - vyri chetti(vyrichetti palayam)
Puchiya Nayakkan
Lakkaya Nayakkan
Kammaya Nayakkan
Kamakshi Nayakkan
Lingama Nayakkan
Muttaya Nayakkan
VallaKondama Nayakkan
Samaya Nayakkan
Ammaya Nayakkan
Kulappa Nayakkan
Appayya Nayakkan
Palani Hills - Sennava Nayakkan
Virupakshi - Ramabhadra Nayakkan,
There were ten Gounder Palayakkarars from the Kongu Nadu. Some of them are:
Pollachi (Puravipalayam) - The Gopanna Mandradiars were Palayakkarars and later became a Zamindari of Pollachi and Puravipalayam during the British rule.
Samuthur - The Vanavarayars of Samathur were Palayakkarars and later became a Zamindari of Samathur and Kottampatti during the British rule.
Uthukuli - The Kalingarayars of Uthukuli where Palayakkarars and later became a Zamindari of Uthukuli and Tirupur during the British rule. [2]
Kangeyam (Palaya Kottai or Palayamkottai) - The Sarkarai Mandradiars of Kangeyam were the traditional chieftains and Palayakkarars of the Kongu Nadu.
Konganapuram - Sri Rangasamy Gounder, Sri Sengotuvellappa Gounder and Sri Nachiappa Gounder - The descendants of Zamindari of Konganapuram.
Pokkampalayam - Dr.P. Subbarayan - The descendant of Zamindari of Kumaramangalam and Sri Rathanasabapathy Gounder - The descendant of the Zamindari of Pudupalayam
Tharamangalam - Gatti Mudalis of Salem and Dharmapuri
Mysore - Somanna Danayaka
Surapura Samsthana - founded by the Bedars and ruled between 1650 and 1858 AD in Sagara-nadu or Shorapur Doab (Gulbarga dist. Karnataka)
Gummanayakanapalya palegars(bagepalli,chickballapur dist)
Sinnanajan Thevan
Sivagiri Vanniyan
Irattaikudai Vanniyan
Alagapuri Vanniyan
Settur - Tiruvana Thevan
Kollangondan Thevan
Annichi Nayakkan
Tumbichi Nayakkan
Kama Nayakkan
Kalanga Nayakkan
Kandama Nayakkan
Elumadai Nayakkan
chokkanpatti - Chokkathalavan
Thadiaythalavan
Tali Veli
Suttala Thevan
Saluva Thevan
Seturayan
Nallakutti of Singampatti
Nambithalavan
Ananjathalavan
Ramabhadra Reddi
Ramaswami Reddi
Kumaraswami Reddi
Venkatachala Reddi
Kechalapa Nayakkan
Pethana Nayakkan
Kadalakkudi Nayakkan
Nagalapuram Nayakkan
Melamandai - Sirumalai Nayakkan
Indrathalavan
Kumarathalavan
Eravappa Nayakkan
Panchalankurichi - Veera Paandiya Katta Pomman
Ettayapuram - Ettappan
Ramnad
Sivagangai - Marudu brothers
Nelkattamsevval - Puli Thevar
Local Agrarian Societies in Colonial India: Japanese Perspectives By Peter G. Robb, Kaoru Sugihara, Haruka Yanagisawa
The Madura Country: A Manua By James Henry Nelson
Indrathalaivan ( Thalaivan Kottai )
With the downfall of Madurai Kingdom in 1736 anarchy prevailed in those regions. Starting 1690’s the Madurai Kingdom became a feudatory under the Mughals, represented by the Nawab of Carnatic (The Nawab of Arcot) and after 1750s the region came under the complete control of the Carnatic Nawab, who was the new overlord of the Polygars.
The Carnatic Nawab’s tax collection efforts often ended in small wars with the polygars, who refused to recogonise his authority and considered him as a usurper. The Nawabs often expensive tax collection campaigns and lavish spending drove him to bankruptcy, resorting to huge borrowings from the British. In 1752 the old Madurai Kingdom was leased to a savage warrior Mohammed Yusuf Khan, and was backed with troops from the British and Carnatic Nawab to bring the Polygars into control. He immediately went around pillaging and damaging the country-side to subdue the Polygars, till he himself got killed his overlords. But by the end of Yusuf Khan’s life he bought many polygars under control with several of them killed.
Later in late 18th century to compensate loans borrowed from British, the Nawab ceded his tax collection rights to the former, who in turn raised the taxes, irrespective of a regions agrian produce, enraging several Polygars.The Polygars saw the British as an unwanted intruder, still refusing to accept the weak Nawab.
One of the earliest to rebel against the British -Carnatic Nawab combine was Puli Thevar, a polygar of Nerkattumseval in mid 18th century. Nerkattumseval is Palaiyam near the Western Ghats of Madurai region. Puli Thevar Puli Thevar, initially a good ally of Carnatic Nawab, came into conflict with Muhammed Yusuf Khan, over payment of dues, erupting into a war. After a prolonged campaign of three years, Muhammed Yusuf Khan defeated and captured Puli Thevar and the later's end is uncertain.
The most famous of all Polygars, was Veerapandiya Kattabomman, ruler of Panchalankurichi in present day Tuticorin district in late 18th century. Veerapandiya Kattabomman came into conflict with the British who now posted a Tax collector.Kattabomman’s war against the British is often classified as the First Polygar War, later he was captured in an act of betrayal and hanged by the British in 1799. See the separate page of Veerapandiya Kattabomman.
One of the first and popular Palaiyakkarar, was the Kongu Chieftain Theerthagiri Gounder widely known as "Dheeran Chinnamalai". He was the main leader in the Poligar Wars and commanded a vast army made up of mostly Kongu youths, notabely in the second Poligar War between 1800-1805. Maveeran Dheeran Chinnamalai rose up in revolt against the British East India Company. He was captured in an act of betrayal and hanged by the British. See the separate page of Dheeran Chinnamalai.
See Polygar Wars
Polygar War is a series of wars fought by a combine of Palaiyakkarar's against the British troops, between 1798 and 1805. The war between the British and Kattabomman Nayak (Veerapandiya Kattabomman) is often classified as First Polygar war (1799), while Second Polygar War 1800-1805 against the British was fought by a much bigger combine over entire western Tamil Nadu headed by Dheeran Chinnamalai and Marudhu Pandiyan brothers of the Sivaganga.
The Polygars often had artillery and resisted stubbornly and the storming of their hill forts proved on several occasions’ sanguinary work. The British columns were exposed throughout the operations to constant harassing attacks; and had usually to cut their way through almost impenetrable jungles fired on from under cover on all sides. It took more than a year to suppress the rebellion completely, resulting in the abolition of the Polygar system.
After a long and expensive campaign the British finally defeated the revolting Polygars, of whom many were beheaded and hanged while others were deported to the Andaman Islands. Of the Polygars who submitted to the British some of them were granted Zamindari status, which has only tax collection rights and disarmed them completely. (The Zamindari system originated in Bengal, but was adopted by the British.)
Modern historians credit the Polygars for their massive re-structuring work (following the 14th century mayhem), which provided a massive fillip to economic and agricultural growth and helping in restoring order, leading to formation of many new towns and villages (pettai and palaiyam suffixes found in Tamil Nadu today).
Incidents do point towards some disorderly polygars, who took things in their hand, becoming mini tyrants and corrupt, earning the wrath of their citizens. Some accounts were often exaggerated by the chroniclers of English East India Company to justify their occupation over these regions. But such were the nature, often found in any administration including the administrative officers in English East India Company officers, the Deccan Sultans and the Jahirs of the Mughals.
The region after the downfall of Madurai Kingdom was marked by a complete confusion, mayhem and disruption of general life, exacerbated by severe droughts in 1782, 1783,1807,1823,1833 and 1854.
The revision and collection of the tax by the British East India Company, who were ill-suited or inexperienced for the purpose (as they were British traders and Military officers rather than administrators), resulted in growing resentment between the Polygars and the British.
When the districts of Rayalaseema were ceded to British rule, the local palegars refused to share the revenue with the British. The British collector in Rayalaseema, Thomas Monroe, ordered the arrest of the palegar of Koikuntla, Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy, who was hanged publicly. After that, however, the British allowed the palegars to remain. They numbered around 80 in the region and were permitted to conduct their own courts. For example, Dosakayala Venkata Subba Reddy would hold court every day at 10 a.m. and judgments delivered by him had no appeal. In some areas palegars encouraged their private armies to indulge in dacoit activities and took a share of the booty.
Palegars vanished after independence, but the culture survived in the form of factionists.
It was not until 1960, when a movie released on Veerapandya Kattabomman did the public take notice of the Palaiyakkarar's, who were till then simply termed as “local chieftains”. Till then their acts in the war was kept alive in the Folk songs and ballads in the western Tamil Nadu country side, often ignored by the rest. One of the famous legend is that of the great Kongu Chieftain and Palayakkar, Dheeran Chinnamalai and his revolt against the tryanny of the British forces in the South India
Today Puli Thevar, Veerapandiya Kattabomman, Dheeran Chinnamalai, Marudu brothers all are honored with monuments by the Government of Tamil Nadu. The movie Veerapandiya Kattabomman stands out as one of the best movies in Shivaji Ganesan’s long illustrious movie career, winning him many international fame and accolades.
A number of Tamil Publications cover Puli Thevar, Marudhu Pandiyan Brothers and Veerapandiya Kattabomman’s role in the struggle against the British. Their administrative efforts are mentioned in the books covering the Madurai Nayaks and 17th- 19th century regional history, while most of the British chronicles paint them in a very bad light. Otherwise no exclusive compilations of study material exist.
In school texts Tamil and government text books covers the major leaders and Palaiyakkarar's role in administration and war, the Indian English textbooks based loosely on British accounts simply state the period as polygars, with no mention of their role in the development and the freedom struggle.
2009 in kannada film industry "veera madhakari " film is released it is the name of madhakari nayaka