Throughout the Travancore-Dutch War, Battle of Kulachal was fought between Travancore and the Dutch East India Company on 10 August 1741. Travancore, who had defeated the Dutch East India Company under Marthanda Varma. Travancore 's Dutch defeat is seen as the earliest example of an Asian centralized force that overcomes European military technology and tactics. The Dutch has never recovered from the loss and has no longer posed a major colonial threat to India.
The Malabar Coast region of present-day Kerala was split among several small kingdoms in the early 18th century. Marthanda Varma, Travancore 's ruler, adopted an expansionist policy in the 1730s, and conquered several territories from these small states. This threatened the interests of the command of the Dutch East India Company at Malabar, the spice trade of which depended on spice procurement from these states. Marthanda Varma and his vassals declined to respect the monopoly contracts the Dutch had with the states annexed by Travancore, which had an adverse effect on the Dutch trade in Malabar.
In January 1739, Gustaaf Willem van Imhoff, Ceylon 's Dutch governor, visited Kochi and proposed military action to save the Dutch company in Malabar in a July 1739 article. The Dutch arranged an alliance of Kochi, Thekkumkur, Vadakkumkur, Purakkad, Kollam, and Kayamkulam rulers later that year. Van Imhoff met Marthanda Varma personally to seek peace, threatening to wage war against Travancore if the Dutch terms were not approved, but Marthanda Varma ignored the threat and responded that some day he was thinking of invading Europe.
The Dutch command at Malabar declared war on Travancore in late 1739, without Batavia receiving permission or waiting for reinforcements. Under the command of Captain Johannes Hackert the Dutch deployed a detachment of soldiers from Ceylon against Travancore. In the initial campaign, they and their allies obtained several military successes. The allies compelled the Travancore army stationed near Kollam to withdraw in November 1739, and advanced to Tangasseri. The Anchuthengu chief of the British East India Company congratulated the Dutch on their victory and asked them to leave the English establishment in Edava in peace. The English subsequently also contributed 150 soldiers and munitions to the Dutch campaign.
By early December 1739, the Dutch and their allies marched in the direction of Attingal and Varkala. When the Travancore army retreated to check Chanda Sahib 's invasion of Arcot in the East, the allies achieved more military success. However, the Dutch agreed to wait for Ceylon's reinforcements before declaring more war on Travancore.
The Dutch wanted to take advantage of this situation, but because of the riots there they were unable to receive reinforcements from Batavia. In November1740, the Dutch command in Malabar received from Ceylon two small reinforcements of 105 and 70 soldiers, and launched a second campaign against Travancore, resulting in the battle of Colachel.
The Dutch sent two large ships and three sloops to Colachel bombarding the coast, causing the town's inhabitants to abandon it. Marthanda Varma sent 2,000 Nair Brigade soldiers to Colachel. On 29 November, the Dutch commander van Gollenesse announced a complete blockade of the Travancore coast around Colachel, directing his forces to seize all ships bound for the coast, with the exception of English ships carrying goods to Edava. Meanwhile, Vadakkumkur. Dutch ship Maarseveen was seized by the Dutch forces, sent south to be anchored between Thengapattanam and Colachel. The Dutch planned to invade Colachel with a goal of attacking Travancore 's capital, Padmanabhapuram.
A Dutch expedition consisting of seven large ships and several smaller ships landed just north of Colachel on 10 February 1741. The Dutch set up stockades and deployed troops there after they had captured Colachel. The Dutch forces subsequently began to capture the nearby villages and marched to Eraniel. The region between Colachel and Kottar was plundered and ravaged, with van Gollenesse supporting the occupation of the entire area between Colachel and Kanyakumari.
The Dutch expected reinforcements from Ceylon and Batavia to effectively control the newly conquered territories but the Company Government at Batavia could not spare any reserve forces due to the Java War. Faced with an severe shortage of Dutch soldiers in Malabar, Van Gollenesse demanded from the Dutch Ceylon at least 300-400 men and, meanwhile, sent a division of the Dutch army to Kanyakumari to attack from there Travancore army.
Taking advantage of the lack of troops faced by the Dutch, Marthanda Varma gathered a large force to assault the Dutch. His patrol boats cut off supplies from the sea to the Dutch garrison, and his forces also placed a landside blockade. On May 27, 1741, he worshipped in Thiruvattar's Adikesava Perumal Temple, consecrated his sword, and marched to Colachel.
There was no siege equipment in the Travancore army and therefore Marthanda Varma wanted to actually starve out the Dutch garrison. His army, which outnumbered Colachel 's Dutch military, surrounded the Dutch reinforcements on all sides. Colachel 's Dutch troops numbered about 400, while the Travancore army had between 12,000 and 15,000 soldiers. Though Marthanda Varma suffered severe men and money loss, he did not withdraw the siege.
In addition to the blockade enforced by the Travancore forces, Colachel was also prevented from being supplied with ammunition and supplies by the adverse wind, floods, and rough sea. The heavy rains made keeping their gunpowder dry for them, and made their guns unusable. According to a report from the English factory at Anchuthengu on 31 July 1741, two Dutch sloops had attempted to land at Colachel for several days, but had failed to do so because of continuous fire from the Travancore forces.
A cannonball fired by the Travancore army dropped into a barrel of gunpowder within the Dutch garrison on 5 August 1741 and the resulting fire destroyed the stockade's entire supply of rice. Consequently, the Dutch were forced to surrender on August 7, 1741.While the Dutch records list the surrender date as August 7, some later sources give different dates for the surrender of the Dutch .
The Malabar Coast region of present-day Kerala was split among several small kingdoms in the early 18th century. Marthanda Varma, Travancore 's ruler, adopted an expansionist policy in the 1730s, and conquered several territories from these small states. This threatened the interests of the command of the Dutch East India Company at Malabar, the spice trade of which depended on spice procurement from these states. Marthanda Varma and his vassals declined to respect the monopoly contracts the Dutch had with the states annexed by Travancore, which had an adverse effect on the Dutch trade in Malabar.
In January 1739, Gustaaf Willem van Imhoff, Ceylon 's Dutch governor, visited Kochi and proposed military action to save the Dutch company in Malabar in a July 1739 article. The Dutch arranged an alliance of Kochi, Thekkumkur, Vadakkumkur, Purakkad, Kollam, and Kayamkulam rulers later that year. Van Imhoff met Marthanda Varma personally to seek peace, threatening to wage war against Travancore if the Dutch terms were not approved, but Marthanda Varma ignored the threat and responded that some day he was thinking of invading Europe.
The Dutch command at Malabar declared war on Travancore in late 1739, without Batavia receiving permission or waiting for reinforcements. Under the command of Captain Johannes Hackert the Dutch deployed a detachment of soldiers from Ceylon against Travancore. In the initial campaign, they and their allies obtained several military successes. The allies compelled the Travancore army stationed near Kollam to withdraw in November 1739, and advanced to Tangasseri. The Anchuthengu chief of the British East India Company congratulated the Dutch on their victory and asked them to leave the English establishment in Edava in peace. The English subsequently also contributed 150 soldiers and munitions to the Dutch campaign.
By early December 1739, the Dutch and their allies marched in the direction of Attingal and Varkala. When the Travancore army retreated to check Chanda Sahib 's invasion of Arcot in the East, the allies achieved more military success. However, the Dutch agreed to wait for Ceylon's reinforcements before declaring more war on Travancore.
The Dutch wanted to take advantage of this situation, but because of the riots there they were unable to receive reinforcements from Batavia. In November1740, the Dutch command in Malabar received from Ceylon two small reinforcements of 105 and 70 soldiers, and launched a second campaign against Travancore, resulting in the battle of Colachel.
The Dutch sent two large ships and three sloops to Colachel bombarding the coast, causing the town's inhabitants to abandon it. Marthanda Varma sent 2,000 Nair Brigade soldiers to Colachel. On 29 November, the Dutch commander van Gollenesse announced a complete blockade of the Travancore coast around Colachel, directing his forces to seize all ships bound for the coast, with the exception of English ships carrying goods to Edava. Meanwhile, Vadakkumkur. Dutch ship Maarseveen was seized by the Dutch forces, sent south to be anchored between Thengapattanam and Colachel. The Dutch planned to invade Colachel with a goal of attacking Travancore 's capital, Padmanabhapuram.
A Dutch expedition consisting of seven large ships and several smaller ships landed just north of Colachel on 10 February 1741. The Dutch set up stockades and deployed troops there after they had captured Colachel. The Dutch forces subsequently began to capture the nearby villages and marched to Eraniel. The region between Colachel and Kottar was plundered and ravaged, with van Gollenesse supporting the occupation of the entire area between Colachel and Kanyakumari.
The Dutch expected reinforcements from Ceylon and Batavia to effectively control the newly conquered territories but the Company Government at Batavia could not spare any reserve forces due to the Java War. Faced with an severe shortage of Dutch soldiers in Malabar, Van Gollenesse demanded from the Dutch Ceylon at least 300-400 men and, meanwhile, sent a division of the Dutch army to Kanyakumari to attack from there Travancore army.
Taking advantage of the lack of troops faced by the Dutch, Marthanda Varma gathered a large force to assault the Dutch. His patrol boats cut off supplies from the sea to the Dutch garrison, and his forces also placed a landside blockade. On May 27, 1741, he worshipped in Thiruvattar's Adikesava Perumal Temple, consecrated his sword, and marched to Colachel.
There was no siege equipment in the Travancore army and therefore Marthanda Varma wanted to actually starve out the Dutch garrison. His army, which outnumbered Colachel 's Dutch military, surrounded the Dutch reinforcements on all sides. Colachel 's Dutch troops numbered about 400, while the Travancore army had between 12,000 and 15,000 soldiers. Though Marthanda Varma suffered severe men and money loss, he did not withdraw the siege.
In addition to the blockade enforced by the Travancore forces, Colachel was also prevented from being supplied with ammunition and supplies by the adverse wind, floods, and rough sea. The heavy rains made keeping their gunpowder dry for them, and made their guns unusable. According to a report from the English factory at Anchuthengu on 31 July 1741, two Dutch sloops had attempted to land at Colachel for several days, but had failed to do so because of continuous fire from the Travancore forces.
A cannonball fired by the Travancore army dropped into a barrel of gunpowder within the Dutch garrison on 5 August 1741 and the resulting fire destroyed the stockade's entire supply of rice. Consequently, the Dutch were forced to surrender on August 7, 1741.While the Dutch records list the surrender date as August 7, some later sources give different dates for the surrender of the Dutch .