Dheeran Chinnamalai of Kongu – Odanilai Fort, Alliance with Tipu Sultan, Battles of 1801–1804 & Sankagiri 1805 | TNPSC Notes

Dheeran Chinnamalai (1756–1805), born Theerthagiri, was a Palayakkarar of the Kongu country in western Tamil Nadu who first defied Mysore's tax collectors, then fought the English East India Company as an ally of Tipu Sultan, and after Tipu's death in 1799 carried on the struggle alone from his fort at Odanilai. He won battles on the Cauvery (1801), at Odanilai (1802) and at Arachalur (1804), was betrayed by his cook, and was hanged at Sankagiri fort on 31 July 1805 – one of the last chieftains of Tamil Nadu to resist British rule before the Vellore Revolt of 1806.

தமிழில் படிக்க

These notes are written for TNPSC Group 1, 2/2A and 4 aspirants and are meant to be complete on their own. Dheeran Chinnamalai belongs to the syllabus unit History, Culture, Heritage and Socio-Political Movements in Tamil Nadu and to the Indian National Movement portion (early resistance to British rule in South India – the Palayakkarar wars and the South Indian Rebellion). Questions also come from the Anglo-Mysore Wars in Modern Indian History and from current affairs on his memorials. This page covers every exam-relevant fact – people, places, dates, the points on which sources differ, and the wider Palayakkarar context. Read each section, then use the tables, key points and practice questions at the end.

At a Glance

• Name at birth: Theerthagiri (in full, Theerthagiri Sarkarai Manradiar); popularly Dheeran Chinnamalai.
• Life: 17 April 1756 – 31 July 1805 (hanged at the age of 49).
• Region: Kongu Nadu – the Coimbatore–Erode–Salem belt of western Tamil Nadu.
• Status: a Palayakkarar (local chieftain) of the Kongu country, from the Mandradiar family of Palayakottai.
• Ally: Tipu Sultan of Mysore; later linked with the Marudhu brothers' confederacy and sought Maratha help.
• Enemy: the English East India Company.
• Base: Odanilai fort (Erode district).
• Victories: Cauvery (1801), Odanilai (1802), Arachalur (1804).
• End: betrayed by his cook Nallappan; hanged with his brothers at Sankagiri fort, 31 July 1805.

Background: the Kongu Region between Mysore and the Company

Kongu Nadu is the name for the western part of Tamil Nadu – roughly today's Salem, Coimbatore, Erode, Tiruppur, Karur and Dindigul areas. In the seventeenth century the region was part of the Madurai Nayak kingdom. It then passed to the Wodeyars of Mysore and later to the Mysore Sultans, Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan. Mysore collected land revenue from Kongu through its officials, and this tax collection is the background to young Theerthagiri's first act of defiance.

The English East India Company fought four wars with Mysore (the Anglo-Mysore Wars). After the Third War, the Company acquired Salem and Dindigul in 1792; after the Fourth War, in which Tipu Sultan was killed at Srirangapatna in 1799, Coimbatore and the rest of Kongu also came under the Company. Chinnamalai's story therefore runs across both phases: resistance to Mysore's tax officers, then a long war against the Company once it replaced Mysore as the ruling power.

Birth, Family and Early Training

• Born: 17 April 1756 at Melapalayam (also written Melappalayam), near Chennimalai and Kangeyam, in the then Erode district. Kangeyam now lies in Tiruppur district, so some books say "near Kangeyam, Tiruppur district" – it is the same place.
• Birth name: Theerthagiri; the family name is given as Theerthagiri Sarkarai Manradiar.
• Parents: Rathinasamy (Rathina Sarkarai Manradiar) and Periyatha.
• Family: the textbook places him in the Mandradiar family of Palayakottai, a ruling family of the Kongu country. He belonged to the Kongu Vellalar (Gounder) community.
• Training: as a youth he trained in silambu (stick-fighting), archery and horse riding, and later in modern warfare. He also settled family and land disputes in the Kongu region, which won him respect among the people.

How Theerthagiri Became "Chinnamalai"

The Kongu region was under Mysore, and taxes collected there were sent to the Sultan's capital. According to the Tamil Nadu Class 10 History textbook, when Mohammed Ali, the Diwan of Tipu Sultan, was returning to Mysore with the tax money, Theerthagiri blocked his way and seized the money. He let the Diwan go, asking him to tell the Sultan that the tax had been taken by "Chinnamalai" – the one who lives between Sivanmalai and Chennimalai. From this episode he became known as Dheeran Chinnamalai (Dheeran = the brave).

The angry Diwan sent a force against him. The two sides met on the bed of the Noyyal river, and Chinnamalai won.

Source note: the textbook links the episode with Tipu's Diwan. Some other accounts – the 2005 stamp brochure and a Lok Sabha statement – say the tax was going to Hyder Ali. For TNPSC, use the textbook version (Tipu's Diwan Mohammed Ali), but do not be surprised if an option mentions Hyder Ali.

With Tipu Sultan against the British

Tipu Sultan, who had heard of Chinnamalai's courage, made common cause with him against the English. Chinnamalai mobilised Kongu youth – the textbook says thousands; the stamp brochure speaks of a Kongu army of about 1,000 young men – and they were trained in modern warfare by the French, who were then Tipu's allies. With this force he fought on Tipu's side in the Anglo-Mysore Wars.

Exam tip: the French connection is a favourite question – Chinnamalai was trained in modern warfare by the French (Class 8 and Class 10 textbooks).

Odanilai Fort (after 1799)

After the fall of Srirangapatna and the death of Tipu Sultan in 1799, Chinnamalai returned to the Kongu country. He built a fort and continued the fight against the English from there. The textbook notes that this place came to be called Odanilai. Odanilai lies in present-day Erode district; the battle sites of Arachalur and the Cauvery bank are in the same region. From Odanilai he organised Kongu youth, gathered arms and kept contact with other rebel leaders of South India.

The South Indian Rebellion (1800–1801) and the Coimbatore Plan

While Chinnamalai was building his strength in Kongu, a wider revolt was being planned against the Company. The Tamil Nadu textbook calls it the South Indian Rebellion (1800–1801); British records call it the Second Palayakkarar War.

• Confederacy: led by Marudhu Pandiyar of Sivaganga, with Gopala Nayak of Dindigul, Kerala Varma of Malabar, and Krishnappa Nayak and Dhoondaji of Mysore.
• Virupachi meeting: the leaders met at Virupachi in April 1800 and decided to rise against the Company.
• Coimbatore, June 1800: the uprising broke out in Coimbatore and spread to Ramanathapuram and Madurai. The Palayakkarars of Coimbatore, Sathyamangalam and Tarapuram were captured and hanged.
• Chinnamalai's part: in 1800 he sought the help of the Marathas and of Marudhu Pandiyar to attack the British at Coimbatore. The Company's forces stopped the allied troops from joining him, so he had to attack on his own, and the attack failed (Class 8 textbook).
• Tiruchirappalli Proclamation (June 1801): issued by the Marudhu brothers, calling on Indians of every region, caste and religion to unite against the British.
• End of the confederacy: the Marudhu brothers were executed at Tirupathur on 24 October 1801; the Carnatic Treaty of 31 July 1801 brought the Tamil country under direct British rule and ended the Palayakkarar system.

Chinnamalai survived the collapse of this confederacy. That is why he is often described as one of the last of the Palayakkarar leaders to fight the Company in Tamil Nadu.

Guerrilla War: Cauvery, Odanilai and Arachalur (1801–1804)

After the failure at Coimbatore, Chinnamalai changed his method. Instead of open battle against a larger and better-armed army, he used guerrilla attacks – sudden strikes, quick withdrawal and knowledge of the local terrain – and repeatedly escaped capture. Three victories are credited to him:

Memory aid: C – O – A = Cauvery 1801, Odanilai 1802, Arachalur 1804 (note that 1803 is skipped).

Karumalai, Betrayal and Capture (1805)

• As the Company brought heavier forces and cannon, Chinnamalai left the Odanilai fort to avoid cannon fire and continued the guerrilla war from Karumalai in the Palani hills.
• His cook, Nallappan (also spelt Nallapan), betrayed him by revealing his hiding place to the British.
• The English captured Chinnamalai and his brothers and took them to Sankagiri, where they were imprisoned.

Execution at Sankagiri Fort (31 July 1805)

Even as prisoners, Chinnamalai and his brothers refused to accept British rule. They were hanged at the top of the Sankagiri fort on 31 July 1805. Chinnamalai was 49 years old. Most accounts say two of his brothers were hanged with him.

• Date: 31 July 1805 – the date in the Tamil Nadu textbook and on the 2005 commemorative stamp. Some sources give 2 August 1805; one Lok Sabha statement even says 1806. Use 31 July 1805.
• Sankagiri fort: now in Salem district. It was built in the 15th century under the Vijayanagar empire, served as a military base of Tipu Sultan and later of the British, and is now maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.

Context: Veerapandiya Kattabomman was hanged at Kayathar in 1799, the Marudhu brothers at Tirupathur in 1801, and Chinnamalai at Sankagiri in 1805. One year later came the Vellore Revolt of 1806.

Why His Resistance Failed – and Why It Matters

• Unequal strength: the Company had trained regiments, artillery and reinforcements from other presidencies; Chinnamalai had local volunteers and limited arms.
• Allies lost: Tipu was killed in 1799; the Marudhu brothers and the other confederates were crushed in 1801; allied troops could not reach Coimbatore in 1800.
• Betrayal: his capture came through the treachery of his own cook.
• Significance: he joined local resistance in Kongu with the wider anti-British front of Mysore, the Marudhu brothers and the Marathas; he showed effective use of guerrilla war; and he resisted the Company for six years after Tipu's fall. Tamil Nadu remembers him as a freedom fighter who refused to pay tax or accept foreign rule.

Who's Who Table

Places to Remember

Memorials and Honours

Current affairs link – Pollan memorial (2025): a memorial hall with a full-size statue of Maaveeran Pollan, a trusted commander of Dheeran Chinnamalai who was killed by British forces, was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu at Jayaramapuram (Modakurichi taluk), Erode district, in late 2025.

Chinnamalai among the Palayakkarar Rebels

Writing Mains Answers on Dheeran Chinnamalai (Group 1 / Group 2)

Descriptive papers can ask about early resistance in Tamil Nadu or about Chinnamalai directly. Build your answer around these points and support each one with a fact from the notes above.

Dheeran Chinnamalai's role in the resistance against the British (about 150–250 words)

• Introduction: Theerthagiri (1756–1805), Palayakkarar of the Kongu country; called Dheeran Chinnamalai.
• First defiance: seized the tax money of Tipu's Diwan Mohammed Ali; defeated the Diwan's force at the Noyyal river bed.
• Alliance with Tipu: mobilised Kongu youth, trained by the French; fought at Chitheswaram, Mazhavalli and Srirangapatna.
• After 1799: built the Odanilai fort; joined the wider rebellion – sought help from the Marathas and Marudhu Pandiyar for the Coimbatore attack of 1800.
• Guerrilla war: victories at the Cauvery (1801), Odanilai (1802) and Arachalur (1804).
• End: betrayed by his cook Nallappan at Karumalai (Palani); hanged with his brothers at Sankagiri fort on 31 July 1805.
• Conclusion: one of the last Palayakkarar leaders to resist; memory kept alive by memorials at Odanilai and Chennai and a 2005 stamp.

The South Indian Rebellion of 1800–1801 and Chinnamalai (about 150 words)

• Confederacy: Marudhu Pandiyar, Gopala Nayak, Kerala Varma, Krishnappa Nayak and Dhoondaji; Virupachi meeting, April 1800.
• Coimbatore, June 1800: revolt broke out and spread to Ramanathapuram and Madurai.
• Chinnamalai: sought Maratha and Marudhu help to attack Coimbatore; allies blocked, his attack failed.
• Tiruchirappalli Proclamation (June 1801): call for all Indians to unite.
• Outcome: Marudhu brothers executed (24 October 1801); Carnatic Treaty (31 July 1801); Chinnamalai continued alone till 1805.

Why did the early resistance in Tamil Nadu fail? (about 100 words)

• Superior British arms, artillery and reinforcements.
• Lack of unity – several rulers sided with the Company; allies could not join in time (Coimbatore, 1800).
• Loss of the main ally, Tipu Sultan, in 1799.
• Betrayal by insiders – Nallappan in Chinnamalai's case.
• Yet the revolts kept the idea of resistance alive and preceded the Vellore Revolt of 1806.

Practice: Match the Following

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Odanilai vs Sankagiri: Odanilai was his fort; Sankagiri was where he was hanged.
• Battle years: Cauvery 1801, Odanilai 1802, Arachalur 1804 – not 1803.
• Execution date: 31 July 1805 (textbook). Do not confuse it with the Carnatic Treaty of 31 July 1801 – same day and month, different year.
• Kayathar vs Sankagiri vs Tirupathur: Kattabomman – Kayathar (1799); Chinnamalai – Sankagiri (1805); Marudhu brothers – Tirupathur (1801).
• Trainers: his men were trained by the French, not the British or the Dutch.
• Name: in the textbook story the tax was taken by "Chinnamalai", the one between Sivanmalai and Chennimalai – remember this pair of hills.
• Betrayer: Nallappan, his cook – not Ettappan (who is linked with Kattabomman's story).
• Sankagiri's district: Salem district, not Erode.

Quick Revision Table

TNPSC Key Points (PYQ-style facts)

• Born: 17 April 1756, Melapalayam (near Chennimalai / Kangeyam). Birth name: Theerthagiri. Parents: Rathinasamy and Periyatha.
• Palayakkarar of the Kongu country; Mandradiar family of Palayakottai.
• Trained in silambu, archery, horse riding; his men trained in modern warfare by the French.
• Name: seized the tax money of Tipu's Diwan Mohammed Ali – "Chinnamalai, between Sivanmalai and Chennimalai, took it".
• Defeated the Diwan's force on the Noyyal river bed.
• Ally of Tipu Sultan; fought at Chitheswaram, Mazhavalli and Srirangapatna.
• After Tipu's death (1799): built a fort at Odanilai.
• 1800: sought help of the Marathas and Marudhu Pandiyar to attack Coimbatore – failed.
• Victories: Cauvery (1801), Odanilai (1802), Arachalur (1804); used guerrilla warfare.
• Last hide-out: Karumalai, Palani hills. Betrayed by his cook Nallappan.
• Hanged with his brothers at Sankagiri fort on 31 July 1805.
• Sankagiri fort: Vijayanagar period (15th century), Salem district, ASI-protected.
• Stamp: 31 July 2005, Rs 5. Memorials: Odanilai manimandapam, Guindy statue (Chennai); Erode Collectorate named after him.
• Pollan, his commander – memorial at Jayaramapuram, Erode district (2025).

Frequently Asked Questions

How did Theerthagiri get the name "Chinnamalai"?

According to the Tamil Nadu Class 10 History textbook, Tipu Sultan's Diwan Mohammed Ali was carrying the taxes collected in the Kongu region back to Mysore when young Theerthagiri stopped him and seized the money. He let the Diwan go with a message for the Sultan: the tax had been taken by "Chinnamalai", the one who lives between Sivanmalai and Chennimalai. From then on he was known as Dheeran (the brave) Chinnamalai. Some other accounts place this episode under Hyder Ali; for TNPSC follow the textbook version.

Where is Odanilai and why is it important?

Odanilai is in the Kongu country of present-day Erode district. After Tipu Sultan's death in 1799, Chinnamalai built a fort there and made it the base of his resistance against the East India Company. The textbook notes that the place itself came to be called Odanilai. Today the Tamil Nadu Government's memorial (manimandapam) to Chinnamalai stands at Odanilai.

Which battles did Dheeran Chinnamalai win against the British?

After Tipu's death he fought the Company with guerrilla tactics and is credited with victories on the banks of the Cauvery (1801), at Odanilai (1802) and at Arachalur (1804). Earlier, while serving with Tipu Sultan, his Kongu force fought at Chitheswaram, Mazhavalli and Srirangapatna.

Who betrayed Dheeran Chinnamalai?

His cook, Nallappan (also spelt Nallapan). After leaving the Odanilai fort, Chinnamalai was carrying on guerrilla war from Karumalai in the Palani hills; Nallappan revealed his hiding place, and the British captured him and his brothers.

When and where was Dheeran Chinnamalai executed?

He and his brothers were hanged at the top of the Sankagiri fort (now in Salem district) on 31 July 1805, the date given in the Tamil Nadu textbook and on the 2005 commemorative stamp. A few sources give 2 August 1805. He refused to accept British rule to the end.

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