Pudukkottai state
Encyclopedia
Pudukkottai was a princely state in the Madras Presidency
which existed from 1680 to 1948. It was one of the five princely states that were under political control of the Government of Madras.
in Tamil Nadu
and extended from 10 degrees 7' to 10 degrees 44'N latitudes and 78 degrees 25' and 79 degrees 12' E longitudes. It is bounded on the north and west by Tiruchirapalli district, on the south by Madurai district
and on the east by Thanjavur district
. The kingdom did not have fixed boundaries and was called "Tondaiman country" until the end of 18th century. The kingdom started to have fixed boundaries since early 19th century. It extended for 52 miles from east to west and 41 miles from north to south and encompassed an area of 1,178 square miles.
, Pudukkottai came under the rule of Muslim sultans who held power for about 50 years before being vanquished by the Vijayanagar kings. When the Vijayanagar kingdom disintegrated, Pudukkottai came under the rule of the Nayaks of Madurai from whom Raghunatha Kilavan, the sethupathi of Ramnad wrested the country in 1680 and appointed Raghunatha Tondaiman as the viceroy.
Raghunatha Raya Tondaiman was the first ruler of Pudukottai. The land surrounding Pudukottai was gifted to him as an honour for his services to Sri Ranga Raya, King of Vijaynagar
on his trip to Rameswaram.
Tondaimans provided military aid to British and Nawab of Arcot in the 1752 siege of Tiruchirapally, against Haidar Ali and Tippu Sultan and finally against the Palaiyakkarar
s. This act by the Tondaimans spared the kingdom from being assigned zamindari status and was instead assigned as a princely state
.
s, Kallars and Chettiar
s. Significant number of Brahman
s were invited to settle in land grants provided by Tondaiman kings.
The population statistics for Pudukkottai state from 1871 to 1941 are given below:
The state had one town (Pudukkottai) and 377 villages.
According to the 1901 census, there were 353,723 Hindus who formed 95% of the state's population. Muslims who numbered 12,268 formed 3.2% of the population while the Christians numbering 14,449 formed 3.8% of the population.
was represented by a political agent. From 1800, when the first Political agent was appointed, till 1840, the Political Agent was usually the Resident at Tanjore, from 1840 to 1865, the Agent was the Collector of Madurai and from 1865 to 1947 the agent was the Collector of Trichinopoly
. All the decisions made by the Diwan are passed to the Madras Government for approval before they become the law.
tobacco.
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
which existed from 1680 to 1948. It was one of the five princely states that were under political control of the Government of Madras.
Location
The state of Pudukkottai comprised the whole of the modern district of PudukkottaiPudukkottai District
Pudukkottai District is a district of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The city of Pudukkottai is the district headquarters...
in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
and extended from 10 degrees 7' to 10 degrees 44'N latitudes and 78 degrees 25' and 79 degrees 12' E longitudes. It is bounded on the north and west by Tiruchirapalli district, on the south by Madurai district
Madurai District
Madurai district is one of the 32 districts of the state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. The city of Madurai serves as the district headquarters. It houses the world famous Sri Meenakshi Sundareshwarar temple and is situated on the banks of river Vaigai. Thiruparankundram is one of the major...
and on the east by Thanjavur district
Thanjavur District
Thanjavur District is one of the 32 districts of the state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. Its headquarters is Thanjavur.-Geography:...
. The kingdom did not have fixed boundaries and was called "Tondaiman country" until the end of 18th century. The kingdom started to have fixed boundaries since early 19th century. It extended for 52 miles from east to west and 41 miles from north to south and encompassed an area of 1,178 square miles.
History
Pudukottai means New Fort and seems to refer to a fort built in early 18th century in what became the capital city of the kingdom. During the Sangam times, Pudukkottai had been ruled by the Chola kings. Later, it was under the occupation of an obscure people called the Kalabhrars. From the 6th to the 14th century AD, Pudukkottai was successively ruled by the Pallavas, Cholas and the Pandyas. When the Pandya kingdom was conquered by Malik KafurMalik Kafur
Malik Kafur, General , or Chand Ram as his name was originally, was a slave who became a head general in the army of Alauddin Khilji, ruler of the Delhi sultanate from 1296 to 1316 AD. He was originally seized by Alauddin's army after the army conquered the city of Khambhat...
, Pudukkottai came under the rule of Muslim sultans who held power for about 50 years before being vanquished by the Vijayanagar kings. When the Vijayanagar kingdom disintegrated, Pudukkottai came under the rule of the Nayaks of Madurai from whom Raghunatha Kilavan, the sethupathi of Ramnad wrested the country in 1680 and appointed Raghunatha Tondaiman as the viceroy.
Raghunatha Raya Tondaiman was the first ruler of Pudukottai. The land surrounding Pudukottai was gifted to him as an honour for his services to Sri Ranga Raya, King of Vijaynagar
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...
on his trip to Rameswaram.
Tondaimans provided military aid to British and Nawab of Arcot in the 1752 siege of Tiruchirapally, against Haidar Ali and Tippu Sultan and finally against the Palaiyakkarar
Palaiyakkarar
Palaiyakkarar, Poligar, Polygar or Palegar or Polegar was the feudal title for a class of territorial administrative and military chiefs appointed by the Naicker rulers of South India during 16th - 18th centuries...
s. This act by the Tondaimans spared the kingdom from being assigned zamindari status and was instead assigned as a princely state
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
.
Population
The state was populated mostly by Valaiyars, PallarPallar
The Pallar are a caste from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. They are mostly agriculturalists in Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka and amongst the Tamil diaspora...
s, Kallars and Chettiar
Chettiar
Chettiar , also spelled Chetty, is a title used by various castes in South India especially in Tamil Nadu. In Kannada, it appears as Setty, Shettar and Shettigar, who are Padmashalis in Andhra Pradesh....
s. Significant number of Brahman
Brahman
In Hinduism, Brahman is the one supreme, universal Spirit that is the origin and support of the phenomenal universe. Brahman is sometimes referred to as the Absolute or Godhead which is the Divine Ground of all being...
s were invited to settle in land grants provided by Tondaiman kings.
The population statistics for Pudukkottai state from 1871 to 1941 are given below:
| Year | 1826 | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1948 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 211,742 | 316,695 | 302,127 | 373,096 | 380,440 | 411,694 | 400,686 | 438648 |
The state had one town (Pudukkottai) and 377 villages.
Religion
The kingdom was predominantly Hindu. However, there were significant Muslim and Christian populations.According to the 1901 census, there were 353,723 Hindus who formed 95% of the state's population. Muslims who numbered 12,268 formed 3.2% of the population while the Christians numbering 14,449 formed 3.8% of the population.
Administration
Pudukkottai was administered by a council headed by the Raja. This Council was made up of the Raja, the Diwan or Prime Minister, and a Councillor. In 1902, a legislative council was established with 30 members nominated by the heads of departments and by public institutions. The Government of MadrasMadras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
was represented by a political agent. From 1800, when the first Political agent was appointed, till 1840, the Political Agent was usually the Resident at Tanjore, from 1840 to 1865, the Agent was the Collector of Madurai and from 1865 to 1947 the agent was the Collector of Trichinopoly
Tiruchirapalli
Tiruchirappalli ) , also called Tiruchi or Trichy , is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli District. It is the fourth largest municipal corporation in Tamil Nadu and also the fourth largest urban agglomeration in the state...
. All the decisions made by the Diwan are passed to the Madras Government for approval before they become the law.
Police
The Superintendent of police in Trichinopoly District is ex-officio Superintendent of the force within the State. In 1909, the police force of Pudukkottai state consisted of one chief inspector, 5 inspectors, 28 head constables, and 229 constables. There are 23 police stations.Sub-Divisions
For administrative purposes, the state was divided into three taluks: Kolattur, Alangudi and Thirumayam, each under the authority of a Tahsildar who was responsible for land revenue.Judiciary
The judiciary of the state in under the control of the Dewan. There was one Chief Court in Pudukkottain town and ten Small Cause Courts in rural areas of Pudukkottai. Europeans were not subject to the jurisdiction of the courts. Offenses involving Europeans were handled by the Political Agent.Revenue
In 1903–04, the revenue of the State amounted to Rs. 11,28,00 while the total expenditure was Rs.10,21,000.Currency
The currency of the state was the British Indian rupee, but apart from British Indian coins, coins called Amman kasu which were locally minted were also used. The coin bears on one side the motif Vijaya, the Telugu word for "victory", while on the other side of the coin is representation of goddess Brihadamba.Agriculture, Industry and Manufacture
The chief products of Pudukkottai were silk, cotton, rush mats, bangles, bell-metal vessels and perfumes.Trade
The chief exports of Pudkkottai were perfumes, groundnuts, Nux vomica seeds, avaram blocks used for tanning leather and acacia bark used in distilleries. The chief imports are salt, rice, European piece-goods, andtobacco.
List of kings of Pudukkottai
- Raghunatha Raya TondaimanRaghunatha Raya TondaimanRaja Sri Raghunatha Raya Tondaiman was the ruler of the Pudukkottai kingdom from 1686 to 1730. Starting his career as a feudatory chieftain of the Sethupathi of Ramnad, in 1686, Raghunatha Raya Tondaiman was recognised as the independent ruler of Pudukkottai by the Sethupathi for the services he...
(1686–1730) - Vijaya Raghunatha Raya Tondaiman IVijaya Raghunatha Raya Tondaiman IVijaya Raghunatha Raya Tondaiman I was the second independent ruler of the Pudukkottai kingdom. He reigned from April 1730 to 28 December 1769...
(1730–1769) - Raya Raghunatha TondaimanRaya Raghunatha TondaimanRaja Sri Raya Raghunatha Tondaiman was the ruler of Pudukkottai kingdom from 28 December 1769 to 30 December 1789.- Early life :...
(1769– December 1789) - Vijaya Raghunatha TondaimanVijaya Raghunatha TondaimanRaja Sri Vijaya Raghunatha Tondaiman Bahadur was the ruler of the kingdom of Pudukkottai from 30 December 1789 to 1 February 1807.- Early life :...
(December 1789 – February 1, 1807) - Vijaya Raghunatha Raya Tondaiman IIVijaya Raghunatha Raya Tondaiman IIVijaya Raghunatha Raya Tondaiman was the ruler of the princely state of Pudukkottai from 1 February 1807 to 4 June 1825.- Early life :...
(February 1, 1807 – June 1825) - Raghunatha TondaimanRaghunatha TondaimanHis Excellency Raja Sri Raghunatha Tondaiman Bahadur was the ruler of the princely state of Pudukkottai from 4 June 1825 to 13 July 1839.- Early life :...
(June 1825 – July 13, 1839) - Ramachandra TondaimanRamachandra TondaimanRaja Sri Brahdamba Dasa Raja Ramachandra Tondaiman Bahadur was the ruler of princely state of Pudukkottai from July 13, 1839 to April 15, 1886.- Early life :...
(July 13, 1839 – April 15, 1886) - Martanda Bhairava TondaimanMartanda Bhairava TondaimanHis Highness Raja Sri Brahdamba Dasa Raja Sir Martanda Bhairava Tondaiman GCIE was the ruler of the princely state of Pudukkottai from 15 April 1886 to 28 May 1928.- Early life :...
(April 15, 1886 – May 28, 1928) - Rajagopala TondaimanRajagopala TondaimanRaja Sri Brahdamba Dasa Raja Sri Rajagopala Tondaiman Bahadur was the ninth and last ruler of the princely state of Pudukkottai.- Early life :...
(October 28, 1928 – August 15, 1947)
List of Diwans of Pudukkottai
- A. Seshayya Sastri (1878-1894)
- S. Venkataramadas Nayudu (1904-1909)
- Raghunatha PallavarayarRaghunatha PallavarayarVijaya Raghunatha Pallavarayar Dorai Raja was an Indian civil servant and administrator and a member of the royal house of Pudukkottai...
(1909-1929) - T. RaghavaiahT. RaghavaiahDiwan Bahadur T. Raghavaiah CSI was an Indian administrator who served as the Diwan of Travancore from 1920 to 1925. He was a favourite of the Maharaja Moolam Thirunal. His refusal to allow low-caste to enter Hindu temples is believed to have led to the Vaikom Satyagraha.- Early life :Raghavaiah...
(1929-1931) - B. G. HoldsworthB. G. HoldsworthBenjamin George Holdsworth CIE was an Indian civil servant and administrator who served as the Diwan of Pudukkottai state from 1931 to 1933.- Early life :Holdsworth was born on 31 July 1892 to Rev. J. Forrester Holdsworth...
(1931-1934) - Alexander TottenhamAlexander TottenhamSir Alexander Robert Loftus Tottenham CIE was a British civil servant and administrator who served as the Diwan of Pudukkottai state from 1934 to 1946.- Early life :...
(1934-1946) - C. P. Karunakara MenonC. P. Karunakara MenonDiwan Bahadur Cherubala Pathayapura Karunakara Menon was an Indian civil servant and administrator who served as the Diwan of Cochin kingdom from 1944 to 1947...
(1946-1948)