Battle of the Nedumkotta

The strength of the Travancore Nair Army was greatly reduced after several earlier battles with Hyder Ali's forces. The death of the Dutch-born commander Valiya-kappitan Eustachius De Lannoy in 1777 further diminished the morale of the soldiers. The death of Makayiram Thirunal and Asvati Thirunal in 1786 forced the Travancore royal family to adopt two princesses from Kolathunad. As the threat of an invasion by Tipu Sultan loomed in the horizon, Travancore's maharajah Dharma Raja tried to rebuild his army by appointing Chempakaraman Pillai as the dalawa and Kesava Pillai as the sarvadhikaryakkar.[3]^:385

Tipu Sultan planned the invasion of Travancore for many years, and he was especially concerned with the Nedumkotta fortifications, which had prevented his father Hyder Ali from annexing the kingdom. Towards the end of 1789, Tipu Sultan marched his troops from Coimbatore. Tipu's army consisted of 20,000 infantry, 10,000 spearmen and match-lockmen, 5,000 cavalry and 20 field guns.[3]^:390

Travancore purchased the strategic forts of Cranganore and Ayacottah from the Dutch to improve the country's defenses. The deal was finalized by Dewan Kesava Pillai and Dutch merchants David Rabbi and Ephraim Cohen under the observation of Maharajah Dharma Raja and Dutch East India Company Governor John Gerard van Anglebeck. Travancore also held a treaty with the British East India Company, under whose terms two battalions of the Company army were stationed at the Travancore-Cochin frontier. Both Tipu Sultan and Governor John Holland of Madras objected to these purchases because the forts, though they had long been in Dutch possession, were in the Kingdom of Cochin, which was a tributary state of Mysore.[3]^:391

Kesava Pillai was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Travancore Army. To boost the strength of the armed forces, several thousand young militiamen were called up from all over the kingdom. The forts of Cranganore and Ayacottah were repaired and garrisoned.[3]^:393 Tipu sent a letter to the King of Travancore demanding the withdrawal of the Travancori forces garrisoned in Cranganore Fort, the transfer to him of Malabar lords that had been sheltered by the king, and the demolition of Travancori ramparts built within the territory of Cochin. The king refused the sultan's demands.[3]^:393

A number of Mysorean soldiers encroached into Travancori jungles, ostensibly to apprehend fugitives, and came under fire when discovered by Travancori patrols.[2]^:163[3]^:396 On 28 December 1789, Mysorean troops attacked the eastern part of the Travancori lines and captured the ramparts as the Travancoreans retreated, but were eventually stopped when the Travancori force of 800 Nair soldiers made a stand with six-pounder guns;[2]^:164 Travancori reinforcements arrived during the four-hour battle, and they inflicted heavy casualties on the Mysoreans, who lost 1000-1500 soldiers and fled in panic.[2]^:163[4] Several Mysorean troops were captured as prisoners of war, including soldiers of European and Maratha origin.[3]^:395 Travancoris recovered the sword, the palanquin, the dagger, the ring and many other personal effects of Tipu Sultan from the ditches of the Nedumkotta and presented them to the ruler of Travancore. Some of them were sent to the Nawab of Carnatic on his request. After approximately 2 months after this incident, on 1 March 1790, 1,000 Travancore troops advanced onto Mysore territory, where they were stopped and pushed back with considerable losses by Mysorean troops.[2]^:166 On 9 April 1790, a similar attempt was made once again by 3,000 Travancore troops on Mysore territory, however, they were once again stopped by Mysorean troops and repulsed.[2]^:166

On 12 April 1790, Tipu decided to attack the Travancore lines and within approximately three days was able to breach three quarters of a mile of the lines,[2]^:166 On 15 April 1790 he took approximately 6,000 soldiers and advanced on the Travancore position.[2]^:167 The Travancore troops were taken by surprise and fled.[2]^:167 On 18 April 1790, Tipu arrived within one mile of Cranganur and erected batteries.[2]^:167 On 8 May 1790, Tipu successfully occupied Cranganur.[2]^:167 Soon other forts such as Ayicotta and Parur surrendered without fighting.[2]^:167 Tipu Sultan destroyed the Travancore lines and reached all the way to Verapoly, The Travancorean forces regrouped, but the onset of monsoons prevented Tipu from moving south. He finally reached the Periyar river banks at Aluva and camped there. However, by this time a small group led by Vaikom Padmanabha Pillai and Kunjai Kutty Pillai went upstream and managed to break the walls of a dam at Bhoothathankettu causing heavy flash floods downstream Periyar river. All the ammunition and gunpowder of Tipu's army got wet and became inactive. He was thus forced to return. Information that the British army was planning an attack on Srirangapatnam hastened his retreat.

Mysore actions against Travancore brought it into further conflict with the British Empire, and led to the Third Anglo-Mysore War.

• Mysore invasion of Kerala

• Fortescue, John William (1902). A history of the British army, Volume 3. Macmillan.
• Marshman, John Clark (1863). The history of India
• Veeraraghavapuram, Nagam Aiya (1906). The Travancore State Manual, Volume 1, p. 390. (detail on the battles)
• A history of Travancore from the earliest times, Volume 1 (details on fort transactions preceding attack)