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Dheeran Chinnamalai: The Kongu Chieftain Who Refused to Bend

Betrayed by his own cook, offered a pardon if he submitted to the British — he refused, and was hanged anyway.

A statue of Dheeran Chinnamalai. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

📑 Contents

Dheeran Chinnamalai (17 April 1756 – 1805) was born Theerthagiri Sarkarai Manradiar, near Kangeyam in Tamil Nadu’s Kongu Nadu region.
He belonged to a Kongu Vellalar family that controlled land and local administration in the region.
He raised a 1,000-strong army in support of Tipu Sultan, fighting in battles including Srirangapatna.
After Tipu Sultan’s death in 1799, he built a fortified stronghold at Odanilai, and refused to accept British rule.
He fought in the Second Polygar War (1801-1805), defeating British forces at Cauvery in 1801, Odanilai in 1802, and Arachalur in 1804.
His own cook, Nallapan, betrayed him, leading to his capture on 17 May 1805.

He earned the title “Chinnamalai” for asserting his authority over the land between the Sennimalai and Shivamalai hills.
After capture, he was taken to Sankagiri Fort, where a British tribunal of four officers demanded he pay taxes and accept Company rule.
He refused, and was sentenced to death. Most sources give his execution date as 31 July 1805, though a few give early August instead.
He was hanged along with his two brothers and his chief commander, Karuppan — not alone.
His military training combined Indian archery and horsemanship with guerrilla tactics learned through his years serving under Tipu Sultan.

His path from Tipu Sultan’s army to independent resistance shows how Mysore’s fall in 1799 didn’t end organised opposition to the British. It just shifted it to smaller regional chieftains.
The Second Polygar War is often treated as a minor regional footnote next to 1857. But it shows organised armed resistance to the British continued for decades before that larger revolt.
His betrayal by a trusted cook is a recurring pattern in this era’s resistance stories. Personal loyalty inside a chieftain’s own household was often the weak point the British exploited, not military defeat.