152-666: The Godavari district was a former administrative region in the Madras Presidency in during British India . It was established in 1859, following the reorganization of the Rajahmundry District, which had been created in 1823. It was remodelled in 1907–1908, when part of it was transferred to Kistna district. It was divided into two separate districts in 1925: East Godavari and West Godavari, with Kakinada and Eluru as their capitals. These districts retained their names until 2022. In September 1859, Sir Charles Trevelyan ,
304-518: A Kochi legislative assembly was also constituted to help the public participate in the administration. The assembly consisted of 45 members, 10 were officially nominated. Thottakkattu Madhaviamma was the first woman to be a member of any legislature in India. Cochin was the first princely state to willingly join the new Dominion of India in 1947. India became a republic on 26 January 1950. Travancore merged with Cochin to create Travancore-Cochin , which
456-603: A Latin Christian mission . Cochin hosted the grave of Vasco da Gama , the Portuguese viceroy, who was buried at St. Francis Church until his remains were returned to Portugal in 1539. Soon after the time of Afonso de Albuquerque , Portuguese influence in Kerala declined. Portuguese alliance was followed by that of the Dutch , who had by then conquered Quilon after various encounters with
608-611: A Presidency and Elihu Yale was appointed as president. In 1785, under the provisions of Pitt's India Act , Madras became one of three presidencies established by the East India Company. Thereafter, the head of the area was styled "Governor" rather than "President" and became subordinate to the Governor-General in Calcutta , with Madras' titulature that would persist until 1950. Judicial, legislative and executive powers rested with
760-533: A cause for the shift of the capital. From there on Perumpadapu Swaroopam used the name Cochin Royal Family . Finally, the arrival of the Portuguese on the Indian subcontinent in the sixteenth century likely influenced Cochin politics. The kingdom of Cochin was among the first Indian nations to sign a formal treaty with a European power, negotiating trade terms with Pedro Álvares Cabral in 1500. The palace at Kalvathhi
912-532: A contract with the Government. By the early 20th century, the greater part of the land was held by ryots who paid rent directly to the Government. Zamindari estates occupied about 26 million acres (110,000 km ), more than one-quarter of the whole presidency. The peshkash , or tribute, payable to the government in perpetuity was about £330,000 a year. Inams , revenue-free or quit-rent grants of lands made for religious endowments or for services rendered to
1064-408: A fort – Fort Emmanuel (at Fort Kochi , named after the king of Portugal) – surrounding the Portuguese factory, in order to protect it from any further attacks from Calicut and on 27 September 1503 the foundations of a timber fort, the first fort erected by the Portuguese in India, were laid. The entire work of construction was commissioned by the local raja, who supplied workers and material. In 1505,
1216-696: A free political entity. However, it was only after the arrival of Portuguese on the Malabar Coast that the Perumpadappu Swarupam acquires any political importance. Perumpadappu rulers had family relationships with the Nambudiri rulers of Edappally . After the transfer of Kochi and Vypin from the Edappally rulers to the Perumpadappu rulers, the latter came to be known as kings of Kochi. During 1800 to 1947,
1368-559: A group of English merchants a charter to establish a joint-stock company which became known as the East India Company . Subsequently, during the reign of King James I (1567–1625), Sir William Hawkins and Sir Thomas Roe were sent to negotiate with the Mughal Emperor Jahangir (1569–1627) to permit the establishment of trading factories in India on behalf of the company. The first of these were built at Surat on
1520-446: A king to retire upon reaching a certain old age or military inability, withdrawing to take up a religious life. Power was passed over to his successor, or to a regent until the successor came of age. Succession often led to quarrels among the five branches. The Zamorin of Calicut exploited these family quarrels, sometimes in the role of arbitrator, allowing him to increase his influence in the southern kingdom. The future city of Cochin
1672-519: A population of 22,031,697. Subsequent enumerations were made in 1851–52, 1856–57, 1861–62, and 1866–67. The population of Madras Presidency was tallied at 22,857,855, 24,656,509 in 1861–62 and 26,539,052 in 1866–67. The first organised census of India was conducted in 1871 and returned a population of 31,220,973 for the Madras Presidency. Since then, a census has been conducted once every ten years. The last census of British India held in 1941 counted
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#17328585777361824-420: A population of 28 million. The rice yield was 7 to 10 cwt. per acre, the cholam yields were 3.5 to 6.25 cwt. per acre, khambu , 3.25 to 5 cwt. per acre and ragi, 4.25 to 5 cwt. per acre. The average gross turnout for food crops was 6.93 cwt. per acre. Irrigation along the east coast is carried out mostly by means of dams across rivers, lakes and irrigation tanks . The main source of water for agriculture in
1976-454: A population of 49,341,810 for the Madras Presidency. The Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , Kannada , Odia , Tulu and English languages were all spoken in the Madras Presidency. Tamil was spoken in the southern districts of the presidency from a few miles north of Madras city as far west as the Nilgiri hills and Western Ghats. Telugu was spoken in the districts to the north of Madras city and to
2128-516: A second reorganisation took place, whereupon the double battalions were abolished and the existing battalions were renumbered. The Madras Army at the time consisted of one European and one native brigade of horse artillery, three battalions of foot artillery of four companies each, with four companies of lascars attached, three regiments of light cavalry, two corps of pioneers, two battalions of European infantry, 52 battalions of native infantry and three local battalions. Between 1748 and 1895, as with
2280-495: A shortage of cotton cloth, the main trade item of the east coast at the time. The problem was compounded when the Sultan of Golconda started harassing the local officers. The East India Company's administrator Francis Day (1605–73) was sent south, and after negotiations with the Raja of Chandragiri, he obtained a land grant in 1639 to set up a factory in the village of Madraspatinam where
2432-602: A similar had earlier introduced similar legislation, the Temple Entry Proclamation at the advice of his Diwan, Sir C. P. Ramaswamy Ayyar , in 1937. The provincial government under Ramasamy Reddy passed the Madras Temple Entry Authorization Act on 11 May 1947, which was intended to give Dalits and other prohibited Hindus full and complete rights to enter Hindu temples. The Madras Devadasis (Prevention of Dedication) Act which gave Devadasi 's
2584-452: A splinter group allied with the opposition Swarajists . A motion of no-confidence was proposed against Ramarayaningar's government on 27 November 1923, but was defeated 65–44. Ramarayaningar remained in power until November 1926. The enactment in August 1921 of the first communal Government Order (G.O. No. 613), which introduced caste-based communal reservations in government jobs, remains one of
2736-531: A sub-division of Tanjore district in June 1805 and remained so till August 1808 when its status as a separate district was restored. The districts of Rajahmundry (Rajamahendravaram), Masulipatnam and Guntur were created in 1823. These three districts were reorganised in 1859 into two – the Godavari and Krishna districts. Godavari district was further bifurcated into East and West Godavari districts in 1925. The Kurnool kingdom
2888-610: The Age of Discovery , thus opening a direct sea route from Europe to India. Cochin was the scene of the first European settlement in India. In the year 1500, the Portuguese Admiral Pedro Álvares Cabral landed at Cochin after being repelled from Calicut . The Raja of Cochin welcomed the Portuguese and a treaty of friendship was signed. The raja allowed them to build a factory at Cochin (and upon Cabral's departure Cochin allowed thirty Portuguese and four Franciscan friars to stay in
3040-684: The Coimbatore district were tanks. The Land Improvement and Agriculturists Loan Act passed in 1884 provided funds for the construction of wells and their utilisation in reclamation projects. In the early part of the 20th century, the Madras government established the Pumping and Boring Department to drill boreholes with electric pumps. The Mettur Dam , the Periyar Project, the Cudappah-Kurnool canal and
3192-715: The Ernakulam district which are now the part of Kerala . There is no extant written evidence about the emergence of the kingdom of Cochin or of the Cochin royal family, also known as Perumpadapu Swaroopam. All that is recorded are folk tales and stories, and a somewhat blurred historical picture about the origins of the ruling dynasty. The surviving manuscripts, such as Keralolpathi , Keralamahatmyam , and Perumpadapu Grandavari , are collections of myths and legends that are less than reliable as conventional historical sources. The Perumpadapu Grandavari contains an additional account of
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#17328585777363344-634: The Governor of Madras , visited the region to address key developmental needs, including improving the port of Cocanada (now Kakinada), expanding irrigation systems, and developing navigation on the Godavari River . His visit led to several administrative changes, including the reorganization of district boundaries. Previously, the Rajahmundry and Masulipatnam districts had overlapping and irregular boundaries, causing administrative difficulties, particularly in
3496-611: The Kalabhras . The country recovered under the subsequent Pallava dynasty and its civilisation attained a peak when the chola kings started acquiring vast places in Tamil Nadu during the 10th century. Following the conquest of Madurai by Malik Kafur in 1311, there was a brief lull when both culture and civilisation began to deteriorate. The Tamil and Telugu territories recovered under the Vijayanagar Empire , founded in 1336. Following
3648-872: The Kasaragod taluk of South Canara district in Madras State to form the modern Malayalam -state of Kerala on 1 November 1956, according to the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 of the Government of India . The kingdom of Cochin, originally known as Perumpadappu Swarupam, was under the rule of the Later Cheras in the Middle Ages . After the fall of the Mahodayapuram Cheras in the 12th century, along with numerous other provinces Perumpadappu Swarupam became
3800-575: The Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms of 1917, Madras was the first province of India to implement a system of dyarchy , and thereafter its Governor ruled alongside a prime minister. In the early decades of the 20th century, many significant contributors to the Indian independence movement came from Madras. Madras was later admitted as Madras State , a state of the Indian Union at the inauguration of
3952-620: The Poligar Wars were other notable insurrections against the British rule, but the Madras Presidency remained relatively undisturbed by the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. The Madras Presidency annexed the Kingdom of Mysore in 1831 on allegations of maladministration and restored it to Chamaraja Wodeyar (1881–94), the grandson and heir of the deposed Krishnaraja Wodeyar III (1799–1868) in 1881. Thanjavur
4104-762: The Portuguese East Indies , the most important of which was Fort Manuel . Cochin became a long-term Portuguese protectorate (1503–1663) providing assistance against native and foreign powers in India. After the Luso-Dutch War , the Dutch East India Company (1663–1795) was an ally of Cochin. That was followed by the British East India Company (1795–1858, confirmed on 6 May 1809) after the Anglo-Dutch War , with British paramountcy over
4256-667: The Quit India movement . In 1944, Periyar renamed the Justice Party as Dravidar Kazhagam and withdrew it from electoral politics. After the end of the Second World War, the Indian National Congress re-entered politics, and in the absence of any serious opposition it easily won the 1946 election . Tanguturi Prakasam was then elected as Chief Minister with the support of Kamaraj and served for eleven months. Prakasam
4408-650: The Tanur forces under the king fought for the Zamorin of Calicut in the Battle of Cochin (1504) . However, the allegiance of the Muslim Mappila merchants in Tanur region stayed with the Zamorin of Calicut . The raja of Cochin continued to rule with the help of the Portuguese. Meanwhile, the Portuguese secretly tried to enter into an alliance with the Zamorin. A few later attempts by
4560-507: The Thanjavur Maratha kingdom were constituted as a separate district in 1799. In 1800, the districts of Bellary and Cuddapah were created out of the territory ceded by the Nizam of Hyderabad. In 1801, the districts of North Arcot, South Arcot, Nellore, Trichinopoly , Madura and Tinnevely were created out of the territories of the erstwhile Carnatic kingdom. Trichinopoly district was made
4712-649: The Tinnevely and Malabar districts of Madras Presidency with native Christians forming over one–quarter of the total population of the princely state of Travancore. Hill tribes of the Nilgiris, Palani and Ganjam regions such as the Todas , Badagas , Kotas , Yerukalas and the Khonds , worshiped tribal gods and were often classified as Hindus. In 1921, the Raja of Panagal 's government passed
Godavari district - Misplaced Pages Continue
4864-736: The Vaikom Satyagraha , which campaigned for the right of untouchables in Travancore to enter temples. In 1937, the Indian National Congress was elected to power in the Presidency of Madras for the first time. Chakravarti Rajagopalachari was the first chief minister of the presidency to come from the Congress party. He successfully enacted the Temple Entry Authorization and Indemnity Act and introduced both prohibition and sales taxes in
5016-571: The Zamorin of Calicut was unable to invade Cochin and a military conflict was averted. The cessation of the Ming treasure voyages consequently had negative results for Cochin, as the Zamorin of Calicut later launched an invasion against Cochin. In the late 15th century, the Zamorin occupied Cochin and installed his representative as the king. The conflict between the upstart king of Cochin and his relatives of Perumpadappu branches (eager to recover their role) and Edapalli (eager to recover its land), drew in
5168-558: The "kingdom of Cochin", and the capital of the kingdom shifted from Kodungallur to Vypin in present-day Kochi. During the new kingdom, rules were changed to confine succession within the Elaya branch of Cochin, rather across all branches of Perumpadappu (much to the chagrin of the branches). The port at Kozhikode , also known as Calicut, held superior economic and political position on the medieval Kerala coast, while Kannur , Kollam , and Kochi, were commercially important secondary ports, where
5320-767: The 12th century. Maritime contacts Sangam period Tamilakam Cheras Spice trade Ays Ezhil Malai Confluence of religions Mamankam festival Calicut Venad - Kingdom of Quilon Valluvanad Kolattunadu Cochin Arakkal kingdom Minor principalities Age of Discovery Portuguese period Dutch period Rise of Travancore Mysorean invasion British Period Battle of Tirurangadi Malabar District North Malabar South Malabar Battle of Quilon Communism in Kerala Lakshadweep Economy Architecture The original headquarters of
5472-601: The 14th century onwards, when Malik Kafur conquered Madurai . Nagore was the holiest city for the Muslims of the Madras Presidency. The presidency also had one of the oldest Christian populations in India. Branches of the Syrian church, contrary to historical evidence, are popularly believed to have been instituted by St. Thomas , an apostle of Jesus Christ who visited the Malabar coast in 52 AD Christians were mainly concentrated in
5624-643: The Bengal and Bombay armies, had no effect on the Madras Army. In 1895, the presidency armies were finally merged and the Madras regiments came under the direct control of the Commander-in-chief of British India. in 1890 three madras infantry battalions were accordingly reconstituted, at least for a time, by tapping two south Indian communities which had not yet provided many recruits to the Indian army-the Mappilas and
5776-501: The Bengal and Bombay armies, the Madras Army had its own Commander-in-Chief who was subordinate to the president, and later to the Governor of Madras . By custom, the Commander-in-chief of the Madras Army was a member of the Governor's Executive Council. The army's troops participated in the conquest of Manila in 1762, the 1795 expeditions against Ceylon and the Dutch as well as the conquest of
5928-483: The British of Madras followed suit and established the Madras Regiment. Though native regiments were subsequently established by the British in other parts of India, the distances that separated the three presidencies resulted in each force developing divergent principles and organisations. The first reorganisation of the army took place in 1795 when the Madras army was reconstituted into the following units: In 1824,
6080-408: The British took over administration, the centuries-old system of land proprietorship was left intact. The new rulers appointed middlemen to collect revenue for lands which were not under the control of local zamindar s. In most cases, these go-betweens ignored the welfare of the farmers and exploited them to the full. A Board of Revenue was established in 1786 to solve the issue but to no avail. At
6232-509: The Cochin state. The kingdom of Travancore merged with the kingdom of Cochin to form the state of Travancore-Cochin in 1950. The five Tamil -majority taluks of Vilavancode , Kalkulam , Thovalai , Agastheeswaram , and Sengottai were transferred from Travancore-Cochin to Madras State in 1956. The Malayalam -speaking regions of Travancore-Cochin merged with the Malabar District (excluding Laccadive and Minicoy Islands) and
Godavari district - Misplaced Pages Continue
6384-531: The English East India Company purchased the village of Madraspatnam and one year later it established the Agency of Fort St George , precursor of the Madras Presidency, although there had been Company factories at Machilipatnam and Armagon since the very early 1600s. The agency was upgraded to a Presidency in 1652 before once more reverting to its previous status in 1655. In 1684, it was re-elevated to
6536-440: The Governor who was assisted by a Council whose constitution was modified by reforms enacted in 1861, 1909, 1919 and 1935. Regular elections were conducted in Madras up to the outbreak of the Second World War in 1938. By 1908, the province comprised twenty-two districts, each under a District Collector , and it was further sub-divided into taluks and firqas with villages making up the smallest unit of administration. Following
6688-456: The Head Assistant-Collector). This reorganization was implemented on December 16, 1859. The growing administrative workload in Rajahmundry led to the creation of a Sub-Collector position in the 1830s. Initially, most of the land was under zemindari control, with limited government intervention. However, as more estates lapsed or were acquired by the government, the responsibilities of the Collector expanded. In 1853, Sir Henry Montgomery recommended
6840-479: The Hindu Religious Endowments Bill that established government-controlled trusts in the Madras Presidency to manage Hindu temples and prevent potential misuse of their funds. Until the early years of the 20th century, certain Hindu communities were not allowed inside Hindu temples. However, along with the emancipation of Indian women and removal of social evils, untouchability was slowly eradicated through legislation and social reform. The Raja of Bobbili who served
6992-445: The Hindu faith. Of the Hindu temples, the largest and most important were the Venkateswara temple at Thirupathi , the Brihadeeswarar temple at Tanjore , the Meenakshi Amman temple at Madurai , the Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangam , the Krishna temple at Udupi and the Padmanabhaswamy temple in the princely state of Travancore. Islam was brought to the southern part of India by Arab traders although most converts were made from
7144-422: The Kollidam river near Srirangam island. The Dowlaishwaram dam across the Godavari river, the Gunnavaram aqueduct across the Vaineteyam Godavari, the Kurnool-Cuddapah canal and the Krishna dam are examples of major irrigation works carried out by the British. In 1946–47, the total area under irrigation was 9,736,974 acres (39,404.14 km ) acres which yielded a return of 6.94% on capital outlay. The trade of
7296-426: The Kottayam army. After taking Calicut in a bloody battle, Ali, with a large amount of money, marched south-east towards Coimbatore through Palghat . Mysore appointed Raja as military governor and Madonna (a former revenue officer) as civil governor of the newly acquired province of Malabar. In 1814, according to the Anglo-Dutch Treaty , the islands of Kochi, including Fort Kochi and its territory, were ceded to
7448-454: The Madras Mahajana Sabha. The third session of the Indian National Congress was held in Madras in December 1887 and was a huge success attended by 362 delegates from the province. Subsequent sessions of the Indian National Congress took place in Madras in 1894, 1898, 1903 1908, 1914 and 1927. Madam Blavatsky and Colonel H. S. Olcott moved the headquarters of the Theosophical Society to Adyar in 1882. The society's most prominent figure
7600-444: The Madras Presidency comprised that of both the presidency with other Provinces and its overseas trade. External trade made up 93 percent of the total with internal trade making up the remainder. Foreign trade accounted for 70 percent of the total while 23 percent was inter-provincial. In 1900–01, imports from other provinces of British India amounted to ₹ 13.43 crores while exports to other provinces amounted to ₹ 11.52 crores. During
7752-656: The Madras Presidency included cereals such as rice, corn, kambhu ( Indian millet ) and ragi as well as vegetables including brinjal , sweet potato , ladies' fingers , beans, onions, garlic and spices such as chilli , pepper and ginger along with vegetable oils made from castor beans and peanuts. Fruits cultivated included lime , banana jackfruit , cashew nuts, mangos, custard apples and papayas . In addition, cabbages, cauliflowers, pomelos , peaches, betel pepper, niger seed and millet were introduced from Asia, Africa or Europe, while grapes were introduced from Australia. The total cultivated area used for food crops
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#17328585777367904-427: The Madras Presidency were the Vizagapatam Hill Tracts Agency which was subject to the District Collector of Vizagapatam and the Ganjam Hill Tracts Agency subject to the District Collector of Ganjam. In 1936, the districts of Ganjam and Vizagapatam (including the Vizagapatam and the Ganjam agencies) were partitioned between Madras and the newly created province of Orissa. There were five princely states subordinate to
8056-454: The Madras Presidency, the English were repeatedly attacked by the Mughals, the Marathas and the Nawabs of Golkonda and the Carnatic region . In September 1774, by Pitt's India Act, passed by the Parliament of Great Britain to unify and regulate the administration of the territories of the East India Company, the President of Madras was made subordinate to the Governor-General of India based in Calcutta. In September 1746, Fort St George
8208-417: The Madras Presidency. His rule is largely remembered for the use of Hindi being made compulsory in educational institutions, a measure which made him highly unpopular as a politician and sparked widespread Anti-Hindi agitations , which led to violence in some places. Over 1,200 men, women, and children were jailed for their participation in such Anti-Hindi agitations while Thalamuthu and Natarasan died during
8360-400: The Madras Presidency. It was launched by E. V. Ramaswamy who, unhappy with the principles and policies of the Brahmin leadership of the provincial Congress, left the party to form the Self-Respect Movement . Periyar, as he was alternatively known, criticised Brahmins , Hinduism , and Hindu superstitions in periodicals and newspapers such as Viduthalai and Justice . He also participated in
8512-403: The Madras government. They were Banganapalle , Cochin , Pudukkottai , Sandur , and Travancore . All these states had a considerable degree of internal autonomy. However, their foreign policy was completely controlled by a Resident who represented the Governor of Fort St George. In case of Banganapalle, the Resident was the District Collector of Kurnool, while the District Collector of Bellary
8664-439: The Ministry split the Justice Party once again. Fearing a no-confidence motion against him, Munuswamy Naidu resigned in November 1932 and the Raja of Bobbili was appointed Chief Minister in his place. The Justice Party eventually lost the 1937 elections to the Indian National Congress, and Chakravarti Rajagopalachari became Chief Minister of Madras Presidency. During the 1920s and 1930s, an Anti-Brahmin movement emerged in
8816-420: The Periyar river to the Vaigai River basin in order to irrigate the arid lands to the east of the Western Ghats. Similarly, the Rushikulya Project was launched to utilise the waters of the Rushikulya river in Ganjam. Under the scheme over 142,000 acres (570 km ) of land were brought under irrigation. The British also constructed a number of dams and canals for irrigation. An upper dam was constructed across
8968-427: The Perumpadappu dynasty maintained a kingdom over a vast area in central Kerala (still formally referred to as "Perumpadappu Swaroopam"). Their state stretched from Pukkaitha in the north, Aanamala in the east, to Purakkad in the south. The Perumpadappu dynasty eventually produced five branches (Mutts, Elaya, Pallurutti, Madattumkil and Chaliyur), each with its own family seat, retainers and military of Nairs . But
9120-474: The Portuguese and their allies. Discontented members of the Cochin Royal family called on the assistance of the Dutch for help in overthrowing the Cochin Raja. The Dutch successfully landed at Njarakal and went on to capture the fort at Pallippuram, which they handed over to the Zamorin. Mysorian ruler Hyder Ali conquered Cochin. After his conquest of Bednur reached Ali Rajah of Cannanore in 1763, he promptly asked Ali to invade Kerala and help him deal with
9272-412: The Portuguese factory. The raja of Cochin and his Portuguese allies were forced to withdraw to Vypin Island. However, the arrival of a small reinforcement Portuguese fleet and, some days later of Duarte Pacheco Pereira and the oncoming monsoons alarmed the Zamorin. Calicut recalled the army and abandoned the siege. After securing the throne for the Raja of Cochin, the Portuguese got permission to build
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#17328585777369424-474: The Premier from 1932 to 1936, appointed untouchables to temple administration boards all over the presidency and reformed the administration of the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams , the trust which manages the Hindu temple at Tirupathi . In 1939, the Congress government of C. Rajagopalachari introduced the Temple Entry Authorization and Indemnity Act which removed all restrictions on untouchables entering Hindu temples. Chithira Thirunal of Travancore had issued
9576-416: The Republic of India on 26 January 1950. The discovery of dolmens from this portion of the subcontinent shows inhabitation as early as the Stone Age . The first prominent rulers of the northern part of the future Presidency were the Tamil Pandya dynasty (230 BC – AD 102). Following the decline of the Pandyas and the Cholas, the country was conquered by a little known race of people called
9728-408: The Rushikulya Project were the biggest irrigation projects launched by the Madras Government. Constructed below the Hogenakkal Falls on the Madras-Mysore border in 1934, the Mettur Dam supplied water to the western districts of the presidency. The Periyar Dam (now known as the Mullaperiyar Dam) was constructed across the Periyar river in Travancore, near the border. This project diverted the waters of
9880-443: The Spice Islands in the same year. They also took part in expeditions against Mauritius (1810), Java (1811), the wars against Tipu Sultan and the Carnatic Wars of the 18th century, the British attack on Cuttack during the Second Anglo-Maratha War , the Siege of Lucknow during the Indian Mutiny , and the invasion of Upper Burma during the Third Anglo-Burmese War . The 1857 Mutiny, which quickly led to drastic changes in
10032-414: The United Kingdom in exchange for the island of Banca . Even prior to the signing of the treaty, there is evidence of English residents in Kochi. During the British Raj , the Princely State of Cochin was surrounded by British Malabar District to three sides (i.e., To north, west, and east), and by Travancore to the south. Towards the early 20th century, trade at the port had increased substantially and
10184-480: The Zamorin of Calicut. The Muslim chieftain of Cannanore, an old rival of the neighbouring powerful Kolathiri , was an active ally of Mysore under the occupation. Ali Raja seized and set fire to the palace of Kolathiri Raja. The latter escaped with his followers to the then-British settlement at Tellicherry. After the victory, Ali entered the kingdom of Kottayam in present-day North Malabar and occupied it, with assistance from native Muslims, after some resistance by
10336-470: The Zamorin to conquer the Cochin port were thwarted by the raja of Cochin with the help of the Portuguese. Slowly, the Portuguese armoury at Cochin was increased, presumably to help the king protect Cochin. And for a long a time, right after Goa, Cochin situated in the center of East Indies, was the best place Portugal had in India. From there the Portuguese exported large volumes of spices, particularly pepper. In 1530, Saint Francis Xavier arrived and founded
10488-539: The Zamorin's campaigns. This was roughly the situation when the Portuguese arrived in 1500. The kingdom of Cochin was half-in-vassalage, half-at-war with the Zamorin of Calicut. The king of Cochin, Unni Goda Varda (referred to as "Trimumpara Raja" in Portuguese chronicles) was grating at the settlement. He perceived an alliance with Portuguese arms as way to overthrow the Zamorin's power, recover Cochin's independence and impose his ascendancy over his relatives. The Portuguese arrived at Kappad , Kozhikode in 1498 during
10640-421: The administration, against the Mylapore clique , came to power. A. Subbarayalu Reddiar became the first Chief Minister of the Madras Presidency but resigned soon after due to declining health and was replaced by P. Ramarayaningar , Minister of Local Self-Government and Public Health, popularly known as the Raja of Panagal. The party split in late 1923 when C. R. Reddy resigned from primary membership and formed
10792-406: The administration. Legislative powers were given to the Governor's council under the Indian Councils Act 1861 . The council was reformed and expanded under the Indian Councils Act 1892 , the Indian Councils Act 1909 , the Government of India Act 1919 , and the Government of India Act 1935 . V. Sadagopacharlu (1861–63) was the first Indian to be appointed to the council. The legal profession
10944-605: The appointment of a Sub-Collector to assist the Collector in managing the district. The Sub-Collector's headquarters was set at Narsapuram, overseeing the southern and western taluks, including fertile delta regions. Henry Forbes, the first Sub-Collector, operated primarily from Dowleswaram and Rajahmundry. Over the next decade, leadership in the role changed frequently, with nine different Sub-Collectors appointed due to promotions and administrative challenges. In 1866, proposals were made to relocate various administrative offices. Among
11096-490: The area militarily subordinate to the Governor of Fort St George. The largest kingdom of the hill-tract region of Visakhapatanam was Jeypore and in 1777 it was conquered by Captain Matthews. The hill tracts of Ganjam and Visakhapatnam were the last places to be annexed by the British. The period also witnessed a number of rebellions starting with the 1806 Vellore Mutiny . The rebellion of Velu Thambi and Paliath Achan and
11248-458: The capital was moved to Cochin to remedy a disastrous flood. By the early 15th century, Cochin lost its ability to fully defend itself. By the late 15th century, the kingdom had shrunk to its minimal extent as a result of invasions by the Zamorin of Calicut . When Portuguese armadas arrived in India, the kingdom of Cochin had lost its vassals to the Zamorins , including Edapalli and Cranganore,
11400-532: The chains of eternal serfdom. In 1933, an amendment to the Act was introduced by the Raja of Bobbili to curb the rights of Zamindars and safeguard the cultivators from exploitation. This act was passed in the legislative council despite strong opposition from the Zamindars. Almost 71% of the population of Madras Presidency was engaged in agriculture with the agricultural year usually commencing on 1 July. Crops cultivated in
11552-452: The company's forces were the defence of the city from Mughal and Maratha invaders and from the incursions of the Nawab of Carnatic. In 1713, the Madras forces under Lieutenant John de Morgan distinguished themselves in the siege of Fort St David and in putting down Richard Raworth's Rebellion . When Joseph François Dupleix , the Governor of French India, began to raise native battalions in 1748,
11704-495: The coorgs, the government of madras was sceptical, and agreed to the formation of two Mappila battalions only on condition they were deployed outside Malabar. Raised in 1900, the new regiments were complete failure, they soon dwindled to 600 men 'quite useless for service'. ref:The Sepoy and the Raj: The Indian Army, 1860-1940 Revenue from land rental as well as an income tax based on the tenant's net profits from their land
11856-440: The districts of Tinnevely, Trichinopoly, Coimbatore, North Arcot and South Arcot. This involved the leasing of land to the principal cultivators, who in turn leased the land to ryots , or peasant farmers. However, as a village settlement had few differences compared to a permanent settlement, it was eventually discarded. In its place came the "Ryotwari Settlement" implemented by Sir Thomas Munro between 1820 and 1827. According to
12008-509: The dynastic origins: The last Thavazhi of Perumpadapu Swaroopam came into existence on the Kaliyuga day shodashangamsurajyam . Cheraman Perumal divided the land in half, 17 "amsa" north of Neelaeswaram and 17 amsa south, totaling 34 amsa, and gave his powers to his nephews and sons. Thirty-four kingdoms between Kanyakumari and Gokarna (now in Karnataka ) were given to the "thampuran" who
12160-459: The east of Bellary and Anantapur districts. In the district of South Kanara, the western part of Bellary and Anantapur districts and parts of Malabar, Kannada was spoken. Malayalam was spoken in the districts of Malabar and South Kanara and the princely states of Travancore and Cochin, while Tulu was spoken in South Canara. Oriya was spoken in the districts of then Ganjam and Vizagapatam. English
12312-463: The empire's demise, the country was split amongst numerous sultans, polygars and European trading companies. Between 1685 and 1947, a number of kings ruled the areas that became part of the Madras Presidency. The southwestern portions of the presidency, which together constitute Tulu Nadu and Kerala , has a distinct history, language, and culture from its eastern counterparts. On 31 December 1600, Queen Elizabeth I of England (1533–1603) granted
12464-449: The end of Greenhill's term in 1652, Fort St George was elevated to a Presidency, independent of Bantam and under the leadership of the first president, Aaron Baker (1652–1655). However, in 1655 the status of the fort was downgraded to an Agency and made subject to the factory at Surat, until 1684. In 1658, control of all the factories in Bengal was given to Madras, when the English occupied
12616-523: The end of the 14th century the Zamorin conquered Thrikkanamathilakam and it became a threat for Mahodayapuram ( Thiruvanchikulam ), which may be the reason that Perumpadapu Swaroopam changed their capital to Cochin from Mahodayapuram. Moreover, in the year 1341 a flood created an island, Puthuvippu ( Vypin ), and Cochin became a noted natural harbour for the Indian Ocean trade. The old Kodungallore ( Cranganore ) port lost its importance, which may also be
12768-623: The fifth Ming treasure voyage , Admiral Zheng He was instructed to confer a seal upon Keyili of Cochin and designate a mountain in his kingdom as the Zhenguo Zhi Shan (鎮國之山, Mountain Which Protects the Country). Zheng He delivered a stone tablet, inscribed with a proclamation composed by the Yongle Emperor himself, to Cochin. As long as Cochin remained under the protection of Ming China,
12920-601: The first time from 31.2 million in 1871 to 30.8 million in 1881. These famines and alleged partiality shown by the government in handling the Chingleput Ryots' Case and the Salem riots trial caused discontent among the population. A strong sense of national awakening emerged in the Madras Presidency in the later half of the 19th century. The first political organisation in the province, the Madras Native Association,
13072-490: The five branches ( tavali ) came together under a common ruling king ( raja ), which was the oldest male member of all five branches together. The Perumpadappu (and future Cochin) royal dynasty followed matriarchal rules of succession common in Kerala (similar to Travancore ). Succession went via the female line – that is, not to the king's sons, but to his uterine brothers and then to his sisters' sons (i.e. nephews). In theory,
13224-463: The help of Pacheco Pereira and his men. The ruler of the kingdom of Tanur , who was a vassal to the Zamorin of Calicut , sided with the Portuguese against his overlord at Kozhikode . As a result, the kingdom of Tanur ( Vettathunadu ) became one of the earliest Portuguese colonies in India. The ruler of Tanur also sided with Cochin. Many of the members of the royal family of Cochin in 16th and 17th centuries were selected from Vettom . However,
13376-430: The high points of his rule. In the following elections of 1926 the Justice Party lost. However, as no party was able to obtain a clear majority, the Governor, Lord Goschen , set up a cross-party government under the leadership of P. Subbarayan and nominated its supporting members. In the election of 1930, the Justice Party was victorious, and P. Munuswamy Naidu became Chief Minister. The exclusion of Zamindars from
13528-410: The inclusion of official and non-official members and served as the main legislative body till 1935, when a legislative assembly of a more representative nature was created and legislative powers were transferred to the assembly. On India's independence on 15 August 1947, the three-member Governor's executive council was abolished. The origins of Madras Presidency lay in the village of Madraspatnam which
13680-419: The interference of the Zamorin of Calicut , who attacked Cochin in the name of justice for the relatives. The Zamorin's armies were eventually successful and imposed a settlement, which confined the king of Cochin to his domains, and extracted an oath of vassalage to Calicut. The kingdom of Cochin was required to obtain the Zamorin's consent during succession, and obliged to provide annual tribute and troops to
13832-450: The king wanted to develop the port even further. The king brought a harbour engineer Robert Bristow to Cochin in 1920, with the help of Lord Willingdon , then Governor of Madras . Over a span of 21 years he helped the king of Cochin to transform Cochin into the safest harbour in south Asia, where ships berthed alongside the newly reclaimed inner harbour, which was equipped with a long array of steam cranes. Meanwhile, Fort Cochin , which
13984-541: The kingdom of Cochin included much of modern-day Thrissur district excluding Chavakkad taluk, a few areas of Alathur taluk and the whole of Chittur taluk of the Palakkad district and Kochi taluk (excluding Fort Kochi ), most of Kanayannur taluk (excluding Edappally ), parts of Aluva taluk ( Karukutty , Angamaly , Kalady , Chowwara , Kanjoor , Sreemoolanagaram , Malayattoor , Manjapra ), parts of Kunnathunad taluk and parts of Paravur Taluk ( Chendamangalam ) of
14136-498: The kingdom was at Perumpadappu near Ponnani in present-day Malappuram district . The ruler of Perumpadappu (near Ponnani ) fled to Kodungallur in the early medieval period, when the Zamorin of Calicut annexed Ponnani region, after Tirunavaya war. Calicut ( Porlathiri kingdom) was conquered by Zamorin of Eranad , who then conquered parts of Perumpadappu kingdom, and tried to assert his suzerainty over it. Although losing their northern homeland and original capital,
14288-473: The kingdom). Assured by the offer of support, the raja declared war on his enemy, the Zamorins of Calicut. In 1502, a new expedition under the command of Vasco da Gama arrived at Cochin, and the friendship was renewed. Vasco da Gama later bombarded Calicut and destroyed the Arab factories there. This enraged the Zamorin, the ruler of Calicut, and he attacked Cochin after the departure of Vasco da Gama and destroyed
14440-419: The later of which had even been at the centre of the kingdom historically. Cochin was looking for an opportunity to preserve its independence, which was at risk. King Unni Goda Varma warmly welcomed Pedro Álvares Cabral on 24 December 1500 and negotiated a treaty of alliance between Portugal and the Cochin kingdom, directed against the Zamorin of Calicut. A number of forts were built in the area and controlled by
14592-405: The legal right to Marry and also making it illegal to dedicate girls to Hindu temples was passed on 9 October 1947. The Pitt's India Act of 1784 created an executive council with legislative powers to assist the Governor. The council initially consisted of four members, two of whom were from the Indian civil service or covenanted civil service and the third, an Indian of distinction. The fourth
14744-567: The management of irrigation systems. The Godavari and Krishna river deltas, under separate jurisdiction, were also impacted. To resolve these issues, the region was split into two districts: Godavari and Krishna, with boundaries following the Upputeru and Tamileru rivers. The administrative headquarters were set at Cocanada (for the Collector), Narsapuram (for the Sub-Collector), and Rajahmundry (for
14896-459: The much larger Perumpadappu state. The growing wealth of Cochin gave the junior prince in Cochin power and ascendancy, eventually enabling him to assert himself as king over senior relatives from other branches of the Perumpadappu dynasty, as well as allowing him to detach Cochin from Edapalli, and chart his own separate course. As a result of this transition, the large "kingdom of Perumpadappu" ( Perumpadappu Swaroopam ) came to be referred to as
15048-464: The nearby village of Triplicane . In 1684, Fort St George Black Town where the 'natives' lived. The White Town was confined inside the walls of Fort St. George and the Black Town outside of it. The Black Town later came to be known as George Town . During this period, the presidency was significantly expanded and reached an extent which continued into the early 19th century. During the early years of
15200-613: The new Fort St George was built. An agency was created to govern the new settlement, and the factor Andrew Cogan of Masulipatinam was appointed as its first Agent. All the agencies along India's east coast were subordinated to the East India Company presidency of Bantam in Java . By 1641, Fort St George became the company's headquarters on the Coromandel Coast . Andrew Cogan was succeeded by Francis Day (1643–1644), Thomas Ivie (1644–1648) and Thomas Greenhill (1648–52 and 1655–58). At
15352-495: The new break at Cochin, and merchant families began to relocate and set up warehouses and eventually homes there. The once-great old port city of Kodungallur (Cranganore) declined as the new port-city of Kochi (Cochin) rose in wealth and importance. The urban center of the early city developed on relatively high ground in the village of Mattancherry (now a district in Kochi city, once called " Cochim de Cima "). The original owners of
15504-461: The new system, land was handed over directly to the ryots who paid their rent directly to the government. The land was assessed and paid revenue fixed by the Government This system had a number of advantages as well as disadvantages for the ryots . In 1833, Lord William Bentinck implemented a new system called the "Mahalwari" or village system under which landlords as well as ryots entered into
15656-499: The parts of Jayashankar Bhupalapalli , Bhadradri Kothagudem districts of Telangana . The presidency had its winter capital at Madras and summer capital at Ootacamund . In 1822, the Madras Presidency underwent its first census, which returned a population of 13,476,923. A second census conducted between 1836 and 1837 recorded a population of 13,967,395, an increase of only 490,472 over 15 years. The first quinquennial population enumeration took place from 1851 until 1852. It returned
15808-479: The personal expenses of the Raja were minimal. However, landlords lost their exemption from the taxes on land if they disposed of it meaning that mortgage of land was more common than sale. Individual proprietorship of land was also common in the Telugu-speaking areas of the presidency. The chieftains of the Telugu-speaking districts had more or less maintained an independent existence for a long time, furnishing
15960-458: The post. In 1899, V. Bhashyam Aiyangar became the first Indian to be appointed Advocate-General of the Madras Presidency. A number of roads, railways, dams and canals were constructed during this period. Two large famines occurred in Madras during this period, the Great Famine of 1876–78 and the Indian famine of 1896–97 . As a result of the first, the population of the presidency fell for
16112-425: The protests. In 1940, ministers of the Congress party resigned in protest over the Government of India's declaration of war on Germany without their consent. The Governor of Madras, Sir Arthur Hope , took over the administration and the unpopular law was eventually repealed by him on 21 February 1940. Most of the Congress leadership and erstwhile ministers were arrested in 1942, as a result of their participation in
16264-477: The region. It was remodelled in 1907–1908, when part of it was transferred to Kistna district. It was divided into two separate districts in 1925: East Godavari and West Godavari, with Kakinada and Eluru as their capitals. These districts retained their names until 2022. Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency or Madras Province , officially called the Presidency of Fort St. George until 1937,
16416-524: The same time, the zamindari settlement established in Bengal by Lord Cornwallis proved highly successful and was later implemented in the Madras Presidency from 1799 onwards. However, the Permanent Settlement was not as successful as it had been in Bengal. When the Company did not reach the expected profit levels, a new system known as the "Village Settlement" was implemented between 1804 and 1814 in
16568-456: The same year, exports to other countries reached ₹ 11.74 crores while imports were valued at ₹ 66.2 million. At the time of India's independence, imports of the presidency amounted to ₹ 71.32 crores a year while exports were valued at ₹ 645.1 million. Trade with the United Kingdom made up 31.54% of the total trade of the presidency with Madras the chief port accounting for 49% of
16720-432: The sovereign with armies and equipment in times of war. In return, their right to revenues from land remained unmolested. During the time of the British, most of land in the northern districts of the presidency were parcelled out among these petty "Rajahs". Islamic invasions caused minor changes in the land proprietorship system when taxes on Hindu land owners were raised and private ownership of property came down. When
16872-623: The state and the honour of a 21-gun salute. From 1801 until 1858, Madras was a part of British India and was ruled by the British East India Company. The last quarter of the 18th century was a period of rapid expansion. Successful wars against Tipu Sultan (1782–99), Maruthu Pandyar, Velu Thampi, and Polygars added vast areas of land and contributed to the exponential growth of the presidency. The system of subsidiary alliances originated by Lord Wellesley as Governor-General of India (1798–1805) also brought many princely states into
17024-399: The state, occupied an aggregate area of nearly 8 million acres (32,000 km ). In 1945–46, there were 20,945,456 acres (84,763.25 km ) of Zamindari estates yielding revenues of ₹ 9,783,167 and 58,904,798 acres (238,379.26 km ) of ryotwari lands which produced ₹ 72,665,330. Madras had forest coverage of 15,782 square miles (40,880 km ). The Land Estates Act of 1908
17176-416: The stone fortress replaced the wooden fort. Later, for a better defence of the town, a fort called "Castelo de Cima" was built on Vypeen Island. At the departure of the Portuguese fleet, only Duarte Pacheco Pereira and a small fleet were left in Cochin. Meanwhile, the Zamorin of Calicut formed a massive force and attacked them. For five months, Cochin kingdom was able to drive back Calicut's assaults , with
17328-402: The successor should be the next oldest in age among potential candidates. This was later relaxed, and in practice kingship became elective, to ensure the successor was not too old or incompetent. The overlooked true elder was compensated with symbolic or ceremonial dignities (notably the religiously significant title Muppustanam ). Retirement was also forced – it was customary and expected for
17480-654: The suggestions was moving the Collector's headquarters to Rajahmundry and adjusting the locations of other officials. Despite these discussions, the Collector's office remained in Cocanada, given its importance as a growing port. The final administrative structure stationed the Sub-Collector at Rajahmundry, the Head Assistant-Collector at Eluru , and the Deputy Collector at Narsapuram, streamlining governance across
17632-667: The territory of what later became Cochin city was the Ellangallur royal family of the Rajas of Edapalli ( Repelim ) (on the east side of the lagoon). Drawn from the Brahmin class, the Edapalli royal family followed different rules of succession. In the early 1400s, the king of Edapalli had married a sister of the Elaya branch of Perumpadappu, and so their son was doubly royal heir to two houses – via father to Edapalli, via mother to Perumpadappu . But he
17784-451: The time of Indian independence, Tamil and Telugu speakers made up over 78% of the total population of the presidency, with Kannada, Malayalam and Tulu speakers making up the rest. In 1901, the population breakdown was: Hindus (37,026,471), Muslims (2,732,931), and Christians (1,934,480). By the time of India's independence in 1947, Madras had an estimated population of 49,799,822 Hindus, 3,896,452 Muslims and 2,047,478 Christians Hinduism
17936-640: The total trade. Kingdom of Cochin The Kingdom of Cochin or the Cochin State , named after its capital in the city of Kochi (Cochin) , was a kingdom in the central part of present-day Kerala state . It originated in the early part of the 12th century and continued to rule until its accession to the Dominion of India in 1949. Historically, the capital of Cochin was in Kodungallur (Cranganore) , but in 1341,
18088-455: The traders from various parts of the world would gather. On the Malabar coast during the early 15th century, Calicut and Cochin were in an intense rivalry, so the Ming dynasty of China decided to intervene by granting special status to Cochin and its ruler, known as Keyili (可亦里) to the Chinese. Calicut had been the dominant port-city in the region, but Cochin was emerging as its main rival. For
18240-429: The west coast and at Masulipatinam on the country's eastern seaboard. Masulipatinam is thus the oldest English trading post on India's east coast, dating back to 1611. In 1625, another factory was established at Armagon, a few miles to the south, whereupon both the factories came under the supervision of an agency based at Machilipatnam. The English authorities decided to relocate these factories further south, due to
18392-714: The whole Indian State of Andhra Pradesh excluding the region of Banaganapalle Princely State, the Tondai Nadu , Kongu Nadu , Chola Nadu and part of Pandya Nadu regions of Tamil Nadu , the Malabar region of North Kerala , the Lakshadweep Islands , the Ganjam , Gajapati , Rayagada , Koraput , Nabarangapur and Malkangiri districts of southern Odisha and the Bellary , Dakshina Kannada , and Udupi districts of Karnataka and
18544-634: Was Annie Besant , who founded the Home Rule League in 1916. The Home Rule Movement was organised from Madras and found extensive support in the Province. Nationalistic newspapers such as The Hindu , the Swadesamitran and the Mathrubhumi actively endorsed the campaign for independence. India's first trade union was established in Madras in 1918 by V. Kalyanasundaram and B. P. Wadia . A dyarchy
18696-467: Was 80% and for cash crops, 15%. Of the gross area, rice occupied 26.4 percent; kambhu , 10 percent; ragi, 5.4 percent and Cholam , 13.8 percent. Cotton occupied 1,740,000 acres (7,000 km ), oilseeds, 2.08 million, spices,0.4 million and indigo, 0.2 million. In 1898, Madras produced 7.47 million tons of food grains from 21,570,000 acres (87,300 km ) of crops grown on 19,300,000 acres (78,000 km ) of ryotwari and inam lands, which supported
18848-773: Was a part of Malabar District until 1956, was made a municipality on 1 November 1866, along with Kannur , Thalassery , Kozhikode , and Palakkad , according to the Madras Act 10 of 1865 (Amendment of the Improvements in Towns act 1850) of the British Indian Empire , and its first Municipal Council election with a board of 18 members was conducted in 1883. The Maharajah of Cochin initiated local administration in 1896 by forming town councils in Mattancherry and Ernakulam . In 1925,
19000-400: Was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India and later the Dominion of India . At its greatest extent, the presidency included most of southern India , including all of present-day Andhra Pradesh , almost all of Tamil Nadu and parts of Kerala , Karnataka , Odisha and Telangana in the modern day. The city of Madras was the winter capital of the presidency and Ooty
19152-467: Was annexed in 1839 and was constituted as a separate district of the Madras Presidency. For administrative convenience, the district of Kanara was split into North and South Kanara in 1859. North Kanara was transferred to Bombay Presidency in 1862. Between 1859–60 and 1870, the districts of Madras and Chingleput were put together into a single district. A separate Nilgiris district was carved out of Coimbatore district in 1868. As of 1908, Madras Presidency
19304-420: Was annexed in 1855, following the death of Shivaji II (1832–1855) who left no male heir. In 1858, under the terms of Queen's Proclamation issued by Queen Victoria, the Madras Presidency, along with the rest of British India, came under the direct rule of the British crown. During the period of governor Lord Harris (1854–1859), measures were taken to improve education and increase representation of Indians in
19456-511: Was apparently not first in the line of succession to Perumpadappu. In the early 1400s, the King of Edapalli granted part of his lands, specifically southern Vypin island and northern part of Karapuram peninsula around the new break, as an appanage fief for his prince son. It was originally not supposed to be a permanent cession, but rather to serve as a training ground, to allow the heir to cultivate his governing skills. Upon succession to his father, he
19608-541: Was called the Ekabhogam . The mirasidar s were required to donate a certain amount of money known as mirei to the village administration. They also paid a specified sum to the Government. In return, the mirasidar s demanded non-interference by the government in the internal affairs of the villages. The proprietary system was entirely different in the district of Malabar and the states of Cochin and Travancore where communal ownership of land did not exist. Instead, land
19760-657: Was captured by the French, who ruled Madras as a part of French India until 1749, when Madras was handed back to the British under the terms of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chappelle of the previous year. In 1801, the Nawab of Arcot , Azim-ud-Daula signed the Carnatic Treaty bringing the Carnatic region under British rule. In return, Azim-ud-Daula was entitled to one-fifth of the total revenue of
19912-521: Was created in Madras Presidency in 1920 as per the Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms with provisions made for elections in the presidency. Democratically elected governments would henceforth share power with the Governor's autocratic establishment. Following the first elections held in November 1920, the Justice Party , an organisation established in 1916 to campaign for increased representation of non-Brahmins in
20064-602: Was established by Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty on 26 February 1852. However, the organisation did not last long. The Madras Native Association was followed by the Madras Mahajana Sabha which was started on 16 May 1884. Of the 72 delegates who participated in the first session of the Indian National Congress at Bombay in December 1885, 22 hailed from the Madras Presidency. Most of the delegates were members of
20216-403: Was expected to move across the lagoon to Edapalli, and cede Cochin as a seat to the next heir. As the ruler was always a prince in training, he was addressed as " Kocchu Thampuran " (meaning 'junior lord' or 'junior king'), thus the fief became known as "Kochi/Cochin" after him. So the original "kingdom of Cochin" ( Kochi rajyam ) started off as a small Edapalli offshoot, distinct and separate from
20368-413: Was in turn unified with the Malabar district of Madras Presidency . Kasaragod was merged into it and Kanyakumari was removed from it. On 1 November 1956, the Indian state of Kerala was formed. For administrative purposes, Cochin was divided into seven taluks.(from 1860 to 1905 AD) Chittur, Cochin, Cranganore, Kanayannur, Mukundapuram, Trichur and Talapilly. The capital of Perumpadapu Swaroopam
20520-610: Was individual property mostly owned by the landowning gentry, to wit the Namboodiri and Nair people, who did not have to pay land-tax and held extensive freeholds of land rented to tenants for agricultural purposes. In return, the Nairs supplied the king with fighting men in times of war while the Namboodhiris managed the upkeep of Hindu temples. These landlords were somewhat self-sufficient and had their own police and judicial systems such that
20672-708: Was located at Chitrakooda in the Perumpadapu village of Vanneri from the beginning of the 12th century to the end of the 13th century. Even though the capital of Perumpadapu Swaroopam was in Vanneri, the Perumpadapu king had a palace in Mahodayapuram. When the Zamorins attacked Vanneri in the later part of the 13th century, Perumpadapu Swaroopam shifted their capital from Vanneri to Mahodayapuram. In 1405, Perumpadapu Swaroopam changed their capital from Mahodayapuram to Cochin . By
20824-547: Was made up of 24 districts each administered by a District Collector who was from the Indian Civil Service. The districts were sometimes sub-divided into divisions each under a Deputy Collector. The divisions were further sub-divided into taluks and union panchayats or village committees. Agencies were sometimes created in British India out of volatile, rebellion-prone areas of the presidency. The two important agencies in
20976-570: Was not markedly different from that of its predecessor. Nevertheless, landlords never sold land without the consent of other members of the community. This communistic property rights system was known as kaniachi among the Vellalars , swastium among the Brahmins and mirasi among Muslims and Christians. In the Tanjore district , all mirasi in the village were vested in a single individual who
21128-479: Was obtained in 1640. This was followed by Fort St David which was acquired in 1690. Chingleput district , known as the "jaghire" of Chingleput, obtained in 1763, was the first district in the Madras Presidency. Salem and Malabar districts were obtained from Tipu Sultan in 1792 as per the Treaty of Seringapatam and Coimbatore and Kanara districts after the Fourth Mysore War in 1799. The territories of
21280-621: Was originally just a small village along a long embankment. Violent floods and overflows of the Periyar River in 1341 forced the opening of the outlet between the Vembanad lagoon and the Arabian Sea at the juncture where Cochin now sits, separating the long Cochinese peninsula ( karapuram ) from what is now Vypin island. As the waterways connecting Cranganore to the sea were silting up, commercial traffic began re-directing away from Cranganore to
21432-513: Was originally the residence of the kings. In 1555, though, the royal palace moved to Mattancherry , and later relocated to Thrissur . At that time Penvazithampuran (Female Thampuran) and the other Kochuthampurans (other Thampurans except the Valliathampuran (King)) stayed at a palace in Vellarapilly. In the beginning of the 18th century Thripunithura started gaining prominence. The kingdom
21584-609: Was passed by the Madras Government in order to protect cultivators in Zamindaris from exploitation. Under the act, ryot s were made permanent occupants of the land. However, far from protecting the ryot s, the legislation proved to be detrimental to the interests of the cultivators in the Oriya-speaking northern districts of the presidency who were the intended beneficiaries, as it tied the cultivator to his land and landlord with
21736-541: Was ruled from Thrissur , Cochin and Thripunithura . Around 1755 Penvazithampuran (Female Thampuran) and the other Kochuthampurans (other Thampurans) left Vellarapalli and started to live in Thripunithura. Thus Thripunithura became the capital of the Cochin Royal Family. Veerakerala Varma, nephew of Cheraman Perumal , is the person traditionally believed to be the first Maharaja of Cochin. The written records of
21888-645: Was specially prized by the newly emerging corpus of educated Indians. The first Indian judge to be appointed was C. V. Runganada Sastri ; in 1877, T. Muthuswamy Iyer became the first Indian judge of the Madras High Court despite strong opposition from the Anglo-Indian media. He also acted as the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court for a few months in 1893, thereby becoming the first Indian to hold
22040-700: Was spoken by Anglo-Indians and Eurasians. It was also the link language for the presidency and the official language of British India in which all government proceedings and court hearings were conducted. According to the 1871 census, there were 14,715,000 people who spoke Tamil, 11,610,000 people who spoke Telugu, 2,324,000 people who spoke Malayalam, 1,699,000 spoke Canarese or Kannada, 640,000 people spoke Oriya and 29,400 people spoke Tulu. The 1901 census returned 15,182,957 speakers of Tamil, 14,276,509 Telugu-speakers, 2,861,297 speakers of Malayalam, 1,518,579 were speakers of Kannada, 1,809,314 spoke Oriya, 880,145 spoke Hindusthani/Urdu and 1,680,635 spoke other languages. At
22192-407: Was succeeded by O. P. Ramaswamy Reddiyar , who was the chief Minister of the province when India gained independence on 15 August 1947. The Madras Presidency became the Madras State in after the enactment of Constitution of India on 26 January 1950. At its greatest extent, the Madras Presidency included much of southern India . Present-day territories that were once part of the presidency are
22344-411: Was the Commander-in-chief of the Madras Army . The council was reduced to three members when the Madras Army was abolished in 1895. The legislative powers of this council were withdrawn as per the Government of India Act 1833 and it was reduced to the status of a mere advisory body. However, these powers were restored as per Indian Councils Act 1861. The council was expanded from time to time through
22496-401: Was the Resident of Sandur. The Resident of Pudukkottai from 1800 to 1840 and 1865 to 1873, was the District Collector of Tanjore, from 1840 to 1865, the District Collector of Madura and from 1873 to 1947, the District Collector of Trichinopoly. The English East India Company was first permitted to set up its own garrison in 1665 to guard its settlements. Notable amongst the early operations of
22648-399: Was the daughter of the last niece of Cheraman Perumal. Keralolpathi recorded the division of his kingdom in 345 Common Era , Perumpadapu Grandavari in 385 Common Era , William Logan in 825 Common Era . There are no written records on these earlier divisions of Kerala , but according to some historians the division might have occurred during the Second Chera kingdom at the beginning of
22800-401: Was the predominant religion in the presidency and practised by around 88% of the population. The main Hindu denominations were Saivite , Vaishnavite and Lingayat . Among the Brahmins, the Smartha doctrine was quite popular. Worship of village gods was strong in the southern districts of the presidency while the mathas at Kanchi , Sringeri and Ahobilam were regarded as the centres of
22952-424: Was the presidency's main source of income. In ancient times, land appears to have been held in common with an individual unable to sell it without the consent of the other owners, who in most cases were members of the same community. Prior to the arrival of the British, the concept of individual proprietorship of land had already emerged along India's west coast such that the new administration's land revenue system
23104-431: Was the summer capital. The Madras Presidency was neighboured by the Kingdom of Mysore to the northwest, the Kingdoms of Cochin and Travancore to the southwest, the Kingdom of Pudukkottai in the center, and the Nizam's Dominions of Hyderabad and Berar to the north. Some parts of the presidency were also flanked by Bombay Presidency ( Konkan ) and Central Provinces and Berar (modern Madhya Pradesh ). In 1639,
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