HE IS THE  MEMBER OF THE ROYAL FAMILY OF KOTTAYAM, HE WAS ONE OF THE EARLIEST FREEDOM FIGHTERS OF INDIA WHO FOUGHT AGAINST THE BRITISH EAST INDIA COMPANY, REFUSING TO ACCEPT THEIR RULE. PAZHASSI IS ALSO KNOWN AS KERALA SIMHAM OR THE ‘LION OF KERALA’. THE COMPANY OUSTED HIM FROM HIS PALACE. PAZHASSI MANAGED TO ESCAPE TO THE JUNGLES OF WAYANAD AND WITH THE HELP OF HIS MEN AND TRIBAL WARRIORS BEGAN PLOTTING HIS REVENGE AGAINST BRITISH COMPANY. WELL VERSED IN GUERILLA WARFARE PAZHASSI AND HIS MEN AIDED BY THE ROUGH TERRAIN BEGAN MAKING A COMEBACK AGAINST THE BRITISH. HE WAS EVENTUALLY KILLED HERE IN 1805 AND BURIED AT MANANTHAVADY, WAYANAD

CHANNAR REVOLT (1813–1859)

IN THE 19 CENTURY KERALA, LOWER-CASTE WOMEN WERE NOT ALLOWED TO WEAR CLOTHES THAT COVERED THEIR BREASTS. HIGHER-CLASS WOMEN COVERED BOTH BREASTS AND SHOULDERS, WHEREAS LOWER CASTES INCLUDING NADAR AND EZHAVA WOMEN WERE NOT ALLOWED TO COVER THEIR BREASTS, TO SHOW THEIR LOW STATUS. THEY HAD TO PAY THE BREAST TAX IF THEY WANTED TO COVER THEMSELVES. A SERIES OF SUBALTERN UPRISINGS IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY SOUTH TRAVANCORE, FOR THE RIGHT TO WEAR UPPER CLOTHES OVER THE BOSOMS OF  CHANNAR WOMEN. IN 1859 THE VIOLENCE REACHED ITS PEAK WHEN TWO NADAR WOMEN WERE STRIPPED OF THEIR UPPER CLOTHES AND HUNG ON A TREE IN PUBLIC FOR COVERING THEIR BREASTS BY TRAVANCORE OFFICIALS. THE NADARS REVOLTED IN FEROCITY AND STARTED TO TERRORIZE THE UPPER CASTE NEIGHBORHOODS AND LOOTED THEIR SHOPS. THUS THE KINGDOM WAS FORCED TO TAKE ACTION ON THE UPPER CLOTH LAW TO BRING PEACE IN THE KINGDOM. IN THE SAME YEAR, UNDER PRESSURE FROM THE MADRAS GOVERNOR, THE KING ISSUED THE RIGHT FOR ALL NADAR WOMEN TO COVER THEIR BREASTS. 

MALABAR REBELLION:1921

                     THE MALABAR REBELLION (ALSO CALLED THE MAPPILA OR MOPLAH REBELLION BY THE BRITISH) BROKE OUT IN THE SOUTHERN TALUKS OF MALABAR IN AUGUST 1921. IT WAS AN UPRISING OF MUSLIM TENANTS AGAINST THE BRITISH AUTHORITIES AND THEIR HINDU ALLIES. IT LARGELY TOOK THE SHAPE OF GUERRILLA ­TYPE ATTACKS ON JANMIS (FEUDAL LANDLORDS, WHO WERE MOSTLY UPPER-CASTE HINDUS) AND THE POLICE AND TROOPS. THE LAUNCH OF THE KHILAFAT AGITATION AND GANDHI’S NON­-COOPERATION STRUGGLE SERVED AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR AN EXTREMIST SECTION TO INVOKE A RELIGIOUS IDIOM TO PROTEST, HOPING FOR A CHANGE IN THE OPPRESSIVE ADMINISTRATION. 

                        THE MAIN LEADERS OF THIS REBELLION WERE VARIYANKUNNATH KUNJAHAMMED HAJI, SITHI KOYA THANGAL, AND ALI MUSLIYARTHE MAIN  IMPACT OF THE PROTESTS ARE  REBELLION OF MAPPILAS INSPIRED BY RELIGIOUS IDEOLOGY AND A CONCEPTION OF AN ALTERNATIVE SYSTEM OF ADMINISTRATION, A KHILAFAT GOVERNMENT DEALT A BLOW TO THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN MALABAR. THE FANATICISM OF REBELS, FOREGROUNDED BY THE BRITISH, FOSTERED COMMUNAL RIFT AND ENMITY TOWARDS THE CONGRESS. AND HE EXAGGERATED ACCOUNTS OF THE REBELLION ENGENDERED A COUNTER-CAMPAIGN IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY AGAINST ‘FANATICISM’ OF MUSLIMS.

WAGON TRAGEDY:1921

THE WAGON TRAGEDY WAS THE DEATH OF 67 PRISONERS ON 20 NOVEMBER 1921 IN THE MALABAR REGION OF KERALA STATE OF INDIA. THE PRISONERS HAD BEEN TAKEN INTO CUSTODY FOLLOWING MAPPILA REBELLION AGAINST BRITISH COLONIAL RULE AND HINDU LANDLORDS THEIR DEATHS THROUGH APPARENT NEGLIGENCE DISCREDITED THE BRITISH RAJ AND GENERATED SYMPATHY FOR THE INDIAN INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT.

VAIKOM SATYAGRAHA:1924

IN THE EARLY YEARS IN KERALA LOW-CASTE HINDUS WERE NOT ALLOWED TO ENTER THE TEMPLES. IT WAS AFTER THIS SESSION THAT MOVEMENTS AGAINST UNTOUCHABILITY NEEDED TO BE PROMOTED. THE COMMITTEE CHAIRED BY K KELAPPAN, COMPRISED OF T K MADHAVAN, VELAYUDHA MENON, K NEELAKANTAN NAMBOOTHIRI, AND T R KRISHNASWAMI IYER. IT BECAME THE FIRST STRUGGLE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN INDIA AND AGAINST  RATIONALITY AMONG THE MASSES. EVERY MAJOR PERSONALITY WHO CAME TO VAIKOM MET WITH PERIYAR, THIS INCLUDED SWAMI SHRADDHANANDA OF THE ARYA SAMAJ, RAJAJI MET PERIYAR, SREE NARAYANA GURU, AND GANDHI.

            THE SATYAGRAHA ENDED IN PARTIAL VICTORY IN NOVEMBER 1925: THREE OUT OF FOUR STREETS WERE THROWN OPEN. AND THE FINAL VICTORY CAME 11 YEARS LATER WITH THE TRAVANCORE TEMPLE ENTRY PROCLAMATION OF 1936

CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE MOVEMENT: 1930

PAYYANNUR WAS THE MAIN VENUE OF THE SALT SATYAGRAHA IN MALABAR. ON APRIL 13, A BATCH OF CONGRESS VOLUNTEERS }UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF K. KELAPPAN STARTED ON FOOT FROM KOZHIKKODE TO THE BEACHES OF PAYYANNUR AND BROKE THE SALT LAWS THEREON APRI121. THE SATYAGRAHA CAMP AT PAYYANNUR WAS RAIDED AND THE CAMPERS WERE BEATEN UP. CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE MOVEMENT CAME TO AN END AFTER THE GANDHI-IRWIN PACT WAS SIGNED ON MARCH 4, 1931. THE RESUMPTION OF THE CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE MOVEMENT IN 1932, CREATED A STRONG RESPONSE IN KERALA. WHEN THE MOVEMENT WAS WITHDRAWN IN 1934, A SECTION OF CONGRESS WORKERS LED BY  E.M. SANKARAN NAMBUDIRIPAD AND P. KRISHNA PILLAI JOINED THE CONGRESS SOCIALIST PARTY.

GURUVAYUR SATYAGRAHA TOOK PLACE IN (1931–32)

THE MAIN AIM OF THE GURUVAYUR SATHYAGRAHA IS TO GET ENTRY FOR ALL HINDU PEOPLE TO GURUVAYUR TEMPLE PONNANI TALUK, THRISSUR. SATYAGRAHA  WAS STARTED UNDER AUSPICES OF THE KERALA  PROVINCIAL CONGRESS. THE LEADER OF THE SATYAGRAHA WAS K.KELAPPAN WHO ENTERED THE INDEFINITE FASTING. P.KRISHNA  PILLAI WAS BRUTALLY ASSAULTED FOR RINGING A BELL IN THE TEMPLE. GURUVAYUR  SATYAGRAHA FAILED TO ACHIEVE ITS IMMEDIATE OBJECTIVE BUT HELPED TO CREATE A CLIMATE AGAINST UNTOUCHABILITY.