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Question 45 of 73 · Arrival of Europeans & Expansion of British Rule
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Marthanda Varma, the ruler of Travancore, defeated the Dutch East India Company in 1741 in the Battle of:

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Answer: Option A — Colachel

Detailed Solution

In the Battle of Colachel (Kulachal), fought on 10 August 1741, Marthanda Varma, the ruler of Travancore, defeated the forces of the Dutch East India Company (VOC).

About the battle:

  • Colachel is a coastal town in the Kanyakumari district of present-day Tamil Nadu (then part of Travancore).
  • The Dutch, who controlled the pepper trade of the Malabar coast from their base at Cochin, wanted to stop Marthanda Varma's expansion, as he was conquering small kingdoms that were their allies.
  • The Dutch landed troops at Colachel and besieged the town.
  • Marthanda Varma's army attacked and defeated them, capturing many Dutch soldiers, guns and supplies.

Significance:

  • It is regarded as one of the first instances in which an Asian (Indian) power decisively defeated a European military force.
  • It marked the beginning of the decline of Dutch power on the Malabar coast.
  • The Dutch captain Eustachius De Lannoy was captured.

De Lannoy:

  • Instead of punishing him, Marthanda Varma took De Lannoy into his service.
  • De Lannoy trained the Travancore army on European lines and built forts for the kingdom, including the Udayagiri fort.
  • He became the commander of the Travancore army ("Valiya Kappithan").

About Marthanda Varma:

  • He ruled Travancore from 1729 to 1758, and is regarded as the founder of modern Travancore.
  • He conquered many small principalities and created a strong state.
  • He organised a strong standing army, and centralised the administration.
  • He built the Padmanabhaswamy temple at Thiruvananthapuram in its present form.
  • In 1750, he dedicated his kingdom to the deity Sri Padmanabha (Vishnu), and ruled as the deity's servant ("Padmanabha Dasa"); this is called the "Thrippadidanam".
  • He made Thiruvananthapuram his capital.

The Indian Army:

A victory pillar (the Colachel memorial) stands at Colachel.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Wandiwash was fought between the English and the French.
  • ✗Bedara was fought between the English and the Dutch in Bengal.
  • ✗Swally was fought between the English and the Portuguese.

Quick tip

Remember: Battle of Colachel (10 August 1741) = Marthanda Varma of Travancore defeated the Dutch; captain De Lannoy joined Travancore; Thrippadidanam (1750).

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Arrival of Europeans & Expansion of British Rule — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Arrival of Europeans & Expansion of British Rule, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers the arrival of the Portuguese, Dutch, English, Danes and French in India, the growth of the East India Company, and the battles, wars and treaties through which British power expanded, including the Battles of Plassey and Buxar, the Anglo-Mysore, Anglo-Maratha and Anglo-Sikh wars, and policies such as subsidiary alliance and the doctrine of lapse. Typical questions ask which battle was fought in which year and between whom, which treaty ended which war, and which Governor-General introduced a policy. For example, the Battle of Plassey (1757) was fought between Robert Clive and Siraj-ud-Daulah, and the Treaty of Allahabad (1765) gave the Company the diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. Practise the arrival of Europeans and expansion of British rule questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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