1.
India
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India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and it is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast. It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west, China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast, in the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Indias Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a border with Thailand. The Indian subcontinent was home to the urban Indus Valley Civilisation of the 3rd millennium BCE, in the following millennium, the oldest scriptures associated with Hinduism began to be composed. Social stratification, based on caste, emerged in the first millennium BCE, early political consolidations took place under the Maurya and Gupta empires, the later peninsular Middle Kingdoms influenced cultures as far as southeast Asia. In the medieval era, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived, much of the north fell to the Delhi sultanate, the south was united under the Vijayanagara Empire. The economy expanded in the 17th century in the Mughal empire, in the mid-18th century, the subcontinent came under British East India Company rule, and in the mid-19th under British crown rule. A nationalist movement emerged in the late 19th century, which later, under Mahatma Gandhi, was noted for nonviolent resistance, in 2015, the Indian economy was the worlds seventh largest by nominal GDP and third largest by purchasing power parity. Following market-based economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the major economies and is considered a newly industrialised country. However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, corruption, malnutrition, a nuclear weapons state and regional power, it has the third largest standing army in the world and ranks sixth in military expenditure among nations. India is a constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system. It is a pluralistic, multilingual and multi-ethnic society and is home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats. The name India is derived from Indus, which originates from the Old Persian word Hindu, the latter term stems from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, which was the historical local appellation for the Indus River. The ancient Greeks referred to the Indians as Indoi, which translates as The people of the Indus, the geographical term Bharat, which is recognised by the Constitution of India as an official name for the country, is used by many Indian languages in its variations. Scholars believe it to be named after the Vedic tribe of Bharatas in the second millennium B. C. E and it is also traditionally associated with the rule of the legendary emperor Bharata. Gaṇarājya is the Sanskrit/Hindi term for republic dating back to the ancient times, hindustan is a Persian name for India dating back to the 3rd century B. C. E. It was introduced into India by the Mughals and widely used since then and its meaning varied, referring to a region that encompassed northern India and Pakistan or India in its entirety
2.
Kerala
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Kerala historically known as Keralam, is an Indian state in South India on the Malabar Coast. It was formed on 1 November 1956 following the States Reorganisation Act by combining Malayalam-speaking regions, spread over 38,863 km2, it is bordered by Karnataka to the north and northeast, Tamil Nadu to the east and south, and the Lakshadweep Sea to the west. With 33,387,677 inhabitants as per the 2011 Census, Malayalam is the most widely spoken language and is also the official language of the state. The region has been a prominent spice exporter since 3000 BCE, the Chera Dynasty was the first prominent kingdom based in Kerala, though it frequently struggled against attacks by the neighbouring Cholas and Pandyas. In the 15th century, the spice trade attracted Portuguese traders to Kerala, after independence, Travancore and Cochin joined the Republic of India and Travancore-Cochin was given the status of a state in 1949. In 1956, Kerala state was formed by merging Malabar district, Travancore-Cochin, Hinduism is practised by more than half of the population, followed by Islam and Christianity. The culture is a synthesis of Aryan and Dravidian cultures, developed over millennia, under influences from other parts of India, the production of pepper and natural rubber contributes significantly to the total national output. In the agricultural sector, coconut, tea, coffee, cashew, the states coastline extends for 595 kilometres, and around 1.1 million people in the state are dependent on the fishery industry which contributes 3% to the states income. The state has the highest media exposure in India with newspapers publishing in nine languages, mainly English, Kerala is one of the prominent tourist destinations of India, with backwaters, beaches, Ayurvedic tourism and tropical greenery as its major attractions. The name Kerala has an uncertain etymology, One popular theory derives Kerala from Kera and alam is land, thus land of coconuts, this also happens to be a nickname for the state due to abundance of coconut trees and its use by the locals. The word Kerala is first recorded in a 3rd-century BCE rock inscription left by the Maurya emperor Ashoka, the inscription refers to the local ruler as Keralaputra, or son of Chera. This contradicts the theory that Kera is from coconut tree, at that time, one of three states in the region was called Cheralam in Classical Tamil, Chera and Kera are variants of the same word. The word Cheral refers to the oldest known dynasty of Kerala kings and is derived from the Proto-Tamil-Malayalam word for lake, the earliest Sanskrit text to mention Kerala is the Aitareya Aranyaka of the Rigveda. It is also mentioned in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, the two Hindu epics, the Skanda Purana mentions the ecclesiastical office of the Thachudaya Kaimal who is referred to as Manikkam Keralar, synonymous with the deity of the Koodalmanikyam temple. Keralam may stem from the Classical Tamil cherive-alam or chera alam, the Greco-Roman trade map Periplus Maris Erythraei refers to Keralaputra as Celobotra. According to Hindu mythology, the lands of Kerala were recovered from the sea by the warrior sage Parasurama. Parasurama threw his axe across the sea, and the water receded as far as it reached, according to legend, this new area of land extended from Gokarna to Kanyakumari. The land which rose from sea was filled with salt and unsuitable for habitation, so Parasurama invoked the Snake King Vasuki, out of respect, Vasuki and all snakes were appointed as protectors and guardians of the land
3.
North Malabar
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The greater part of North Malabar remained as one of the two administrative divisions of the Malabar District until 1947 and later became part of Indias Madras State until 1956. Mahé remained under French jurisdiction until 13 June 1954, during the ancient and early medieval periods, North Malabar retained its distinct political identity. At no time did the Chera dynasty impose full control over the area, the socio-cultural background and geography of this area has many distinctions compared to the rest of Kerala. The population consists of native Hindus, native Mappila-Muslims, native Jains and migrant-Christian communities and is characterized by distinct socio-cultural customs, the people of North Malabar have striven to preserve their distinct and unique identity and heritage since ancient times, through colonial times into modern political India. Until the early twentieth century there were cultural taboos among various communities from North Malabar, northern Malabar identity and pride is often possessively guarded by its natives of all ethnic and religious backgrounds. Kottiyoor Vysakha Mahotsavam is a 27-day yearly pilgrimage commemorating the mythology of Daksha Yaga, the practice of matriliniality was distinctly different and was predominantly virilocal with married couples residing with or near the husbands parents. Unlike other parts of erstwhile matrilinial-Kerala, polyandry was a taboo in North Malabar. The royal position of Kolathiri, although immensely respected, was politically titular, in addition, the lineages in North Malabar claim and assert superior ritual-rank clan by clan over their equivalent clans from the southern principalities. The major festival observed by Hindus in this region is Vishu rather than Onam, in North Malabar, Vishu is celebrated as New Year. Because, the Kollavarsham month Medam - which is parallel to first Tamil month Chithirai - is the first month of the year for natives of North Malabar, the Vishu festival is spread over two days and comprises the Cheriya or small Vishu and the Valiya, or main Vishu. People from all religions participate in festivals at temples, mosques and churches. Some examples include, Nadapuram Mosque, Mahe Church, Moonnu Pettumma Palli Pappinisseri, unlike Travancore, but like in rest of Malabar and Cochin, natives of North Malabar mix coconut paste with sambar, the most common dish of South India. Bakery-cuisine is well developed in the area and has led to large numbers of natives operating popular bakeries in Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Coimbatore, Mysore, Pune and Southern Kerala. People from this area are characterized by a sense of socio-political aspirations often leading to large outbreaks of political violence. Textiles, beedi, hand-weaving, plywood and coir represent important industries while cashew, cinnamon, nevertheless, its people are conservatively possessive of its identity preferring a geographical endogamy culture. The version of the Malayalam calendar or Kollavarsham used in central, the year commences with Simha-raasi and not in Mesha-raasi as in other Indian calendars. However, in North Malabar and Kolathunadu the start of the Kollam era is reckoned from the month of Kanya-rasi and this variation has two accounts associated with it. Kerolopathi, a text dealing with the origins of Malabar
4.
Malayalam
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Malayalam /mʌləˈjɑːləm/ is a language spoken in India, predominantly in the state of Kerala. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and was designated as a Classical Language in India in 2013 and it was developed to the current form mainly by the influence of the poet Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan in the 16th century. Malayalam has official status in the state of Kerala and in the union territories of Lakshadweep. It belongs to the Dravidian family of languages and is spoken by some 38 million people, according to one theory, Malayalam originated from Middle Tamil in the 7th century. However, the current understanding proposes the separation of Malayalam from Proto-Dravidian in the pre-historic era, Malayalam incorporated many elements from Sanskrit through the ages. Before Malayalam came into being, Old Tamil was used in literature and courts of a region called Tamilakam, including present day Kerala state, silappatikaramit was written by Chera prince Ilango Adigal from Chunkaparra, and is considered a classic in Sangam literature. Modern Malayalam still preserves many words from the ancient Tamil vocabulary of Sangam literature, the earliest script used to write Malayalam was the Vatteluttu alphabet, and later the Kolezhuttu, which derived from it. As Malayalam began to borrow words as well as the rules of grammar from Sanskrit. This developed into the modern Malayalam script, many medieval liturgical texts were written in an admixture of Sanskrit and early Malayalam, called Manipravalam. The oldest literary work in Malayalam, distinct from the Tamil tradition, is dated from between the 9th and 11th centuries, the first travelogue in any Indian language is the Malayalam Varthamanappusthakam, written by Paremmakkal Thoma Kathanar in 1785. Due to its lineage deriving from both Tamil and Sanskrit, the Malayalam script has the largest number of letters among the Indian language orthographies, the Malayalam script includes letters capable of representing almost all the sounds of all Indo-Aryan and Dravidian languages. Malayalam serves as a language on the islands including the Mahl-dominated Minicoy Island. The word Malayalam originated from the Sanskrit resp, Malayalam words malai or mala, meaning hill, and elam, meaning region. Malayalam thus translates as hill region and used to refer to the land of the Chera dynasty, the language Malayalam is alternatively called Alealum, Malayalani, Malayali, Malean, Maliyad, and Mallealle. The word Malayalam originally meant only for the name of the region, Malayanma or Malayayma represented the language. With the emergence of modern Malayalam language, the name of the language started to be known by the name of the region, hence now, the word Malayanma is considered by some to represent the olden Malayalam language. The language got the name Malayalam during the mid 19th century, the origin of Malayalam, an independent offshoot of the proto-Dravidian language, has been and continues to be an engaging pursuit among comparative historical linguists. Together with Tamil, Toda, Kannada and Tulu, Malayalam belongs to the group of Dravidian languages
5.
Mangalore
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Mangalore, officially known as Mangaluru, is the chief port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is known as Kudla in Tulu, Kodial in Konkani, Maikāla in Beary and it is located about 352 kilometres west of the state capital, Bengaluru between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghat mountain ranges. It is the headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada district in south western Karnataka. It developed as a port on the Arabian Sea—remaining, to this day, lying on the backwaters of the Netravati and Gurupura rivers, Mangalore is often used as a staging point for sea traffic along the Malabar Coast. The city has a climate and lies in the path of the Arabian Sea branch of the South-West monsoons. Mangalores port handles 75 per cent of Indias coffee and cashew exports, Mangalore was ruled by several major powers, including the Kadambas, Alupas, Vijayanagar Empire, Keladi Nayaks and the Portuguese. The city was a source of contention between the British and the Mysore rulers, Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, eventually annexed by the British in 1799, Mangalore remained part of the Madras Presidency until Indias independence in 1947. The city was unified with the state of Mysore in 1956, Mangalore is the largest city in Dakshina Kannada district and is one of the most cosmopolitan non-metro cities of India. It is also the largest city in the Coastal and Malnad regions of Karnataka, besides being a commercial, industrial, educational, Mangalore city urban agglomeration extends from Ullal in the south to Mulki in the north, covering a distance of over 40 km. The citys landscape is characterised by rolling hills, coconut palms, freshwater streams, Mangalore was ranked Indias 13th and Karnatakas second most favourable destination for business. Mangalore will be developed as a city under PM Narendra Modis flagship Smart Cities Mission. Mangalore was named after the Hindu deity Mangaladevi, the deity of the Mangaladevi temple or a synonym of Tara Bhagvati of the Vajrayana Buddhist sect. According to local legend, a princess from Malabar named Parimala or Premaladevi renounced her kingdom and became a disciple of Matsyendranath, having converted Premaladevi to the Nath sect, Matsyendranath renamed her Mangaladevi. She arrived in the area with Matsyendranath, but had to settle near Bolar in Mangalore as she fell ill on the way, eventually she died, and the Mangaladevi temple was consecrated in her honour at Bolar by the local people after her death. The city got its name from the temple, one of the earliest references to the citys name was made in 715 CE by the Pandyan King Chettian, who called the city Mangalapuram. The city and the region was a part of the Pandyan Kingdom. Ramesh, President of the Place Names Society of India, Mangaluru was first heard in 1345 CE during the Vijayanagar rule, many shilashasanas of Vijayanagar period refer the city as Mangalapura. Even before that, during the Alupas period, it was referred to as Mangalapura, the city is well known as Mangaluru in Kannada, a reference to Mangaladevi
6.
Shivappa Nayaka
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Shivappa Nayaka, popularly known as Keladi Shivappa Nayaka, was a notable ruler of the Keladi Nayaka Kingdom. The Keladi Nayakas were successors of the Vijayanagara Empire in the coastal and Malnad districts of Karnataka, India and he was known as Sistina Shivappa Nayaka because he introduced a tax system called Sist. Shivappa Nayaka is remembered as an administrator and soldier. He ascended the throne in 1645, during this time, the last ruler of the diminished Vijayanagara Empire ruling from Vellore, Shriranga Raya III was defeated by the Bijapur Sultanate and sought refuge with Shivappa. The growing threat of the Portuguese was eliminated by 1653 and the ports of Mangalore, Kundapura, having conquered the Kannada coast, he marched down to Kasargod region of modern Kerala and installed a pillar of victory at Nileshvara. The forts of Chandragiri, Bekal and Mangalore were built by Shivappa Nayaka, later he invaded north of the Tungabhadra river and captured territory in the modern Dharwad district from the Bijapur Sultanate. In the south, when he invaded and laid siege to Srirangapatna in modern Mysore district, in the south, he destroyed the Portuguese political power in the Kanara region by capturing all the Portuguese forts of the coastal region. Shivappa Nayaka introduced a settlement scheme called Sist, a policy that has found favourable comparison to revenue schemes formulated by the Mogul emperor Akbar. According to this scheme, agricultural lands were divided into five types depending on the type of soil, a unit of sowing capacity called Khanduga was developed and every irrigable land was taxed in varying amounts based on this unit. The rate of taxation depended on the yield in one of these five types of land. Shivappa Nayaka gave importance to agriculture resulted in an expanding agrarian economy. A religious and tolerant man, Shivappa Nayaka performed Vedic sacrifices and rituals and he was tolerant towards Christians and gave them land to cultivate. He encouraged the mercantile communities of South India such as the Komatis and Konkanis to settle down, an interesting episode from the time of Shivappa Nayakas rule goes as follows. A poor Brahmin named Ganesh Mallya came to Keladi, the capital city, having no money, he carried a bag full of home-grown coconuts. Before entering the city, every traveller had to pass through eight toll gates, because he carried no cash, Ganesh Mallya had to part with two coconuts at each toll gate, one as tax and the other as a gift to the official. He also paid with two coconuts at the city entrance, frustrated with all the tolls, Mallya boldly set up his own toll gate and collected a toll after registering full details of travellers into the city in his own register. In return for the toll, Ganesh Mallya handed out a receipt with a new custom station for eighteen coconuts. This went on unnoticed for eighteen months before King Shivappa Nayaka heard of it, when summoned by the king, Ganesh Mallya admitted he had collected an illegal toll to make a livelihood
7.
Tipu Sultan
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Tipu Sultan, also known as the Tiger of Mysore, and Tipu Sahib, was a ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the eldest son of Sultan Hyder Ali of Mysore, Tipu expanded the iron-cased Mysorean rockets and commissioned the military manual Fathul Mujahidin. He is considered a pioneer in the use of rocket artillery, Tipu Sultan deployed the rockets against advances of British forces and their allies in their 1792 and 1799 Siege of Srirangapatna. Napoleon, the French commander-in-chief who later became emperor, sought an alliance with Tipu, Tipu engaged in expansionist attacks against his neighbours. He remained an enemy of the British East India Company. In the Third Anglo-Mysore War, Tipu was forced into the humiliating Treaty of Seringapatam, losing a number of conquered territories, including Malabar. He sent emissaries to foreign states, including the Ottoman Turkey, Afghanistan and he is said to have forced Manglore Catholics to convert to Islam. Also during his only three temples of his kingdom were able to offer daily Pooja. Tipu Sultan was born on 20 November 1750 at Devanahalli, in present-day Bengaluru Rural district and he was named Tipu Sultan after the saint Tipu Mastan Aulia of Arcot. Tipu was also called Sultan Sayyid walShareef Fateh Ali Khan Tipu after his grandfather Fath Muhammad, Tipu was born at Devanhalli in a Najeeb AlTarfayn Sayyid family meaning having ancestry to both Imams Hassan and Hussain, as the son of Hyder Ali. Being illiterate, Hyder was very particular in giving his eldest son a princes education, from the age of 17 Tipu was given independent charge of important diplomatic and military missions. He was his fathers right arm in the wars from which Hyder emerged as the most powerful ruler of southern India. Tipus father, Hyder Ali, was an officer in service to the Kingdom of Mysore, he rapidly rose in power. Hyders father, Fath Muhammad, was born in Kolar, Fateh Muhammad eventually entered the service of the Wodeyar Rajas of the Kingdom of Mysore. Tipus mother Fatima Fakhr-un-Nisa was the daughter of Mir Muin-ud-Din, the governor of the fort of Kadapa, Hyder Ali appointed able teachers to give Tipu an early education in subjects like Urdu, Persian, Arabic, Kannada, Quran, Islamic jurisprudence, riding, shooting and fencing. Tipu Sultan was instructed in military tactics by French officers in the employment of his father, at age 15, he accompanied his father against the British in the First Mysore War in 1766. He commanded a corps of cavalry in the invasion of Carnatic in 1767 at age 16 and he also distinguished himself in the First Anglo-Maratha War of 1775–1779. In 1779, the British captured the French-controlled port of Mahé, in response, Hyder launched an invasion of the Carnatic, with the aim of driving the British out of Madras
8.
Kanhangad
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Kanhangad or Kanjangad is a major town and a municipality in the Kasaragod District, state of Kerala, India. It is 28 km from the headquarters of Kasaragod town and 79 km from Mangalore city. Some parts of Kanhangad town is called Ajanur, but Ajanur is only a bureaucratic nicety. Some parts of Kanhangad town is put under a unit called Ajanur Panchayath. The suburb continues to be part and parcel of Kanhangad town, as of 2001 India census, Kanhangad had a population of 65,499. Males constitute 48% of the population and females 52%, Kanhangad has an average literacy rate of 78%, higher than the national average of 59. 5%, male literacy is 83%, and female literacy is 74%. In Kanhangad, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age, the most widely spoken language is Malayalam. Other prominent languages spoken by communities living here include Konkani, Tulu, a large Goud Saraswat Brahmin community lives here. The Gowda Saraswat Brahmin temple, Lakshmi Venkatesh temple is situated in Kanhangad. There is also a small Palghat Iyer Brahmin community which speaks a mix of Malayalam, agriculture and fishing are the primary source of income for residents of the region. In the coastal areas are grown, coconut, rice and tobacco, since the oil boom of the 80’s, young people have migrated to the oil producing Gulf countries in pursuit of lucrative job opportunities. This has considerably changed the situation and life style of the residents. Many families depend on money sent home by family members working in the Gulf, Nityananda Ashramam, which is situated on the hillock about half a km south of the Hosdurg taluk office, was founded by Swami Nityananda. The spot was at first part of a forest area, here Swami Nityananda constructed 45 guhas in a mountain slope. There is a built in 1963, after the style. A full size statue of Swami Nityananda in sitting posture made of panchaloha is one of the attractions of the asramam and our Lady of Sorrows Church - oldest in the district constructed in 1890 CE.15 km north of Kasargod. This Gothic style Roman Catholic church which is under the Manglore Diocese, has celebrated its centenary recently, birthplace of Poet P Kunhiraman Nair, veteran freedom fighter and playwright Vidwan P Kelu Nair and Rasika siromani Kanan Nair. A cultural centre of the district, madiyan Kulom temple is situated in Ajanur panchayat
9.
Zamorin of Calicut
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Samoothiri of Kozhikode is the hereditary royal title used by the Hindu Eradi Nair rulers of the medieval Kingdom of Kozhikode on the Malabar Coast. The Samoodiris ruled for almost six centuries, between c. 12th and 18th century AD based at the city of Kozhikode, one of the important trading centres in southern India. The Portuguese trader and navigator Vasco da Gama visited Kozhikode in 1498, the Eradis with their original base at Nediyiruppu and were land-locked and sought an outlet to the Arabian Sea. The Eradis subsequently moved their capital to the port of Kozhikode, according to K. V. Krishna Ayyar, a historian, the city of Kozhikode was founded on a marshy tract along the Malabar coast in the 11th century AD. During Classical antiquity and the Middle Ages, Kozhikode was dubbed the City of Spices for its role as the major trading point of eastern spices, the name Kozhikode is thought to be derived from Koyil and Kota meaning Fortified Palace. Others have called the city by different names, the Arabs called it Kalikooth, Tamils called the city Kallikkottai, for the Chinese it was Kalifo. The name of the famous fine variety of cotton cloth called Calico that was exported from the port is also thought to have derived from Kozhikode. Other seats of the Samoothiri were Ponnani, Trichur and Cranganore, five Places of Dignity existed in Kozhikode, each with its own separate property enjoyed in succession by the senior members of the three Royal Branches of the family. The Samoothiris family, being Eradis are connected to several other Eradi clans who are resident in Nilambur, Ponnani, the first Place of Dignity was the Samoothiri himself The second in line successor to the throne is known as the Eralppad and his official seat was in Karimpuzha. This area was annexed from Valluvanad in the leadership of the then Eralppad in the first half of the 14th century, the Samoothiri claimed to be the paramount sovereign over Payyormala, Pulavayi, Beypore, Parappanad, Tanore, Talapalli, Chavakkad and Kavalappara. Calicut had also taken possession of sovereignty over Kollangodu, Kotuvayur, the chief ports under direct control were Putuppattanam, Pantalayani Kollam, Calicut, Tanur, Ponnani, Chetwai and Cranganore. According to tradition Kozhikode State was founded around 826 AD as Nediyirippu Swarūpam, the city of Kozhikode was founded in 1026. Between 27 April 1766 and 1792 the state was annexed by the Mysore Kingdom, on 18 Aug 1792 it became a princely state under British protectorate. The territory was annexed by the British Raj on 15 November 1806, famous legends such as The Origin of Kerala tell the establishment of a local ruling family at Nediyiruppu, near present-day Kondotty by two young brothers belonging to the Nair Eradi clan. The brothers, Manikkan and Vikraman were the most trusted generals in the army of the Cheras, however, during the legendary partition of Chera Kingdom, the king didnt give any land to these two brothers. Due to his feeling of guilt, the later gave his personal sword and his favorite prayer conch to his general. So the general conquered neighboring states and created a kingdom for himself. As a token of his respect to the Chera king, he adopted the logo of two crossed swords, with a conch in the middle and a lighted lamp above it
10.
Hyder Ali
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Hyder Ali Khan also known as Hyder Ali Sahib, Haidarālī was the Sultan and de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born as Sayyid walSharif Hyder Ali Khan, he distinguished himself militarily, eventually drawing the attention of Mysores rulers, rising to the post of Dalavayi to Krishnaraja Wodeyar II, he came to dominate the titular monarch and the Mysore government. He became the de facto ruler of Mysore as Sarvadhikari by 1761, though illiterate, Hyder Ali earned an important place in the history of southern India for his administrative acumen and military skills. He concluded an alliance with the French against the British and used the services of French workmen in raising his artillery and his rule of Mysore was characterised by frequent warfare with his neighbours and rebellion within his territories. This was not unusual for the time as much of the Indian subcontinent was then in turmoil. He was a leader and left his eldest son, Tipu Sultan, an extensive kingdom bordered by the Krishna River in the north, the Eastern Ghats in the east. The exact date of Hyder Alis birth is not known with certainty, various historical sources provide dates ranging between 1717 and 1722 for his birth. There are also variations in reports of his ancestry. According to some accounts, his grandfather was descended from a line of Sayyids tracing their lineage back to Persia, while another traces his lineage instead to the area of present-day Afghanistan. His father, Fath Muhammad, was born in Kolar, Fath Muhammad eventually entered the service of the Wodeyar Rajas of the Kingdom of Mysore, where he rose to become a powerful military commander. The Wodeyars awarded him Budikote as a jagir, where he served as Naik. Hyder Ali was born in Budikote, he was Fath Muhammads fifth child, and his early years are not well documented, he entered military service along with his brother Shahbaz after their father died in combat. After serving for a number of years under the rulers of Arcot, they came to Seringapatam and he introduced them to Devaraja, the dalwai of Krishnaraja Wodeyar II, and his brother Nanjaraja, who also held important ministerial posts. Hyder and his brother were given commands in the Mysorean army, Hyder served under Shahbaz, commanding 100 cavalry and 2,000 infantry. In 1748, Qamar-ud-din Khan, Asaf Jah I, the longtime Nizam of Hyderabad, the struggle to succeed him is known as the Second Carnatic War, and pitted Asaf Jahs son Nasir Jung against a cousin, Muzaffar Jung. Both sides were supported by local leaders, and French. Devaraja had started vesting more military authority in his brother, the army went to Devanhalli, where the Mysoreans participated in the Siege of Devanahalli Fort. The fort was held by Muzaffar Jungs forces and the siege was conducted by the Marquis de Bussy, during the successful eight-month siege, the Naik brothers distinguished themselves, and were rewarded by the dalwai with enlarged commands
India
