Captivity of Nairs at Seringapatam

The Captivity of Nairs at Seringapatam was imposed on the Nair Hindus of Malabar by Muslims under Tipu Sultan, the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore from 1786 to 1799. They were subjected to forcible conversions to Islam, death, and torture. The Nairs were treated with extreme brutality by the Muslims due to their strong adherence to the Hindu faith and martial tradition. The captivity ended when Nair troops from Travancore, with the help of the East India Company defeated Tipu in the Third Anglo-Mysore War. It is estimated that out of the 30,000 Nairs put to captivity (including women and children), only a few hundred returned to Malabar alive.

North Malabar was divided into the Nair principalities of Chirakkal, Kadattanad, Kottayam, Kurangod and the Moplah principality of Cannanore which owed nominal allegiance to Chirakkal. South Malabar was divided between the Zamorin of Calicut and the Raja of Cochin.

The period of Sultan of Mysore Hyder Ali conquest of Malabar between 1766–1793 was met with stiff opposition from the local Nairs. In 1766, he marched into Palakkad and Malabar, followed by another march into Malabar via Thamarassery ghat in 1767. Hyder quickly understood the Nair psyche and caste pride and decided to use it to facilitate conversions. To this end, he deprived Nairs of caste privileges, equating them to Paravas, prohibited them from carrying arms, and outlawed them. Furthermore, he offered privileges back to anybody who converted to Islam. This led some Nairs and many members of the lower castes to embrace Islam, and resulted in the first appearance of Islam in the Malabar countryside. Humiliated by these perceived slights imposed by the Sultan, the Nairs rose in rebellion. They harassed isolated block-houses set up by Hyder, raided, pillaged, and destroyed stores and munition dumps.

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