Puli Thevar - Puli Thevar's Struggle-quoted From Caldwell's History of Tirunelveli - Siege of Srivilliputtur, 1756

Siege of Srivilliputtur, 1756

Puli Thevar had already led the confederate army which he had assembled at Nelkattumseval towards Madura. As they marched, they faced the fort of Srivilliputtur, which they must seize if the wished to march on to Madura.

This fort and neighbourhood was under Abdul Rahim and he and his troops were confident that they could rout Thevar’s host. At first they engaged with Thevar’s men in an open battle outside the fort, but Thevar cleverly had the overconfident Arcot army surrounded. The Arcot troops fought hard to break out of this encirclement and fled to the fort. They were so demoralised by their catastrophic engagement that soon most of the Arcot troops either joined Thevar’s army or fled. With his troops lost, Abdul Rahim also fled the scene. This great victory prompted even the reluctant Polygars jumped into Thevar’s bandwagon. Thevar's overconfidence prompted a fatal change of plans.

The original plan was to march from Nelkattumseval to Madura via Srivilliputtur. With Srivilliputtur in their hands, Madura lay open to capture. Now several Polygars argued that the confederate army must march south and seize Tirunelveli and then move north towards Madura. Their forces were now strong enough that they were confident of victory so Thevar also agreed to this change of plan.

At this time, Madura was only lightly held by Arcot troops. The bulk of the Arcot army, along with Mahfuz Khan, was at Tirunelveli. If the confederates had moved north and seized Madura, Mahfuz Khan would have been trapped in Polygar country and initiative would have passed permanently into Thevar's hands. Kattabomman’s treachery wrecked the whole plan. Mahfuz Khan persuaded Kattabomman to support him in return for large land grants and several concessions. As Kattabomman led the Eastern Polygars, war that began as a war of independence now became a civil war.