Popularly known as the Lion of
Kerala, Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja was the ruler of
Kottayam in the late 17th century. He led a serious revolution against the revenue policy of the British
East India Company in 1797, and stopped the collection of revenues at Kottayam. When the British tried to capture him, the king escaped to the hills and led a guerilla war. The British authorities declared that if the people helped the king, they would be considered enemies of the British and their property would be seized. The king and his army attacked the Havildar’s Guard stationed at Pazhassi, and succeeded in it. However, by 1804 Pazhassi Raja started to lose and in 1805 he was killed in the forests of
Wayanad.
