Consider the following statements regarding the heroic Cotiote (Pazhassi) Wars against the British East India Company: 1. Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja organized guerrilla warfare from the Wayanad hills, inflicting severe defeats on British military detachments. 2. The rebellion ended peacefully when the British government granted hereditary sovereignty and full tax exemptions to the Kottayam royal family. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

💡 Solution & Explanation

Pazhassi Raja waged a fierce guerrilla war against British colonial rule from the forested hills of Wayanad, utilizing indigenous tactical advantages as stated in the first point. The second statement is false because the conflict did not end in a peaceful compromise granting sovereignty; rather, Pazhassi Raja was betrayed and died fighting in an encounter at Pulinjal in 1805. The rebellion represents one of the most stubborn native military resistance campaigns in Indian history.