The Kingdom of Travancore and the Dutch East India Company fought the Battle of Colachel on 1741. The fight ended in a legendary Travancore victory, thus ending Dutch colonial efforts in the Indian subcontinent.
The Dutch command in Malabar declared war on Travancore in late 1739.
The Dutch bombarded the coast of Colachel )on November 26th with two big ships and three sloops. Marthanda Varma the king of travancore dispatched 2,000 Nair Brigade men to protect Colachel.
A Dutch expedition consisting of seven large ships and numerous smaller ships landed just north of Colachel on February 10th.
With oars on their shoulders, the local fisherman formed a line to guard the shore.
The fisherman were able to momentarily halt the Dutch advance.
The Dutch, on the other hand, were successful in capturing Colachel, causing the fishing community to evacuate inland.
The Dutch expected reinforcements from Ceylon and Batavia to effectively control the newly gained regions, but the Company Government at Batavia could not spare any reserve forces due to the Java War.
Marthanda Varma organized a big force to attack the Dutch, taking advantage of the Dutch's troop shortfall.
His patrol boats cut off supplies from the sea to the Dutch garrison, and his forces also imposed a land blockade.
At Colachel, his army, which outnumbered the Dutch troops, enveloped the Dutch entrenchments on all sides.
Aside from the Travancore forces' blockade, the Dutch were unable to provide ammunition and supplies to Colachel because to bad weather, floods, and rough seas.
Heavy rains made it difficult for them to keep their gunpowder dry, and their weapons were rendered useless.
At Colachel, the Dutch soldiers surrender on the condition that they be allowed to leave.
The Dutch danger to Travancore did not go away after Marthanda Varma's victory at Colachel, as evidenced by the fact that the Dutch continued to fight Travancore in northern Malabar.
The Dutch morale had been severely harmed by Travancore's win at Colachel.
The native chiefs now felt the Dutch East India Company could be driven off the coast of Malabar. In the Malabar coast, the Dutch dominance waned.
This is regarded as a watershed moment in Indian history. A native army with minimal artillery support beat a highly superior European force.
To commemorate the incident, the Indian government constructed a triumph pillar at Kulachal.
