Tamil Nadu Timeline

Princely State

15 events, 1800 to 1974; 2 marked as turning points.

  1. 1800

    1. 1800PudukkottaiGovernance

      Pudukkottai comes under Company protection

      Through a subsidiary alliance, the Tondaiman state of Pudukkottai came under the protection of the East India Company.

  2. 1801

    1. 31 Jul 1801ChennaiGovernance

      Carnatic Treaty transfers the Carnatic to the Company

      Nawab Azim-ud-Daula signed the Carnatic Treaty, handing the civil and military administration of the Carnatic to the East India Company.

  3. 1805

    1. 1805ThanjavurCulture

      Serfoji II sets up a Devanagari press at Thanjavur

      At Thanjavur, Serfoji II founded the Nava Vidya Kalasala press, the first in South India to print Devanagari.

  4. 1813

    1. 1813 to 1859Kanyakumari districtSocial Reform

      Channar revolt over the upper cloth

      Nadar women in southern Travancore, including today's Kanyakumari district, struggled for decades for the right to cover their upper bodies.

  5. 1832

    1. 7 Mar 1832ThanjavurCulture

      Death of Serfoji II of Thanjavur

      Serfoji II, Thanjavur's scholarly ruler who had handed its administration to the Company in 1799, passed away.

    2. 17 Mar 1832ThanjavurPolitics

      Shivaji II becomes Raja of Thanjavur

      Shivaji, son of Serfoji II, was crowned at the Durbar Hall of Tanjore Fort and became the last Raja of Thanjavur.

  6. 1833

    1. 1833 to 1851SwamithoppeReligion

      Ayya Vaikundar begins his mission

      Ayya Vaikundar began the teachings that gave rise to Ayyavazhi, a movement that challenged caste rules in southern Travancore.

  7. 1838

    1. 1838 to 1839ThiruvananthapuramReligion

      Ayya Vaikundar imprisoned by the Travancore king

      Ayya Vaikundar, founder of Ayyavazhi, was arrested on the orders of the Travancore king and held at Singarathoppe jail.

  8. 1855

    1. 7 Oct 1855Chepauk PalaceGovernance

      Carnatic Nawabship abolished under the Doctrine of Lapse

      On the death of the last Nawab, Ghulam Muhammad Ghouse Khan, the Company abolished the Carnatic Nawabship.

    2. 29 Oct 1855ThanjavurGovernance

      Thanjavur annexed under the Doctrine of Lapse

      After Raja Shivaji died without a male heir, the Company annexed the titular Maratha principality of Thanjavur.

  9. 1886

    1. 29 Oct 1886Mullaperiyar DamAgriculture

      Periyar lease agreement with Travancore

      A 999-year lease for the Periyar irrigation works, signed by Travancore and the Secretary of State for India, later underpinned the Mullaperiyar dispute.

  10. 1924

    1. 30 Mar 1924 to 23 Nov 1925VaikomSocial Reform

      Vaikom Satyagraha

      A satyagraha in Travancore demanded that people of oppressed castes be allowed to use the roads around the Vaikom temple; E. V. Ramasamy took part.

  11. 1936

    1. 12 Nov 1936ThiruvananthapuramSocial Reform

      Travancore Temple Entry Proclamation

      The Maharaja of Travancore opened state temples to all Hindus regardless of caste, including temples in present-day Kanyakumari district.

  12. 1948

    1. 3 Apr 1948PudukkottaiGovernance

      Pudukkottai princely state merges with the Indian Union

      Pudukkottai, the princely state of the Thondaimans, joined India and was made a division of Tiruchirappalli district.

  13. 1974

    1. 1974PudukkottaiGovernance

      Pudukkottai district formed

      Pudukkottai was made a separate district, combining the former princely state with Aranthangi taluk of Thanjavur district.