Mysore, Kerala and Other Regional Kingdoms

Besides the Mughal successor states, Mysore under Haidar Ali and Travancore under Marthanda Varma rose as powerful independent kingdoms in the 18th century.

Mysore

• The Wodeyar kings ruled Mysore, but real power passed to the ministers Devaraja and Nanjaraja.
• Haidar Ali (born about 1721), a soldier, seized power in 1761 by removing Nanjaraja. He took Dindigul (1755) and brought French help to modernise his army. He conquered Bednur, Sera, Malabar (1766) and other territories.
• Tipu Sultan (ruled 1782 to 1799) continued the war with the British. Details are in Anglo-Mysore Wars.

Kerala

• Marthanda Varma (1729 to 1758) of Travancore modernised the army with European help. He defeated the Dutch at the Battle of Colachel (1741), a rare victory of an Asian power over a European one, and signed the Treaty of Mavelikkara (1753) with them.
• He gave the kingdom to the god Padmanabha (Padmanabha Dasa) in 1750. His successor Dharma Raja (Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma, 1758 to 1798) and minister Raja Kesavadas continued the work. Trivandrum became a centre of learning.
• Other Kerala states were Cochin (Sakthan Thampuran modernised it) and Calicut (Zamorin), which Haidar Ali conquered.

Rajputs, Jats and Afghans

• Rajputs: The Rajput states (Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur) became practically independent but later accepted Maratha overlordship.
• Jats: The Jat state of Bharatpur was founded by Churaman; Suraj Mal took it to its height.
• Afghans: Rohilla and Bangash chiefs ruled Rohilkhand and Farrukhabad.