THE WAR OF THE NOSES

South India was a very prosperous region. In the 14th century, there was an Empire of the Hindus, called VijayaNagar. The visiting Portuguese have mentioned that it was the richest country in the world.
This empire was divided into several provinces. These in turn were ruled by governors and vice-roys.
But in due course, the empire fell apart and the Sultanates of Bijapur an Golkonda captured most of the territories.
The provinces became sovereign kingdoms under the erstwhile governors, who were now kings.
One such kingdom was the Kingdom of Madurai. It was ruled by a Nayak dynasty. It was known as the Madurai Nayak dynasty because there were other Nayaks ruling over Cenji and Thanjai in Tamilnadu.
Of these the most powerful seems to have been the Madurai Nayak.
At that time Mysore was ruled by the Wodeyar dynasty.
They had expansionist policies. If not successful, they would extort by holding back the Kaveri waters. Or they would raid the country and loot and oillage and masscre the inhabitants. This sort of terroisation used to frighten the people to give in to the Mysoreans.

In the 17th century, the king was Tirumalai Nayak, the most glorious of the dynasty.
He came to the throne in 1523 AD as the co-ruler of his brother who was the ruler of the country.
After the death of his brother, Tirumalai became the full-fledged ruler in 1528 AD.

He was a patron of architecture and made the City of Madurai be known as the 'Temple City'. He waged a number of successful wars. He had 200 wives and many many more concubines. He also lived up to a ripe old age.

But in the twilight years of his life, he was striken with disease.

This was taken advantage by the king of the neighbouring kingdom of Mysore. The reigning monarch, Kanthirava Narasa Raja, fitted out an army and sent it to the kingdom of Madurai. He did this as a revenge for what Tirumalai did to him in the past. Tirumalai had assisted the Sultanate of Bijapur to attack Mysore.
In 1656, The Mysoreans invaded Salem and Sathyamangalam was the first place to taste the horrors which the Mysoreans inflicted upon them.
From there, the Mysorean general proceeded with ease to the vicinities of Madurai.
The army had a peculiar order from the king himself. Each soldier was directed to cut off the noses of anyone whom they should encounter in enemy territory. Each cut-off nose would be rewarded with money. A man's nose was worth more than a woman's or a child's. As prove, a nose must have a portion of the upper lip with the moustache attached. The enterprising Mysoreans went to the extent of devising a clipper which would slice off the nose together with the upper lip.
So the Mysorean general carried out the orders of the Kanthirava himself. Even women and childeren were not spared.
This marauding army struck such fear in hearts of the people and the soldiers of the Nayak's army, that they lost heart and fled before it. The 75 years old Tirumalai Nayak was in in his sickbed and he could hardly shore up the Mysoreans.
He could not muster up an army to check the Mysoreans in sufficient time. Within a matter of a few days, the Mysoreans would capture Madurai.
And, of course, the king himself with all his harem.
The outcome was unthinkable.
The enemy advanced to about 20 miles from the capital city and laid camp there.
The hapless Nayak performed special worships in temples to seek divine intervention.
As a last resort, asked his eldest queen to write out an urgent appeal to Raghunatha Sethupathi and call upon the leader of the fierce warlike Maravar community who lived in the territory of Ramnad, nearby. Raghunatha Sethu Pathi had a standing army which was trained by the Italians. They were also well-armed. Apart from this army, the Sethu Pathi could muster up a reserve force of many thousands more at will, within a short space of time.
The Maravar chieftain responded, called up his army, and collected a force of 25000 Marava warriors within a space of 6 hours. This formidable army reached the vicinity of the capital by forced-marches and put itself in position between the Mysoreans and the Madurians by dawn the next day. The Sethupathi sent a message to Tirumalai asking him not to fear. His army was a Nayak army of 35000 men which was collected by the orders of Tirumalai Nayak.

The Mysorean attacks were stalled.
The Mysorean general sent for reinforcements from Mysore.
In the meanwhile, he bribed a Brahmin general in the Nayak's army. Due to the Brahmin's betrayal, the Nayak army was made to fall back.
The mysoreans advanced at this juncture.
But the Sethupathi caught the Brahmin and arrested him.
With his forces he fell upon the Mysoreans. The Mysoreans swayed. Then they broke. Within a very short time, it was beaten back to the borders of Dindukal.
The Mysoreans held back in Dindukal and they were joined by a fresh army of 20000 men from Mysore.

Then the Maravas amd Madurians fell upon the Mysoreans.

Another fierce battle was fought in which both sides lost 12000 men.
The courage of the Sethupathi motivated the Madurians and made them vicotrious.
The Mysore army was baffled and retreated.
Thus Raghunatha Sethupathi saved Madurai.
Tirumalai Nayak honoured the Sethupathi with many presents and gave him the honorific title of 'Tirumalai Sethupathi', 'Rani Sol Kaaththaar',
and 'Rani Maangalyam Kaaththar'.
There were some special privileges which had been given in the past to the Mayaks of Madurai. They were the only ones who could ascend and be carried in Simhamukha Sivikai - a special palenquin with a lion's head.
And he also gave the Sethupathi the privilege of celebrating Navarathri and Vijayadasami festivals with the same grandeur as the Nayaks of Madurai. He gave a few towns and districts and added them to SethuNadu. He aslso gave him exemption from paying annual tribute to the Nayak.

Then an army was sent to Mysore under the leadership of KumaraMuthu Nayak, the younger brother of Tirumalai Nayak. They beat back the Mysoreans all the way back into their own homeland. As they went, they reaped a bountiful harvest of Mysorean noses. They raged into the camp of the king who escaped with barely his clothes on. But the king's mother was not so fortunate.

For the folly of her son, she paid through her nose.
Yes. The Nayak warriors cut off her nose.

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