The Coorg Rebellion was, properly speaking, a rising of the Gowdas, a tribe on the western slope of the Ghats, who resemble the Coorgs in many of their habits. These were disaffected to the Company's Government. After the annexation of Coorg, the districts of Amara-Sulya, Puttur and Bantwala, the latter adjoining that of Mangalore, had been re-transferred to the province of Canara, from which they had been originally taken. Under the Coorg Rajas the assessment had been paid in kind. The Collector of Mangalore now demanded cash payment. This was considered a grievance, as the farmers were laid under tribute by the money changers. One of the four Divans, the above named Lakshmi Narayana, a Brahman, who was displeased with the ascendancy of his Coorg brother-Devans, made political capital out of the ill feeling of the Gaudas. A brother of his, at Sulya in the low country, was in league with some rich and influential men of the malcontent Gowda. The insurgents assembled at Sulya. They were a mere rabble, but they made a successful attack at Puttur on the Collector of Mangalore and two companies of sepoys. A party of the rebels, whose courage and numbers increased after their unexpected success, advanced to Mangalore, opened the gaol, and with the assistance of the prison fraternity, burnt and looted the kacheri and some civilians' houses situated on the hills overlooking the town. All the Europeans of the station were seized with a panic. The civilians, who fled on board a ship bound for Cannanore, were spectators of the conflagration of their houses, and thought the whole country was in arms. The Commanding Officer held a council of war, and would have embarked the garrison had boats been procurable. But they soon recovered their presence of mind, and had no difficulty in maintaining their ground and restoring order; so that when the troops immediately sent from Cannanore and Bombay arrived, they found nobody to fight with.
Though this was altogether a Gowda affair, a rising was also planned amongst the Coorgs at Nalknad and Beppunad, and amongst the Badagas in the Panje, Bellare and Subrahmanya districts, and the northern parts of Coorg inhabited by the late Raja's trusted and favoured Sivacharis. Also the relatives, connections and ever ready tools of the late Devan Kunta Basava were there.
But this insurrection was put down with little shedding of blood and Coorg was once again at peace.
Source: Mysore and Coorg, Vol. III by Lewis Rice
