PONDICHERRY, TAMIL NADU AND SOUTH INDIA UNDER FRENCH RULE Tis is a study of the colonization of Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu and south India by the French during the eighteenth century, and their interactions with the Indian rulers and populations in the political, economic, social and religious spheres. French Governors based in Pondicherry since François Martin up to Dupleix never acquired any territory for France through outright conquest. Tey or their masters in France never had any grand plan to establish a French empire in India. Some Indian rulers were friendly with the French and the English as it served their interests. Te study demonstrates that the French colonizers and missionaries would not have survived in India without the collaboration of the Indian dubashes, merchants, certain Indian rulers and military men. Tis collaboration was not on an equal footing, as the sepoys, merchants and dubashes were always subordinate and submissive to the Europeans. Even Ananda Ranga Poullé, the most famous of the Indian dubashes had to resort to the art of flattery to be in the good books of his ‘master’. European arrival and presence in India heralded the beginning of a cultural clash between the Europeans and Indians, in which the former had the upper hand. Tere was never any partnership or ‘master-bania’ relationship between the French and the Indians. Instead, the relationship had all the trappings of a ‘master- subordinate’ relationship, where the subordinate even though he might be a dubash was always at the mercy of the colon izers. Te element of force, aggressivity and violence was omnipresent in European presence and expansion in India, in the political, economic and religious fields. J.B.P. More, also known as Prashant More obtained his doctorate in history from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris. He currently teaches at Inseec, Paris. He specializes on history, sociology and politics of southern and colonial India. He has authored more than 22 books and 50 articles in English, French and Tamil. Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu and South India under French Rule FROM FRANÇOIS MARTIN TO DUPLEIX 16741754 J. B. P. MORE MANOHAR First published 2021 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2021 J.B.P More and Manohar Publishers & Distributors The right of J.B.P More to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Print edition not for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan or Bhutan) British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record for this book has been requested ISBN: 978-0-367-64079-8 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-12206-7 (ebk) Typeset in Adobe Garamond Pro 11/13 by Manohar, Delhi 110 002 Contents List of Illustrations 7 Preface 9 Abbreviations 13 Introduction 15 1. Te French in Pondicherry: Early Phase 33 2. French Intolerance, 1706-1721 74 3. Pondicherry Develops and Expands 96 4. Expansion under Governor Benoist Dumas, 1735-1741 115 5. Governorship of Joseph François Dupleix: Early Phase 138 6. Rivalries in the Carnatic and the Capture of Madras 153 7. Siege of Pondicherry, 1748 and its Aftermath 167 8. Vedapuriswaran (Shiva) Temple Destruction and Related Events 180 9. Carnatic Wars, Promotion of Christianity and Senji Temple Destructions 194 10. Further Carnatic/Deccani Conflicts and Related Affairs 213 11. Decline of Dupleix 228 12. Conclusion 251 Bibliography 263 Index 285 Illustrations (between pp. 144-5) 1. Drawing of Dupleix of the 19th century 2. Dupleix, Governor of Pondicherry, 1742 3. Dupleix statue at Landrecies, France 4. Robert Clive 5. Mahé de La Bourdonnai 6. Dupleix statue in Pondicherry 7. Bussy Castelnau 8. Ananda Ranga Poullé, Diwan of Governor Dupleix 9. Nasir Jung, son of Nizam-ul-mulk 10. Pratap Singh of Tanjore 11. Mohammad Ali Khan Walajah, Nawab of Arcot, 1749-95 12. Plan of Pondicherry 13. Plan of Pondicherry, 1691 14. German Plan of Pondicherry of Prévost d'Exilés 15. Dutch Plan of Pondicherry 16. Carte des Indes Orientales 17. Engraving depicting the death of the Nawab of Carnatic, Anwaruddin Khan at Ambur 18. Image of Fort St. George, Madras, 1754 19. Raghoji Bhonsle, the Maratha General 20. Anwaruddin Khan, Nawab of Arcot, 1744-9 21. Nizam-ul-mulk, Asaf Jah I, Nizam of Hyderabad 22. Nasir Jung, son of Nizam-ul-mulk created in 1745 23. Nizam Nasir Jung being shot dead by a carabine on top of his elephant 24. Muzaffar Jung, successor of Nasir Jung as Soubab of Deccan created in the 18th century 8 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 25. Meeting of Dupleix with Muzaffar Jung, the Soubab of Deccan in Pondicherry 26. Portrait of Madame and Monsieur Dupleix, according to a miniature belonging to Madame la Marquise de Nazelle 27. Salabat Jung, Soubab of Deccan, successor of Muzaffar Jung created in 18th century Preface in , i wrote a book called From Arikamedu to the Foundation of Modern Pondicherry, the present work is a continuation of that volume. It is a study of French rule and the foundations of colonialism in Pondicherry and the parts of India that came under their control from the time François Martin established a French colony there up to the Governorship of Joseph François Dupleix, the flamboyant French Governor of Pondicherry. Te latter was promoted to the rank of mansabdar or local lord by the Mughal Emperor and to the rank of Marquis by the French king. Te governorship of Dupleix lasted for about thirteen years, from 1742 to 1754. In the year 2000, when I was working on my second book Freedom Movement in French India: Te Mahé Revolt of 1948, I had met and talked several times with Professor M.P. Sridharan at his residence in Kozhikode (Kerala), not only about the history of Mahé but also about the history of Pondicherry and French rule in India in general. It was he who asked me to take up the writing of the history of Pondicherry and French rule there, during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. He gave me some guidelines about how to proceed with the research, especially with regard to the sources. He was an inspiration for me not only to write my first book on Pondicherry, but also the present one. I am greatly indebted to him for that and it is really a privilege for me to dedicate this book to his memory. It is noteworthy that Professor M.P. Sridharan hailed originally from Mahé, a former French colony on the Malabar coast. Unfortunately I did not receive any help or advice for my research from any other scholar who has worked on the subject or some related subject, in spite of me approaching several of them quite earnestly. However, this has been largely compensated by the help rendered to me by the librarians and staff of the Bibliothèque Nationale of France, Paris, Institut des Langues et Civilisations Orientales, Paris, Archives Nationales, Paris, Archives d’Outre-mer, Aix en Provence, Ecole Française d’Extrême Orient Library and the Centre d’Etudes de l’Inde