at exorbitant prices . The negotiations with the Travancore the king Maharaja Marthanda Varma was futile, and it was decided to use military pressure against him. In the 1730s, prior to the Battle of Colachel and the arrival of De Lannoy, Maharaja Marthanda Varma had annexed some territories to the north of his Kingdom and was also at confrontation with Kayamkulam. The Dutch Governor at Cochin, M.A. Maten, took sides with the Maharaja’s adversaries. This put the Dutch on a direct confrontation course with Marthanda Varma. Marthanda warma was bent on annexing Kayamkulam which would become futile for the Dutch company. During a visit to Cochin in 1739, the Dutch Governor of Ceylon, Gustaaf Willem van Imhoff, made a report to his government on the interferences of the Maharaja in the affairs of the smaller Malabar kingdoms. The subsequent year, the Governor gave a direct warning to the Maharaja, threatening an invasion of Travancore territories. In 1741, the Dutch also restored to the throne, the young princess of Elayadathu Swarupam who had been deposed by the Maharaja. When this came to the knowledge of the Maharaja, he attacked the Elayadathu Princess and the Dutch. The Dutch were defeated and the Princess fled to Cochin. Maharaja Marthanda Varma also attacked and captured the Dutch forts in Travancore. The Dutch now planned for an attack on Travancore. They called for reinforcements from the Dutch settlements in Ceylon. Thus, Eustachius De Lannoy and his Dutch naval expedition went on a mission to defeat the Maharaja and take over his territories. His forces landed near Colachel, at Thengapattanam, Midalam and Kadiapattinam. At this time, Marthanda Varma and the main part of his army were away in the northern territories. The battle The Dutch forces initially took over the lands from Colachel to Kottar (in present-day Nagercoil). Their next aim was to proceed to capture Padmanabhapuram, the capital. But soon the Travancore forces arrived from the North under the direct command of Marthanda Varma and his minister, Ramayyan Dalawa. and commander of the Travancore army, Anantha Padmanabhan, The two forces met at Colachel on 10 August 1741 (O.S. 31 July 1741). De Lannoy's military contingent was superior in that, it had firearms and artillery and was better equipped and trained, but was no match to the tactics and aggressiveness used by the Travancore forces at the Battle of Colachel. Legends states that a tiny spark