light of the above points, it will not be far-fetched to believe that Chetti who guided Company troops to Raja's hideout mentioned by Baber in his letter could be a servant or agent of Pazhayamviden Chandu. On 30 November 1805, Raja and retainers were camped close to Karnataka on the shore of a stream named Mavila or Mavila Tod [not far from Pulpally]. Raja and party were caught by surprise and an intense but short fight followed. Six rebels were killed. One of the earliest rebels to be killed was Pazhassi Raja. But evidently, wounded Raja did live long enough for a few more minutes to raise his loaded gun and then tell Canara Menon, an East India Company minor official, not to come too close to his dying body and pollute it. Raja's contempt and sarcasm for a man who chose to serve unclean foreigner are evident. But it also showed his uncompromising stand towards collaborators and foreign invaders. The precise nature of Raja's death is controversial. Folklore insists that he committed suicide by swallowing a diamond ring to avoid capture after he was wounded but Baber says he was killed by a clerk named Canara Menon. W. J. Wilson, who wrote on the history of the Madras Regiment, credits Captain Clafam and his six sepoys for killing. This third version is more likely as Baber was not on good terms with military authority throughout the war. He is alleged to have credited Menon so as to deny credit to Clafam and his superior Colonel Hill. Kunjani, the wife of Raja who was taken the prisoner, committed suicide in captivity at Kappanaveedu, near Thalassery. As reprisal on his family, property was confiscated and the palace at Pazhassi was demolished and replaced with a highway. The sorry state of his family aroused sympathy in local Thiyyas, who were loyal followers and built a new house for his family. Assessment Descriptive account of Pazhassi Raja as early as 1775 confirm his later day image as a courageous warrior committed to the freedom of his country. Walter Ivor, a member of Court of Directors, who had taken part in negotiations with Pazhassi Raja in 1797 notes that Company losses that year in Cotiote War exceeded their losses in Third Anglo-Mysore War. War waged by Pazhassi Raja was the longest insurgency against the Company in Indian history and forest warfare waged by Raja