Re-enacting the Battle of Adyar

The Battle of Adyar, was a milestone in Indian military history, said Captain D P Ramachandran, Founder and Managing Trustee of the organisation. “It was a litmus test for the sepoy levy system the French experimented with and was later emulated by the British on a much larger scale that ultimately led to the creation of the Indian Army,” said the former military man. 

Madras had been a British trading post since a hundred years, when the Pondicherry-based French attacked and captured it in September 1746, following the outbreak of the Anglo-French War in Europe. The Nawab of Arcot, to whom the French promised to hand over Madras but failed to do so, launched an attack. 

The French sought reinforcements from Pondicherry and a force of 1,000 men (700 Indian sepoys and 300 Europeans) landed at Thiruvammiyur Beach on the morning of October 24. The force came up against a 10,000-strong force the Nawab had deployed on the northern bank of Adyar Estuary. 

The Nawab’s army, overwhelmingly superior in numbers but untrained and undisciplined, broke and fled the battlefield. The re-enactment will take place at 6 30 am on April 16 on the coastal strip between Elliot’s Beach and Adyar estuary. 

Capt Ramachandran said that they wanted to showcase a part of the military history that happened on our soil. “Though the battle was brief, it had an enormous impact. We are doing a re-enactment with 50 NCC cadets and a heritage walk, tracing the movement of the troops,” concluded Capt Ramachandran.