Thiyyar Regiment
| Thiyyar Regiment തീയ്യർ പട്ടാളം | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Presidency of Madras Presidency | |||||||||
| unknown–1950 | |||||||||
Flag | |||||||||
Thalassery Kotta | |||||||||
| Historical era | New Imperialism | ||||||||
• The Agency of Fort St George at Madraspatnam becomes the Madras Presidency | unknown | ||||||||
| 16 March 1950 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
The Thiyyar Regiment was a military class created by British Empire that provided thousands of Thiyyar community members from North Malabar (mostly in Kannur district) for the British Indian Army. The Regiment was based in Thalassery, chosen because it was a strategic center in Malabar. There were many Thiyyar people who held the posts of subedar and jemendhar in the local militia under the East India Company. Jemadhar were considered the high and responsible post. The first person to occupy this highest rank and post in British Indian army under the Thiyya regimen was Ayyathan Chandhoman Jemadhar. He was a strong personality who had led many wars while in the regiment who got promoted and retired as the Subedar Major. He was the great-granduncle to Dr.Ayyathan Gopalan a renowned renaissance leader and social reformer of Kerala. There were lesser known Thiyya regiments and Thiyyar Pattalam formed by the French and British governments in Mahe and Thalassery. The British deployed the unit in various military operations.
The letter of the government of Madras in October (1932) throws light on the fact about the Thiyyar regiment in malabar early.