Tirurangadi taluk office was Khilafat govt’s headquarters
The building premises also has the graves of British soldiers who had laid down their lives
By : harigovind
Update: 2014-11-15 04:22 GMT
KOZHIKODE: The historically old town of Tirurangadi in Malappuram has its own important position in the Indian freedom struggle. The town, which was the capital of Cheranad taluk under the British Raj, was the epicenter of the Khilafat movement and Malabar Rebellion (Moplah revolt) in 1921. The Tirurangadi Taluk office, which was once the Hajur Kacheri (Huzur Office) under the British, was one of the major administrative centres of the British government in Malabar region. The building also functioned as the headquarters of a short-lived Khilafat government during the rebellion.
According to historians, there was a fort of Tipu Sultan situated opposite the Hajur Kacheri. In the 1780’s and 1790’s, the British defeated the Mysore Army at Tirurangadi and after the treaty of Srirangapatnam in 1791, the British took control of Tirurangadi and demolished the fort. It is said that the bricks and stones from the demolished fort were used for building Hajur Kacheri. The police station, offices of deputy tehsildar and sub registrar, post office and travelers’ bungalow functioned at this building.
“During the Moplah revolt, the Khilafat captured and turned the building into their administrative headquarters where they had the court, administrative section and even the office for the issuance of passports,” says local journalist Latheef Kodinhi.
The building premises also has the graves of British soldiers who had laid down their lives in the 1921 Moplah Revolt including the tombstone of W.J.D Rowley, a 28-year-old Assistant Superintendent of Police of Palakkad, in front of the Taluk office.
Though the building is under the Archaeological department, the taluk office is still functioning. The state government is planning to declare it as a district heritage site and to convert it into a museum.