poligar

Indian chieftain

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July 1, 2026

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A poligar was a subordinate feudal chief in the former Madras Presidency of India. These chiefs held districts known as pollams in feudal tenure. This system was feudalistic and could lead to the creation of quasi-independent baronies, potentially weakening central authority.123

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India
The south: Travancore and Mysore
…by local chiefs, the so-called poligars. More crucial was the fact that by the 1770s Mysore faced a formidable military adversary in the form of the English East India Company, which did not allow it any breathing room. It was the English who denied Mysore access to the relatively rich…
Read More
…by local chiefs, the so-called poligars. More crucial was the fact that by the 1770s Mysore faced a formidable military adversary in the form of the English East India Company, which did not allow it any breathing room. It was the English who denied Mysore access to the relatively rich…
Read More