Pollilur Battlefield Site (1780)
India
Pollilur / Pullalur war memorial obelisks, Purisai–Pullalur Road, Tamil Nadu, India
MONUMENT
VISITOR INFORMATION
Distinguish the 1780 defeat from the second Pollilur battle in 1781. Depictions of the battle at Srirangapatna are interpretation elsewhere. Map point reviewed October 3, 2026: Pin represents the George Brown and James Hislop obelisks at Pullalur. A firsthand heritage visit supplies a monument map link matching the mapped memorial, and the photographed inscriptions date the commemorated deaths to August 27, 1781. These are nearby references for the 1780 battle, not 1780 memorials or proof of its exact battlefield footprint. Check access to the surrounding agricultural land. Visitor information reviewed October 3, 2026: The retained visitor references commemorate the later 1781 battle. Approach across surrounding land and current public access require local confirmation. No parking or toilets were verified; do not infer a grave classification from the obelisk form.
Visitor amenities reviewed October 3, 2026: No confirmed information was found for visitor parking and public restrooms. The NO entries reflect unverified provision, rather than confirmed absence. Check locally before relying on facilities.
The monument stands in a rural historic landscape rather than at a staffed visitor attraction. Access may depend on local paths and land conditions; confirm current public access before visiting, and expect no regular ticket office. No current admission tariff or fixed visitor schedule has been verified; obtain any necessary landowner permission.
Peak visitation season unconfirmed. No reliable site-specific monthly attendance pattern was established.
January-February is a provisional cooler, generally drier window after arranging an authorized battlefield-context visit. Confirm the intended Pollilur location and local access first.
HISTORIC SITES NEARBY
Nearby Historic Sites
miles
Landmark
WHO WAS HERE
0
PEOPLE WHO LIVED HERE
About Pollilur Battlefield Site (1780)
Pollilur, also called Pullalur or Pollilore, was the setting of a major defeat of William Baillie’s East India Company force by Mysore in September 1780. The battle belongs to the Second Anglo-Mysore War. Nearby obelisks commemorate a different action in 1781 and serve only as later military heritage references.
The mapped point represents memorial obelisks to George Brown and James Hislop near Pullalur. A public entrance and complete footprint for the earlier battlefield remain unverified, and the surrounding agricultural landscape should not be treated as a managed battlefield park.
History happened here at Pollilur Battlefield Site (1780)
Hyder Ali’s forces confronted the East India Company during the Second Anglo-Mysore War. In September 1780, Baillie’s column suffered a decisive defeat at Pollilur, placing the British position in the Carnatic under severe pressure. The campaign was one part of the international conflict unfolding during the American Revolution.
Military collections and accounts preserve evidence of the defeat, including ammunition associated with the battle. Later fighting in the same area produced memorials that can easily be confused with the 1780 action. Keeping the two episodes separate is essential both for historical chronology and for interpreting the monuments used as the modern visitor reference.
PEOPLE WHO DIED HERE
PEOPLE AT REST HERE
EXTERNAL LINKS
Research reviewed October 3, 2026. Event IDs 41b33424-51ef-4528-a614-072730918693; Events Latest 10PM.csv rows 159.
https://wiki.fibis.org/w/Battle_of_Pollilore_1780
Map location reviewed October 3, 2026. Pin represents the George Brown and James Hislop obelisks at Pullalur. A firsthand heritage visit supplies a monument map link matching the mapped memorial, and the photographed inscriptions date the commemorated deaths to August 27, 1781. These are nearby references for the 1780 battle, not 1780 memorials or proof of its exact battlefield footprint. Check access to the surrounding agricultural land. Map geometry © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
https://veludharan.blogspot.com/2022/11/battle-of-pullalur-mysore-war-monuments.html
https://www.bacsa.org.uk/history-of-obelisk-shaped-tombstones/
https://archive.madrasmusings.com/Vol%2019%20No%2013/otherstories.html
https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/10054391217
https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright
Visitor classification and amenities reviewed October 3, 2026. Destination: Brown and Hislop obelisks near Pullalur, later 1781 battle memorials.
Prose batch 3 researched October 3, 2026. Fast pass; proofing pending. Museum object page could not be refreshed. Use September 1780 pending proof of precise day. Brown/Hislop obelisks commemorate August 27, 1781, not this battle.