Causes for the revolt:
i) The British brought the districts of Salem and Dindigul under their control.
ii) The status of the Raja of Thanjavur was reduced.
iii) The nawab of Arcot was to cede five districts to the British
iv) There was continuous opposition from the kings and chieftains which resulted in the revolt.
Grievances of the Indian soldiers:
i) The sepoys in the British Indian army nursed a strong sense of resentment over low salary and poor prospects of promotion
ii) The English army officers' scant respect for the social and religious sentiments of the Indian Sepoys also angered them.
The New army regulation :
i) The Indian soldiers were asked not to wear caste marks or ear rings when in uniform.
ii) They were to be cleanly shaven on the chin and maintain uniformity about how their moustache looked
iii) The new turban added fuel to fire.
Outbreak of the Revolt:
i) On 10 July 1806, in the early hours, the sepoys started the revolt.
ii) Colonel Fan Court, who commanded the garrison, was the first victim.
iii) Colonel Mekerras of the 23rd regiment was killed next.
iv) Major Armstrong was also killed.
v) About a dozen other officers were killed within an hour.
Gillespie's Brutality:
i) Major Cootes, who was outside the Fort, informed Colonel Gillespie, the cavalry commandant in Arcot
ii) Gillespie reached the fort along with a squadron of cavalry under the command of Captain Young at 9.00 am.
iii) In the meantime, the rebels proclaimed Fateh Hyder, Tipu's eldest son, as their new ruler and hoisted the tiger flag of Mysore sultans in the Fort.
iv) But the uprising was swiftly crushed by Col. Gillespie, who threw to winds all war ethics.
v) In the course of suppression, according to an eyewitness account, eight hundred soldiers were found dead in the fort alone
vi) Six hundred soldiers were kept in confinement in Tiruchirappalli and Vellore awaiting inquiry.
Consequences of Revolt :
i) Six of the rebels convicted by the Court of Enquiry were blown from the guns; five were shot dead, eight hanged.
ii) Tipu's sons were ordered to be sent to Calcutta.
iii) The officers and men engaged in the suppression of the revolt were rewarded with prize money and promotion
iv) Col. Gillespie was given 7,000 pagodas. However, the commander-in-chief Sir John Cradock, the Adjutant General Agnew and Governor William Bentinck were held responsible for the revolt, removed from their office, and recalled to England.
v) The military regulations were treated as withdrawn.
Estimate of Revolt :
i) The Vellore Revolt failed because there was no immediate help from outside.
ii) Recent studies show that the organising part of the revolt was done perfectly by Subedars Sheik Adam and Sheik Hamid and Jamedar Sheik Hussain of the 2nd battalion of 23rd regiment and two Subedars and the Jamedar Sheik Kasim of the 1st battalion of the 1st regiment.
iii) Vellore Revolt had all the forebodings of the Great Rebellion of 1857.
iv) The only difference was that there was no civil rebellion following the mutiny.
v) The 1806 revolt was not confined to Vellore Fort.
vi) It had its echoes in Bellary, Walajabad, Hyderabad, Bengaluru. Nandydurg and Sankaridurg.

(i) Velunachiyar's husband Muthu Vadugar was killed in the Kalaiyar Kovil battle.
(ii) Velunachiyar escaped with her daughter and lived under the protection of Gopala Nayaka at Virupachi near Dindigul for eight years.
(iii) During her period in hiding, Velunachiyar organised an army and succeeded in securing an alliance with Gopala Nayaka and Hyder Ali.
(iv) Dalavay Thadavarayanar wrote a letter to Sultan Hyder Ali on behalf of Velunachiyar asking for 5000 infantry and 5000 Cavalry to defeat the English.
(v) Velunachiyar explained in detail in Urdu all the problems she had with East India Company. 
(vi) She conveyed her strong determination to fight the English.
(vii) Impressed by her courage, Hyder Ali ordered his commandant Syed in Dindigul fort to provide the required military assistance.
(viii) Velunachiyar employed agents for gathering intelligence to find where the British had stored their ammunition.
(ix) With the help of Gopala Nayaka and Hyder Ali she recaptured Sivagangai.
(x) She was crowned as Queen with the help of Marudhu brothers.
(xi) She was the first female ruler or queen to resist the British Colonial power in India.

Gillespie's Brutality :
(i) Major Cootes, who was outside the Fort, informed Colonel Gillespie, the cavalry commandant in Arcot.
(ii) Gillespie reached the fort along with a squadron of cavalry under the command of Captain Young at 9.00 am.
(iii) In the meantime, the rebels proclaimed Fateh Hyder, Tipu's eldest son, as their new ruler and hoisted the tiger flag of Mysore sultans in the Fort
(iv) But the uprising was swiftly crushed by Col. Gillespie, who threw to winds all war ethics.
(v) In the course of suppression, according to an eyewitness account, eight hundred soldiers were found dead in the fort alone.
(vi) Six hundred soldiers were kept in confinement in Tiruchirappalli and Vellore awaiting Inquiry.

(i) Chinnamalai was involved in resolving family and land disputes in the Kongu region.
(ii) As this region was under the control of the Mysore Sultan, tax was collected by Tipu's Diwan Mohammed Ali.
(iii) Once, when the Diwan was returning to Mysore with the tax money, Theerthagiri blocked his way and confiscated all the tax money.
(iv) He let Mohammed Ali go by instructing him to tell his Sultan that "Chinnamalai", who is between Sivamalai and Chennimalai, was the one who took away taxes. Thus he gained the name "Dheeran Chinnamalai"
(v) The offended Diwan sent a contingent to attack Chinnamalai and both the forces met and fought at the Noyyal river bed. Chinnamalai emerged victorious.
(vi) After Tipus death Dheeran Chinnamalai built a fort and fought the British without leaving the place. Hence the place is called Odanilai. He launched guerrilla attacks t and evaded capture.
(vii) Finally the English captured him and his brothers and kept them in prison in Sankagiri.
(viii) When they were asked to accept the rule of the British, they refused. So they were hanged at the top of the Sankagiri Fort on 31 July 1805.