A decisive East India Company victory over Hyder Ali that expelled Mysore forces from the Carnatic during the Second Anglo-Mysore War.
Key Facts
- Date
- 27 September 1781
- Distance from Madras
- 80 kilometres (50 miles) west
- Battle honour year
- 1889 (Gazette of India No 378)
- Units awarded honour
- 15 units, 7 still in existence
- Conflict
- Second Anglo-Mysore War
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Second Anglo-Mysore War pitted the Kingdom of Mysore under Hyder Ali against the British East India Company for control of southern India. Hyder Ali's forces had advanced into the Carnatic region, threatening Company interests and prompting General Eyre Coote to lead a countervailing campaign.
On 27 September 1781, at Sholinghur roughly 80 kilometres west of Madras, General Eyre Coote's East India Company forces caught Hyder Ali's Mysore army by surprise. The Company forces pressed the advantage and engaged the Mysorean troops in a pitched battle on the ground near the town.
Hyder Ali's forces suffered heavy casualties and were expelled from the Carnatic, marking a significant setback for Mysore in the Second Anglo-Mysore War. The battle was later commemorated with a battle honour awarded to fifteen British Indian Army units, though it is today regarded as one of the more controversial such honours.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
General Eyre Coote.
Side B
1 belligerent
Hyder Ali.