Shamaiya Iyengar (Shyama Iyengar) popularly known as Anche Shamaiya, son of varadaraja Iyengar, dewan of Krishna Raja Wadiyar II (varad-rao) and grandson of Vasudeva Iyengar(A great Sanskrit scholar), was the minister of the police and the post office (also served as the intelligence department) during the time of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan. He was originally from Sulikunte in Kolar district of Karnataka (also known as Sulkunte), near Budikote in Bangarpet. Although it is said he was born in shambonahali or shamaiahhalli after his name sake (source: Mysore State Gazetteer) in the tumkur district, his ancestors had migrated by then to sulikunte(sulakunte) agrahara formerly known as soolikere village in Kolar district from tumkur. Shamaih and his ancestors were also religious gurus to what Lt Col Kirkpatrick refers to as the brinjara people's( most likely the people of the vanniyar caste) and they were influential in defending shamaiah against British allegations.
Shamaiya had met Hyder when he was a young man. He rose to the height of his power when he was appointed as the head of the post office and police which also served many other functions (Anche Guritana) in 1776 (Some historians put this date at 1779) after helping catch a corrupt official in hiding who had run off with significant money from the state treasury who is referred to as tremalrao. It is said he used his agents and network of emissaries to track him down and bring him back to face justice.
He was honoured with an umbrella, medal, pearl necklace, received 5000 varahas as reward and 1000 varahas as allowance from Hyder Ali. Shamaiah enjoyed great success as an all round administrator during the time of Hyder. It was said that shamaiah was so trusted and an important figure that all courtiers except shamaiah were to compulsorily attend Tippoos wedding. Shamaih was left free to look after the affairs of the state even when the most important nobles and administrators were forced to attend the wedding. Shamaih was the only Hindu allowed to wear the mohammeden elite noble green headdresss and ride on a palanquin during the time of Hyder.
Later in Tipu sultan's time an alleged insurrection to overthrow Tipu and re establish the Hindu king was plotted around 1783. Shamaiya was believed to be the leader of the insurrection. Although some sources suggest it was a simple misunderstanding over some lost jewels and money which was given the spin of a coup. Many alleged conspirators were put to death instantly, it is not known why Shamaiya did not suffer the same fate. It is believed that Tipu ordered him to be put in heavy iron's and was occasionally fed on a low diet, flogged publicly with chilli powder applied to his back and later blinded, suspecting political conspiracy. Shamiaya and his brother Rangaiya persisted to their last in denying any involvement in the insurrection. Shamaiya was extremely popular and got along with all communities and all parties so well that Tipu kept him imprisoned instead of executing shamaih.
Tipus Sanad in 1783 mentioning Shamaiah as Anche Shamaiya, to provoke divisions between the tenkalai sect mandyam iyengars and vadakalai parakala mutt members.
Extract from Sannad of Nawab Tippu Sultan Bahadur of
Mysore (15 th September 1783 A.D.).
“The ‘Nirup ’ is addressed to Kuppaiya, Deva-
sthanada-Sime-Parupatyagar or manager of the department of temples in the State to the system of reciting invocatory verses in the temple at Melukote (see above). It is stated in this nirup that Anche Shamaiya (an officer under Tlpu) was violating the old usage in the temple at Melukote regarding the use of invocatory verses and it was now ordained that both forms of invocation which begin with “Ramanuja-dayapatra” and “Srisailesha-daya- patra” might be used. Further the Parupatyadar was ordered to be fair to both the sects of Vadagalai and Tenkale (which used the above invocations) and to remove the image of Pillai Lokacharya (a saint of the Tenkalai sect) to its original place at Melukote and to take the God in procession to Kesavaswami mantapa and other mantapas and distribute tirtha (sacred water) and prasada consecrated food offered to God during the Tirunakshatra and conduct the services with zeal in the usual manner.”
Around 700 mandyam iyengars of the bharadwaja gotra, including men women and children were massacred in large numbers near the same period. They were hung in a tamarind grove near the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangapattinam. It is assumed that shamaih and the excuse of a coup was used to persecute a peoples that had resisted the jiYa tax and who had kept their loyayies to their old masters (The wodeyar dynasty)