After the death of the Kodagu king, Lingaraja I in 1780 AD, Hyder Ali took control of Kodagu under the pretext of being a guardian to Lingaraja's three sons, Dodda Vira Rajendra, Linga Rajendra and Appanna, who were of tender age.B. N. Sri Sathyan (1965), p65 The princes were sent to reside in a fort at Gorur in Hassan district, and a garrison was stationed at Mercara (capital of Kodagu). A minister, Amaldar Subbarasaya, who was formerly a Karnika (treasurer) of the Kodagu Raja, was appointed to look after the administration of Kodagu. The people and nobles of Kodagu were greatly alarmed at the takeover of Kodagu by Hyder Ali. They suspected that Hyder Ali had evil intentions with regard to the young princes and the royal family, and that he would treat them the same way as he was treating the Wodeyar royal family of neighbouring Mysore, which also had been taken over in the same way by Hyder Ali, as guardian of an underage prince. Rebellion therefore began to brew against Hyder Ali among the Kodava nobility, and the opportunity came two years later, in 1782. At that time, Hyder Ali was busy fighting against the British, and the Kodava nobility managed to throw the garrison out of Kodagu and proclaim their independence. However, the underage princes could not be rescued from the custody of Hyder Ali and continued to reside under his "protection" in Gorur fort.
