Option c is the correct answer Polygars were influential local chieftains in South India during the pre-colonial and early colonial era. As territorial administrative and military governors, they governed specific regions, controlling revenue, law, and armed forces. They supported local kings or imperial powers and became semi-autonomous after the decline of the Vijayanagara Empire. They ruled regions under Nayaka rulers of Madurai and Thanjavur, governing revenue, law, and armed forces. The British East India Company encountered and subdued them during colonial expansion. Important Tips Polygar Rebellions (1799-1805) Polygars were feudal lords in parts of Southern India, appointed as military chiefs and governors by the Vijayanagara Empire. They collected taxes from cultivators, but conflicts arose with the East India Company over tax collection and control. The First Polygar War (1799) began in Tirunelveli district led by Kattabomma Nayak of Panchalankurichi Palayam, who resisted British suzerainty and taxation for 7 years. Kattabomman was caught, publicly hanged, and the rebellion was suppressed. The Second Polygar War (1800-1801), also known as the South Indian Rebellion, involved a broader coalition of Polygars from different regions. Marudu Pandian, Dheeran Chinnamalai, Gopala Nayak, Krishnappa Nayak, Dhoondaji, and Pazhassi Raja Kerala Varma were part of the confederacy. British took over direct control of Tamil Nadu through the Carnatic Treaty of 1801, ending the authority of the Polygars.