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The rulers of Travancore Kingdom A trip down the annals of History

July 15, 2021 at 10:49 pm by Editorial
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Anupama Nair

www.mediaeyenews.com

India is home to the greatest Royal kingdoms in the world. Our great kings and queens were famous for their bravery and the way they took care of their subjects. I was born in a city called Trivandrum, the capital of the southern-most Princely state – Travancore, now one of the richest and famous kingdoms after treasures were found in the Sri Padmanabha Swami Temple a few years ago. I  am so proud of the great city I was born in. Unfortunately, I was born, not when the great Royal family was ruling, but the state government. All I could see were glimpses of the Royal family – Zoo, Observatory, Public Library, Hospitals all built by the Kings and Queens, so I should be forgiven for thinking that we were still ruled by royalty when I was a child. I was shocked in 4th Grade when the teacher taught about democracy as I grew up hearing stories of Rani Lakshmi Bai, Maharana Pratap, Shivaji Maharaj, Prithviraj Chauhan, and others who were buried in the annals of history.

 I was so excited when I saw His Royal Highness Chittira Tirunal Bala Rama Varma, who was the last ruler of the great kingdom in the Trivandrum airport. My heart swells with pride when I think about the great kingdom and my city Trivandrum.  The Travancore Royal family was ruling the kingdom of Travancore. Unfortunately, they lost their ruling rights in 1949 when Travancore merged with India and their remaining rights were abolished in 1971. I am now going to talk about the history of the kingdom. Did you know Kanya Kumari was once part of this great kingdom?

It is believed that the founders of the Travancore Royal family were not original inhabitants of Travancore but from the banks of the Narmada river. It was also said that Parashuram himself was crowned the first official ruler of the dynasty. His Royal Highness Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma was known as the founder of the great kingdom in 1729 and ruled till his death in 1758. His greatest achievement was the defeat of the Dutch army in 1741. He then adopted a “European model of discipline” for his army and expanded his kingdom northward to what became the modern state of Travancore. Under his rule, Trivandrum became a prominent city. He undertook many irrigational works, built roads and canals, and encouraged foreign trade. In January 1750, Marthanda Varma decided to "donate his kingdom to Sri Padmanabha and thereafter rule as the deity's regent” and came to be called Sri Padmanabha Dasan. Even today, the descendant of the family calls himself or herself Sri Padmanabha Dasan or Sri Padmanabha Dasi.

The Travancore kingdom followed the Matrilineal Succession, where instead of the King’s son, it was the sister’s son or daughter who is the successor. He was succeeded by his nephew Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma or Dharma Raja as he was the follower of Dharma. He ruled at a time when the great kingdom of Mysore was ruled by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan. Tipu and his forces reached the Nedumkotta Line which protected Travancore’s northern frontier and launched an attack on December 1789. However, a smaller army of Travancore managed to, change the course of history, by opening fire on the 14,000 Mysore infantry from a close cover, that killed the Mysorean officer leading a bayonet charge. Apart from his famous stint of warfare against Tipu in which his forces remained as the only one which was not completely defeated by Tipu at any place, the Maharaja is also famous for his reform works which led to Travancore being one of the most developed states in India, during independence. Dharma Raja was one of the very few rulers of that time who gave importance to science and technology for the development of his state. Communications were opened to facilitate trade and business in the state. The capital Trivandrum was developed and infrastructure like bridges and other public works such as canals for irrigation were constructed. Bazaars and shopping centers were started for the benefit of the people.

He was succeeded by Avittom Thirunal Bala Rama Varma and then Maharani Gowri Lakshmi Bai. She died when her son one of the greatest kings of Travancore — His Royal Highness Swati Tirunal Rama Varma was a child. Her sister Rani  Gowri Parvati Bai became the regent. Words fail me when I think of the greatness of  Swati Tirunal. The famous poet Iriyamman Thampy wrote the most famous Malayalam lullaby “Omana Thingal Kidavo nalla”, about Swati Tirunal, when he was born.

He is also considered a brilliant music composer and is credited with over 400 classical compositions in both Carnatic and Hindustani styles. He was deeply interested in music right from childhood. Besides being an able ruler, he was a patron of music and was a musician himself.  He learned music by listening to accomplished musicians and practicing himself. Some of his favorite compositions were Chaliye Kunjan mo, Parama Purusha Jagadishwara, Bhavayami, Kripaya Palaya Shower, and the list goes on… He was fluent in several languages including Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Bengali, Oriya, and English. It is said, he argued with a British officer Colonel Welsh that the word geometry originated from the Sanskrit word “jyomati” or the study of the earth.

He was interested in astronomy and he wished to compare Western findings with Indian findings. Swati Tirunal set up the Royal Observatory in Trivandrum. One of its directors was his cousin Raja Rama Varma Rohini Thirunal, Prince of the Mavelikara Palace, who was an established astronomer and a member of the British and Canadian Astronomical Societies.  The Trivandrum Zoo was also set up by him.

 He introduced modern medicine to the kingdom. He appointed a European as the palace physician. He was also given the responsibility of providing medical assistance to local people, for which hospitals were started. The Trivandrum Public Library was also set up by him. He set up the first English school in Trivandrum. The Maharaja also put an end to the barbaric punishment called the “Suchindram Kaimukku” where the accused was forced to prove his innocence by dipping his hand in boiled ghee at Suchindram Temple, and he was punished if the hand was burnt. He is also credited with starting the first government press in the kingdom.

Unfortunately, he died at a young age and his brother Uthradam Thirunal Marthanda Varma became the next king. His successors were Ayiliyam Thirunal Rama Varma, Vishakam Thirunal Rama Varma, and Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma. Then came one of the greatest kings His Royal Highness Chittira Tirunal Bala Rama Varma. I will tell you about his rule, the Padmanabha Swami Temple and the recent controversy and how thankfully the Royal Family won, and many more facts about the kingdom. Seeing the developments made by the rulers of the Travancore kingdom, what did the government after Independence do?

(to be continued……)

 

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There are 51 comments

  1. Kartik Nair |

    Great article Anu. Your true love for history shows in this article. Finally you are doing something you truly love.

    Reply
  6. Krishna k |

    Very informative. Collecting such historical ingormation is very difficult. I found very useful. Thanks gor the suthor to present it in very nicely. All the best for her guyure articles

    Reply
  7. Krishna k |

    Very informative. Collecting such historical ingormation is very difficult. I found very useful. Thanks gor the suthor to present it in very nicely. All the best for her guyure articles

    Reply

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