Thiruvithamcoore
Kingdom of Travancore Kingdom of Travancore (also known as Thiruvithamkoor) is a Nair Kingdom. It was a former princely state in the Indian subcontinent, with its capital at Trivandrum (now Thiruvananthapuram) ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. It comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, the Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of Tamil Nadu. Its ruler was accorded a 19-gun salute by the British Empire. Maharaja Marthanda Varma is usually credited as the founder of "modern Travancore". The state's flag was red with a silver, dextrally-coiled, sacred conch shell (Turbinella pyrum). After India's independence in 1947, Travancore and the princely state of Cochin merged on 1 July 1949 to form the Indian state of Travancore-Cochin. Later Travancore-Cochin joined with the Malabar district of the Madras State (modern day Tamil Nadu), on 1 November 1956, to form the Indian state of Kerala. The last Maharajah was Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma and the last Dewan was PGN Unnithan.
Geography
Travancore was located in present day southern Kerala. The rulers of this state were named Sree Padmanabhadasan - servant of the Deity, Padmanabha Swamy, an aspect of Lord Vishnu. The former Kingdom's geography is defined by three natural terrains - a coastal area to the west, a midland in the centre and mountain peaks as high as 9,000 feet on the east.
Known history of Travancore
Early recorded history
Kerala in 15th century
The region was ruled by the Tamil Ay' Dynasty during the Sangam age (c. 300 BC – 600 AD) with the capital at Nelkinda or Nelcynda near present day Thiruvalla, as mentioned by Plini who visited the Kerala region in the first century AD, under the suzerainty of the Madurai Pandyan Dynasty. The Union of Patriarchal Tamil Venad (Kollam) rulers with the Ay Dynasty around 1100 AD. formed the Venad kingdom. After the invasion of Malik Kafur in 1310 the Tamil Venad kings accepted Matriarchy in 1314s, thus ceding their authority to two Matriarchal Princesses from the house of Kolathiris in Northern Kerala.
18th century
The rulers of Travancore were Malayala Kshatriyas belonging to the Samanthan Nair caste. The Samanthan Nairs (Nambiars, Adiyodees, Pillai, Kurups etc) followed a Matrilineal system of inheritance known as Marumakkathayam.
The history of modern Travancore begins with Marthanda Varma who inherited the Kingdom of Venad, and expanded it into Travancore during his reign 1729– 1758. Padmanabhapuram near Nagercoil of Kanyakumari District was the capital of Travancore before the shifting of the capital to Thiruvananthapuram.
Maharajah Marthanda Varma
Marthanda Varma was a powerful ruler who expanded the Kingdom from Kanyakumari in the South to Idappally in the North. He signed a treaty with the British East India company and with their help destroyed the power of the eight feudal land lords (Ettuveetil Pillamar) and the Ettara Yogam who supported the Thampi sons of the previous King Rajah Rama Varma, Travancore Royal Family followed the Nair "Marumakkathayam" system, so inheritance went to the sister's children, instead of the children of the king. In successive battles, he defeated and absorbed the Kingdoms right up to Cochin including Attingal, Kollam, Kayamkulam, Kottarakara, Kottayam, Changanassery, Meenachil, Poonjar and Ambalapuzha. He succeeded in defeating the Dutch East India Company during the Travancore–Dutch war (1739–1753), the most decisive engagement of which was the Battle of Colachel (10 August 1741) in which the Dutch Admiral Eustachius De Lannoy was captured. On January 3, 1750 AD, (Makaram 5, 925 M.E.), he dedicated his Kingdom to his tutelary deity Sri. Padmanabha (Lord Vishnu) of Trivandrum (the Trippadidaanam) and from then on the rulers of Travancore ruled the Kingdom as the servants of Sri Padmanabha (Padmnabhadasan). In 1753 AD, the Dutch signed a peace treaty with the Maharajah. With the battle of Ambalapuzha (3 January 1754) in which he defeated the union of the deposed Kings and the Raja of Cochin, Marthanda Varma crushed all opposition to his rule. In 1757 AD, a treaty was concluded between Travancore and Cochin, ensuring peace and stability on the Northern border. He organised the tax system and constructed many irrigation works. Admiral Eustachius De Lannoy, who was captured as a Prisoner of war in the famous Battle of Colachel was appointed as the Senior Admiral (Valiya kappithan) and he modernized the Travancore army by introducing firearms and artillery. Ayyappan Marthanda Pillai served as the "Sarvadi Karykar" (Head of the Army Nair pattalam). Marthanda Varma introduced titles such as Chempaka Raman and honours such as Ettarayum Koppum to honour the Lords and his relatives who had remained faithful to him during his problems with the Ettuveetil Pillamar. His able minister during his entire military career was Ramayyan Dalawa.
Dharma Raja
His successor Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma who was popularly known as Dharma Raja, shifted the capital in 1795 from Padmanabhapuram to Thiruvananthapuram. Rama Varma's period is considered as a golden age in the history of Travancore. He not only retained the territorial gains of his predecessor Marthanda Varma, but also improved and encouraged social developments. He was greatly assisted by a very efficient administrator, Raja Kesavadas Pillai, who was the Diwan of Travancore.
Maharajah Karthika Thirunal Dharma Raja
During his reign, Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore attacked Travancore in 1789. Dharma Raja had refused to hand over the refugees from the Mysorean occupation of Malabar, who had been given asylum in Travancore. The Sultan entered Cochin from Coimbatore in November 1789 and reached Trichur in December. He attacked the Travancore Lines on the 29th of December 1789, but was unable to break through the Nedumkotta till 15 April 1790. Tipu then captured the forts of Cranganore, Kuriyappalli and Pallipuram. The Mysorean army then camped at Alwaye when the monsoon broke hampering Tipu's plans. Even though local legends state that the Travancore commander blew up a dam causing flash flood that engulfed Tipus's army, contemporary Indian and European historians as well as later historians like Prof. Sreedhara Menon, Prof. Elankom and Prof. Joseph have not mentioned this incident. At Aluva, Tippu fell into a trench and became lame. In the confusion during the fighting, he also lost his sword. There, he was informed that the English East India Company's army was marching on Seringapatam and so he took the decision to withdraw from the area. Following this development, the Zamorin and the Cochin Raja declared themselves to be in favour of the English and the destruction of the Mysore authority all over Kerala was complete
Balarama Varma
On his death in 1798, Balarama Varma took over at the age of sixteen. The divan or prime ministers started taking control of the kingdom beginning with Velu Thampi who was appointed the divan following the dismissal of Jayanthan Sankaran Namboothiri. Initially, Velu Thampi and the English East India Company got along very well. A section of the Travancore army mutinied in AD 1805 against Velu Thampi and Thampi sought refuge with the British Resident and later used British troops to crush the mutiny. Velu Thampi also played a key role in renegotiating a new treaty with the English East India Company. However, the demands by the Company for the payment of compensation for their involvement in the 1791 Travancore-Mysore war on behalf of Travancore, led to tension between the Diwan and the Resident. Velu Thampi and the diwan of Cochin, Paliath Achan, declared war on the Company.
Residence of the Maharaja of Travancore at Thevalli in Quilon
The maharajahs of both kingdoms did not support the war openly. Initially, the allies were successful and on December 18, 1808, the allied forces stormed the Residents house in Cochin. Male British prisoners of war were executed by drowning, though the ladies were escorted to Company's lines in Cochin, since it was against the "maryadha" (code of conduct) to harm women. The situation changed when an assault on Cochin itself by the allies on January 19, 1809 was forced back with heavy allied losses. Col. Leger led an army of the East India Company's soldiers through the Aramboli Ghat and occupied the forts of Udayagiri and Padmanabhapuram on February 19, 1809. Following this development, the Maharajah of Travancore who till then had refused to take any open part in the fight, turned against Velu Thampi.
Adoption Durbar, Trivandrum
The Companys forces defeated Paliath Achan in Cochin on February 27, 1809. Paliath Achan surrendered to the British and was exiled to Madras and later to Benaras. The Company defeated Velu Thampi at battles near Nagercoil and Kollam and inflicted heavy casualties on his army, following which many of his supporters deserted and went back to their homes. The allied Companys army and the maharajah's soldiers camped in Pappanamcode, just outside Trivandrum. Velu Thampi organised a guerilla struggle against the Company, but committed suicide to avoid capture by the Maharajah's soldiers. After the mutiny of 1805 against Velu Thampi, most of the Nair battalions of Travancore had been disbanded, and after Velu Thampi's revolt, almost all of the remaining Travancore forces were also disbanded, with the Company undertaking to serve the Maharaja in cases of external and internal aggression.
19th and early 20th century
Balarama Varma was succeeded by Rani Gowri Lakshmi Bayi in 1810–1815 with the blessings of the British. When a boy was born to her in 1813, the infant was declared the King, but the Rani continued to rule as the regent. The British Colonel Munro served as her Diwan. On Rani Gowri Lakshmi Bayi's death in 1815, Maharani Gowri Parvati Bayi followed her as regent. Both of the regencies saw great progresses in social issues and in education. Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma assumed the throne in 1829. He was a famous exponent of Carnatic and Hindustani music. He abolished many unnecessary taxes, and started an English school and a charity hospital in Trivandrum in 1834.
Maharajah Visakham Thirunal Rama Varma of Travancore
The next ruler Maharajah Uthram Thirunal Marthanda Varma AD 1847–1860, following the recommendations of the Protestant clergy of C.M.S. and L.M.S. associations abolished slavery in the Kingdom in 1855, and restrictions on the dress codes of certain castes in 1859. His acts on these social issues won him praise and was copied by the neighbouring State of Cochin. The maharajah started the postal system in 1857 and a school for girls in 1859. He was succeeded by Ayilyam Thirunal 1860–1880, during whose rule, agriculture, irrigation works and road ways were promoted. Humane codes of law were enforced in 1861 and a college was established in 1866. He also built many charity hospitals including a lunatic asylum. The first systematic Census of Travancore was taken on May 18, 1875. He also introduced vaccination in the country. Rama Varma Visakham Thirunal ruled from 1880–1885. He became the first Indian Prince to be offered a seat in the Viceroy's Executive Council and also authored a number of books and essays. He reorganised the police force, and abolished many oppressive taxes.
The reign of Sri Moolam Thirunal Sir Rama Varma 1885–1924 saw the establishment of many colleges and schools. When Jawaharlal Nehru visited the area in the 1920s, he remarked that the education was superior to British India. The medical system was reorganised and Legislative Council, the first of its kind in an Indian state, was established in 1888. The principle of election was established and women too were allowed to vote.
Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, Regent of Travancore (1924-1931)
Sethu Lakshmi Bayi ruled as the regent from 1924–1931. She abolished animal sacrifice and replaced the matrilineal system of inheritance with the patrilineal one. She ended the Devdasi system in Temples and was commended by Mahatma Gandhi for spending a fifth of the state revenue on education.
Maharajah Ayilyam Thirunal of Travancore (center) with the first prince (left) and Dewan Sit T. Madhava Rao (right)
The last ruler of Travancore was Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma AD 1931–1949. He made the temple entry proclamation on 12 November 1936, which opened all the Kshetrams (Hindu temples in Kerala) in Travancore to all Hindus, a privilege reserved to only upper caste Hindus till then. This act won him praise from across India, most notably from Mahatma Gandhi. The first public transport system (Trivandrum - Mavelikkara) and telecommunication system (Trivandrum Palace - Mavelikkara Palace) were launched at the reign of Sri. Chithira Thirunal. He also started the industrialisation of the state. However, his prime minister Sir C. P. Ramaswami Iyer was unpopular among the general public of Travancore. When the British decided to grant independence to India, the minister declared that Travancore would remain as an independent country, based on an "American model." The tension between the local people, led by the Indian National Congress and the Communists, and Sir. C.P. Ramaswami Iyer led to revolts in various places of the country. In one such revolt in Punnapra-Vayalar in 1946, the Communists established their own government in the area. This was crushed by the Travancore army and navy leading to hundreds of deaths. These events led to further disturbances in the State, leading to more killings. The minister issued a statement in June 1947 that Travancore would remain as an independent country instead of joining the Indian Union, and subsequently, an attempt was made on the life of Sir C.P. Ramaswamy Iyer following which he resigned and fled to Madras, to be succeeded by Sri PGN Unnithan. After these events, Sardar Patel threatened military action against Travancore should she not agree to join India, and the Maharajah, facing both internal agitation and external pressure, complied.
Cessation of the practice of mahādanams
The Maharajas of Travancore had been conditionally promoted to Kshatryahood with periodic performance of 16 mahādānams (great gifts in charity) such as Hiranya-garbhā, Hiranya-Kāmdhenu, Hiranyāswaratā, and Tulāpurushadānam in which each of which thousands of Brahmins had been given costly gifts apart from each getting a minimum of 1 kazhanch (78.65 gms) of gold.
The Nambudiri Brahmins had stipulated that Rajas of Travancore could retain their dignity of Sāmantan Nair permanently but the Kshatriyhood conferred on them by the yāgās and mahādanams would be valid only for 6 years and thus latter purchased kshatriyhood at a heavy recurring cost. During 1848, Lord Dalhousie the then Governor general of British India who was also an eager annexationist was appraised that the depressed condition of the finances in Tranavcore was owing to mal-administration and practices of treasury by the ruling elite.[6] Lord Dalhousie, who was indignant at the colossal wasteful expenditure of Travancore state treasury through mahādanams among others, instructed Lord Harris Governor of Madras, warn the Rāja under the ninth article of the treaty of 1805. On 21 November 1855, Lord Harris dispatched a strongly worded communication to the then Rāja of Travancore alias Martanda varma (Uttram Tirunal 1847–1860 AD) that if he did not put a stop to his periodic re-incarnation as Kshatriya by squandering away huge sums of taxpayer´s money, among others, his state administration would be taken over by the Madras government. This led to the cessation of the practice of mahādanams and the Rājas of Travancore were unable to purchase their Kshatriyahood further.
Travancore after 1947
The movement for the unification of the lands where Malayalam was spoken as the mother tongue took concrete shape at the State People's Conference held in Ernakulam in April 1928, and a resolution was passed therein calling for Aikya Kerala ("United Kerala"). On July 1, 1949, the State of Travancore-Cochin was established, with the Maharajah of Travancore as the Rajapramukh of the new State. A number of popular ministries were elected and fell and in 1954, the Travancore Tamil Nadu Congress launched a campaign for the merger of the Tamil speaking regions of Southern Travancore with the neighbouring area of Madras. The agitation took a violent turn and some police and many local people were killed at Marthandam and Puthukkada, irreparably alienating the entire Tamil speaking population from merger into Kerala. Under the State Reorganisation Act of 1956, the four southern taluks of Travancore, namely Thovalai, Agasteeswaram, Kalkulam and Vilavancode and a part of the Chencotta Taluk was merged with Madras state. The State of Kerala came into existence on November 1, 1956 with a Governor, appointed by the President of India, as the head of the State instead of the Maharajah.
The Maharajah was stripped of all his ranks and privileges according to the twenty-sixth amendment of the Indian constitution act of July 31, 1971He died on July 19, 1991.
Venad Kulasekhara Dynasty (1721 onwards)
- Rajah Rama Varma 1721–1729
Rulers of Travancore
Maharaja of Travancore
- Anizham Tirunal Marthanda Varma 1729–1758
- Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma (Dharma Raja) 1758–1798
- Balarama Varma 1798–1810
- Gowri Lakshmi Bayi 1810–1815 (Queen from 1810–1813 and Regent Queen from 1813–1815)
- Gowri Parvati Bayi (Regent) 1815–1829
- Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma 1829–1846
- Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma 1846–1860
- Ayilyam Thirunal Rama Varma 1860–1880
- Visakham Thirunal Rama Varma 1880–1885
- Sree Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma 1885–1924
- Sethu Lakshmi Bayi (Regent) 1924–1931
- Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma 1931–1991
STYLES & TITLES: The ruling prince: Maharaja Raja Ramaraja Sri Patmanabha Dasa Vanchi Pala (personal name) Varma, Kulasekhara Kiritapati Manney Sultan Bahadur, Shamsher Jang, Maharaja of Travancore, with the style of His Highness. The Heir Apparent: Maharajkumar (personal name) Varma, Eliya Raja of Travancore. The Heiress: Sri Patmanabha Sevini Vanchi Dharma Vardhini Raja Rajeshwari Maharani (personal name) Bai, Senior Maharani of Travancore, with the style of Her Highness. The Second Heiress, if mother of the ruling prince: Sri Patmanabha Sevini Vanchipala Dyumani Raj Rajeshwari Maharani Maharani (personal name) Bai, Junior Maharani of Travancore, with the style of Her Highness. The consort of the ruling prince: (mother's house name) Ammachi Panapilla Amma Srimathi (personal name) Pilla Kochamma. The sons of the ruling prince: Sri (mother's house name) (personal name) Tampi. The daughters of the ruling prince: (mother's house name) Ammaveetil Srimathi (personal name) Pilla Kochamma.
NB: all members of the ruling family receive two names, an official personal name and a name associated with the star under which they are born. The latter usually end with the suffix Tirunal
Unique features
Aswathi Thirunal Rama Varma of the Travancore Royal Family
When one looks at the recorded history of Travancore since its formation, and that of the geographical territory that comprised it before that, one is struck by some of its unique features. Religious and social tolerance was one of its notable features. The Jewish community considers this to be the only place on earth where they were not persecuted in one way or other. Christianity reached here before it reached many of the leading European 'Christian' territories, and that too brought here by one of the disciples of Jesus Christ - St. Thomas - who is believed to have reached here in 52 AD. Muslims consider this land to be one of the very few places where their messenger - Malik Dinar - met with no resistance. Not only that, the reigning King (the last emperor of the first Chera Dynasty) is said to have adopted the faith and left the land to live in Mecca. Unlike the situation in many parts of India, religious and caste based violence was very rare in Travancore, apart from a few incidents in 1821, 1829, 1858 and 1921, which themselves, when compared to similar riots elsewhere, were very mild. The Travancore royal family not only proved themselves as very devout and sincere Hindus, but also donated land and material to the construction of churches and mosques. This genuine concern for the welfare of all the subjects was reciprocated by the devotion of the people, and the example of the local Christians, who, during the Travancore-Dutch War, actively supported Maharajah Marthanda Varma against the Dutch East India Company, will suffice to highlight this point. This tolerance of different faiths was equally applicable when it came to social and ideological matters too. Every political ideology and social reform was welcomed here. The universality of education and the now historic temple entry permission for those considered as 'untouchable' throughout India, were unique to this part of the sub-continent. Unlike in the rest of Medieval India or almost all of medieval world, in Travancore (and in Malabar and Kochi), the social status and freedom of women were high. In many communities, the daughters (not the sons) inherited the property right up to 1925, were educated, and had the right to divorce and remarry.
Travancore was also characterized by the popularity of its rulers. When the Kings of Travancore 'declared themselves as servants of Lord Vishnu and ruled His State according to His wishes' it was not a mere lip service. The Kings of Travancore, unlike their counter-parts in the other Princely States of India, utilized only a small portion of their State's resources for their personal use. This was in sharp contrast with some of the North Indian Rajas. When contrasted with the examples of Rajas in the north-west of India who utilized more than half of their State's revenues for their own uses, the simplicity and frugality of the Rajas of Travancore, and their sincere devotion to their subjects, are highlighted. Since they spent most of the State's revenue for the benefit of the public, they were naturally much loved by their subjects. This was so even in the context of the high-handedness of some of their Dewans.
Dewans (Prime Ministers) of Travancore
List of Diwans of Travancore
- Arumukham Pillai 1729-1736
- Thanu Pillai 1736-1737
- Ramayyan Dalawa 1737-1756
- Martanda Pillai 1756-1763
- Warkala Subbayyan 1763-1768
- Krishna Gopalayyan 1768-1776
- Vadiswaran Subbrahmanya Iyer 1776-1780
- Mullen Chempakaraman Pillai 1780-1782
- Nagercoil Ramayyan 1782-1788
- Krishnan Chempakaraman 1788-1789
- Raja Kesavadas 1789-1798
- Odiery Jayanthan Sankaran Nampoothiri 1798-1799
- Velu Thampi Dalawa 1799-1809
- Oommini Thampi 1809-1811
- Col. John Munro 1811-1814
- Devan Padmanabhan Menon 1814-1814
- Bappu Rao (Acting) 1814-1815
- Sanku Annavi Pillai 1815-1815
- Raman Menon 1815-1817
- Reddy Rao 1817-1821
Dewan Rajah Sir T. Madhava Rao
- T. Venkata Rao 1821-1830
- Thanjavur Subha Rao 1830-1837
- Ranga Rao (Acting) 1837-1838
- T. Venkata Rao (Again) 1838-1839
- Thanjavur Subha Rao (Again) 1839-1842
- Krishna Rao (Acting) 1842-1843
- Reddy Rao (Again) 1843-1845
- Srinivasa Rao (Acting) 1845-1846
- Krishna Rao 1846-1858
- T. Madhava Rao 1858-1872
- A. Seshayya Sastri 1872-1877
- Nanoo Pillai 1877-1880
- V. Ramiengar 1880-1887
- T. Rama Rao 1887-1892
- S. Shungrasoobyer 1892-1898
- K. Krishnaswamy Rao 1898-1904
- V. P. Madhava Rao 1904-1906
- S. Gopalachari 1906-1907
- P. Rajagopalachari 1907-1914
- M. Krishnan Nair 1914-1920
- Raghava Aiya 1920-1925
- M. E. Watts 1925-1929
- V. S. Subramanya Iyer 1929-1932
- T. Austin 1932-1934
- Muhammad Habibullah 1934-1936
- C. P. Ramaswami Iyer 1936-1947
- P Unnithan 1947-1948
1729-1758
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1758-1798
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1798-1810
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‡
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1810-1815
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1815-1829
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1829-1846
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1846-1860
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1860-1880
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1880-1885
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1885-1924
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‡
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1924-1931
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1931-1949
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