Travancore royal family

Kingdom of Travancore
Part of History of Kerala
Travancore Kings
Marthanda Varma	1729–1758
Dharma Raja	1758–1798
Balarama Varma	1798–1810
Gowri Lakshmi Bayi‡	1810–1815
Gowri Parvati Bayi‡	1815–1829
Swathi Thirunal	1829–1846
Uthram Thirunal	1846–1860
Ayilyam Thirunal	1860–1880
Visakham Thirunal	1880–1885
Moolam Thirunal	1885–1924
Sethu Lakshmi Bayi‡	1924–1931
Chithira Thirunal	1931–1947
‡ Regent Queens
Capitals
Padmanabhapuram	1729–1795
Thiruvananthapuram	1795–1947
Palaces
Padmanabhapuram Palace
Kilimanoor palace
Kuthira Malika
Kowdiar Palace
v · d · e

The Travancore Royal Family descended from the Venad line of the Cheras and ruled over the Indian state of Travancore until 1947. The Royal family, alternatively known as the Kupaka Royal Family, Thripappur Swaroopam, Venad Swaroopam, Vanchi Swaroopam etc., has its seat today at Trivandrum in Kerala, India. The last ruling Maharajah was Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma and Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi was the last Queen of Travancore. The present head of the royal family is His Royal Highness Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma.

Recorded history of the dynasty

One popular view is that the Travancore Royal family descends from the Chera Dynasty. A branch of the Chera Family was sent to the extreme North of Kerala where they settled and came to be known as the Mooshika Royal family or the Kolathiris while another branch was deputed to go South to grapple with the Pandyan invasions. This became known as the Kupaka Royal family and were the ancestors of the Travancore Royal Family.^[1] However it is to be noted that no Chera (or for that matter Pandya or Chola dynasties) King followed Matriarchy or Polyandry. The Travancore Royal family and the Kolathiris followed Matriarchy indicating that it is also possible that they descended not from the Patriarchal Tamil Dynasties aforementioned, but possibly from the Matriarchal Dynasties of Tulunadu. The Nannans of Ezhimala, later known as the Mushika Kings, became Matriarchal only after the fall of the Chera Kingdom around 1100 AD.^[2]

Kerala was ruled by a line of Perumals, among whom Rama Varman Kulashekhara was the last, and he is said to have divided the then Kerala among his relatives, after which he is believed to have left for a pilgrimage to Mecca. However the Kolathiris and Travancore were already existent then, although under the suzerainty of the Perumals.^[3] From the 11th century onwards began the rise of independent Travancore or Venad as it was known then. Ravi Varman Kulasekhara (1299–1314) of Venad invaded the territories of the Pandyas and Cholas and performed imperial coronations at Madurai and Kanchipuram and thus threw off the Pandyan hegemony in the region.^[4] However his success was short lived and after him his successors could not hold on to these acquisitions of the Pandyas and Cholas. Matriarchal dynasties were formed in Kerala only after the 14th century with the Turkish invasions which destroyed all the Dravidian Kingdoms of the South. The Matriarchal Dynasty of Travancore was founded during the lifetime of Veera Marthandavarman, the weak son of Ravivarman Kulasekhara Sangramadheeran, when he adopted two Matriarchal princesses (Attingal and Kunnumel Ranis) from Kolathunadu and gave up the Patriarchal descendance. The line of kings after Ravi Varma continued through the Marumakkathayam law of succession and family which was different from that of the Tamils who practised Patriarchy.

Her Highness Rani Lakshmi Bayi of Travancore, Senior Rani of Attingal from 1857-1901

As mentioned before, after the Great Ravi Varma's death two princesses were adopted from the Kolathiri Royal family and installed as Ranis or Queens at Attingal. The Venad Royal family continued thus in the female line adopting the titles of the earlier Tamil dynasties claiming to be Chera and Vels of Venad. Whenever there were no females to take forth the line, princesses were adopted from the Kolathiri family, the latest adoption being in 1994.^[5] From the 14th century onwards, the Travancore Royal dynasty had numerous adoptions from Kolathunadu which was unusual for any Royal dynasty indicating the closeness between the Travancore and the Kolathiri Dynasties. Between 1314 and 1609 AD, Travancore was under the suzerainty of the Vijayanagara Naickers or Arcot Nawabs. It had to pay yearly tribute to the Naicker army which visited Kalkulam every year. However Travancore soon regained its independence. In the 17th century it became a province of Arcot Nawab for a brief period. Umayamma Rani who reigned towards the end of the 17th century was a prominent ruler. Marthanda Varma, the "maker of modern Travancore" and Dharma Raja were powerful rulers who reestablished the power of monarchy in the state and destroyed that of the nobles the Ettuveetu Pillamar. By the early 19th century the Kingdom became a princely state under the British. Swathi Thirunal was one of the most popular rulers of the 19th century. The regency of Sethu Lakshmi Bayi was a time which heralded many new reforms which were continued by Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma.

Padmanabha Dasas

The Travancore royal family style themselves as Padmanabha Dasas or servants of Padmanabha since 1750 when Maharajah Marthanda Varma made over the state to the deity of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple and vowed that from that that day on, the royal family would rule the state on behalf of Him.^[6] The title of Padmanabha Dasa is prefixed to the name of every Travancore King while females call themselves Padmanabha Sevinis. This important donation of the state to the temple was known as Thripadidanam. The British government accorded the Maharajah of Travancore a high 19 gun salute, whereas for all temple festivals, the highest salute of 21 guns was fired.

Adoption

The first adoption to the Travancore Royal Family was in the early 14th century from the Kolathiri family. Since then the senior most females of the family are styled as the Ranis of Attingal with the titles of Attingal Mootha Thampuran (Senior Rani of Attingal) and Attingal Elaya Thampuran (Junior Rani of Attingal).^[7] This adoption resulted by the late 17th century in the branching of the Royal family into four families namely the branch at Trivandrum, another at Kottarakara known as Elayadathu Swaroopam, the Peraka Thavazhi branch of Nedumangad and the Quilon branch. The later two branches died out into the 18th century whereas the last Rani of Kottarakara fled after battle with Marthanda Varma.^[8] In 1630 two males were adopted from the Cochin Royal Family ^[9] sowing the seed of dissension between the branches of the Royal family. Later in 1684 one male and two females were adopted from the Kolathiri family, from which family all subsequent adoptions were made, by Umayamma Rani.^[10] In 1688 two males, including

Rajah Rama Varma, and 2 females were adopted and Marthanda Varma was born to one of these princesses.^[11] In 1718 a princess was adopted, whose son was the later king Dharma Raja and whose great grandson was the poet Irayimman Thampi . In 1748 again four princesses were adopted and Balarama Varma (1798–1810) belonged to this line.^[12] The next adoption of 1788 brought forth the famous Maharanis, Gowri Lakshmi Bayi and Gowri Parvati Bayi and all the male rulers up to 1924, the last ruler in this line being Moolam Thirunal.^[13] In 1857 two princesses, including Rani Lakshmi Bayi, were adopted from a branch of the Kolathiri family residing at Mavelikara since the 1790s, but by 1901 both these princesses and all their issue died.^[14] In 1900 again two princesses were adopted from Mavelikara, granddaughters of Raja Ravi Varma, including the Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi.^[15] The latest adoption occurred in 1994.

Titles and precedence

Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, the last Rani of Attingal and Senior Maharani of Travancore

• The senior most male of the Royal family, born in the female line, to a Rani of Attingal, becomes Maharajah with the title of Sri Padmanabha Dasa Vanchi Pala (Personal Name) Kulasekhara Perumal. Other titles include Shamsher Jang, Raja Rama Raja Bahadur, Manney Sultan etc.
• The senior most female of the Royal family is the Maharani and holds the title of Attingal Mootha Thampuran and is known as Sri Padmanabha Sevini Vanchi Dharma Vardhini Raja Rajeshwari Maharani (personal name).
• The second princess is known as Attingal Elaya Thampuran, third princess as Attingal Kochu Thampuran.
• The heir apparent is known as the Elaya Raja.
• Consort of the Maharani is known as the Valiya Koil Thampuran.
• Consort of the Maharajah is known as the Ammachi and holds the title of Panapillai Amma. The Maharajahs children do not succeed to the musnud under the Marumakkathayam law and instead get a title of nobility, immediately below royalty, namely Thampi. The Maharajahs are only allowed morganatic marriages so as to maintain Marumakkathayam.

Marriage and other customs

Nagercoil Ammachi, the First Consort of Maharajah Moolam Thirunal. Painted by RM Thampi in 1879

The marriages of the princesses are known as Pallikettus ^[16] while those of the Maharajahs are known as the ceremony of bestowing the Pattum Parivattavum. The form of marriage is Sambandham and the consorts of the princesses are from certain select families of Koyi Thampurans whereas the consorts of the Maharajahs belong to four houses known as Ammaveedus. The spouses of the princesses and Maharajahs are not considered members of the royal house owing to the prevalent Marumakkathayam law. However they received many royal dignities and privileges owing to their position as consorts. Sri Padmanabhaswamy is the chief family deity.

Cessation of the practice of mahādanams

The Maharajas of Travancore had been conditionally promoted to Kshatriyahood 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.^[17] The Nambudiri Brahmins had stipulated that Rajas of Travancore could retain their dignity of Sāmanta permanently but the Kshatriyhood conferred on them by the yāgās and mahādanams would be valid only for 6 years and thus the 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 Travancore was owing to mal-administration and practices of treasury by the ruling elite.^[18] 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 A.D) that if he did not put a stop to his periodic re-incarnation as Kshatriya by squandering away huge sums of tax payer's money, among others, his state administration would be taken over by the Madras government. This lead to the cessation of the practice of mahādanams and the Rājas of Travancore were unable to purchase their Kshatriyahood further and hence Sāmanthan by dignity presently.

Palaces

Kowdiar Palace, Trivandrum

The Padmanabhapuram Palace was the main residence of the Travancore Maharajahs whereas the Ranis of Attingal resided at that place in their own palaces. Later the royal family moved to Trivandrum wherein the females resided at the Sree Padam Palace. Presently the Royal family members live at Kowdiar Palace in Trivandrum and at Chennai, Bangalore etc. Some members are also settled abroad in the United States of America, Australia, South Africa etc.

The Royal Family

Lalithamba Bayi (1923-2008), elder daughter of Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi

The Royal family at present consists of the descendants of the two princesses adopted in 1900 from the Mavelikara royal family, Sethu Lakshmi Bayi and Sethu Parvathi Bayi. Sethu Lakshmi Bayi was the last regent Maharani of Travancore. The oldest son of Sethu Patvathy Bayi was the last Maharajah, Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, who signed the instrument of accession and amalgamated the state into India in 1949. The Royal family consists, in the line of Sethu Lakshmi Bayi two daughters, Princesses Uthram Thirunal Lalithamba Bayi and Karthika Thirunal Indira Bayi and their families. In the line of the Junior Maharani, Sethu Parvati Bayi, are the last Maharajah (unmarried), his brother Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma, present head of the royal family and the family of their late sister Princess Karthika Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi (who was married to Col. G.V. Raja of the Poonjar Royal Family). Princess Karthika Tirunal and Col. G. V. Raja had two daughters (Pooyam Tirunal and Ashwati Tirunal) and two sons (Avittam Tirunal and Moolam Tirunal). The present Head of the Family, Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma married Shrimati Radha Devi (the daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Krishnan Gopinath Pandalai, MB, CM, FRCS, LRCP, late IMS, sometime Superintendent of the Government General Hospital, Madras), and has a son, Anantha Padmanabhan Thampi and a daughter, Parvati Devi. He resides at Pattom Palace, Trivandrum. Presently the senior most female in the Royal Family with the title of Attingal Mootha Thampuran is H.H. Karthika Thirunal Indira Bayi. She resides in Chennai.

Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi and Rama Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran, with their daughters, Princesses Uthram Thirunal Lalithamba Bayi and Karthika Thirunal Indira Bayi

The Indian Constitutional Amendment of 1971 terminated the status of the royal families of the erstwhile princely states as rulers and abolished their rights to receive privy purses. However the other clauses of the agreements signed between the Government of India and the Princes in 1947 legally still hold. The Royal Family of Travancore has no administrative authority since 1971. Till 1956 Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma served as Rajpramukh of Thiru-Kochi. Later in 1971 while the family lost their privy purse and other privileges, the rights of the family in the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple were respected and the head of the family still fulfills his duty towards the temple as the Maharajah of Travancore.^[19] The allowances of all the family members born prior to 1949 are also still paid by the Government of Kerala.

Some prominent members of the Travancore royal family today include artists Rukmini Varma (Princess Bharani Thirunal) and her son Jayagopal Varma, writers Shreekumar Varma (Prince Punardam Thirunal), Dr. Lakshmi Raghunandan (Princess Makham Thirunal) and Gowri Lakshmi Bayi (Princess Aswathy Thirunal), musician Aswathi Thirunal Rama Varma, Yathi Verma. After the Constitutional Amendment of 1971, the royal family and its properties and estates were partitioned and divided into two equal halves among the branches of HH Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi and HH Maharani Sethu Parvathi Bayi. However certain legal disputes with regard to the same continued among family members until as late as 1991.^[20]

List of Maharajas of Travancore

Main article: Maharaja of Travancore

1. Anizham Tirunal Marthanda Varma 1729–1758
2. Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma (Dharma Raja) 1758–1798
3. Balarama Varma 1798–1810
4. Gowri Lakshmi Bayi 1810–1815 (Queen from 1810–1813 and Regent Queen from 1813–1815)
5. Gowri Parvati Bayi (Regent) 1815–1829
6. Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma 1829–1846
7. Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma 1846–1860
8. Ayilyam Thirunal Rama Varma 1860–1880
9. Visakham Thirunal Rama Varma 1880–1885
10. Sree Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma 1885–1924
11. Sethu Lakshmi Bayi (Regent) 1924–1931
12. Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma 1931–1947

Sri Padmanabha Royal Indoor Courts

Sri Padmanabha Royal Indoor Court sripadmanabharic.com The contributions of Goda Varma Raja in the field of sports are ever cherished. His grandson is now holding up the legacy by throwing open to public an indoor shuttle court complex.

Adithya Varma, Grandson of G.V.Raja and member of the Travancore Royal Family, has set up the indoor court at Kowdiar Garden adjacent to the Golf Club, Named Sri Padmanabha Royal Indoor Courts, the court was formally inaugurated by sports Minister Sri. M. Vijayakumar on Monday 5 July 2010 in the presence of Thiruvananthapuram MP Dr. Sashi Tharoor and members of the royal family.

The indoor courts complex comprises three badminton courts. All the courts have been floored with processed maple wood imported from Canada.

See also

• Travancore
• Sethu Lakshmi Bayi
• Shreekumar Varma
• Attingal
• Kerala
• Royal Family
• Marthanda Varma

Ancient Tamil Dynasties

• Chera Dynasty
• Ay kingdom
• Ancient Tamil Kingdoms

Further reading

• Menon, P. Shungoonny (1879). A History of Travancore from the Earliest Times. Higginbotham & Co., Madras. http://www.archive.org/stream/ahistorytravanc00menogoog#page/n6/mode/2up. 

References

1. ^ Travancore State Manual Vol II by Velu Pillai page 25
2. ^ (Kerala Charitham -Sridhara Menon)
3. ^ Travancore State Manual Vol II by Velu Pillai page 43
4. ^ Travancore State Manual Vol II by Velu Pillai pages 104-105
5. ^ http://www.hinduonnet.com/2000/11/25/stories/0425404q.htm
6. ^ Travancore State Manual Vol II by Velu Pillai page 348
7. ^ Travancore State Manal Vol II by Velu Pillai page 121
8. ^ Travancore State Manual Vol II by Velu Pillai page 301
9. ^ Travancore State Manual Vol II by Velu Pillai page 202
10. ^ Travancore State Manual Vol II by Velu Pillai page 228
11. ^ Travancore State Manual Vol II by Velu Pillai page 232
12. ^ Travancore State Manual Vol II by Velu Pillai page 347
13. ^ Travancore State Manual Vol II by Velu Pillai page 399
14. ^ Travancore State Manual Vol II by Velu Pillai page 582
15. ^ Travancore State Manual Vol II by Velu Pillai page 706
16. ^ http://www.mayyam.com/hub/viewtopic.php?p=1412646
17. ^ A Social History of India – (Ashish Publishing House: ISBN 81-7648-170-X / ISBN 81-7648-170-X, Jan 2000).
18. ^ Administration and social development in Kerala: A study in administrative sociology, By Sadasivan, S.N. published by Indian Institute of Public Administration (New Delhi), 1988.
19. ^ http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mag/2003/03/30/stories/2003033000700700.htm
20. ^ Revathinnal Balagopala Varma Vs. HH Padmanabha Dasa Bala Rama Varma, Supreme Court of India 1991