Raja Kesavadas

Rajah Kesavadas (1745-1799) was the Dewan of Travancore during the reign of Dharma Raja Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma.

Early years

He was born Kesava Pillai (full name Raman Kesavan Pillai, nephew of Raman Pillai) in a small hamlet called Kunnattoor, at the Keertimangalam House on March 17, 1745 A.D. in Travancore. Amongst the Nair community who followed matrilineal system, it was the uncle's name which was used a prefix. Although he did not get receive a formal education, through his formidable talent, he was employed by a local merchant Poku Moosa Marackar as a tally clerk.

In Royal Service

He impressed the King with his behavior during a visit of the Marackar to the Palace. The king gave him a job in his administrative staff. Kesava Pillai climbed the lower rungs of the official ladder and in 1789 he was appointed as the Dewan of Travancore. He was given the title Rajah by the British Governor Mornington, in appreciation of his administrative talents. It is said that out of humility he linked his name with the word Dasan (servant) and liked to be called Rajah Dasan (servant of the King), but the name Rajah Kesavadas stuck. He was a trained soldier who trained under the Dutch Captain Eustance De lennoy who shifted allegiance to Maharaja Marthanda Varma after the Battle of Colachel.

As Army chief

After the death of De Lennoy, Rajah Kesava Das became Army Chief of Travancore. It was under Rajah Keshavadas's direct command a comparatively small army humbled and defeated the invading army of Tipu Sultan near the Nedumkotta.

Contribution to trade and Commerce

He is considered as the chief architect of Alapuzha town. The area which alapuzha now occupies was once a coastal area which was uninhabited and filled with large weeded plants. He found alapuzha to be a good location for a port. He constructed two parallel canals for bringing goods to the port. He offered infrastructural facilities to merchants and traders from Surat, Mumbai and Kutch to start industrial enterprises, trading, and cargo centres. Alappuzha attained progress and became the financial nerve centre of Travancore during his time.
He constructed the Main Central Road (now State Highway No.1) from Thiruvananthapuram to Karukutty, near Angamaly which is still the main road in the hinterland areas of Kerala. The originating junction of this road has the name Kesavadasapuram.

Last years

The continuous threat of attack from the Tipu Sultan had made him request the King to request for British help. This request for help finally allowed the British to have control on the kingdom and later led to installation of a regent under British rule [ Although this happened after his death] .His tenure of Diwan ended with demise of Dharma Raja Karthika Thirunal in 1798. Balarama Varma, his successor aged fourteen became the crown prince who was a puppet in the hands Jayanthan Sankaran Nampoothiri. Rajah Kesavadas was proclaimed as a traitor and kept under house arrest which helped Jayanthan Sankaran Nampoothiri to usurp the post of Diwan. Laterhis family assets were confiscated and was poisoned to death on 21st April 1799.His death put the capital into turmoil and a riot followed in which Jayanthan Sankaran Nampoothiri was removed which paved the way for Velu Thampi Dalawa to become the dewan.

References

* [http://www.alappuzha.com/htm/raja.htm Alapuzha Website] accessed on August 7, 2006.
* [http://voiceofdharma.org/books/tipu/appe02.htm Voice of Dharma] ] accessed on August 7, 2006.

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