Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma

Sree

Padmanbhadasa

Sree

Chithira

Thirunal

Balarama

Varma ( GCSI, GCIE ) (November 7, 1912July 19, 1991), popularly

known as Sree Chithira Thirunal, was the last ruling Maharaja of
the Princely State of Travancore, in southern India till 1949 and later
the Titular Maharajah of Travancore till 1991. Sree Chithira Thirunal
was the eldest son of Junior Maharani Sethu Parvathi Bayiand Sri
Pooram Nal Ravi Varma Koyi Thampuran of the Royal House of
Kilimanoor. He was privately educated, and became the ruler of
Travancore, at the age of 12, upon the death of his maternal great
uncle, the then Maharajah of Travancore Sree Moolam Thirunal, on
August 7, 1924. He reigned under the regency of his maternal
aunt, Sethu Lakshmi Bayi (1924-1931), until he came of age and was
invested with full ruling powers on November 6, 1931.[1]
Upon India's independence from the British on August 15, 1947, Sree
Chithira Thirunal initially chose to keep his domain an independent
country. As this was unacceptable to the Govt. Of India, several
rounds of negotiations were held between theMaharaja and the Indian
representatives. Finally an agreement was reached in 1949 and Sree Chithira Thirunal agreed to
mergeTravancore officially as a part of the Union of India. In 1949, Travancore was united with Cochin, and Sree
Chithira Thirunal served as the first and only Rajpramukh (Governor equivalent) of the Travancore-Cochin Union
from July 1, 1949 until October 31, 1956.[2]On November 1, 1956, the state of Kerala was created by uniting
the Malayalam-speaking areas of the Travancore-Cochin Union with Malabar, and Sree Chithira Thirunal's office
of Rajpramukh came to an end.[3] After the Constitutional Amendment of 1971, he was stripped of his political
powers and emoluments from the privy purse by the Indira Gandhi government.
The period of Sree Chithira Thirunal's reign witnessed many-sided progress. He enacted the now
famous Temple Entry Proclamation in 1936, established the University of Travancore (now the University of
Kerala) in 1937. The Women Studies JournalSamyukta reports that, 40% of the Travancore's revenue was set
apart for education, during the reign of Sree Chithira Thirunal.[4]Historians like A. Sreedhara Menon credit him for
the industrialization of Travancore as well.[5] According to historians, the Punnapra - Vayalar incident in 1946
which led to the death of hundreds of Communist Party workers, the declaration of an independent Travancore
in 1947, and allowing too much power to his Prime Minister, Sir C. P. Ramaswamy Iyer, would represent the
negative aspects of Sree Chithira Thirunal's reign.[6] He was an Hon. Major General with the British Indian
Army and the Colonel-in-Chief and the Supreme Commander of the Travancore Military and of the TravancoreCochin State Forces, for the period 1924-1956. He became an Hon. Colonel in the Indian Army since 1949, as
the Travancore Military was integrated by him into the former, as the 9th (1st Travancore) and the
16th Battalion of the Madras Regiment(2nd Travancore).[7][8] At the age of 78, after suffering a stroke, he fell into
a coma for nine days and died on July 20, 1991.[9] Sree Chithira Thirunal also sponsored the higher education of
a young K. R. Narayanan who went on to become the 10th President of India.

Velu Thampi Dalawa

Velayudhan Chempakaraman Thampi (17651809) was the Dalawa or Prime Minister of the Indian kingdom
of Travancorebetween

1802

and

1809

during

the

reign

of

His

Highness Maharajah Bala

Rama

Varma Kulasekhara Perumal. He is best known for being one of the earliest individuals to rebel against British

East India Company's supremacy in India. Velayudhan

Chempakaraman

Thampi

was

born

in

the

village

of Kalkulam to Sri Kunjumayitti Pillai and his wife Valliyammai

PillaiThankachi on 6 May 1765, at Thalakulam Valiyaveedu,
near the town of Nagercoil (around 16 km from Nagercoil) in
present day Indian state of Tamil Nadu which then comprised
a southern district of the Travancore country. He came from a
family

that

had

been

of Chempakaraman for

honoured

their

with

services

the

high

the

state

to

title
by

Maharajah Marthanda Varma. Velayudhan Thampi, better

known

as

Velu

Thampi,

was

appointed

a Kariakkar or Tahsildar at Mavelikkara during the initial years

of the reign of Maharajah Bala Rama Varma. His full name
was "Idaprabu Kulottunga Katirkulatu Mulappada Arasarana
Irayanda Talakulatu Valiya Veetil Tampi Chempakaraman
VelayudhanAfter Velu Thampi became Dalawa of Travancore
he faced serious opposition from two relatives of the late Raja
Kesavadas who applied for help to get rid of Velu Thampi
from their associates at Bombay. These letters were intercepted and presented to the Maharajah in a negative
light, who ordered the immediate execution of the two men, Chempakaraman Kumaran Pillai and Erayiman
Pillai. Having cleared his way, Velu Thampi became the Dalawa facing no more opposition. The Madras
Government sanctioned his appointment within a few months.
Velu Thampi was not an able statesman like Ramayyan Dalawa or Raja Kesavadas his immediate two
predecessors. He was of rebellious nature. Within three years of the death of Raja Kesavadas the country was
plagued with corruption and various problems caused by the banished Namboodiri Dalawa. Velu Thampi
resorted to harsh punishments with a view to improve situations in his country. Flogging, cutting of the ears and
nose, nailing people to trees etc. were some of the punishments adopted during his reign as Dalawa. The
harshness however had its effect and peace and order was restored within the state within a year of Velu
Thampi's accession to Dalawaship.[2]

Pazhassi Raja
Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja (also known as Cotiote Rajah or Pychy Rajah)
(3 January 1753 30 November 1805) was one of the earliest freedom fighters
in India. He was the prince regent of the princely state of Kottayam or Cotiote
in Malabar, India between 1774 and 1805. His struggles with English East
India Company is known as The Cotiote War. He is popularly known as Kerala
Simham (Lion of Kerala) on account of his martial exploits.
Pazhassi Raja was a member of the western branch of the Kottayam royal
clan. When Hyder Ali of the Kingdom of Mysore occupied Malabar in 1773 the
Raja of Kottayam found political asylum in Travancore. Pazhassi Raja, the
fourth prince in line for succession to the throne during this period, became
one of the de facto heads of state surpassing several of his elder royals. He
fought a war of resistance on Mysorean army from 1774 to 1793. On account
of his refusal to flee and resolve to fight invaders, people of Kottayam stood

firmly behind the Raja who had not abandoned them in their hour of misfortune. Raja's troops were drawn from
ranks of theNambiar, Thiyya and also the tribal clans like Kurichias and Mullukurumbas.[1][page needed]
In 1792, after the Third Anglo-Mysore War, English imposed their paramountcy in Kottayam in violation to their
earlier agreement of 1790 which recognised independence of Kottayam.Vira Varma, to whom Raja was a
nephew, was appointed by the East India Company authorities as the Raja of Kottayam. To meet revenue target
fixed by Company authorities, Vira Varma ordered exorbitant rate of tax to be collected from the peasantry and
this move was met by a mass resistance led by Pazhassi Raja in 1793 who was opposed to surrender to English
right from beginning. In 1796, the Company made an attempt to arrest Pazhassi Raja, but he evaded capture
and instead fought back using guerrilla warfare. After a string of serious setbacks, the Company sued for peace
in 1797. The conflict was renewed in 1800 over a dispute on Wayanad and after an insurgent warfare lasted for
five years, Pazhassi Raja was killed on 30 November 1805 in a gun-fight at Mavila Todu near Kerala-Karnataka
border

Rama Varma XV
An erudite scholar in Sanskrit and English, he earned high repute inside and outside the State and no less
person than Lokamanya Tilak described him during World Sanskrit meeting in 1919, where Rajarshi was the
Chief Guest, as A scholar among princes and a prince among
scholars. Lord Curzon once remarked that among the native Indian
States, nowhere had he seen a more progressive administration
than in Cochin. He had high praise for the Maharaja. Rajarshi will be
remembered for all time to come as the Father of Modern City of
Cochin. He brought permanent reforms to the department of
Revenue and Accounts. He introduces Railways in the State. The
Village Panchayath Bill was a valiant attempt to get the people at the
grassroots involved in administration. The Tenance Act was a
personal triumph of Rajarshi.
It was during his reign that the railway line from Shornur was
extended to Cochin. Rama Varma abruptly abdicated the throne in
1914. While some believe that he had differences with British over
his pro-German politics, others opine that he abdicated due to illhealth.

Aikya Keralam Thampuran

Kerala Varma Thampuran (1870 - July 1948) popularly known as Aikya Keralam
Thampuran or Kerala Varma VII was the Maharaja (king) ofCochin who ruled
between 1946 and 1947. He mooted the idea of a unified Kerala state in India for
the Malayalam speaking
population
and
stood
for
the
merging
of
British Malabar, Cochin and Travancore.
Therefore,
he
was
given
the
sobriquet Ikyakeralam Thampuran (King who united Kerala). He died on July 1948
(1123 Midhunam 25th according to the Malayalam calendar). He was also the brain
behind the formation of Sree Keralavarma College at Thrissur, named after him.