|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
‡ Regent Queens |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dharma Raja Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma (‘ധര്മ്മ രാജ‘ കാര്ത്തിക തിരുനാള് രാമവര്മ്മ) [1] was the Maharajah of Travancore from 1758 -1798. He succeeded his uncle Marthanda Varma, who is credited with the title of "maker of modern Travancore". During his reign Dharma Raja not only retained all the territories his predecessor had gained but administered the kingdom with success. He was addressed as Dharma Raja on account of his strict adherence to Dharma Sastra,the principles of justice by providing asylum to the thousands of Hindus fleeing Malabar during the religious and military onslaught of Tipu Sultan.
Contents |
Early life
Rama Varma was born in 1724 AD as the son of the Senior Rani of Attingal [2] with her husband Prince Kerala Varma Koil Thampuran of the Kilimanoor palace. He had a brother Prince Makayiram Thirunal, grandfather of Irayimman Thampi, who pre-deceased him. His mother was adopted from the royal house of Kolathunad in 1718 by the then King of Venad [3] into the Travancore Royal Family. He was born into a time of political turmoil caused by the refractory Lords,the Ettuveetil Pillamar as also enemies of Venad such as the Rajah of Kayamkulam. When Karthika Thirunal was only four years of age,in 1728,his father died foiling an assassination bid by the Kayamkulam Rajah, when the prince along with his parents were traveling from Haripad to the domains of the Vanjipuzha Thampuran,a Brahmin chief,at Budhanur[4].As he grew up,he took part actively in the military conquests of his uncle Maharajah Marthanda Varma and assisted him in establishing the modern state of Travancore by annexing kingdom after kingdom up to the Cochin to Venad.
Succession and initial career
With the death of Marthanda Varma in 1758, his nephew Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma succeeded to the Travancore musnud. With the able services of the Dalawa Ayyapan Marthanda Pillai, Karthika Thirunal began his reign. By now, due to the efforts of his predecessor, Travancore had gained the reputation of being the most powerful State in Kerala and hence, many of the neighboring chiefs wished to execute treaties with the Maharajah. The fortunes of the Cochin royal family were at the lowest ebb. A very small portion of the territory alone remained in the Raja's possession. From 1755 A.D, the Zamorin of Calicut was in possession of the major portions of Cochin. Although Marthanda Varma had promised help against Zamorin by signing a Treaty of Alliance in 1756 with Cochin, no steps were taken by him. Most of the Barons of Kochi had sided with the enemy. The Dutch were the permanent friends and protectors of Cochin. But they withdrew their contingents from the field when the Zamorin promised to give back to them 'Chetwai' which he had conquered from them on his way to Cochin. The Raja of Cochin deputed his nephew to ask for prompt assistance from Rama Varma. The recollections of the past shady dealings and breach of faith on the part of the Cochin-king naturally had raised apprehensions in the Maharaja that his neighbour might not adhere to his promise when he felt his position secure. The same feeling might have prevented Marthanda Varma,his uncle,from rendering assistance immediately. Months passed.Atlast,the Cochin-Raja himself visited the capital of Rama Varma to press his request.He would strengthen his promises with the sanction of religion.
On the 25th of the month Adi of 937 M.E, the Raja of Cochin read the terms of their treaty and solemnely swore to abide by its terms for ever and for ever, in the presence of the Deity Sthanumoorthy of Suchindrum,the ministers of the two kingdoms and the spiritual authorities and the document was delivered to the representative of the Maharaja of Travancore. In pursuance of the Agreement, the Travancore Maharaja commanded Dalawa Ayyappan Marthanda Pillai and his Dutch- General D'Lannoy to proceed to the North at the head of a large army. The account of this campaign is best given in the words of late Mr.C.Achyutha Menon,a native of Cochin,whose acquintance with the records of the Cochin government,to which he was Secretary for a long time,enabled him to speak with unassailable authority."Early in March, the combined army marched in two divisions to attack the Zamorin's forces stationed in Parur and Alangad.But the latter abandoned these districts without striking a blow and retreated to Cranganur and Mapranam.The division under Marthanda Pillai fell upon the Zamorin's men in Mapranam and pursued them to Trichur where they were attacked in the front by the Travancoreans and in the rear by a body of men from Kavalapara and Perattuvithi,the best fighters in Cochin at the time. The Calicut forces suffered heavily in the fight at Trichur and fled precipitately to their fortified stations in Kunnankulam and Chelakara. In the meantime,the division under D'Lannoy dislodged the Zamorin's men from Cranganore and pursued them beyond the Chetwa river and marching to Trichur by way of Enamakal,found the place already in the occupation of Dewan Marthanda Pillai.The combined army then advanced to Chelakara and after a severe engagement,drove the Zamorin's men beyond the northern frontier of Cochin. From Chelakara they marched to Kunnamkulam,whereupon the Calicut forces stationed there,retreated to Ponnani.General D'Lannoy now proposed to carry the war into the enemy's territory,but the Zamorin becoming alarmed for the safety of his country,sued for peace".The Zamorin sent an express messenger to Trivandrum to beg the Maharaja to stay the hands of his General.Just as his uncle Marthanda Varma had ordered him and Dalawa Ramayyan to desist from the conquest of Cochin,when they were about to do so in 929 M.E., Rama Varma Maharaja now ordered his Dalawa to advance no further.It was in 1762A.D that the Rajah of Cochin sent his nephew to sign a treaty with Travancore.And in the same year,a few months later,the Rajah himself visited Travancore along with his minister Paliath Achanand signed a treaty with Travancore and secured aid to free his territories from the control of the Zamorin of Calicut.The Zamorin's request to forgive him was complied with in 1763 and in the next year the Zamorin visited Padmanabhapuram,capital of Venad and signed a treaty of friendship and reimbursed to Travancore the expenses of the war amounting to Rs 1,50,000/-.Besides,the little kingdoms of Parur and Alangad were also annexed to Travancore after pensioning off the ruling families.In 932M.E,Marthanda Varma had projected the construction of a line of fortifications on the Northern frontier.But his death the next year prevented anything substantial being done.The experience gained in the course of the war with the Zamorin convinced the Dewan and the General of the necessity of continuing and strengthening the Lines which would not only protect the Raja of Cochin in some measure from any possible aggression by the Zamorin,but would also be serviceable to Travancore in the event of an invasion from Mysore.The scheme was now taken up.
The Raja of Cochin was in entire agreement with the proposal. The Line of fortifications was now taken from the sea near the island of Vaipeen right up to the ghats covering a distance of nearly 40kms. The Raja of Cochin agreed to bear a portion of the costs besides permitting the construction,which was to pass through the Cochin territory in many places.In fact the Dutch records stated that Maharajah Marthanda Varma deliberately refrained from annexing the Kingdom of Cochin on an earlier occasion so as to maintain a buffer-state between his kingdom and Mysore of Hyder Ali.The famous 'Nedum Kotta' or 'the Northern Defense-Line of Travancore' was the major obstacle in Tippu's attempt to conquer Travancore subsequently. He called it 'the contemptible wall'.When twenty Nair soldiers fighting from within the wall caused the death of about 2000 of his soldiers and his first defeat from Travancore,Tippu swore in a paroxysm of shame and rage that he would not quit the place until he had destroyed the'contemptible wall'.He ordered reinforcements from Coorg and battering-guns from Seringapatam and Bangalore and waited for 3 months to complete preparations for a fresh assault on the Line.Later,when he was forced to return to safeguard his country from a possible British attack,he gratified his vanity by destroying the Lines."The Sultan, placed on an eminence, set the example of striking the first stroke with a pick axe;the ceremony was repeated by the courtiers and chiefs and followers of every description.The whole Line was destroyed in six days".Certain territorial disputes arose between Travancore and the Nawab of Arcot which were eventually settled,though the Maharajah had to part with large sums of money and some territories mainly because the East India Company's officers had compelled him as the Nawab was a familiar figure at Madras and his propensities for perpetual borrowing at extra hazarduous rates of interest enlisted their sympathies. And the Maharaja had obtained in return,lands in Shencotta and the Temple at Cape Commorin,which were lying outside the limits of Travancore and which the Maharaja wished to acquire for himself to round off his dominions.[5]
Dharma Raja and Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali had usurped the throne of the Mysore and was keen to invade and bring the little kingdoms of Malabar and Travancore under his sway. As early as 1756, he had invaded Malabar at the instance of the ruler of Palghat to help him regain his territories captured by Zamorin, ruler of Calicut kingdom. Zamorin was driven away and saved his kingdom by agreeing to pay the princely sum of Rs.12Lakhs to Hyder Ali. In 1766, Hyder invaded Malabar a second time. The Rajah of Kolathunad fled to Travancore, while the Zamorin, after hastening his family's departure to Travancore, committed suicide in his own palace. Hyder Ali also started treaty negotiations with the Dutch who,since their defeat in the Battle of Colachel had been in awe of the Travancore Maharajah, kept him informed of all developments. What Hyder wanted was a free passage to Travancore through the Dutch territories. The Dutch Governor replied that he has informed Batavia about Hyder's request and was waiting for a reply. Soon rumors of a proposed invasion of Travancore started developing after Travancore refused to stop the construction of Nedumkotta which passed from the vicinity of the Dutch, through Cochin territories, besides having given refuge to the political foes of Hyder Ali. Hyder Ali asked the kings of Cochin and of Travancore, to pay him the expenses of his Malabar campaign. The tribute to be paid by Cochin was Rs.4Lakhs and 10 elephants, while Travancore was asked to pay Rs.15 Lakhs and 30 elephants. Hyder added that if Travancore refused, "He will pay a visit". While the Cochin Rajah agreed, Karthika Thirunal of Travancore replied, stating that it was "neither to please him nor in accordance with his advice that the invasion of Malabar was undertaken". But he stated that if Hyder Ali retracted from Malabar and reinstated the Kolathunad and Calicut kings back in their kingdoms, he would be pleased to provide a certain sum. This was taken by Hyder Ali as a threat, but before he could plan an attack on Travancore, he had to return to Mysore.[6]
Dharma Raja and Tipu Sultan
In 1788,Tipu Sultan,son and successor of Hyder Ali,took up his father's idea of subjugating Malabar and Travancore.He laid waste Malabar,enforced the rule of "cap or sword" giving the conquered people the choice of converting to Islam or facing immediate execution,forcing the royal families and large numbers of Hindu and Christian families to flee to Travancore,where they were received and treated hospitably by the Maharajah,who now came to be known as Dharma Raja on account of his protecting the refugees and the Hindu faith.Tipu Sultan now demanded that the Rajah of Cochin,who had accepted the status of a vassal,to claim Alangad and Parur so as to provide him with a pretext to invade Travancore.However,the Rajah diplomatically saved his life by assuring Tippu that he will convince the Raja of Travancore to become a vassal of Tippu like himself.Tipu then sent his envoys to Travancore with a'Khareeta',wherein he stated that"I have learnt..that you desire to cultivate friendship with our Sircar..".The Travancore Maharajah had received Tipu's envoys in the presence of the East India Company representative,which was taken as an affront by the Mysore Sultan. The Maharajah also secured a force from the British,apprehending an attack from Tipu Sultan.Finally in 1789,taking the pretext that the'Nedumkotta'passed illegally through the terriotories of Cochin,his vassal state,Tipu Sultan gathered his entire force in Malabar and marched to invade Travancore[7].
Tippu sent a letter on January 19, 1790 to Budruz Zuman Khan. It says: "Don't you know I have achieved a great victory recently in Malabar and over four lakh Hindus were converted to Islam? I am determined to march against that cursed Raman Nair very soon. Since I am overjoyed at the prospect of converting him and his subjects to Islam, I have happily abandoned the idea of going back to Srirangapatanam now".[8]
Tipu and his forces reached the Nedumkotta line which protected Travancore's northern frontier and slowly started demolishing activities.But a group of merely twenty Travancore soldiers managed to change the course of events by opening fire on the 14000 Mysore infantry from a close cover.The commanding officer was killed and the entire army fell into disarray.Each and every advancing corp was thrown into confusion and Tipu Sultan himself was carried away by the crowd.His palanquin,seals, rings, sword and other personal ornaments fell into the hands of the Travancore armies under the Dewan Raja Kesavadas Pillai.Thus Tipu's first attack was repelled by the successful Travancore forces.The battle was particularly significant because it was only twenty Travancore Nairs who kept the Sultan's army confused by their attack.
In the following weeks,Tipu Sultan stung by his defeat,complained to the English Governor at Madras that it was Travancore which had taken the offensive and thus the battle had been fought. Finally,Tipu attacked the Nedumkotta again after waiting for three months for further reinforcements ordered by him from Coorg,Bangalore and Seringapatam to arrive. For nearly a month,the Travancore army under the protection of the Nedumkotta lines managed to defend the state. However,finally a breach three quarters of a mile in length was effected and the Mysore army entered Travancore. Soon the entire Nedumkotta Line fell into the hands of Tipu Sultan with large amounts of ammunition and guns. The British forces sent to assist Travancore did not provide aid to Travancore, but remained passive spectators since they had not received orders from Governor Hollond to fight with the Sultan, much to the despair of the Maharajah. Tipu's army now devastated the whole of northern Travancore and reached Alwaye and camped on the bed of River Periyar, although Tipu's officers advised the Sultan against it. Hindu temples were destroyed and the subjects fled to the forests. The entire country was laid waste with fire and sword. Even Christians were not spared. The Dewan Raja Kesavadas of Travancore toiled ceaselessly and raised batteries at various places,further South,and surrounded them with deep ditches and prepared to obstruct the Sultan from proceeding further into Travancore.
The Sultan and his army now moved to a place where the Travancore army had built a wall across the river obstructing the water, leaving the river bed dry. In spite of the warnings of some of his Generals, Tipu Sultan decided to wage a battle here at night, certain of his superior numbers. When the battle did begin, the Travancore army broke down the wall, letting the water onto the Mysore forces with great force that a large number of Tipu's soldiers were killed by the sudden flood. The remaining forces were defeated by a sudden attack of Travancore under the Dewan and an able General known as Kali Kutty Nair (Posthumously elevated to Kali Kutty Pillai). Although the Sultan was once again defeated and prevented from gaining any more ground in Travancore, the Dewan increased the garrison of the forts and maintained a military force ready for battle in any case.
Meanwhile the Governor-General of the British removed the Governor of Madras, Mr.Hollond, from that post on hearing that the British had not provided any aid toTravancorein the battle. The new Governor mobilized the British forces stationed in Travancore to support the Maharajah. Hearing of this Tipu Sultan decided to retreat from Travancore and Malabar to his own kingdom to avoid war with the British. But war did occur in which Travancore provided its forces to the British. The war lead by the Governor General Cornwallis in person eventually led to the defeat of Tipu Sultan at his capital Seringapatnam in 1792. Tipu Sultan surrendered and the Treaty of Seringapatanam was signed. The terms of surrender were particularly harsh in that Tipu Sultan had to hand over his two minor-children as hostagesto British custody until he had cleared the amount of Rs.Three crores and Thirty lakhs fixed as the costs of the British campaign against him. But the Sultan had no other go.[9].
Treaty with the British
Following the Treaty of Seringapatanam, the British demanded large sums from Travancore for the expenses of the war, which although the Maharajah did not subscribe to, thought it prudent to pay as he was not in a military position to oppose the English. A Subsidiary Alliance was made between Travancore and the British by which and subsidiary force was to be stationed in Travancore. Besides the Maharajah was also to help the British during times of need [10].
Reforms
- Communications were opened to facilitate trade and business in the state by the Maharajah under the able Dewanship of Rajah Kesavadas.Ports were improved and various new products were exported by Travancore during this reign. Ship building was also given importance and several developments in this regard took place.
- Gold coins known as Anantharayan Fanam,'Chinna Fanam'and 'Ananthavarahan'were minted in Travancore in addition to a large bullion of silver,coined as'Chuckrams'.
- During wartime taxes were raised but after the payments to the British and overcoming wartime expenses, these taxes were remitted.
- The capital at 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.
- The fortifications were bettered as also the ammunition and weapon manufacture was undertaken with greater vigor, particularly the manufacturing of guns. Palaces in different parts of the country were developed and new ones built.
- An interesting insight into the religious tolerance of the Maharajah is gained through a letter by Pope Clement XIV wherein His Holiness thanked the Maharajah for the kindness to the members of his church in Travancore and officially placed all the Christians in Travancore under the protection of the sovereign.
Kathakali Playwright and Composer
As the composer of Kathakali Plays (attakadha). He set a systematic curriculum for teaching Kathakali. Being a good vocalist and scholar in music and dance, he composed excellent Kritis[11] which have enriched Carnatic music. He was perhaps the first violinist from the royal family. He has to his credit nearly 150 compositions. It was with the advent of the Kathakali plays of Karthika Thirunal that many reforms were brought in Kathakali. Changes were implemented in the structure of plays and in their technique to be adopted during presentation. Priority was given for sringara padas.[12]. The rule that each character should enter the stage with sringara padas was introduced by him. Katthi characters must enter by presenting pada in Padi raga. All his kathakali plays attained much popularity and fame on account of its technical superiority in stage presentation, variety and vividness of characters and the story. He has to his credit seven plays:
- Rajasooyam,
- Subhadrapaharanam,
- Gandharvavijayam,
- Panchali Svayamvaram,
- Bakavadham,
- Kalayanasougandhikam (Thekkan or southern style)
- Narakasuravadham[13].
Demise
The Maharajah died on the 17th of February, 1798 at the age of seventy four after a long reign that was prosperous, save for the invasion of the kingdom by Tipu Sultan. He had maintained the sovereignty of Travancore and protected it from destruction by the superior Mysore forces. He maintained the friendship cultivated with the British by his uncle Marthanda Varma. More importantly, he came to be known as Dharma Raja due to the asylum he provided to the thousands of people from Malabar fleeing to escape forced proselytization by Tipu Sultan. So pleased were these subjects of Malabar that many families of kings and nobles stayed back in Travancore.
Karthika Thirunal Maharajah had four wives or Ammachis. His first wife was Panapillai Kali Amma Nagamani Amma from Vadasseri. His other three wives hailed from Thiruvattar, Arumana and Nagercoil. He constructed four Ammaveedus for his wives in Trivandrum in the last decade of the 18th century and these families are his descendants. The Maharajah's brother married from the Puthumana Ammaveedu and his grandson was the poet Irayimman Thampi. The Maharajah's descendant from Arumana Ammaveedu married Balarama Varma, his successor, and their descendant was the consort of Visakham Thirunal Maharajah.(This information is from "Thiruvananthapurathinte Eithihaasam")
See also
References
- Swathithirunnal Website Accessed on August 7, 2006
- Kerala Government website accessed on August 7, 2006.
- Dept of Archaeology, Kerala Government website accessed on August 7, 2006.
Notes
- ^ The names of members of Royal houses of Kerala usually succeeded their birth star(nal or nakshatra). Thiru added for respect. As most of the royal names were Rama varma, Kerala Varma, Raja Raja Varma, this was also a method to distinguish from each other
- ^ The Maharanis of Travancore are known as Attingal Thampuratties
- ^ Information from Travancore State Manual by Nagam Aiya
- ^ Travancore State Manual by T.K.Velu Pillai,Page260
- ^ Travancore State Manual by T.K.Velu Pillai, Pages 357 to 373
- ^ Travancore State Manual by T.K Velu Pillai, Pages 373 to 385
- ^ Travancore State Manual by T.K.Velu Pillai,Pages 395 to 413
- ^ K.M. Panicker, Bhasha Poshini, August, 1923
- ^ Travancore State Manual by T.K.Velu Pillai,pages 413 to 429
- ^ Travancore State Manual by Velu Pillai,Pages 433 to 437
- ^ Compositions
- ^ padas or verses in which amour is the predominant mood
- ^ It is believed that the last portion of Narakasura Vadham was completed by his nephew AswathiThirunal
|
Dharma Raja of Travancore
Born: 1724 Died: 1798 |
||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Marthanda Varma |
Maharaja of Travancore 1758-1798 |
Succeeded by Balarama Varma |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
