Travancore-Cochin

Travancore-Cochin or Thiru-Kochi is a former state of India. It was created on 1 July 1949 by the merger of two former princely states, the kingdoms of Travancore and Cochin.

Travancore in the Madras Presidency in 1859

On 1 July 1949 A.D., the State of Travancore-Cochin was established, with Trivandrum as the capital and the Maharajah of Travancore as the Rajapramukh of the new State. The Maharajah of Cochin was offered to be addressed as Uparaja Pramukh. But Maharaja of Cochin did not want any title after handing over the power. The Maharaja politely said that the eldest member of Cochin Royal Family should be called Valiya Thampuran and gave up royal powers unconditionally for the good of the people. ^[1]

Elections were held and Pattom A. Thanu Pillai was elected as the Chief Minister of the Thiru_Kochi state. In A.D. 1954, the Travancore Tamilnadu 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, irrepairably 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.

On 1 November 1956 it was joined with Malabar District of Madras State to form the new state of Kerala, with a Governor, appointed by the President of India, as the head of the state instead of the Rajapramukh.

Template:States of India on 26 January 1950

References

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