PARIKSHIT THE LAST KING AND THE OTHER PARIKSHIT

He Abdicated the Throne for a Panchangam

The last King of Cochin was known as Parikshit Thampuran (1876-1964). Though his real name was Rama Varma (Kunjunni) Thampuran, he was known as Parikshit because of the travails he had to undergo before his birth. He went through the kind of experiments the Pandava king, Parikshit of Mahabharatha had to undergo before his birth.

Parikshit Thampuran

Thampuran's mother, Amba/Manku Thampuran was not able to deliver the child even after two days after she started having labour pain. When the Ayurvedic medication by Thycaut Moos and Elamana Krishna Menon, was found fruitless, the family members decided to bring Dr D Gunther, Medical Officer, and father of Robert Gunther, from Ernakulam, and other doctors from the Cochin Fort, to do an operation. Dr Gunther said that they would be able to save either the mother or the child. The family began praying to the presiding deity, Sree Poornathrayeesa. Then, a Kshatriya lady (Nambishtathiri)servant in the Palace who was an expert in the ottamooli (treating with one wonder drug)treatment, came forward and said she would make a try. Dr Gunther grinned; he went to a room and sat there waiting for the tragic end.

Young Parikshit

The servant searched the Palace compound, made a juice with some medicinal plants, carried it on a wooden plank and entered the Queen's room. Within minutes, the cry of the newborn made the Palace jubilant-the mother had a sudden, easy delivery. Only Dr Gunther was unhappy. T M Chummar, who knew the King very well, records that, it was the famous Vaidya Madom Nambudiri, who experimented with a wonder drug, and it was before the arrival of, the doctors.

Parikshit, ChithiraThirunal, Airport/1949

The Royal family remembered the birth of the mythical King Parikshit and appended it to the name, Rama Varma.

The mythical Parikshit had succeeded Yudishtira as the Kuru King of Hastinapur. He was the grandson of Arjuna and Subhadra and the son of Abhimanyu and Uthara. Uthara was carrying her son in her womb when Abhimanyu was slain in the war by Kauravas. Ashwathama tried to kill the unborn child and the mother directed Bhrama-sheer asthra towards her tent. He had done it to avenge the killing of his father, Drona by the Pandavas. He even wanted to kill the unborn to finish off the whole race. Though he succeeded in his aim, Krishna appeared and gave life to the dead embryo. The child, Parikshit was born after the war. Krishna was a maternal uncle of Abhimanyu.

Coronation of Parikshit, Aug 1948, Durbar Hall/Cochin

Though it is well known that Thakshaka, the serpent King of Taxila caused the death of Parikshit due to a curse of a Brahmin, I read an alternate account while researching the story. The official wife of Parikshit was Madravati and her son, Janamejaya. But he had an unofficial Puthrika (lower caste) wife, Samika and a son, Sringin.It was Sringin who murdrerd Parikshit!

So there was a cover-up even during the mythical times. The Royal family decided that people should never know that the King had his death at the hands of a Dalit. Manusamhitha had denied equal rights to a puthrika wife and a puthrika son.

The first attempt to introduce modern medicine was made in Cochin in 1818 by a missionary, Rev J Dawson, who opened a dispensary in Mattancherry. It received a monthly grant from the government, but it was closed after a couple of years. In 1823, the Civil Surgeon of British Cochin was made ex officio Darbar physician, and a Dresser was attached to the jail at Ernakulam, while the Trichur jail was placed in the charge of the Dresser attached to the British Military detachment there. These three people began to show the advantages of modern medicine and surgery. In 1848, Dewan Sankara Warrier opened the first Government Hospital, the Charity Hospital in Ernakulam, which was developed into the present General Hospital. Just a year before the birth of Parikshit Thampuran, in 1875, a hospital was opened at Thrissur. 

People who do not know history see the swearing-in of upstart politicians on grounds like Ramlila Maidan, a revolution.What about the Coronation of Parikshit on the ground of the Durbar Hall in Ernakulam in August 1948?

Ariyittu Vazhcha Kovilakam 

Till Parikshit Thampuran, the Coronation or ariyittu vazhcha was held in Mattancherry in a very small cottage, called the Ariyittu Vazhcha Kovilakam. It was opened only for the coronation. There was a cot in the locked room in the cottage, only used during the coronation. The Zamorin of Calicut sent troops to seize it but was defeated by the Portuguese troops in 1557. In gratitude, the Cochin King gave them permission to build the Immanuel Fort; in reciprocation, they built the Mattancherry Palace. From then on, the coronation procession began from the Mattancherry Palace to the ariyittuvazhcha kovilakam. Then the King would take a dip in the pond. The locked room will be opened and he he would sit on the cot with an olakkuda (umbrella made of farm frond). History has it that one of the Cochin Kings, Rama Varma (1701-1721) had taken a vow not to wear the crown till he had reclaimed Vanneri, the land he lost to the Zamorin. So during the coronation, the Crown was placed on his cap. The priests performed the Vedic rituals, and rice was showered on the King as a blessing.

Ikkanda Warrier

After the coronation, the King would go to the Palliyarakadavu temple, opposite the Palace. Then he would proceed to the houses of the Tamil Brahmins to pay obeisance. The ceremony ended in the Coronation Hall of the Dutch Palace(the former Palace built by the Portuguese)where the King would hold the first Durbar. All this was changed by  Parikshit in one go.

We have scant regard for history. Part of the Ariyittuvazcha kovilakam, six cents, was used for the village office till 1995 when the activist Purushothama Mallya interfered. Now it is going to be a monument.

Parikshit Museum

Parikshit Thampuran was the son of Ottur Raman Nambudiripad and Amba/Manku Thampuran.The scholarly mother taught him initially and Nyaya was taught to him by his uncle, the abdicated King(1914) Rama Varma, he was the second prince to pass B A from the Presidency College, Madras, after the reigning King, Uthradam Thirunal Kerala Varma. They had, in fact, gone to the College together, but he could pass only two years later, in 1904, because he fell ill, after accompanying his uncle on a North Indian trip. They had gone to attend the Durbar in Delhi, in honour of the visiting Prince of Wales, Edward VII. After the Durbar, they went on a pilgrimage to Kasi and Rameswaram. His uncle delivered a speech in Sanskrit at Benares. He married the daughter of his uncle and Ittyanath Valiya Parukutty Nethyaramma, Ammukutty/Madhavi Amma. They had no children.

Among his works, Subodhini, the Logic text is prominent. He along with his classmate, K Rama Pisharody, wrote a commentary to Kalidasa's Sakuntakam, titled, Sarartha Deepika. Among his poems, Prahlada Charitam is famous. His articles in Malayalam were compiled by A D Hari Sharma, as, Dhalangal.

Parikshit Thampuran with the Jews/Painting at Synagogue

He took leadership in conducting the Scholars Assembly, every year at the Sanskrit College, in Tripunithura, from 1926. In 1960, the Chief Justice and Sanskrit scholar, M Pathanjali Sastri presided over the final session. In 1962, an Akshara Sloka festival was held in the palace, and eminent scholars such as A V Krishna Warrier, P C Vasudevan Elayath and K Achyutha Poduval, participated in the competition, G Sankara Kurup, A D Hari Sharma and P C Devasia sat among the audience. Kanchi Sankaracharya, during the Raja's brief tenure, gave him the title, Dharsana Kalanidhi. 

He ruled for only a year,1948-1949. The first election to the Cochin legislature coincided with his coronation. It was the first election in India on the basis of a unified adult franchise. Cochin Rajya Praja Mandalam got a majority in the elections. It merged with the Indian National Congress; E. Ikkanda Warrier assumed office as the first Chief Minister on September 20,1948. So, Parikshit Thampuran had no role to play and he saw the writing on the wall. On July 1,1949, Travancore and Cochin were integrated to become Thiru-Kochi and Parikshit ceased to be the King. The ruler of Travancore was offered the post, of Rajpramukh, the Governor. Parikshit politely declined the post of Uprajyapramukh. He asked only two things: the official panchangam of the government should be sent to him annually; the eldest member of the royal family should be called the Valiyathampuran. He gave up royal powers unconditionally. He died in Tripunithura, on November 12, 1964.

The Hill Palace Museum is named after Parikshit. 

The story of Swati Thirunal was the reverse; he was declared a ruler while he was in the womb of Rani Lakshmi Bai. Hence he was known as Garbha Sriman(glorified while in the womb).

Reference:
1.Sadara Smarankal/T M Chummar 
2.Raja Vamsam/Tripunithura Smaranakal/R T Ravi Varma 

© Ramachandran

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