He spurned Dewan's post,to write History
In Travancore,when the brothers,the King Ayilyam Thirunal Rama Varma(1860-1880) and heir apparent,Visakham Thirunal Rama Varma(1880-1885) quarreled,several officers found themselves at the receiving end.One among them was Dewan Peishcar P Sankunni Menon (Shangoonny Menon in English records),and when at the height of the war between the brothers,he was offered the post of Dewan,he resigned his job,and wrote,A History of Travancore from The Earliest Times.Later,his son,K P Padmanabha Menon,surpassed his father as a Historian,by writing,History of Kerala and History of Cochin.
Sankunni Menon had entered Travancore service at the salary of Rs 10 a month during King Swati Thirunal(1829-1847)and rose to become one of the four Dewan Peishcars,as a loyal and honest officer.Two years after Uthram Thirunal Marthanda Varma(1846-1860) ascended the throne,the King received a letter from Madras Government(1849),on the great exhibition planned in London in 1851,on produce,manufactures and arts of the countries of the Empire.The letter asked for a contribution from Travancore.The King formed a Committee,with Resident Major General W Cullen,Dr Paterson,Durbar Physician,Kohlhoff,Judge of Apellate Court and Raman Menon,Dewan Peishcar as members.Sankunni Menon was its Secretary.An ivory State Chair,in the shape of a throne was already under construction,by artisans,for the use of the King,and it was decided to sent it to London,and gift it to the Queen after exhibition.The happy Queen sent an acceptance letter to the King,which was presented by General W Cullen,Resident,in the Durbar,to the King,on 27 November,1851.A sketch of this was published by the Illustrated London News,on 31 January,1852.
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| General Cullen presenting letter of Queen Victoria to Uthram Thirunal |
Though the King Ayilyam Thirunal had faith in Sankunni Menon,after the exit of Dewan T Madhava Rao,the new Dewan A Seshaiah Sastri and the Resident John Child Hannyngton got themselves involved in the palace intrigues,and they began to view Menon with suspicion.Rao had to quit as a victim of palace politics,and Seshaiah was his class mate.Amaravathi Seshaiah was born in a poor family in Amaravathi,Thanjavur,and he had moved to Madras,while at 9,with his uncle,Gopala Iyer.After degree,he enterd revenue service as Clerk in 1848,and was a Tahsildar,when he was appointed Dewan of Travancore,in 1872.He quit after receiving an anonymous letter on a plan to finish him off,by the King Ayilyam Thirunal.The letter was written by Kerala Varma Valiya Koyil Thampuran, the poet and play wright,the friend turned foe of the King.He admitted author ship of the letter later.
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| Ivory Chair sent to Queen Victoria |
It was Hannyngton,as State Secretary of Madras,who signed the Mullapperiyar agreement of 999 years,with Travancore Dewan,V Rama Iyengar, later in 1886,during Visakham Thirunal.
There were people jealous of Menon's proximity to the King.When Hannyngton complained to the King about Menon,the King told him that he,as someone who had known Menon for long,has complete faith in Menon,and he doesn't believe in the scandals.Hannyngton pressed for the removal of Menon once again,stating old age as reason.The King silenced him by saying,Menon has been given additional charge of Kollam Division,since Kollam Peishcar Rama Rao has gone on leave.
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| K P Padmanabha Menon |
Upset with scandal mongers,Menon gave a written complaint to the King.Here is the King's reply dated 9 April,1877.
My dear Peishcar,
I was quite delighted with your letter and its enclosure.Be assured that you shall always have my unqualified support,kindness and protection,as I cannot have a more truly loyal,attached and devoted servant and more faithful dependent than yourself.I have arranged with the Dewan for the continuance of the Military guard of which you had written.With best wishes,
Rama Varma.
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| Dewan Seshaiya |
Dewan Seshaiah quit in 1877,became Dewan at Pudukottai(1878-1894).He became famous as builder of the city of Pudukottai and the Pudukulam Lake.He was Dewan Regent during 1886-1894.
After Seshaiah quit,the King asked for Menon's consent to be appointed in place of him.Menon told the King that writing Travancore History was under way,and he would like to go on leave to complete it.It was completed and published in 1878.He didn't live long there after.
To complete the History,Menon built a home on the banks of Periyar river at Puthenvelikara,near North Paravur.It had a library and lit by the warmth of oil lamps, he would wade through information,collate it,and write down drafts,with the assistance of his son,Padmanabha Menon.In a letter to his son,Menon had said,"History would judge that my decision to spurn the offer of the post of Dewan for writing the book,was right".
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| Puthenvelikkara Home |
When the news of Menon's death came,the King said:"He was the pilot to all my journeys.He has gone as a pilot of my last journey!".
Sarvadhikaryakkar P Govinda Pillai,on behalf of the King,sent a letter of condolence, to K P Sankara Menon,Menon's son,on 18 March 1880(Sankara Menon wrote the biography of Kesari Balakrishna Pillai).Ayilyam Thirunal had went into a coma after the resignation of Menon,without signing the appointment order of,P Govinda Pillai,succeeding Menon.The King died on 30 May 1880.He followed the pilot.
Padmanabha Menon was a lawyer and an assistant to H H Shepherd,who was Advocate General in Madras.Shepherd was made a Judge of the High Court,later.Menon moved to Cochin,practiced at the appeal court,before moving to Travancore.He was a member of the Marumakathayam Committee, appointed to recommend changes in the laws pertaining to customs of Nairs.
Padmanabha Menon,known for his sedentary habits, finished writing History of Kerala(4 volumes)using a portion of Aluva Palace,in 1910.It was published only in 1924,five years after his death,on May Day,1919.KP Padmanabha Menon stayed at his mother Parvathy Amma's house at Edapally,Krishnathu Puthenveedu,which is still there at Blossom Road,Punnakkal.The Puthenvelikkara House was pulled down in the 1990s before it could be made a monument.
Reference:
1.Dewan Peishcar Sankunni Menon/R Kulathu Iyer
2.Sarvadhikayakkar P Govinda Pilla/P Damodaran Nair
See my Post,A GREAT POET AS HOSTAGE IN TRAVANCORE
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