A KING MARRIES HIS STEWARD'S WIFE

But she was a Dewan's Daughter

When Dharmaraja shifted the capital of Travancore from Padmanabhapuram,to Thiruvananthapuram,in 1795,he shifted his four wives too,building palaces for them in the west Fort.The males in the family were instructed from then on,to take consorts from those families alone:Arumana,Vadsseri,Thiruvattar and Nagercoil.Exceptions became the rule,and it reached its zenith during the reign of Ayilyam Thirunal(1860-1880),notorious for his amorous escapades,and drunken bashes.But something very rare happened then-violating the practice,he married a Nair woman from Cochin.She was Kalyanikutty Amma,daughter of the former Valiya Sarvadhikaryakkar,or Prime Minister of Cochin,Nadavarambu Kunjukrishna Menon.

Kalyanikutty

From my childhood onwards,Kunju Krishna Menon had been a mysterious character,after reading,Paliath Achan's efforts to assassinate Menon.It was very difficult to ferret out details then,but details began to over flow,when a research was made into Velu Thampi Dalawa's attempt to kill the Resident,Colin Campbell Macaulay.

Menon belonged to Nadavarambu,in Irinjalakuda and as Sarvadhikaryakkar,or Chief Secretary ,was a favorite of the King of Cochin,Vellarapalliyil Theepetta Thampuran,Rama Varma X(1805-1809).As second in Command,in administration,he was a natural rival to the Chief Minister,Paliath Govindan Achan.Sakthan Thampuran(1790-1805),had crushed the earlier powerful Paliath Achan,and had sent him away.Sakthan Thampuran had advised,before his death,his successor Rama Varma X,not to involve Paliath Achans any more,in administration.The scheming Dewan Velu Thampi of Travancore prevailed upon Rama Varma to reinstate Paliath Govinda Menon,met the King at Tripunithura, Macaulay,then a close friend of Velu Thampi, supported him,and Achan was in the gaddi again.Achan took reins of the country,shifted the King to Vellarapally,a remote village,in Chowara,on the other bank of Aluva,and kept him under house arrest.

Achan found,Nadavarambu Kunju Krishna Menon,blocking him,in his moves to usurp the throne,and the King asked Macaulay to protect Menon by keeping him,with him,at the Residency,Bolgatty Palace.Macaulay,who liked the the talents of Menon agreed.When Achan asked Menon to surrender,Macaulay refused to let him go.

Ayilyam Thirunal

Achan invited rivals in the Cochin camp,Govinda Menon,Commandant,and Minister,Raman Menon to Chendamangalam,to solve the disputes amicably,and both were caught en route,and drowned in Cranganore river.He was waiting for Kunjukrishna Menon.

It was in this back drop,Velu Thampi and Achan found help in each other;Thampi had thought,by killing Macaulay,he could be able to win freedom.Thus the joint forces attacked the Bolgatty Palace,on the night of December 28,1808.Menon,who was staying with Macaulay,had gone to Mattancherry,and Macaulay concealed himself in a lower chamber,and escaped in the morning,after Menon joined him,in a ship,Peacemont.They later shifted to Snow,in the outer sea,and stayed there for few weeks,till the Travancore Nair rebellion was crushed.The Cochin King died within a fort night,and Veera Kerala Varma(1809-1828), known as,Virulam Thampuran,or Karkadakathil Theepetta Thampuran,took over,and made,Menon,Valiya Sarvadhikaryakkar(1809-1812).The British deported Achan to Bombay;when they found him,absconding,  in Thrissur,he was taken forcibly to Bombay.He remained there for 12 years,and died in Varanasi.

Anantha Lakshmi

Within a few months,the King fell out with Menon,finding him,inexperienced,arbitrary and self willed.Menon pursued his enemies with,vindictive ferocity.He took no steps to pay subsidy arrears or indemnity,due to the British.Though,the King complained to Macaulay,no action was taken.When Macaulay was recalled,after publicly hanging the dead body of Velu Thampi on a gibbet,Col John H Munro,Resident Dewan of Travancore,took charge in Cochin too,and the King,approached him with corruption charges against Menon.Munro,while he was Collector in Kozhikode,had been attracted by the efficiency of two brothers,Raman Menon and Krishna Menon,sons of Kunjulakshmi Amma of Narikkad family,Kuruva,Angadippuram.Mankada Raja,Kunjunni Thampuran,who married her,had died early.Krishna Menon was a village officer at Chittur/Nenmara,and Raman Menon,was assistant to Kunjukrishna Menon,at Cochin.When Munro ordered an inquiry against Menon,Raman Menon was able to protect his boss,by setting records favorably.The vindictive King removed the brothers from service,and confiscated their property.

Govindan Achan

Ultimately,Kunju Krishna Menon was pensioned off,in June,1812.At the time of his retirement,the state was in debt to the extent of Rs 600,000.

I have gone into  these details,to tell you that the popular theory of Nadavarambu  Kunjukrishna Menon's daughter marrying King Ayilyam Thirunal,spread by vested interests,as a bonding between the two kingdoms,is wrong.His daughter married Ayilyam Thirunal,only in 1862,5o years after Menon was pensioned off.She was born in 1839,27 years after he was retired.Kalyanikutty was the only daughter of Menon and Cheranallur Mathripilli Lakshmi Amma.

Ayilyam Thirunal had married,before he became King,his uncle,King Uthram Thirunals's daughter,Madhavi, of Thiruvattar,in 1854.She died within few years.It was after this,the King fell for Eswara Pillai Vicharippukar s,wife Kalyanikutty.So,she was already married to a palace steward.In return,Eswara Pillai became the proud owner of the vast Punnakkal property,to the west of Padmanabha Swamy Temple,inside the Fort.The area itself is known as Punnakkal.Pillai had entered palace service,during Uthram Thirunal.He was an acclaimed Kathakali actor,who led the Kathakali Yogam,the first Kathakali Truoupe in the State,formed by Uthram Thirunal,and with the King's prodding,started a printing press,Kerala Vilasam,in 1852,the first press owned by an individual.Several unpublished classics saw light of the day,from the press,including,Ulsava Prabandham(1853)and Anpathinalu Divasathe Attakathakal(1857).

King Sree Moolam Thirunal too kept up this tradition,when he married in 1899,Karthyayani of Kaipilli,Palkulangara,wife of palace servant,Sankaran.Sankaran in turn,became influential,got the title of Thampi,and he married Karthyayani's younger sister,who was in love with Narayana Kurukkal,Swadesabhimani Ramakrishna Pillai's Guru.This was the basic reason for Pillai to rebel against the King.

After three years of marriage,in 1865,Kalyanikutty was adopted into Nagercoil amma veedu,meaning,she was just a concubine,for three years.The marriage with Eswara Pillai,was dissolved.Along with Kalyanikutty,the King adopted two nieces and one nephew of her,as his children.One niece,Anantha Lakshmi(daughter of Kunjulakshmi) was married to Ayilyam Thirunal's nephew,Sree Moolam Thirunal,in 1879,and records say,the other(daughter of Karthyayani) married a Thirumulpad and a son,Nagercoil Achyuthan Thampi.Anantha Lakshmi died at child birth,in 1882.Kalyanikutty was a Sanskrit scholar who wrote poems and plays,and was a minor celebrity,as wife of the King.Her works include,Rasakrida,Satyapanchakam,Pativratapanchakam and Ambareeshacharitham.She died,issue less,in 1909.

John Munro

The first commission given to Raja Ravi Varma,by Ayilyam Thirunal was,Kalyanikutty's portrait.The King commissioned the English painter,Theodore Jensen for a portrait of his wife and him,but the painter was annoyed,when they gave only separate sittings.The King was barred from appearing with a Sudra wife publicly.

There is a sub text to the story:Ankarath Raman Menon,who was removed by the King of Cochin,was made an advocate in Kollam Kutcheri by Munro. He became a Judge at Alapuzha and finally Dewan Peshkar, a Dalawa and  Dewan of Travancore in 1815-1817,when Sanku Annavi Pillai retired. He had fallen out with Munro,after he took to task,Chief of Forests,Captain Gordon.Remembering the ill treatment he got in Cochin,as Dewan, he raked up a dormant border dispute case between Travancore and Cochin,in which Cochin was definite to lose territory.The dreadful Cochin King ,learning a person from Cochin has turned against Cochin,sent a messenger to Menon, asking to meet him.Raman Menon refused ,saying he is now a Padmanabha dasa,and can meet another King only if the Regent Queen sends him.Raja of Cochin sent a letter,Regent Gowri Lakshmi Bayi agreed and Raman Menon was received by the Raja at the border with state honors,gave his family,the title,Mannadi Nair,or Mannadiyar.The King gave a Veerasringhala to Krishna Menon,re instated him, as Tahsildar at Chittur/Nenmara,and gave back the confiscated Ankarath tharavad property.

A R Pillai(1880-1938),Indian expatriate,who worked for Indian freedom in Germany,as writer,Journalist and publisher,was closely related to Eswara Pillai.His mother was the niece of Eswara Pillai.

Reference:

1.The Cochin State Manual/C Achyutha Menon
2.Sarvadhikaryakkar P Govinda Pilla/P Damodaran Nair
Note:The portrait of Anantha Lakshmi,by P Mukundan Thampi

See my Post,A GREAT POET AS HOSTAGE IN TRAVANCORE

 

A GREAT POET AS HOSTAGE IN TRAVANCORE

A victim of palace Intrigues and his own folly

Kerala Varma Valiyakoil Thampuran (1845-1914), was a colossal renaissance figure in 19th-century Kerala, who advocated the resuscitation of Malayalam literature, absorbing selected western influences, combined with Sanskrit elements. Known as Kerala Kalidasa, he began taking literary activity seriously, during an imprisonment of five years, ordered by his own brother-in-law, the King of Travancore, the highly immoral, Ayilyam Thirunal Rama Varma (1860-1880).

Kerala Varma belonged to the Parappanad royal family of Malabar, which had fled during the invasion of Tipu, and settled in the Lakshmipuram Palace, Changanacherry. The family stayed back even after Tipu's death, agreeing to a pension from the British.He was the son of Devi Amba and Cheriyoor Mullapally Narayanan Nambudiri,of,Perinchellur,Taliparamba.The family shifted to the Anantapuram Palace, Haripad, later.

Kerala Varma Valiya Koyil Thampuran

At 14, he married the adopted niece of Uthram Thirunal Marthanda Varma, the Maharaja of Travancore, and the marriage brought him in close proximity with the royal family, as well as the King's nephews, Ayilyam Thirunal and Visakham Thirunal Rama Varma (1880-1885), which eventually, made him the victim.

The three males and five females, who fled from Parappanad, which was a small principality, around the present Parappanangadi railway station, in Malappuram, were rehabilitated by the then Dharmaraja Rama Varma of Travancore, in the Neerazhi Kottaram, Changanacherry. When Gowri Lakshmi Bayi, who ruled Travancore, after Balarama Varma, married, Valiya Cherunni Achan Koyi Thampuran from the newly settled Parappanad family at Neerazhi, the males in the family became, Koyi Thampurans, meaning, the males eligible to marry girls from the royal family. Swati Thirunal, her son, built her a new palace in Changanacherry and called it, Lakshmipuram Palace. She stayed there till 1865.

Kerala Varma's mother, Devi Amba, was the sister of the father of King Sreemoolam Thirunal, Raja Raja Varma. His father, Mullapally Nambudiri, a scholar, belonged to the family of Pathinettara Kavis. His mother used to write small poems, and recite them to her child, which Kerala Varma has referred to in the preface to his Kathakali play, Hanumadulbavam. They were six brothers, and a sister, Kochu Lakshmikutty.

Thiruvarpu Rama Warrier was his Guru for four years, from age five, and though Kiratharjuniyam was Kerala Varma's favourite, he could recite the whole of Raghu Vamsam of Kalidasa, by heart.

Lakshmi, wife of Kerala Varma

He was taken to Thiruvananthapuram by his uncle, Raja Raja Varma, in 1855, and he studied, Ashtanga Hridyam, from Vaikam Pachu Moothath, who was the first Historian of Travancore. Dr Wearing, Durbar Physician, and Annaji Rao, nephew of Dewan Madhava Rao, taught him English. Visakham Thirunal gave him, books and magazines, in English.

Lakshmi Bayi, the wife of Raja Raja Varma, was the only female, then in the royal family. So, Uthram Thirunal adopted two princesses from Mavelikara. Raja Raja Varma, conveyed his death wish, to his brother-in-law, the King, to get married, Kerala Varma, to the eldest princess, Lakshmi Bayi. Though Ayilyam Thirunal was against it, Visakham wholly supported the proposal.

Uthram Thirunal

After the marriage, Mullapally Nambudiri, as a contented person, went on a pilgrimage, to Kasi, and died in 1861. It was a jolt to Devi Amba, who was already fed up with internal bickering in the Lakshmipuram Palace, and she left it in 1865, with family members. Ayilyam Thirunal, who had become King, at the request of Kerala Varma, arranged for their temporary stay at Karthikapally Palace, and then built the Ananthapuram Palace, near Subramanya Temple, at Haripad, for them. It was there, Kerala Varma, was made a hostage, later. The Regent Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, was, married to Rama Varma, of Ananthapuram Palace, years later.

After his marriage to Lakshmi, Kerala Varma continued his studies, under Elathur Ramaswamy Sasthrikal, who presided over the Scholars Assembly in the palace. He became the disciple of Kumbakonam Seenu Iyengar and Kadayam Subba Dikshitar. He was taught Veena by his elder brother, Makam Thirunal, and his own wife, Lakshmi. The Veena exponents, Venkitadri Bhagavatar and Manjapra Kalyanakrishna Bhagavathar became gurus of the couple.Kalyana Krishna Bhagavathar was the friend of O Chandu Menon,the first Novelist in Malayalam.

Ayilyam Thirunal

We get the complete story of Kerala Varma's love-hate relationship with the King Ayilyam Thirunal from Kerala Varma's work, Visakha Vijayam, extolling the virtues of the later Maharaja, who was the brother of Ayilyam Thirunal, and Outline of Autobiography by Visakham Thirunal, himself.

They were more than cordial, competing in writing instant poetry. The King made Kerala Varma a member of the textbook committee in 1867, with the Dewan's nephew, Annaji Rao as Chairman, an important decision, which modernized the curriculum; he became its Chairman a year later. Even if Kerala Varma was absent in the King's palace, for a cultural event, a messenger was sure to be there, at Thevarathu Koyikkal Palace, in the Fort, where he resided. There are palace records, showing instances of the King Playing Piano, and Kerala Varma, on Veena. Kerala Varma wrote, Thirunal Prabandham (1861), his first Sanskrit work, celebrating, the King's birthday, and Thulabara Sathakam (1870), in praise of Ayilyam Thirunal, and was gifted a diamond.in 1869, when Ayilyam Thirunal, went to Madras to visit the Duke of Edinburgh, Kerala Varma, was asked to accompany him. Kerala Varma joined the King's caravan, at Shornur, after getting down midway at Karthikapally and supervising, the construction of the Ananthapuram Palace. From Shornur, they had a special train. From Madras, Kerala Varma bought, watercolours and canvasses for the use of the great painter, Raja Ravi Varma.

Kerala Varma, joined Ayilyam Thirunal in his Kasi trip, in 1872, from Shornur; Sir T Madhava Rao met Kerala Varma at Bombay, the team attended the coronation of the Bhopal Begum and Kerala Varma met, John Strachey, who was acting Viceroy then, after the assassination of Lord Mayo. Kerala Varma visited the Elephanta caves, and after the rituals in Kasi, he met the Sanskrit scholar, Bodhayanacharya at Pune.

Now, the tragedy.

Visakham, Ayilyam & Madhava Rao

Though he had a little stammer, Ayilyam Thirunal, sang very well.T Lakshmanan Pillai, has recorded that the King often got down from the throne, and sat among the audience, during the Navarathri kutcheri s. His voice was mellifluous. His prose translation of Sakuntalam inspired Kerala Varma for the verse translation. He wrote, Meenakethana Charitham, based on a story, in the Arabian Nights. He was a strict administrator, and two renowned administrators in India, T Madhava Rao and Seshaiah Sastri were Dewans during his 20-year tenure, surrendering to his will. Women and wine were his banal passions.

In Visakha Vijayam, Kerala Varma, wrote:

Vijnanasagarathalam Sprisathapi Rajna

Nanjayathaganayena Dhanarjasya

Vedanta thathvamakilam Vidushopysaki

Nadanta Kamamamuna hridayam niyanthum  V/17

(The King who went to the depths of the knowledge sea

Ignored the sin of amassing illegal wealth 

Though he knew the essence of Vedanta

Never could control his lustful heart).

His brother was totally different in character, and wrote about Ayilyam Thirunal, in his autobiography, that, he had begun to sow wild oats long ago.

Visakham Thirunal

When Ayilyam and Visakham drifted apart, Kerala Varma, saw himself between the two, and finally, stood by the side of Visakham, which infuriated Ayilyam, with fire from the palace intriguers. Ayilyam was five years elder, and Madhava Rao had come to Travancore initially, as the tutor of the brothers. Ayilyam was 18 then, and Rao was more of a friend to him, and it is while referring to this period, Visakham brings in the imagery of wild oats. I had mentioned earlier that Ayilyam didn't like Kerala Varma marrying his adopted sister Lakshmi-he preferred another person from Kerala Varma's own family, Parappanattu Rama Varma. 

During the first 10 years of Ayilyam's reign, the relationship with Viskham was, on an even keel. While Ayilyam was suave and diplomatic, Visakham, as the crown prince, was outspoken, and criticized his brother, vehemently in private talks. Visakham had married, Lakshmi of Arumana, who was the first woman to study English at Zanana Mission, of his own choice, against the wishes of Uthram Thirunal, who wanted him to marry a girl, from Thiruvattar, his wife's family. During the years of his detachment, he spent most of his time in the Arumana house at Nagercoil, especially on the steps that lead to the Kaleeswaram Siva temple. Lakshmi, his wife, was from Arumana, and daughter of King Balarama Varma.

Lakshmi, wife of Visakham

Visakham, to a large extent, succeeded in turning Lakshmi, Kerala Varma's wife against Ayilyam. Madhava Rao was more attached to the young disciple, and with his influence and otherwise, the British considered Visakham exemplary, and was well received by them in Madras in 1861 (Governor William Denisen met him) and 1866, much to the chagrin of Ayilyam. Ayilyam turned against Madhava Rao, exploited a theft case in the treasury against Rao, and choked him out. After bidding goodbye to the King, when Rao descended to the thekke theru (south street), there was no official car, Peshkar Sankunni Menon, came to his help, taking him to Shornur, to board the train, in his car.

Karthikappally Palace

Rao's farewell was a shock to, both Visakham and Kerala Varma, and soon, an article, A Native Statesman, extolling the virtues of Madhava Rao, appeared in the Calcutta Review. Though there was no by-line, Ayilyam Thirunal could easily guess that the author was Visakham, who thought he won't get much help from the new Dewan, Seshaiah Sastri. The article fetched Rao a new job as the Regent, at Baroda-he had left Travancore at 45, with a lavish monthly pension of Rs 1000.

 

Kerala Varma, tried to keep away from Visakham at this time, referring to him by codes in his diary notes. When Aylilyam decided in 1872, to go to Kasi, and attend the coronation of Bhopal Begum, the wish of Kerala Varma to accompany him, was first rejected but was accepted in the second pleading. On return, Kerala Varma witnessed the enactment of the last scenes between, Ayilyam and Visakham. Ayilyam got information that the two Ranis, in Ayilyam's absence, had visited Visakham and planned a revolt. Ayilyam went to the Thevarathukoyikkal Palace and confronted his sister, Rani Lakshmi, wife of Kerala Varma, and she divulged that she went to Visakham after receiving a letter of Kerala Varma from Kasi, giving his consent. Ayilyam forced her to show him, the letter. Ayilyam had already sent a letter to Kerala Varma, criticizing the action of his wife.

Ananthapuram Palace

These facts are recorded in the diary entry of February 9,1873, by Kerala Varma.

 Ayilyam immediately ordered Kerala Varma, to stay away from the vicinity of the palace. His diary entry of February 11 records that he was informed of his willingness to stay in the Pujappura Palace or Mudavanmugal Palace, by a messenger. It was rejected, and the King blocked Kerala Varma, from his regular visits. Kerala Varma even suspected his wife of yielding to the wild strategies of the King. His friendship with Visakham became stronger, and the Sangumukham Palace, where Ayilyam used to hold drunken melees, was set ablaze at midnight. Ayilyam suspected the hands of Visakham and Kerala Varma and considered it an attempt to assassinate him. A lot of people, loyal to either Visakham or Kerala Varma, were flogged, publicly at Thekke Theru. Several people fled, and returned only after the death of Ayilyam Thirunal.

Kerala Varma, ignoring the entreaties of his wife, committed a grave folly by sending an anonymous letter to the Dewan, Seshaiah Sastri, revealing a plot by the King to kill the Dewan. In the letter, he was instructed either to resign or to employ loyal cooks. It also revealed the King's move, to appoint Peshkar Nanu Pillai, as Dewan. Though there were several rumours as to the author of the letter, Kerala Varma has admitted in Visakha Vijayam, that he wrote it. The Dewan first showed it to Visakham, who contemplated for a few seconds, on the handwriting. The Dewan then gave it to the King. The King had in fact, in an inebriated state, made a lot of negative comments on the Dewan, a few days before. The King had referred to the incident in which the Cochin King's loyal courtier, Sivarama Bhagavathar, poisoned the unwanted Dewan Sankara Warrier, and lamented the absence of such loyal s in his stable.

Madhava Rao

The effect of that letter was far-reaching. It had accused a reigning King of plotting a murder. Ayilyam wrote a long letter to the Madras Governor, William Rise Robinson, who was there for only seven months, describing the machinations of Visakham and Kerala Varma, and asked the Governor to grant permission to imprison Kerala Varma, without trial. Visakham Thirunal had a foreboding of the dark days ahead, called Kerala Varma, and explained the situation to him. He and Lakshmi advised him to be courteous to the King. When rumour spread that the King has decided to separate Kerala Varma, from Lakshmi, Visakham Thirunal met the King, and requested a pardon, only to be told the decision now rests with Madras. Elathur Rama Sastri met both the King and Kerala Varma. Agreeing with Sastri's suggestion, Kerala Varma wrote a letter of apology to the King, but with words, not befitting an apology, showing scant regard, for the King. The letter gave another reason to the King to move ahead.

The King pressurized the Resident and got permission to arrest Kerala Varma. It was Lakshmi, his wife, who got the information first that the order to arrest him has been sent to the Dewan and the Dewan has entrusted the job to Peshkar Nanu Pillai. She blamed the indiscretion of her husband, and asked him: If a King decides to kill his Dewan, is it our duty alone, to prevent it?

Peshkar Nanu Pillai

It was early morning, Malayalam year,1050, Karkadakam 21 (1875 July). Police barricades were seen on the eastern door of Thevarathu Koyikkal Palace and in several parts of the road. A Phoeten car with two horses was parked in front of the palace, on the Anakottil. The Magistrate, Thrivikraman Thampi, with two policemen, arrived at the palace by 7 AM, by the front entrance. He showed the warrant to the Rani, and told Kerala Varma, that he has been arrested on charges of sedition, and will be shifted to another town.

Seshaiah

The Rani was furious at Thrivikraman Thampi, a regular at the Palace, helping Kerala Varma in physical exercises, addressing Kerala Varma, in official terms. She asked him to get out, or else, he will be thrashed with a broom by her maid. Thampi went away, shocked.

Rani Lakshmi then sent a letter, requesting, pardon. The King said he was helpless since everything has been decided by Madras. She then sent another letter, requesting his permission to accompany Kerala Varma, wherever he was taken. The King rejected it. She took Kerala Varma inside, saying she wouldn't release him if she was not allowed to go with him. The King asked the Peshkar to directly go and arrest Kerala Varma. While Peshkar Nanu Pillai was trying to coerce them, the Rani held Kerala Varma's hand and ran out. The Peshkar gave necessary instructions to Thampi and his officials and waited in silence. They physically held the Rani, detached her, took Kerala Varma by force, and the Phoeten moved towards Vallakkadavu. From the southern gate of the palace, the Rani ran after the vehicle. The police blocked her.

When the vehicle left the gate of the West Fort, there was gunfire, signalling the success of the operation to the King. The King, for the first time, had delayed breakfast. When he went inside to have it, it was 10.30.

Kerala Varma was imprisoned in the Alapuzha palace first, and then in the Ananthapuram Palace, ceding to his request. From there, he wrote Kshamapana Sahasram and Kshamapanashtakam, two works of apology, and sent them to the King. and when the King ignored them, he wrote, Yamapranama Sathakam, praying for the death of the King. He was freed in 1880 when Visakham Thirunal became King. 

Kerala Varma wrote the epic, Mayura Sandesam, in the form of addressing his wife, from imprisonment, in 1894,14 years after his freedom. He died in a car accident in 1914. His wife had predeceased him. Visakham Thirunal died very early, in 1885. He knew he would die early, and his son, Sree Narayanan Thampi, would die a pauper. Both happened-Thampi, who began the first bus service in Travancore, in 1910, died in penury, but his father had issued an order to give him food, wherever he was seen.

Reference:

1.Kerala Varma Valiya Koyi Thampuran/P K Parameswaran Nair

2. Outline of Autobiography/Rama Varma

3. Modern Travancore/A Padmanabha Iyer

4. Travancore State Manual/T K Velu Pillai
5.Sarvadikaryakkar P Govinda Pilla/P Damodaran Nair

Note: The portrait of Visakham Thirunal was painted by K Padmanabhan Thampi.

See my Post,MURDER OF KOTTAYAM KERALA VARMA

 

LOVE IN THE TIME OF TIPU: DHARMA RAJA AND MANORAMA

She was in love with the King's nephew too

No empire will survive the test of time,except the creative empire.Any upheaval,or destruction,has its creative side,a sinister beauty.Love in the time of Cholera,is a wonderful expression,for the chaotic love, from Gabriel Garcia Marquez.Dharma Raja,Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma,of Travancore,loved Manorama from the Zamorin family of Kozhikode,at the time of the upheaval by Tipu Sultan.He was old enough to be her father,a young woman who had sought asylum in the soil of Travancore.

Hyder Ali annexed Kolathunad in Malabar in February,1766,and the royal family members  moved to Thalassery English Factory,and the Thekkilamkur,to Thiruvangad temple,near Thalassery.They were sent by the English to Travancore,in a ship and Raja Rama Varma,settled them at Paravur.In April,Hyder laid siege to Kozhikode and the Zamorin committed suicide,setting fire to his palace,on 27 April,1766.The Eralpadu or the crown prince,and family too moved to Paravur.When there was a challenge from the Marathas,Hyder went back,and before his journey back,called the Eralpadu to Kozhikode and ordained him as a vassal.

When Hyder,died in 1782,Tipu was in Ponnani,and he rushed back to Srirangapattana.The princes and chieftains were up in arms again,and Tipu came back in 1789,to crush the local rebellions.He killed a Kolathunad prince and his dead body was dragged by an elephant through his camp,and then hung up,on a tree.17 of his loyalists were also hanged publicly.

Dharma Raja Rama Varma

Between these upheavals,several royal branches from Malabar settled in various parts of Travancore.Even after the return of Tipu in 1790,the Zamorin stayed back.The prominent royal families,who have migrated from Malabar and settled in Travancore are 16:Neerazhi Kovilakam(Changanacherry),Ennakkad Gramathil Kovilakam(from where Communist leader George Chadayammuri found his life partner),Paliyakkara(Tiruvalla),Nedumparampu,Chempara Madom,Ananthapuram Kottaram(Haripad),Ezhumattur Palace,Aranmula Kottaram,Varanad Kovilakam,Mavelikara,Murikoyikkal Palace,Mariapilly(Kottayam),Koratti Swarupam,Kaipuzha Kovilakam,Lakshmipuram Palace,Changanacherry(of LPR Varma) and Kottapuram.

Rama Varma himself,was the son of a Kolathiri princess,Karthika Thirunal Parvathi Bai,who was adopted to Attingal royal family,and she was the queen when he reigned.His father,Kerala Varma from Kilimanur,was killed in 1728 November.Rama Varma did his best to bring succor to the Malabar royal family branches:he wrote a letter to the Bombay Governor,in 1766 ,alleging Hyder had Dutch support.In the letter,Rama Varma guaranteed pepper from the whole of Malabar at the rate of Rs 70/Candy.When the threat from Tipu came,the crown prince of Cochin,Sakthan Thampuran,met Tipu at Palakkad Fort,on May 26,1788,and Rama Varma and the Cochin King met at Annamanada,on June 4.Then Rama Varma requested the English for a few battalions and two came,under Captain Knox and Powney,garrisoned at Paravur,and Powney became the first Resident,laying the foundation for residency administration.

Paliam Nalukettu

The Zamorin family has three branches:Kizhakke Kovilakam at Kottakkal,Puthiya Kovilakam at Thiruvannur and Padinjare Kovilakam at Mankavu.Manorama was from the Kizhakke Kovilakam.Following tradition,she learn t Sanskrit from childhood,became very proficient,wrote in Sanskrit.She was a scholar-poet,and even a Guru for the upcoming scholars.The Paliam family records say that one Kochu Sankaran Moothath of Vadakkedam,Thriprayar stayed at Paliam in Chendamangalam,and was a student of Manorama Thampuratty.Since Chendamangalam is very close to Paravur,it has to be assumed,Manorama had stayed at Paravur,maybe in the Paliam Kovilakam itself,but not always,because I have read,she stayed with Rama Varma at Krishnapuram palace, Kayamkulam,and watched ,Thiruvathira kali,with the King.She played Veena.The palace was built by Rama Varma's predecessor,Marthanda Varma,after annexing Kayamkulam,in 1746.I have read that the well in the compound could be seen from the master bed room,for the King to spy if someone was throwing poison into the well!

Krishnapuram Palace

His love for Manorama became public,when a letter,written to her by him,was leaked in 1786.He was 62,then,with four consorts:Kali Amma Nagamani Amma of Vadasseri and three  Thiruvattar,Arumana and Nagarcoil ammachi s.He built four houses for each in the West Fort,and shifted the capital from Padmanabhapuram to Thiruvananthapuram.

Though,Rama Varma was weak in administration,leaving everything to Raja Kesavadas,the Dewan,who also had a love interest in Arumana,he was  extremely creative,and in turbulence,the only solace is sex.He is the author of 150 compositions,among them,7 prominent Kathakali plays:Rajasooyam,Subdraharanam,Gandarva Vijayam,Panchali Swayamvaram,Bakavadham,Kalyanasougandikam and Narakasuravadham. He gave priority to Sringara padams, and made it compulsory for each character to enter with Sringara pada.

His magnum opus,is,Balaramabharatam,a treatise on dramaturgy,which he is supposed to have completed with the help of Manorama.The period of completion,is that of the invasion of Tipu.

Rama Varma has said that it was written after a careful study of Lasya Tantra.It gives details of hastas(hand gestures),angas(major limbs),Upangas(minor limbs)and Pratyangas(neck,wrists,knees,thighs).It is considered by most of the Mohiniyattam scholars as an important treatise on technicalities of Mohiniyattam,because,one of the earliest references to Mohiniyattam,is in Balaramabharatam.The popular danseuse and scholar,Methil Devika,differs in this,saying the treatise refers,not to Mohiniyattam,but Mohininatanam;it means only the stance that Mohini takes.But Devika too acknowledges the role of Manorama,saying,her correspondence with Rama Varma is historical.The fact remains,no Mohiniyattam thesis is there,without mentioning the Rama Varma-Manorama Jugalbandi.Palace records show expenditure on Mohiniyattam,as early as 1801,hinting at the efforts of Rama Varma,much before Swati Thirunal.

Hand gestures in Mohiniyattam/Haritha Haridas

Except for few slokas,nothing much written by Manorama,is available.But a few years ago,16 palm leaves manuscripts at Kottakkal Kovilakam,were verified by experts,and among them,a commentary on Paniniyam, written by Manorama,on the primary Sanskrit grammatical text by sage Panini,was found,and it was titled,Manorama.
That the commentary,has the title,Manorama,reveals,her real name was,something else.T M Chummar,in his Padya Sahithya Charitram(History of Poetry),has recorded that she was well versed in Bhattoji Dikshita's complex 17th century grammatical work,Praudamanorama,and so she came to be called Manorama.Her family tree,though with lot of vacuums,reveals, she had in fact a sister,with the name Manorama.They were eight children,born to Krishna Bhattathiri and Ambika Thampuratti.Manorama had seven children.According to C Rajendran,who was Head of the Dept of Sanskrit,Calicut University,her lament at the plight of having been forced to be the life partner of an illiterate Nambudiri,was matched by her romantic epistles addressed to,Prince Aswathi Thirunal of Travancore.If true,she had another affair.  Aswathi Thirunal Rama Varma was Dharma Raja Rama Varma's nephew,who was an art lover, co-ordinating the visits of,scholars,such as,Kunchan Nambiar,Puthiyikal Thampan,Mandavapally Ittirarissa Menon,Sadasiva Deekshithar,Kalyana Subramanya kavi,Pandalam Subramania Sastri, Marar who wrote Rameswaram Yathra Thullal,Nambudiri who wrote,Chathaka Sandesam,Idavettikattu Nambudiri,Neelakanta Deekshitar and records show,Kozhikode Manorama Thampuratti!Aswathi Thirunal himself was a scholar. 
Rameswaram Yathra Thullal,was written by a Marar of Ettumanur, Kottayam,based on Rama Varma's Rameswaram pilgrimage in November,1784,to immerse his mother's ashes there.She had died in May,1782 .There is a mention of Aswathi Thirunal,in it;the King says:
Nammude Marumakanunni
Nammude koode Porattippol
(Let my young nephew accompany me,now) 

Malabar Lady with Veena/Ravivarma

Aswathi Thirunal was the son of Queen of Attingal,Uthradam Thirunal,who was adopted from Kolathunad,in 1747.She married Kochu Koyikkal Thampuran of Thattarath Koil.She had another son,Prince Anizham Thirunal Bala Rama Varma,and both the sons were born in Sripadam Palace,Fort.Aswathi Thirunal became Elaya Raja or crown prince,in 1786.
As the first graduate among the princes in Travancore, as an eminent Sanskrit poet,play wright and writer of Kathakali plays,the young Aswathi Thirunal(1756-1794),was a better match to Manorama.Apart from completing Narakasura Vadham Kathakali play,of his uncle,he wrote four:Poothanamoksham,Rukmini Swayamavaram,Ambareesha Charitham and Poundraka Vadham.Among Kathakali play writers,he was known as,Vancheeswara Sreshtan.He wrote,Vancheesa Sthavam,Kartha Veerya Vijayam and Santhana Gopalam in the form of Prabandhas and one drama,Rukmini Parinayam.
It is also said that,Rama Varma used to live with Manorama at Mavelikara.Records show that Rama Varma,conducted a Yaga at Aluva in 1788,on a large scale,before Tipu's advent,maybe to block him.After the Yaga,he retreated to Mavelikara,for the adoption of two daughters,Parvathi and Uma,of Mahaprabha Amma Thampuran(1755-1832),of Chenga Kovilakam,Chirakkal,who had migrated during Tipu's aggression.She had five daughters,and the adoption was on October 26,1788.He celebrated Navarathri,there.The Dalawa,Krishnan Chempaka Raman, died in Thiruvananthapuram,and the King appointed Kesavadas as new Dewan,issuing order from Mavelikara.
The Travancore rulers during,1829-1924,had the lineage of the adopted daughter,Parvathi,who died on October 15,1893.Mahaprabha had three more daughters,Bhageerathi,Mahaprabha and Arya,and later,Sree Moolam Thirunal adopted,daughter of Mahaprabha,Sethulakshmi and daughter of Bhageerathi,Sethu Parvathi,on 30 August,19oo,leading ultimately to great friction,between the two.The last Maharaja,Chithira Thirunal,was the son of Sethu Parvathi,but Sethulakshmi was the Regent when he was a minor.At the time of Rama Varma,Mahaprabha and her daughters,stayed in the Koyikkal Palace,Arattukadavu,Prayikkara;later they shifted to the newly built Vadakke Kottaram/Valiyakottaram and stayed there,till,1837.
I spoke about the leak of Rama Varma's love letter in 1786-any guess,who was behind it?My answer is,you guessed right,Aswathi Thirunal.
Manorama was well versed in the annotation of Siddhantakaumudi.She was the first to write a commentary on Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri's very complex,Prakriyasarvasvam,along with,Thrikkandiyur Govinda Pisharoti.Kerala Varma Valiya Koyil Thampuran did a second commentary,and paid glowing tribute to Manorama:

Vidyavidagdhar vanitajana vallikalkko-
rudyanami ruchirakerala bhuvibhagam
hridya manorama naresvari thante suktir
adhyapi kovidamanassu kavarnnidunnu
( To the vines of feminine geniuses excelling in scholarship
A garden this lovely land of Kerala here been!
Endearing Manorama-the human goddess-
Robs the hearts of wise men,with her fascinating verses)

Thus,Manorama was the first woman writer from Kerala,though not in Malayalam.

Valiyakoyil Thampuran

 

Tipu left Kerala in 1790,and Rama Varma,died eight years later,when he was 74.It is definite that Manorama went back to Kottakkal,because the 250 members of the family claim descendance from Manorama and her brothers,and they refer to her as, K C Manorama Thampuratti.It is believed,Manorama resettled there,after the death of Tipu,in 1799.She had to,because Aswathi Thirunal died,four years before Rama Varma,when he was just 38.

Two other prominent members from the Kottakkal family,were,K C Manavedan Raja,the Collector,who built Rajas' School,and M K Vellodi,diplomat.

Reference:

1.Martanda Varma Muthal Munro Vare/K Sivasankaran Nair

2.Padyasahithya Charithram/T M Chummar
3.A Primer of Malayalam Literature/T K Krishna Menon
4.From Veneration to Virulence:A Case for a Women's Literary History in Malayalam/Dr Jancy James/Social Scientist/Oct-Dec,1995
5.C Rajendran's speech in Kozhikode,The Hindu,June 3,2012
6.Mohiniyattam Missteps-A few Observations/ Methil Devika
7.Mohiniyattam:Charithram,Sidantham,Prayogam/Kalamandalam Sathyabhama
Courtesy: Sasidhara Varma of Mannurmadom Palace,Mavelikara,for Mavelikara genealogy.

See my Post,KOZHIKODE,COCHIN AND NAIRS IN LUSIAD

KOZHIKODE, COCHIN AND NAIRS IN PORTUGAL

The Epic speaks of casteism in Malabar too

It was in Francis Day's very mediocre history of Cochin,The Land of Perumals,I first read about the great Portuguese poet,Luis Vaz de Camoes(rendered in English as,Camoens),singing praises of Cochin,in his epic,Lusiad.As time went by,I found the final three cantos of the epic,with a total of 10 cantos,were devoted entirely to Kozhikode,and there was only a fleeting remark on Cochin,and it sang paeans about the fighting community of Nairs.

Listen to what the epic has to say on Nairs:

By the proud Nayres the noble rank claimed;

The toils of culture and of art they scorn,

The warrior's plumes their haughty brows adorn;

The shining faulchion brandished in the right

Their left arm wields the target with tight;

Of danger scornful,ever armed they stand

Around the King,a stern barbarian band.

The epic was published in 1572,and I am sure,within the next four centuries,the barbarian band has steadily progressed into a cultured band.

Camoes/Portrait by Fernao Gomez,C.1577

Camoes,not only wrote about Kozhikode,Cochin,Kannur,Kodungallur and Kollam,but,lived in the Malabar Coast and battled for the Portuguese;from the Malabar Coast he went up the trade route to Egypt and returned to Goa.He was deported to Goa,after a fracas with a palace official,with a punishment to serve three years, in Indies.His father,Simao Vaz de Camoes,had left for India,at an early age,seeking fortune,and had died in Goa.Camoes was the only son of Simao and wife,Ana de Sa de Macedo.Condemned to serve three years,Francis Day records,he served 16 years in India.When the promises of his bosses didn't materialize,he decided to return to Portugal,but the Governor who wanted to retain him,Day says,imprisoned him,to a debt of 200 ducats.His friends paid it,Camoes was free and wrote,Lusiad.

The facts are slightly different.

First edition cover of Lusiad

Camoes was born in 1524,and educated by Dominicans and Jesuits and he was fortunate in having his uncle,Bento de Camoes as Prior at the Manastery of Santa Cruz and Chancellor of the University of Coimbra.Camoes enrolled in the University,and it is believed,he fell in love with Catherine of Ataide,the Lady-in- Waiting to the Portugal Queen,and also,Princess Maria,sister of King John III of Portugal.These affairs and the discreet allusion to the King,in his play,El Rei Seleuco,may have played a part in his exile of 1548.After staying with friends in Ribatejo for six months,he enlisted in overseas militia,to Teuta,in 1549.In the battle with Moors,he lost sight of the right eye,returned to Lisbon in 1551,led a bohemian life,and during the religious festival of Corpus Christi,in the Largo do Rossio,had a fracas with Gonzalo Borges,member of Royal Stables,attacked and injured him.Camoes was imprisoned,but freed on the pleading of his mother to the King and the Borges family,for a fine of 4000 reis and three years compulsory militia service in the Orient.He reached Goa in 1553,on board,Sao Bento,commanded by Fernao Aloes Cabral.

Portugal stamp of Gama meeting Zamorin

Francis Day's account of the Governor,punishing Camoes,for retaining him in India,seems to be exaggerated,because,Camoes was punished initially after six months of his arrival,and imprisoned for debt.But he enjoyed Goa and famously said later,Goa is a step mother to all honest people.He battled first on the Malabar Coast,then along the Egyptian trade route to suppress pirates,and returned to Goa,in,1554.

At the end of the term of three years,he was made Chief Warrant Officer,in Macau,but was charged with managing the properties of missing and deceased soldiers in the Orient.He began writing,Lusiad,during this time of upheaval,in a grotto.Accused of misappropriation,he traveled to Goa to appear before the Tribunal.On return,he got shipwrecked,in the Mekong river,along the Cambodian coast,and the legend has it that he succeeded in swimming ashore,holding the manuscript,afloat.He saved the manuscript,but lost his Chinese lover,Dinamene.He reached Lisbon in 1570,and the manuscript saw light of the day two years later.It became a sensation and the ill fated, young King Dom Sebastian(1557-1558),granted him a small pension of 15000 reis.The King was killed a year later,in the battle of Akacer Quibir.

The day of Camoes' death,June 10(1580)is Portugal's national day.He was interred near Vasco da Gama,in the Jeranimos Monastery in the parish of Belem.He was born in the year,Vasco da Gama died.

King Sebastian

Lusiad,translated by Sir Richard Fanshaw(1608-1666) into English,is Portugal's historical poem,celebrating the nation's conquests in the East.10 Cantos of the poem has 1102 stanzas and Kozhikode/ Calicut appears in Canto VII.At the penultimate port,a friendly Moor,Moncaide, told the narrator of the epic,Lusiads,son of Lusus,or Portugal,or Vasco da Gama,that at Calicut,the Queen of India,lived the Zamorin,Lord of India,to whom all subject kings paid their tribute.And,then Gama sees,Calicut.

CANTO VI,STANZA 92:

Now splendid Morning tipt the hills with red

Whence rolls the Gange his sacred sounding tide,

When sea men percht upon the topmast head

High lands far rising o'er the prows descried

Now,'scaped the tempest and the first sea-dread

fled from each bosom terrors vain,and cried,

the Melindanian Pilot in Delight,

"Calecut-land,if aught I see aright!"

"The prows descried ",is explained in a foot note,as Mount Delli,near Kannur.

CANTO VII,STANZA 22

The Country-people call this range the Ghaut,

and from its foot-hills scanty breadth there be

whose sea ward-sloping coast-plain long hath fought

'gainst Ocean's natural ferocity:

Here o'er her neighbor Cities,sans a doubt,

Calecut claimeth highest dignity,

Crown of the kingdom fair and flourishing:

Here he entitled "Samorim" is King

 

Now,the encounter of Gama with Zamorin,translated into prose:

CANTO VII

 

Gama,adorned in his most splendid garments and accompanied by his train,also in bright array,entered the gilded barges and rowed to the shore,where stood the Catual,the Zamorin's minister.Moncaide acted as interpreter.The company passed through a temple on their way to the palace,in which the Christians were horrified at the graven images there worshiped.On the palace walls were the most splendid pictures,relating to the history of India.One wall,however bore no sculptures;the Brahmins had foretold that a foreign foe would at some time conquer India,and that space was reserved for scenes from those wars.

Into the splendid hall adorned with tapestries of clothes of gold and carpets of velvet,Gama passed and stood before the couch on which sat the mighty Monarch.The room blazed with gems of gold;the Monarch's mantle was of clothes of gold and his turban shone with gems.His manner was majestic and dignified;he received Gama in silence,only nodding to him to tell his story.

So,the Zamorin was not having a crown,but a turban!

In Richard Burton's translation(1880),Moncaide,the interpreter,is corrected to,Mon Sayeed.Maybe,Mon stands for Monsignor,but is has been clarified in the text that,he was a Muslim.Catual,the Zamorin's minister,has been explained by Burton,as Kot-wal,Captain of Fort.

After the meeting,Catual asks Sayeed to learn more about the new arrivals.Catual then goes to Portuguese ships.

 

Comoes with manuscript of Lusiad /Charles Le Grand

CANTO VIII

Catual sees the paintings.Bacchus appears to him in a vision as a Muslim priest,in Zamorin's court and convinces him that the explorers are a threat.The priest spreads the story,and the Zamorin confronts Gama.Catual,corrupted by Muslim traders,refuses to lend Gama a boat to reach his ship,and holds Gama a prisoner.Finally,Gama is released only after agreeing to offload all the cargo.

CANTO IX

Sayeed  reveals to Gama,a plot by Muslim traders to attack and kill him,and Gama's ship leaves Kozhikode.

CANTO X

The future is revealed by Tethys:Duarto Pacheco Pereira will defend Cochin,in battle of Cochin.Here,the martyrdom of St Thomas at Mylapore,is recounted.

 

Tomb of Camoes

From what I have abridged,the politics Camoes has weaved into the epic is amazing,but borrowed from Portuguese historian,Joao Barros. Portuguese in battle with the Muslim traders,at the same time,getting help from some lay Muslims like,Sayeed.That Camoes was a total Catholic has also been revealed,in the description of the journey of Gama from the port to the palace,when he records the shock of the accompanying Christians,seeing the Hindu idols.If we examine the work of missionaries in Kerala,from then on,the focus of their attack was on the many idols,while preaching monotheism.

Camoes,one eyed,with pen and sword

The surprising element in the vision of Catual,is the Muslim priest in the Zamorin's court,where by Camoes hints at the influence Muslims wielded with Zamorin.Though written 350 years after the visit of Gama,Francis Day,a Christian missionary,records in his book,The Land of the Perumals(1863),that the Zamorin never granted an audience,to a Muslim,which in turn,made Hyder Ali furious,culminating in the suicide of the Zamorin.Day has once again played the Christian/Muslim politics,which still exists in Kerala.According to Day,it was the custom of Zamorin to maintain 1500 Brahmins in his palace and while they were fed,he fasted.No Muslim ever had an audience with him.Hyder requested an interview,but the Zamorin declined and said,he will meet the Head Brahmin of Hyder.Hyder,imagining that a little fasting would bring the zamorin to a knowledge of his helpless position,sent rice the following day for only 500 Brahmins,on the second day only for 300,third,100,after which he stopped sending rice.Zamorin fasted for three days,then set fire to his palace,and perished in flames.Some women in his family and three Brahmins were also killed.

Of Course,the Zamorin committed suicide.But,Day's account,you will agree,is not secular.It was the Portuguese who brutally killed the erstwhile Muslim naval commander of Zamorin,Kunhali Marakkar,and hanged his dead body,in Goa.

Barros

Like many,I had also thought,the description of kozhikode by Camoes,was first hand.But,Thomas Moore Musgrave,in his translation of Lusiad(1826),has pointed out that much of the history has been borrowed from ,Joao de Barros'(1496-1570),Decades of Asia.Barros was one of the first great historians of Portugal, and Treasurer at the India House.The first three volumes of his book were published during,1552-1570.

I conclude by quoting two gems from Luciad, on casteism in Kerala.

CANTO VII,STANZAS 37/38:

Two modes of men are known;the nobles know

the name of Nayrs,who call the lower caste

Poleas,whom their haughty laws contain

from intermingling with the higher strain

..............

These Nayrs as sin and shame,forsooth,despise

the touch of outcasts and they fain believe

that,paradventure,if the touch occur,

a thousand rites must wash their bodies pure.

Four centuries have passed,and if Camoes were to reach Kozhikode today,would you ask him to delete these lines,or make it stronger?

Reference:

1.Translations of Lusiad by Sir Richard Fanshaw(1655) , Sir Richard Burton(1880),Thomas Moore Musgrave(1826) and William Julius Mickle(1778)
2.National Epics:The Story of Lusiad/Kate Milner Rabb
3.The Land of Perumals/Francis Day

 

See my Post, A CHRISTIAN IN MALABAR ROYAL FAMILY