MGR'S FATHER AND THE CASTE INQUISITION

He left the children to fate and poverty

Iruvar: An Actor, and his Script Writer, with the Mentor in the background

I began seeing the picture of MGR's mother, Satyabhama, somewhere around 1972, when MGR started writing his autobiography, in the Tamil weekly Ananda Vikatan. Her image and the stories of the family's poverty were an integral part of the pages of the magazine, and,I  never saw an image of his father, Melakkath Gopala Menon. I never expected to see it for two reasons: Menon was ostracized by society, by a caste inquisition. Hence, his first wife's descendants might not be keen to publish it. Secondly, MGR never liked his father's first family. But there is one picture, for posterity.

MGR's Father, Gopala Menon

Palakkad Nallepully Melakath Gopala Menon was a Court official at Thrissur when he was implicated in an adultery case with a Nambudiri widow. I had interviewed a victim of the last caste inquisition(Smartha Vicharam), A M N Chakyar in 1999, and he had told me that Menon was not a victim of the sensational trial of Kuriyedathu Thatri, in 1905, but of the first trial of the century, in 1903. It is described very briefly, in his book, Avasanathe Smartha Vicharam (The Last Caste Inquisition). I quote:

There is an interesting story in circulation, related to the  Kuriyedathu Thatri incident. Among the people ostracized, there was a law officer of Thrissur, who was married; he left the place and married a lower-caste woman from Palakad. They migrated to Ceylon, lived there for some time and he died after two sons were born. The insecure widow came back to Tamil Nadu, and became a maidservant in several towns, to look after the children. One of the children became a very reputable film actor, a politician and a top administrator.

Chakyar adds: Everything in the story is true, except the reference to Thatri. The names and details of the 66 adulterers in the Thatri incident are there in the archival records at Ernakulam, signed by Smarthan Pattachomayarath Jathavedan Nambudiri, on 1080 Mithunam 32 (1905 July 15), but there is no name with the caste, Menon. It has been gathered from reliable sources that the Menon in reference, is Melakath Gopala Menon. He had married Meenakshi Amma of the Vattaparambil Nair family, Irinjalakuda. They had two daughters. He was punished in another caste trial and had to flee the place and leave the family. The rest of his story begins at Palakad. He might have been ostracized in the 1903 inquisition, conducted at an Illam, near Kunnamkulam. It was a mix-up of two trials that happened within a few years, and his name got included in the notorious one.

In the 1903 trial, the widowed Antharjanam confessed to having slept with 15 men, from Nambudiri to Barber. The 15 and the widow, were excommunicated. The incident has been reported in the Malayala Manorama on June 27, 1903, but the place name in it is, Kunnamkulangara. The report records that the trial was conducted at Tripunithura and she was accompanied to Chalakudi by soldiers and was interned there. It laments that none of the 16 was allowed to put forward their arguments.

Here is the report:

The King of Cochin got a report that a widowed Antharjanam, close to Kunnamkulangara, in Cochin state, had a defect of prostitution, she was summoned to Tripunithura and was put to trial, by priests, under the supervision of the King. In the trial, it was proved the allegations were true, and she was excommunicated by clapping, and then accompanied by soldiers to an uninhabited home on the bank of the Chalakudi River, where it was certain, she would live isolated, at the expense of the Government. Since it has been proved by this cargo(Sadhanam-term for the woman under trial), by her own admission and the trial of the priests, no one would be there to grieve her life imprisonment. She has confessed to having relations with 10-16 males, and accordingly, the 16 have been excommunicated and have been banned from entering the temples and temple ponds, by the King, by orders to the Peshkar. In this case, too, the arguments of the two sides have not been heard into, following, precedence. Everyone has the impression that this is sad and sans justification. This lecherous cargo may have implicated a few gentlemen out of vengeance, or by prodding. Among the 16 who have been excommunicated, there are people from Nambudiris to barbers. There are a lot of gentlemen, people who are married, and few government servants. It is impossible to redeem them from punishment, by someone else, or an apology. Since the decision is for them to stay away from their wife and children, and the Hindu society, no need to say, the decision is arbitrary.

As a Journalist, I salute the democratic values, followed by the then King of Cochin, Rajarshi Rama Varma. A newspaper was free to criticize the King, in 1903. Today, unfortunately, while I write this, Journalists are silenced by bullets, by fundamentalists and administrators alike.

Rajarshi Rama Varma

Smartha Vicharam was a ritualistic trial of a Nambudiri woman and fellow male adulterers, accused of illegitimate sexual relations. The accused were, excommunicated, ostracized and banished. 

MGR's First Wife at 8

The banished Gopala Menon, married Satyabhama, of Maruthur, an Ezhava family of Vadavannur, 15 Kilometers from Palakkad, in Chitur Thaluk. They migrated to Ceylon, where, both worked as labourers in tea plantations. Erik Barnouw, who was Professor Emeritus of Dramatic Arts at Columbia University, interviewed MGR in 1961 and recorded in his book, Media Marathon that Menon was a School Principal and he died when MGR was just two. Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran(1917-1987), was born in a squalid tea estate 'line room', in Nawalapitiya,38 Kilometers away from Kandy and 112 kilometres from Colombo. If Menon was a Principal (quite unlikely) it would have been an elementary school for the Indian labourers in the tea estates. Nawalapitiya is primarily a tea plantation area, with no great school to boast of. The story that Menon had been a Magistrate in Candy, too is fiction. M G Chakrapani was the eldest and MGR the younger, with a girl child in between. The girl child died soon after the death of Menon. The child MGR was a devotee of Murugan, whereas his mother, was of Guruvayoorappan. She used to call MGR, Mudikalan, meaning, the hairy little demon!

V N Janaki

With the chief breadwinner gone, Satyabhama, with her two sons, returned to India. I have read in a Tamil magazine that first they came to Kerala, and sought the help of Menon's first wife, Meenakshi and her family, who drove them away. I have also read, Meenakshi Amma then had two daughters, Kanaka Lakshmi and Sumitra, and a son, Balakrishnan. But, now it appears that she had a daughter, Ammu and a son. Ammu is a nickname. Vattaparambil Meenakshi was the daughter of Parameswara Menon and Pappi Amma, and they had 11 children. The first five among them, are Kochukutty Amma, Narayana Menon, Parameswara Menon(?), Karunakara Menon, and Kalyanikutty Amma.

Sheela

It is said, the poverty-stricken Satyabhama went with her children to Burma, came back to Erode, and settled down in Kumbakonam, with her elder brother's help, during,1919-1920.Chakrapani was 9 and MGR,3.She could not think of sending her children to school, and MGR joined the drama company, Madurai Original Boys Company of S M Sachidanandam Pillai, at age 7, together with his brother. "We were given food, clothes and 25 paise a week, which we did not need at all," MGR reminisced years later. He was afflicted with cholera when he was 10, and with his unemployment and illness, Satyabhama spent her days in penury and prayer. His debut in films was when he was 19, in Ellis Duncan's Sathi Leelavathi in 1936 and he was an extra in M K Thyagaraja Bhagavathar's 1941 movie, Ashok Kumar.

Satyabhama

Tamil politics had been a roadblock to the Malayali in MGR, forcing him, at times, to claim a Mandradiyar or Mannadiyar ancestry. I quote a moment of MGR speaking to the actor, Arurdhas, from, Arurdhas' book, Naan Mugam Partha Cinema Kannadikal (The Cinema Mirrors that I Looked At):

One day in the make-up room when we were alone, MGR told the following: "Everyone believes that I am a true Malayali. I'm telling this you. That's wrong! There isn't anything inferior in identifying oneself as a Malayali. But as for me, it is not true. My ancestors belonged to the Kongunadu region and were from the Mandradiar caste. Their ancestral town was Pollachi. During the period of Hyder Ali, who ruled Mysore, he passed an edict that Hindus should convert themselves to Muslims. Scared by this, many Hindu families turned into Muslims. Those who were not willing to convert left Pollachi and passed Coimbatore and via Palakkad valley settled in the villages around that region. Among those settled, my father's ancestor was one".

On December 7,1962, there was a switch-on function of the power supply facility, enabled to the Maruthamalai Temple by Sando M M A Chinnappa Thevar, MGR's producer. The Minister for Co-Operatives, Nalla Senapathi Sarkarai Mandradiar presided over the function, and MGR claimed he was a Mandradiar!

After the DMK split, Karunanidhi and Kannadasan were harping on the Malayali ancestry of MGR and he had no choice other than to vehemently deny it, and to speak to his Malayali friends, secretly in Malayalam.

Still, there is an attempt among the descendants of Chakrapani to deny MGR's Malayali connection, saying his father was not Melakkath Gopala Menon, but Maruthur Gopalan. Among Nairs, it is the matrilineal system, to use the family name of the mother, for the children. So in MGR's case, the Maruthur is not Menon's family, but the mother's family.

Even in the marriage of both MGR and his brother, the Malayali root is visible.MGR married thrice: first wife, Chitarikulam Bhargavi /Thankamani died early; second wife, Sathanandavathi(Ammukutty), daughter of Kuzhalmannam Kadukunni Nair and Mookambika Amma, died of TB. MGR, as Chief Minister, visited Sadananthavathi's home, Chandranantha Nilayam, Kuzhalmannam in 1986. The family had preserved the cot used by MGR in earlier days; he sat on the same cot and cried. He spent money to renovate the home.

Sadananthavathi's home in Kuzhalmannam

MGR, in 1956, eloped with V N Janaki, an actress and a Malayali from Vaikam, who later divorced her husband, Ganapathi Bhat, a make-up man, to marry MGR. Some relatives of Janaki have married Vadavannur. Janaki (1923-1996) was the daughter of Rajagopala Iyer, elder brother of Papanasam Sivan, and Narayani Amma of Vaikam. Her brother, P Narayanan was an educationist.MGR in his autobiography has written that she was earning double her income in the 1940s and '50s. She had a son, Surendran, at age 16, from Bhat. She succeeded MGR as Chief Minister. She always resented Jayalalitha, with whom, MGR was romantically involved. In 1967, when C N Annadurai picked up MGR to contest the assembly elections, MGR asked, how much he should contribute."I don't need money", Anna said, "Your face is worth millions".He won the election from a hospital bed, because the actor, M R Radha had shot him.

MGR with Sathanandavathi

I have always felt that mixing up MGR's father with Thatri was but natural because, a few artists were involved in her life: She cherished the famous Kathakali artist, Kavungal Sankara Panikkar sleeping with her in the attire of Keechaka. Other famous Kathakali artists of the time, Katalathu Narayanan Nair, Panankavil Govindan Nambiar and Ranathu Achyutha Poduval had to leave the land and stage. The Kathakali singer,Kunjiraman Nambisan left for Kasi.Thirty years later, in 1935, when Kavungal dressed up to perform, in the silver jubilee celebrations of Palakad Government College, his companions refused to accompany him. Malayalam actress Sheela is Thatri's granddaughter.

In the infamous 1905 trial of Kuriyedathu Thatri, in which 66 males were involved, 64 males and Thatri were excommunicated. Two, Thonallur Krishna Warrier and Guruvayur Njarakattu Pisharath Achu Pisharodi, had died before the trial. Among the punished, there were 30 Nambudiris, including  Desamangalam Vasudevan Nambudiripad (I had spoken about this to AKTKM Guptan Nambudiripad, at Kozhikode, in 1983-he admitted and said it was there in the unpublished family history) and one Kaplingad Bhattathiri, 1o Tamil Brahmins, 13 Ambalavasis and 11 Nairs. During the trial, the cash-rich Desamangalam Nambudiripad, sent some people to  Thatri's place, to silence her. The area was cordoned off, and the attempt boomeranged on him. The King of Cochin, Rajarshi Rama Varma had permitted the males to come forward with their version, in the trial, in consultation with the legal luminary, V Bhashyam Iyengar.

Vadavannur home of MGR

Ramavarma, who abdicated the throne in 1914, confessed in his Autobiography that he had a relationship with a 16-year-old married girl after his first wife died. Thatri was the wife of Chemmanthatta Kuriyedathu Raman Nambudiri and the daughter of Kalpakancherry Ashtamurthy Nambudiri. She was 18 when she was married off to an 80-year-old Nambudiri. She had been raped, when she was just 10.

Chakrapani

The trial took six months, in the Vallayil nalukettu, near the Hill Palace, at Tripunithura. Thatri could reel out the names of the males she bedded, some with identification marks. She was sent to Chalakudi and interned at a riverside home. Desamangalam Nambudiri was invited by Swami Nirmalananda of Ottapalam Sree Ramakrishna Ashram to stay there, and he married a Nair woman. There was great furore after the inquisition, and the King, in consultation with renowned lawyers, changed the system, introducing a hefty deposit from the complainant. There was only one trial after that, in 1918. I had been to Chemmanthatta, near Kunnamkulam once, and saw remnants of her Illam. 

Nedumparampu Mana/Tripunithura

The last inquisition happened very close to my own house in Tripunithura, and I used to walk to my school through the vast compound of Nedumparambu Mana, the victim's home.

The heroine in this incident was also Thatri(Savitri), of Pazhur Paduthol Illam, married to Elampankodath Aadhyan Vishnuthrathan Nambudiri of Tripunithura. She was his third wife. Thatri, her four children, Thayyil Raman Menon, Ezhumavil Vasudevan Bhattathiri and Nedumparambil Cheriya Krishnan Nambudiri and his four children were excommunicated. A M N Chakiar, was one of Krishnan Nambudiri's children, who was a Nambudiri, till he was 11. Krishnan Nambudiri hanged himself the same night, and his wife and children were notionally attached to the Ayiniyil Muringoth Chakyar family. Though she had named Krishnan Nambudiri, he had gone to her illam, when he was just seven, to study Rigveda from her husband. His Guru had even died. Her stepson had approached King Rama Varma, against her lecherous activities.

Sathanandavathi (C.1887-1947)

Raman Menon and Bhattathiri were never seen after their ex-communication. Thatri was taken by a Muslim of Vadanapally, Thrissur. Her daughter was married into a Chakyar family; her eldest son married the niece of the famous Chachu Chakyar of Irinjalakuda. The next son became a car driver for the Royal family and the fourth died young. A M N Chakyar retired as Registrar, Kerala University.

MGR/Debut role

Though the Last Inquisition in Cochin was in 1918, records show that, in Malabar, there was a trial in May-June,1930 at the Appala kothamangalam Illam, Kuruvadissery, Ozhur, Ponnani. There were trials in 1902,1908 and 1914 at Parayath Thekkupram Illam, Sukapuram. Other caste trials: Ayanamkunnam 1916, Ponnani Irimpiliyam Moothedath 1917, Ponnani Vadakkekad Thekkekat Kolathapally 1917, Mangad Illam 1917(Kavungal Sanku involved), Ponnani Kaladi Peruvur Edamana Veluthedath 1919, Thirunnavaya Padinjarepattu in 1920 (name, Kenka), Kookkod Chempakassery 1920, Palakad Thatukassery Pakkath 1922, Keraladhiswarapuram Appala Kothamangalam 1927.

In Travancore, Malayala Manorama of  November 16 and 21, 1901 reported the trial of a 13-year-old girl, of, Kottayam Muttambalam Peringara Illam, at Thrigouthamapuram Vishnu Temple. She was alleged to have a relationship with Kunjunni Thampan of Koratti Swarupam. When both were excommunicated, she told the Tahsildar that she doesn't need the money of the Travancore government for sustenance; she would live with the Thampan. Thereafter, both began living at a rented house called, Puthenpurakkal, at Kodimatha. Thampan got a job at the Kottayam Engineer office, at a salary of Rs 12. Her father was generous enough to pay her Rs 25 for the expenses till he gets his first salary.

These records show the zeal of Nambudiri women in chasing their dreams, at regular intervals, thereby, challenging the archaic, cruel system and the existing male dominance. But there is a larger question: For MGR, who dabbled with women, on-screen and off-screen, with his father's DNA, and for Karunanidhi, who married thrice, what was a woman? A cargo?

Menon's first wife from Mulavukad

Rathi Venugopal from the UK informs me that her grandmother, Rugmini, is the daughter of MGR's father's first wife, Devaki. Devaki was from Veluthamveed, Mulavukad, Kochi. He had three children in Devaki: Rugmini and two sons. In other words, Menon married Rathi's Ammumma's mother. Devaki's family had migrated to Mulavukad from Ponnani.

Rugmini was only 1. 5 years old when Devaki passed away. Then Menon left.

-----------------------------------------

Reference:

1. Avasanathe Smartha Vicharam/A M N Chakyar

2.Nan Mugam Parkum Cinema Kannadikal/Arurdhas

3. Media Marathon/Erik Barnouw

4. Archival records, newspaper reports, and Zamorin palace scrolls
5. Smartha Vicharam/P Bhaskaranunni

6. My interviews with AMN Chakyar, Sheela and Premji

Courtesy:mgrperan.blogspot.com for two images.

© Ramachandran 

Please buy my book: https://hamletram.blogspot.com/2023/01/red-jihad-pre-launch-offer.html

See my Post, BHARATI,BARRISTER AND VIDUTHALAI

BHARATI,BARRISTER AND VIDUTHALAI

The Song was Composed on George's Veranda

In the introduction to the patriotic song,Viduthalai,of Subramanya Bharati, S Sowmya says, her Guru,Dr S Ramanathan had told her that the song was composed in Pondicherry,inspired by the French national anthem.It is not so.While it is true that Bharatiyar had escaped to the French ruled Pondicherry in 1908 and remained there till 1918,the song was composed in the Madurai home of Barrister George Joseph,who was practicing there.While the life of Bharatiyar is well known,only  few Malayalis remember the Christian nationalist,George Joseph,who was in jail with Jawahar Lal Nehru,who had led the Vaikam Satyagraha and who was,Editor of,Gandhi's Young India.

That wonderful moment in the life of Bharatiyar,is recorded in the biography,George Joseph:The Life and Times of a Kerala Christian Nationalist,by George Gheverghese Joseph,grandson of George,who also wrote the famous, The Crest of the Peacock,on the non European roots of Mathematics.
SONG:VIDUTHALAI/SUBRAMANYA BHARATI/S SOWMYA

I quote from the book:
Living during such an eventful period of Indian history,Bharati threw himself into the freedom struggle,using his poetic gifts to arouse the people.One of his songs,Viduthalai,Viduthalai(Let Go,Let Go),became the clarion call for freedom from foreign rule.The back ground to the composition of this song is interesting.The few years before his death in 1921 were years of great hardship and poverty ,induced partly by the restrictions on his movements by the government and partly by his opium addiction.It was during this period that Bharati practically lived on the veranda of the Joseph residence in Madurai.Susannah had a soft corner for this otherworldly charming poet and looked after him as if he were a member of the family.She recalls the time when Bharati rose as if from a trance,shouting in Tamil to all present,"Kottada,Kai Kottada!"("Clap! Clap your hands!") and then went on to sing as he composed,Viduthalai.
It is from this book I came to know that Bharatiyar was an addict to opium.I also felt that the family could have promoted him from the veranda,though it is the safe place for an addict!(Viduthalai means Freedom,not Let Go).

Bharati with wife Chellamma

Subramanya Bharati(1882-1921),within a short span of 39 years,left an indelible mark as a poet on Tamil nationalism,and he was first an Indian,then a Tamil.He was fortunate to have been  born in Ettayapuram,and to be recognized as a poet at the early age of 11,and to become the court poet of the Raja of Ettayapuram,because it was in that court,the Dikshitar brothers sang and played Violin.Subramanyan,son of Chinna Swamy Subramanya Iyer and Lakshmi Ammal,was accorded the title,Bharati,there itself.His mother died when he was just 5,and father,two years later.He married a seven year old Chellamma in 1898 and was in Kasi,till 1902,before becoming a teacher and Assistant Editor of Swadesa Mitran,in 1904.Meeting Sister Nivedita,disciple of Swami Vivekananda in 1905 was a turning point,and he considered her,his Guru.He attended the Congress sessions of Kolkata(1906) which demanded Swaraj for the first time,and Surat(1907),which saw the fight between the militant faction of Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Aurobindo with the moderates.Bharati was with the militants,which comprised Kappalottiya Thamizhan, V O Chidambaram Pillai and Kanchi Venkatachariyar.He gave evidence in the case framed by the British against Pillai and with the prospect of being arrested,escaped to Pondicherry.He met with Aurobindo and V V S Iyer when they arrived at Pondicherry in 1910.

When Bharati reached Pondicherry,George Joseph was doing Law at Middle Temple,London and he returned as Barrister to India in 1909,and married Susanna,forgetting his love in Britain,Mary Caldwell.His mother had threatened to commit suicide,if he married her.
George(1887-1938)was the eldest of 9 children of Oorayil C I Joseph of Chengannur,an Engineer and Saramma in the former princely state of Travancore in Kerala.Never a brilliant student,he studied FA  in Madras Christian College,and knowing his hate for distant places,his father told him,if he passes,he can continue in the same college,but if he fails,he would be sent to Britain.He failed and celebrated it by jumping from a hay stack.He was the first Syrian Christian to go to Britain for higher studies;he went in  1904 along with K P Gopala Menon,brother of K P S Menon.When both were invited by Prof Asquith,Principal of CMS College,Kottayam,both went with younger brothers,Pothan Joseph and KPS Menon,giving the Asquith family a surprise,and the younger brothers sipped tea,from the saucer,for the embarrassment of  the family.Though K PS Menon poured the tea back into the cup,Pothan Joseph continued sipping from the saucer,and took it to great heights,by naming his column,Over a Cup of Tea,when he became a celebrated Editor.  George did MA Philosophy at University of Edinburgh,where Prakash Karat studied,years later.He did Law at Middle Temple,London.He set up law practice first at Madras,edited South India Mail, and then,at the advise of criminal lawyer Gopala Menon, shifted to Madurai.He modeled himself on famous lawyer,the founding member of the Congress,Eardley Norton,who had appeared for the accused including Aurobindo,in the Alipore conspiracy case, and became a reputed criminal lawyer.He vehemently opposed the Criminal Tribes Act(CTA)of the British which branded certain communities like Piramalai Kallars and Maravars,as criminals. He joined the Home Rule movement and was selected by Annie Besant in 1918,as part of a three member delegation to speak in Britain on home rule.Syed Hussain,whom Vijya Lakshmi Pandit loved(Gandhi was against that affair;she later used to offer floral tribute to him at his qabr in Cairo) and B V Narasimhan were the other members and the three were arrested at Gibraltar and deported to India.When P Varadarajulu Naidu was arrested for making a speech at Victoria Edward Library Hall,Madurai,George assisted C Rajagopalachari who appeared in the case and Naidu was exonerated.He organized the textile mill workers in and around Madurai.

George Joseph

Rajaji introduced George to Gandhi on March 22, 1919 at Madras,and when Gandhi visited Madurai on March 26,stayed at the house of George.Gandhi spoke at a widely attended public meeting against the Rowlett Act on 29th.  At Gandhi's instigation,George threw off his roaring practice and went to North India.He moved closely with the giants of freedom struggle for four years.Motilal Nehru selected him to edit The Independent,at Allahabad and was soon arrested on sedition charges on December 6,1921,and one of his prison-mates was Jawaharlal Nehru.On his release two years later,he was chosen by Gandhi to edit his weekly,Young India,succeeding, Rajaji.He took charge on September 27,1923,and worked only for six months.He returned to Kerala next year,with growing disenchantment with the factionalism within congress coupled with the illness of his wife,and he found himself in the midst of Vaikam Satyagraha.The issue was that the dalits were not permitted on the Siva temple roads although,Christians and Muslims were allowed.George was arrested,and while he was undergoing six months imprisonment,the Nairs in the Congress complained to Gandhi against a Christian leading a movement,around the temple. Gandhi lent his ears to those casteist forces,and wrote to George:I think that you should let the Hindus do the work.It is they who have to purify themselves.You can help by your sympathy and by your pen,but not by organizing the movement and certainly not by offering satyagraha.
The casteist in Gandhi was out,and,George,disillusioned with Gandhi,joined the Justice Party,but returned to the Congress in 1935.

Bharatiyar

He corresponded with B R Ambedkar on Vaikam Satyagraha and mass conversion and wrote in The Hindu,an article,Gandhiji's New Formula,criticizing his actions on Khadi,Salt Act and prohibition.
It was after his return to Madurai from Travancore,he met Bharati.Though George had distanced himself from Gandhi,he maintained his friendship with Kamaraj; they  organized a mass rally against Simon Commission's visit to Madurai,in 1929,and Varadarajulu Naidu and George appeared for Kamaraj,when he was implicated in the Virudhunagar conspiracy case(1933).George,at this time,received a post card from Gandhi,in which he  asked:Oh George Joseph,why you have forsaken me?Of Gandhi's vision of a future India,George had remarked:Some call it Gandhiraj,others,Swaraj.In reality,it is Hindu Ramaraj.George was very sceptical of Gandhi's claim that his 'inner voice' acted as his conscience.

Statue of George

His disappointments in his political life were accentuated by his failure to win two elections,as a result of caste and religious parochialism and he began dabbling in Roman Catholicism and its medieval cultural baggage.After his return to Congress,he was elected to the Central Legislative Assembly from the Madurai/Ramnad/Tirunelveli constituency,unopposed,in 1937.He attended just one session,died in Madurai on 5 March,1938.Gandhi wrote to Susannah:I have before me your most pathetic and humane letter.I have seen your longer and fuller letter to Mahadev Desai.You must not grieve.That will show lack of faith in God.He gives and takes away.And surely it is with Joseph.You will come to me whenever you can and want to.You shall remain a dear daughter and more so;if possible,now that Joseph is no more in our midst in the flesh.Love to you and children-Bapu.
 

Gandhi's letter to Susanna

Incidentally,it was on his visit to Madurai,in 1925,and in the house of George,Gandhi  took the historic decision to switch over to his trade mark loin cloth,after he found,people coming for his darshan,were bare footed and bare bodied,except for a dhoti, around their waist.The decision came after the public meeting at Thiagaraja College.Recently when I visited Madurai,I was shocked at the sight of the blood stained cloth of Gandhi,which he wore at the time of his assassination,at the Gandhi Memorial.I was not prepared to see the cloth,because I had thought,it would be in Rajghat,Delhi.
In 1966,a statue of George Joseph was erected at the Yanaikkal Junction in Madurai.Every year,on his death anniversary,the Piramalai Kallars tribe offer flower tribute to him-they still name their children,Rosapoo or Rosappa Durai, in honour of Joseph.Maybe it is a mispronunciation of Joseph,or it is remembrance of the rose flower on his lapel.
Coming back to Sowmya,she was partly right,when she said Bharati was inspired by the French national Anthem.It is very militant,and it says:

Arise! Children of the Fatherland!
The Day of Glory has Arrived!
..................................
To Arms Citizens!
Form Your Batallions
Let us March!Let us March!
So that the impure Blood
Waters our Fields!
Bharati's Viduthalai,Viduthalai,rhymes like the French,Marchons,Marchons(Let us March).
SONG:THE FRENCH NATIONAL ANTHEM/LA MARSEILLAISE

Our national anthem,Jana Gana Mana,was,originally the anthem of Indian National Army(INA),of Subash Chandra Bose,and it was selected and rushed by Nehru,when the United Nations asked for the national anthem.  
This post is dedicated to Sowmya,who grew up at Ambalamedu close to my place,Tripunithura,near Cochin,Kerala.Her father,Dr Srinivasan was a Chemical Engineer at FACT,if I remember right,what she said during the MDR commemorative  concert at Tripunithura.
Reference:
1.George Joseph:The Life and Times of a Kerala Christian Nationalist/George Gheverghese Joseph
2.M K Gandhi/Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi/XXIII/page 391-Gandhi's letter on Vaikam Satyagraha
3.Unions in Conflict:A Comparative Study of Four South Indian Textile Centres 1918-1993/Eamon Murphy
4.Barrister George Joseph:A Memoir/Maya Thomas
5.George Joseph and the National Struggle for Freedom/R Renjini

                                                                    Bharati Signature


See my Post,PARASURAMA,DALITS AND THE ART OF AXING








 

 

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