Post type: Book review, Date: 01-February-2024, Language: English

Author: Manu S Pillai

Much has been spoken about this blockbuster work on the history of Travancore. Although this one was on my to-read list from 2017, I kept on postponing the book for two reasons: (i) the length of the book and (ii) the density of its contents.

My one-line summary of the book would be – The tussle for power between the two Maharanis adopted into the Travancore royal family in the late 19th century.

However, the book is not just the story of these two queens. In order to tell their story, it was imperative to explain the social, political and cultural landscape of the land that is today Kerala, and the history of Travancore that was carved out from fiefdoms in southern Kerala by Marthanda Varma in the 1700s. The author meticulously begins from the times of the mighty Zamorin, whose power in the Arabian Sea is on a gradual decline with the arrival of the Portugeese. The author describes how the Portugeese, like the other colonisers who followed them, played one kingdom against another – in this case, to erode the might of Calicut and control the trade in the Arabian Sea.

The invasions by Hyder Ali in the late 1700s further worsened the situation for the Zamorin and his aristocracy, forcing them to abandon their kingdom and seek refuge in Travancore, the dominion of the resurgent Kupaka dynasty, the renaissance of which was singlehandedly engineered by Marthanda Varma, “a man of great pride, courage and talents, capable of undertaking grand enterprises”. (In an interesting aside, the author mentions in the epilogue of how Marthanda Varma lays the foundations of his empire by the cold-blooded and treacherous murders of relatives Raman and Padmanabhan Tampi, the sons of the previous raja). Marthanda Varma ruthlessly consolidates power, sidelining a once-powerful Attingal Rani, making her a titular figure. In order to ensure her allegiance, a silver plate treaty is signed between them, along with the British, bestowing on her the administration of an estate of 10000 acres and promising that the progeny of the Attingal ranis would become future kings of Travancore. In exchange, the Rani relinquished her claims to sovereignty, merging Attingal with Travancore. The author also describes how, even after the Rani lost all her power, the British continued paying her tributes, as Attingal was one of their first allies in the region.

Due to the matrilineal system of heirship to the throne, female progeny becomes a mandatory condition for the sustenance of the dynasty. This system would also cause Travancore to witness the regency of three senior Ranis (which is often projected as one of matriliny’s successes in empowering women) when there were either no male heirs (or, if they were minors). Due to this peculiar law of succession, the royal family had to adopt girls into the family on multiple occasions to maintain a steady supply of heirs to the throne. The adoptions were mostly carried out from branches of the royal families of the Malabar, who had fled their kingdoms and settled in various parts of Travancore, escaping from Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan’s armies.

And hence, the two girls, who were the grandchildren of the hallowed painter Raja Ravi Varma, and members of the Mavelikkara branch of a settler family, were adopted into the Travancore royal family as per their customs. They were respectively the daughters of a commanding lady, Mahaprabha, and her less charming and underling sister, Kochukunji. This imbalance of power between these two sisters would have far-reaching consequences for the Ivory Throne and the Travancoreans, as remarked ominously by the Elayarajah Chathayam Tirunal to Rani Lakshmi Bai, the brain behind the adoption – “These babies are the children of two mothers, and each will exert a most deleterious influence on the peace of the family”.

The event of adoption of the girls into the family, just like most other affairs, was influenced by a number of characters, each trying to sway the decision in favour of their own benefits. There were dubious figures close to the monarch (the likes of Sankaran Thampi), exerting their influence and swaying his decisions. There was an unholy nexus of the Tamil Brahmins and Nairs, which had a great say in the royal decisions. It is with great difficulty that Rani Lakshmi Bai prevails in the decision to adopt the little girls, overcoming stiff opposition from her adversaries.

This intereference in governance and favouritism make life miserable for the Ezhava and Christian minorities in the kingdom. The author goes on to explain this in great detail, with descriptions of the different memorials submitted to the Maharajah by the aggrieved communities at different stages. The communal faultlines that were created during this period still influence the current politics in Kerala.

At this stage, one thing that disappointed me was how events such as the Villuvandi samaram (Ayyankali), the consecration of the Shiva temple at Aruvippuram (Narayana Guru) and Kallumala samaram were neglected in this account. Similarly, the political upheaval and repercussions of the smarthavicharam of Kuriyedathu Thathri - another milestone in Malayali history - was also forgotten for some reason.

The doomsday prophecy by Chathayam Tirunal would soon come to haunt the royal family, with scheming characters in the palace, who might have gone even to an extent of causing a miscarriage for the expectant senior Maharani, in the race to produce male heirs. Trust is completely lost between the cousins to a point where they bring their own food while calling on one another. The younger rani eventually wins the race to produce the male heir, but the child is a minor when the incumbent Maharajah breathes his last. Thus, in 1924, at a relatively young age of 29, Sethu Lakshmi Bai is thrust into the helm of affairs of Travancore, beginning a three-decade long tussle between her and the junior Maharani, Sethu Parvathi Bai, finally culminating in an unceremonious exit of the former from the kingdom that she once ruled.

In my opinion, the author has tried to remain objective fairly throughout the book. However, at times, the author appears to take sides with the Senior Maharani, especially in a couple of occassions, namely, the press regulation, and the non-compliance with the Temple Entry Proclamation, where the Senior Maharani’s authoritarianism is condoned as an antidote to the communally divisive press and her orthodoxy is considered commensurate with her times. At the same time, the Junior Maharani is unfairly held responsible for the black-magic episode, mostly based on hearsay, and not on solid facts.

The most important attraction of this book is the lucidity with which it has been written. Each chapter begins with a description of the historical events that is leading up to the events in the chapter, setting the stage and putting things into context. Another important point is the emphasis on the personalities more than events in the narration, making it a thrilling read cover to cover. Undoubtedly, the author has done extensive research to make this book possible. Nevertheless, I felt that some of the content (on the evolution of the Senior Maharani’s family in Lalindloch palace and in Bangalore, after 1957) could have been better edited to reduce the size of the book. I concede that this is a subjective opinion, because I came across other reviews which enjoyed this part!

To conclude, I thoroughly enjoyed the book in spite of the few disagreements here and there, and would recommend it hands down to anyone interested in the history of the Malayali people.