Ramnad estate
Encyclopedia
The Ramnad Estate (earlier known as the Kingdom of the Greater Marava) is a permanently settled Zamindar
i estate in the Ramnad subdivision of the Madura district
of the erstwhile Madras Presidency
in British India. It comprises the southern and eastern parts of Madura district.
The estate was ruled by a Zamindar who bore the title "Raja". The seat of administration was the town of Ramanathapuram
. The Zamindari had its origins in the Kingdom of Ramnad established by Raghunatha Kilavan in the late 17th century. In 1803, the Kingdom was converted to a Zamindari by the British. The Kings and Zamindars of Ramnathapuram also bore the title of Sethupathi
or "protector of the bridge", the bridge here referring to the legendary Adam's Bridge or Rama's Bridge.
in Ramnad tehsil. Ramanathapuram, Kilakkarai, Paramakudi, Rameswaram, Mandapam and Pamban were some of the important towns in the estate.
launched his invasion of Ravana
's Lanka
. On the conclusion of the war and Rama's success in it, he appointed a Sethupathi or "lord of the bridge" to guard the island. The "bridge" referred to here is the legendary Adam's Bridge or Rama's Bridge which was believed to have been constructed by Rama. The chieftains of Ramnad were entrusted with the responsibility of protecting the bridge, hence the appellation.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the traditional chieftain of the region who belonged to the Maravar caste was officially recognized as Sethupathi by the Nayak king of Madurai. The chieftain of Ramnad, in return, recognized the sovereignty of the Nayak king over his lands. When the power of the Nayak kings of Madurai
began to decline in the late 17th century, the chieftains of Ramnad asserted their independence. In the late 17th century, Raghunatha Kilavan crowned himself king of Ramnad and changed his seat from Pogalur to Ramnad close to the east coast. He erected massive fortifications to protect his capital. In 1725, the king of Tanjore
claimed the northern part of the Ramnad kingdom (the Aranthangi
region) up to the river Pambar in return for his services during the civil war in Ramnad. A vassal of Ramnad who was amongst the victors in the civil war took over the westerly located Sivaganga
region, thereby leaving only three-fifths of the kingdom actually in the hands of the king of Ramnad.
Ramnad participated in the Carnatic wars
between the British
and the French East India companies
. The state came under British influence in the 1790s and the king of Ramnad was deposed in 1795 for misrule. The British, then, made the king's sister the ruler of Ramnad and deprecated the kingdom to a zamindari by a permanent sanad (grant) in 1803. Since then, until the India's independence in 1947, Ramnad was ruled by the queen and her descendants.
Raja Bhaskara Sethupathi, who lived in the late 19th century, borrowed large amounts of money from Nagarathar
creditors for construction of irrigation works and massive developments projects and for charitable purposes that he soon ran into heavy debt. In 1895, most of the estate was pledged to the creditors who set up a trust for its administration and maintenance. Bhaskara Sethupathi's successors actively supported the Justice Party
. Shanmugha Rajeswara Sethupathi
was an active supporter of the Justice Party and promoted the Self-Respect Movement.
Zamindar
A Zamindar or zemindar , was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of land and ruled over and taxed the bhikaaris who lived on batavaslam. Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja , Raja , Nawab , and Mirza , Chowdhury , among others...
i estate in the Ramnad subdivision of the Madura district
Madurai District
Madurai district is one of the 32 districts of the state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. The city of Madurai serves as the district headquarters. It houses the world famous Sri Meenakshi Sundareshwarar temple and is situated on the banks of river Vaigai. Thiruparankundram is one of the major...
of the erstwhile Madras Presidency
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
in British India. It comprises the southern and eastern parts of Madura district.
The estate was ruled by a Zamindar who bore the title "Raja". The seat of administration was the town of Ramanathapuram
Ramanathapuram
Ramanathapuram , also known as Ramnad, is a city and a municipality in Ramanathapuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Ramanathapuram district.-Tourism:...
. The Zamindari had its origins in the Kingdom of Ramnad established by Raghunatha Kilavan in the late 17th century. In 1803, the Kingdom was converted to a Zamindari by the British. The Kings and Zamindars of Ramnathapuram also bore the title of Sethupathi
Sethupathi
The Sethupathis were the rulers of the Ramnad and Sivaganga regions during the beginning of the 17th century.Sethupathis of Ramand and Sivaganga...
or "protector of the bridge", the bridge here referring to the legendary Adam's Bridge or Rama's Bridge.
Location
The estate of Ramnad was located between 9 degrees 6' and 10 degrees 6' N latitude and 77 degrees 56' and 79 degrees 19' E longitudes. It comprised the southern and eastern portion of Madura district and included the whole Bay of Bengal coast of the district.Area and population
The estate covered an area of 2104 square miles (5,449.3 km²) and had a population of 723,886 in 1901. It was one of the largest and most populous zamindari estates in the Madras Presidency. The zamindar of Ramnad paid a tribute of Rs. 3.75 lakhs for the year 1903-04 to the British government.Subdivisions
The estate was subdivided into five zamindari tehsils: Ramnad, Tiruvadanai, Paramakudi, Tiruchuli and Mudukulathur. The administration was based in the town of RamanathapuramRamanathapuram
Ramanathapuram , also known as Ramnad, is a city and a municipality in Ramanathapuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Ramanathapuram district.-Tourism:...
in Ramnad tehsil. Ramanathapuram, Kilakkarai, Paramakudi, Rameswaram, Mandapam and Pamban were some of the important towns in the estate.
History
The estate of Ramnad included the Hindu holy island city of Rameswaram, from where, legend has it that the Hindu god RamaRama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
launched his invasion of Ravana
Ravana
' is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu legend, the Ramayana; who is the great king of Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister...
's Lanka
Lanka
Sri Lanka is the name given in Hindu mythology to the island fortress capital of the legendary king Ravana in the great Hindu epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata...
. On the conclusion of the war and Rama's success in it, he appointed a Sethupathi or "lord of the bridge" to guard the island. The "bridge" referred to here is the legendary Adam's Bridge or Rama's Bridge which was believed to have been constructed by Rama. The chieftains of Ramnad were entrusted with the responsibility of protecting the bridge, hence the appellation.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the traditional chieftain of the region who belonged to the Maravar caste was officially recognized as Sethupathi by the Nayak king of Madurai. The chieftain of Ramnad, in return, recognized the sovereignty of the Nayak king over his lands. When the power of the Nayak kings of Madurai
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
began to decline in the late 17th century, the chieftains of Ramnad asserted their independence. In the late 17th century, Raghunatha Kilavan crowned himself king of Ramnad and changed his seat from Pogalur to Ramnad close to the east coast. He erected massive fortifications to protect his capital. In 1725, the king of Tanjore
Thanjavur Marathas
Thanjavur Marathas were the rulers of Thanjavur principality of Tamil Nadu between the 17th to the 19th century C.E. Their native language was Marathi...
claimed the northern part of the Ramnad kingdom (the Aranthangi
Aranthangi
Aranthangi is a town and a municipality in Pudukkottai district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.-Demographics: India census, Aranthangi had a population of 34,266. Males constitute 49% of the population and females 51%. Aranthangi has an average literacy rate of 50%, lower than the national...
region) up to the river Pambar in return for his services during the civil war in Ramnad. A vassal of Ramnad who was amongst the victors in the civil war took over the westerly located Sivaganga
Sivaganga
Sivaganga, also known as Sivagangai, is a town and a municipality in Sivaganga district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Sivaganga district.-Geography:...
region, thereby leaving only three-fifths of the kingdom actually in the hands of the king of Ramnad.
Ramnad participated in the Carnatic wars
Carnatic Wars
The Carnatic Wars were a series of military conflicts in the middle of the 18th century on the Indian subcontinent...
between the British
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
and the French East India companies
French East India Company
The French East India Company was a commercial enterprise, founded in 1664 to compete with the British and Dutch East India companies in colonial India....
. The state came under British influence in the 1790s and the king of Ramnad was deposed in 1795 for misrule. The British, then, made the king's sister the ruler of Ramnad and deprecated the kingdom to a zamindari by a permanent sanad (grant) in 1803. Since then, until the India's independence in 1947, Ramnad was ruled by the queen and her descendants.
Raja Bhaskara Sethupathi, who lived in the late 19th century, borrowed large amounts of money from Nagarathar
Nagarathar
The Nagarathars is a Chettiar community in Shaivism that originated in Kaveripoompattinam under the Chola kingdom of India. They are a prominent mercantile Vaishya, caste in Tamil Nadu, South India...
creditors for construction of irrigation works and massive developments projects and for charitable purposes that he soon ran into heavy debt. In 1895, most of the estate was pledged to the creditors who set up a trust for its administration and maintenance. Bhaskara Sethupathi's successors actively supported the Justice Party
Justice Party (India)
The Justice Party , officially known as South Indian Liberal Federation, was a political party in the Madras Presidency of British India. The party was established in 1917 by T. M. Nair and Theagaroya Chetty as a result of a series of non-Brahmin conferences and meetings in the presidency...
. Shanmugha Rajeswara Sethupathi
Shanmugha Rajeswara Sethupathi
Shanmugha Rajeswara Sethupathi or Naganatha Sethupathi was an Indian politician of the Justice Party and later, the Indian National Congress and head of the zamindari of Ramnad from 1929 to 1967. He was a member of the Madras Legislative Assembly from 1951 to 1967 and served as a minister in C....
was an active supporter of the Justice Party and promoted the Self-Respect Movement.
List of Sethupathis
- Raghunatha KilavanRaghunatha KilavanSrimant Hiranyagarbhaji Ravikula Raja Muthu Vijaya Raghunatha Raja Raghunatha Deva Kilavan Setupati was the first Raja of Ramnad.. He ruled from 1673 to 1708 and oversaw the growth of the feudal chieftainship of Ramnad into a powerful kingdom...
(1670–1708) - Vijaya Raghunatha (1708–1720)
- Bhavani Shankar (1720)
- Ramalingam Sethupathy
- Parvatha Vardhani Ammal Nachchiyar (1846-1862)
- Muthuramalinga Sethupathi IIMuthuramalinga Sethupathi IIMuthuramalinga Sethupathi II was the zamindar of Ramnad estate from 1862 to 1873. He was adopted by his aunt Parvatha Vardhani Ammal Nachiyar, the Rani of Ramnad. He was a patron of arts and music....
(1862-1873) - Court of Wards (1873–1889)
- Bhaskara SethupathyBhaskara SethupathyBhaskara Sethupathy was a Raja of Ramnad. He became the recognised proprietor of the Ramnad estate after his father's death in 1873 till 1895. From 1895, He assumed Managership of Rameswaram till 1901.He was regarded as a pious, brilliant and generous ruler by his supporters...
(1889–1903) - Raja Rajeswara SethupathiRaja Rajeswara SethupathiRaja Rajeswara Sethupathi was the Raja of Ramnad from 1903 to 1929. He was the son of the legendary philanthropist Bhaskara Sethupathy and father of politician Shanmugha Rajeswara Sethupathi....
(1903–1929) - Shanmugha Rajeswara SethupathiShanmugha Rajeswara SethupathiShanmugha Rajeswara Sethupathi or Naganatha Sethupathi was an Indian politician of the Justice Party and later, the Indian National Congress and head of the zamindari of Ramnad from 1929 to 1967. He was a member of the Madras Legislative Assembly from 1951 to 1967 and served as a minister in C....
(1929–1967) - Ramanatha SethupathiRamanatha SethupathiRamanatha Sethupathy was the Raja of Ramnad from 1967 to 1979....
(1967–1979) - Rajeswari NachiyarRajeswari NachiyarRajeswari Nachiyar is the titular ruler of the estate of Ramnad. She is the only daughter of Ramanatha Sethupathi.- Succession :Rajeswari Nachiyar assumed the hereditary title of the ruler of Ramnad on the death of her father Ramanatha Sethupathi in 1979...
(1979-)