Rani Lakshmi Bayi of Travancore
Encyclopedia
Rani Bharani Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi CI
(1848–1901) was the Senior Rani of Travancore
from 1857 till her death in 1901. Her consort was the famous poet and writer, styled the father of Malayalam literature, Sri Kerala Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran.
. The family had settled in Travancore towards the end of the 18th century when Tipu Sultan
invaded their territories in Malabar. While some members of the Kolathunad family returned, three sisters stayed back in Travancore and established the royal houses of Mavelikara, Ennakkad
and Prayikkara
.
In 1857 the then Rani of Travancore, HH Pooradam Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi, the niece of Maharajah Uthram Thirunal died soon after giving birth to a son, the later Maharajah Moolam Thirunal. The royal family followed the Marumakkathayam
system of matrilineal succession and the death of the Rani threatened the perpetuation of the dynasty. Thus, as in the previous five such incidents, it was decided to adopt from the Kolathunad family. Since members of the family were resident within Travancore the choice was made from amongst them. The Maharajah decided to adopt the two eldest daughters of Bharani Nal Amma Thampuran of Mavelikara namely Lakshmi Bayi (b.1848) and her younger sister Parvathi Bayi (b.1850).
, the traditional position held by females of the Travancore family. Lakshmi Bayi now became HH Rani Bharani Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi. In 1859 three suitable boys from chosen families were presented to her, including the famous artist Raja Ravi Varma
. The Rani picked the brother of the Rajah of Parappanad, whose family had also settled in Travancore at Changanassery, namely Kerala Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran. Raja Ravi Varma later went on to marry her youngest sister Bhageerathi Amma Thampuran of Mavelikara.
The marriage of the Rani and Kerala Varma was very happy in all respects, except that they were childless. In 1860 Uthram Thirunal died and his nephew, the Rani's adoptive uncle, Maharajah Ayilyam Thirunal
succeeded to the musnud. Both Ayilyam Thirunal and his brother Visakham Thirunal
were initially close to Kerala Varma. However sometime into the 1870s there occurred a palace conspiracy, involving Visakham Thirunal, Kerala Varma and the Dewan T. Madhava Rao
and the three got alienated from the Maharajah. Matters took a turn for the worse when, with the sanction of the Paramount Power, who were apprised of facts, Kerala Varma was arrested by the Maharajah in 1875 and imprisoned at Alapuzha in north Travancore. After two years he was placed under house arrest at his family home in Haripad
.
In 1880 Maharajah Ayilyam Thirunal died and was succeeded by Visakham Thirunal. He immediately ordered the release of Kerala Varma. Thus after a period of five years the Rani was reunited with her husband and in gratefulness to the Maharajah, Kerala Varma wrote the Visakhavijaya. He also authored the famous masterpiece Mayura Sandesam (the peacock messenger), the theme of which is the separation between his wife and himself.
When the Rani's strong will and refusal to leave her husband, amidst all pressures and tribulations, reached the ears of Queen Victoria, she admitted her in 1881 into the Order of the Crown of India
. Kerala Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran was later in 1895 decorated with the Order of the Star of India
. The remaining years of the Rani's life with her husband were happy, marred only by their childlessness and the deaths of her nephews. Her sister, the Junior Rani Parvathi Bayi, had four sons and one daughter. The daughter died within months of her birth and all the sons, save two died by 1895. The Junior Rani also died in 1893 and once again the royal family faced the problem of extinction due to the absence of female members to continue the line after Rani Lakshmi Bayi.
The Rani now looked upon her nieces, the children of her youngest sister by the artist Raja Ravi Varma to bring forth girls who could be adopted into the ruling line. For this purpose she went on a pilgrimage of Sethusamudram
in 1894 accompanied by her nieces. In 1895 her elder niece, Ayilyam Nal Mahaprabha Thampuran gave birth to a daughter Sethu Lakshmi Bayi
and the next year her younger niece, Thiruvadira Nal Kochukunji Thampuran gave birth to Sethu Parvathi Bayi. In 1900 the Rani officially petitioned her adoptive brother, Maharajah Moolam Thirunal, who ascended the musnud after the death of Visakham Thirunal in 1885 and accordingly the two girls were adopted and installed as Junior Rani and first princess of Attingal respectively. The Rani was very attached to the children. The elder one would in 1924 become Regent of Travancore while the son of the younger one would be the last Maharajah of Travancore
, Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma
.
during his visit to Travancore in the year 1900 described the "Maharanee" thus:
.
Order of the Crown of India
The Imperial Order of the Crown of India is an order in the British honours system.The Order was established by Queen Victoria in 1878, when she became Empress of India. The Order is open only to women; no new appointments have been made after the Partition of India in 1947...
(1848–1901) was the Senior Rani of Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
from 1857 till her death in 1901. Her consort was the famous poet and writer, styled the father of Malayalam literature, Sri Kerala Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran.
Early life
Lakshmi Bayi was born in 1848 as the daughter of Bharani Nal Amma Thampuran of Mavelikara. Her mother's family was a branch of the Kolathunad royal family which was directly related to the Travancore Royal FamilyTravancore Royal Family
The Travancore Royal Family descended from the Venad line of the Cheras and ruled over the Indian state of Travancore until 1947.The Royal family, alternatively known as the Kupaka Royal Family, Thripappur Swaroopam, Venad Swaroopam, Vanchi Swaroopam etc., has its seat today at Trivandrum in...
. The family had settled in Travancore towards the end of the 18th century when Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan , also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the son of Hyder Ali, at that time an officer in the Mysorean army, and his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-Nissa...
invaded their territories in Malabar. While some members of the Kolathunad family returned, three sisters stayed back in Travancore and established the royal houses of Mavelikara, Ennakkad
Ennakkad
Ennakkad is a village in Alappuzha district in the Indian state of Kerala.Ennakkadu is surrounded by Chennithala, Puliyoor, Mavelikkara, Budhanur and mannar. Very beautiful village.-Demographics:...
and Prayikkara
Prayikkara
Prayikkara is a village situated in Mavelikara, on the banks of the Achankovil river, in between Mavelikaraa Municipality and Chennithala Panchayat, in Kerala.St. Mary Catholic Church is at prayikkara on the banks of the Achankovil River...
.
In 1857 the then Rani of Travancore, HH Pooradam Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi, the niece of Maharajah Uthram Thirunal died soon after giving birth to a son, the later Maharajah Moolam Thirunal. The royal family followed the Marumakkathayam
Marumakkathayam
Marumakkathayam is a matrilinear system of inheritance which was followed by all Nair castes including of Royal Families, some of the Ambalavasis, Arayars, Ezhava, some tribal groups and Mappilas in North Malabar of Kerala state, South India. Unlike other Brahmin families, Payanoor Nambootiris...
system of matrilineal succession and the death of the Rani threatened the perpetuation of the dynasty. Thus, as in the previous five such incidents, it was decided to adopt from the Kolathunad family. Since members of the family were resident within Travancore the choice was made from amongst them. The Maharajah decided to adopt the two eldest daughters of Bharani Nal Amma Thampuran of Mavelikara namely Lakshmi Bayi (b.1848) and her younger sister Parvathi Bayi (b.1850).
Adoption and Marriage
In November 1857 the adoption was sanctioned by the Paramount power and the two girls were adopted into the royal family and installed as the Senior and Junior Ranis of AttingalAttingal
Attingal is a town and a municipality in the Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala state, India, bounded by the Mamom and Vamanapuram rivers. It is situated 30 km to the north of state capital of Thiruvananthapuram.-Demographics:...
, the traditional position held by females of the Travancore family. Lakshmi Bayi now became HH Rani Bharani Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi. In 1859 three suitable boys from chosen families were presented to her, including the famous artist Raja Ravi Varma
Raja Ravi Varma
Raja Ravi Varma was an Indian painter from the princely state of Travancore who achieved recognition for his depiction of scenes from the epics of the Mahabharata and Ramayana...
. The Rani picked the brother of the Rajah of Parappanad, whose family had also settled in Travancore at Changanassery, namely Kerala Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran. Raja Ravi Varma later went on to marry her youngest sister Bhageerathi Amma Thampuran of Mavelikara.
The marriage of the Rani and Kerala Varma was very happy in all respects, except that they were childless. In 1860 Uthram Thirunal died and his nephew, the Rani's adoptive uncle, Maharajah Ayilyam Thirunal
Ayilyam Thirunal
Maharajah Ayilyam Thirunal Rama Varma was the ruler of the princely state of Travancore in India from 1860 to 1880. His reign was highly successful with Travancore gaining the appellation of "model state of India"...
succeeded to the musnud. Both Ayilyam Thirunal and his brother Visakham Thirunal
Visakham Thirunal
Visakham Thirunal Rama Varma was the Maharaja of the erstwhile Indian kingdom of Travancore from 1880-1885 AD. He succeeded his elder brother Maharajah Ayilyam Thirunal to the throne of Travancore.-Early life:...
were initially close to Kerala Varma. However sometime into the 1870s there occurred a palace conspiracy, involving Visakham Thirunal, Kerala Varma and the Dewan T. Madhava Rao
T. Madhava Rao
Raja Sir Tanjore Madhava Rao, KCSI , also known as Sir Madhava Rao Thanjavurkar, was an Indian civil servant, administrator and politician who served as the Diwan of Travancore from 1857 to 1872, Indore from 1873 to 1875 and Baroda from 1875 to 1882. He was the nephew of the former Diwan of...
and the three got alienated from the Maharajah. Matters took a turn for the worse when, with the sanction of the Paramount Power, who were apprised of facts, Kerala Varma was arrested by the Maharajah in 1875 and imprisoned at Alapuzha in north Travancore. After two years he was placed under house arrest at his family home in Haripad
Haripad
Haripad is a town in Alappuzha District, Kerala, India, located between Alappuzha and Kollam on National Highway 47. Haripad is close to the Arabian Sea, and connects Mavelikkara and Thrikkunnappuzha....
.
Separation
The Rani's entreaties to the Maharajah to forgive her husband were met with no sympathy. When she asked for his release it was refused and so she proposed to go with him. But the Maharajah refused to permit this and constrained her in her palace. At the same time from all quarters she was pressurized to leave Kerala Varma and accept a new consort. The Rani, however, blatantly refused to even listen to any such suggestions and to further force her, her allowances were cut off by the Maharajah. The Rani however refused to budge and would manage her affairs with loans taken from influential people of Trivandrum. The support of Visakham Thirunal was also a relief for her.In 1880 Maharajah Ayilyam Thirunal died and was succeeded by Visakham Thirunal. He immediately ordered the release of Kerala Varma. Thus after a period of five years the Rani was reunited with her husband and in gratefulness to the Maharajah, Kerala Varma wrote the Visakhavijaya. He also authored the famous masterpiece Mayura Sandesam (the peacock messenger), the theme of which is the separation between his wife and himself.
When the Rani's strong will and refusal to leave her husband, amidst all pressures and tribulations, reached the ears of Queen Victoria, she admitted her in 1881 into the Order of the Crown of India
Order of the Crown of India
The Imperial Order of the Crown of India is an order in the British honours system.The Order was established by Queen Victoria in 1878, when she became Empress of India. The Order is open only to women; no new appointments have been made after the Partition of India in 1947...
. Kerala Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran was later in 1895 decorated with the Order of the Star of India
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
. The remaining years of the Rani's life with her husband were happy, marred only by their childlessness and the deaths of her nephews. Her sister, the Junior Rani Parvathi Bayi, had four sons and one daughter. The daughter died within months of her birth and all the sons, save two died by 1895. The Junior Rani also died in 1893 and once again the royal family faced the problem of extinction due to the absence of female members to continue the line after Rani Lakshmi Bayi.
Heirs
Sethusamudram
Sethusamudram is the sea that separates Tamil Nadu, India, from Sri Lanka. It encompasses the Gulf of Mannar, the Palk Strait, and a shoal of islands and bays that separate them called Ram Setu...
in 1894 accompanied by her nieces. In 1895 her elder niece, Ayilyam Nal Mahaprabha Thampuran gave birth to a daughter Sethu Lakshmi Bayi
Sethu Lakshmi Bayi
Maharani Pooradam Thirunal Sethu Lakshmi Bayi CI was the ruler of Travancore as regent for her nephew, Chithira Tirunal from 1924 until late 1931...
and the next year her younger niece, Thiruvadira Nal Kochukunji Thampuran gave birth to Sethu Parvathi Bayi. In 1900 the Rani officially petitioned her adoptive brother, Maharajah Moolam Thirunal, who ascended the musnud after the death of Visakham Thirunal in 1885 and accordingly the two girls were adopted and installed as Junior Rani and first princess of Attingal respectively. The Rani was very attached to the children. The elder one would in 1924 become Regent of Travancore while the son of the younger one would be the last Maharajah of Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
, Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma
Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma
Chithira Thirunal Maharaja was the last ruling maharaja of the princely state of Travancore, in southern India...
.
Description by a traveller
Pierre LotiPierre Loti
Pierre Loti was a French novelist and naval officer.-Biography:Loti's education began in his birthplace, Rochefort, Charente-Maritime. At the age of seventeen he entered the naval school in Brest and studied at Le Borda. He gradually rose in his profession, attaining the rank of captain in 1906...
during his visit to Travancore in the year 1900 described the "Maharanee" thus:
Death
In October 1900 the late Junior Rani's youngest son, Prince Aswathy Thirunal Marthanda Varma died causing much pain to the Rani. On the 6th of June 1901 the heir apparent and only surviving son of the late Junior Rani, Elayarajah Chathayam Thirunal Rama Varma died as well. The Rani was by then too ill to even grieve, as her husband noted in his diary. She died on the 15th of June 1901, barely a week after her nephew's death. As her husband noted in his diary that night,Full Title
Her Highness Sri Padmanabha Sevini Vanchi Dharma Vardhini Raja Rajeshwari Rani Bharani Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi, Attingal Mootha Thampuran, Companion of the Order of the Crown of IndiaOrder of the Crown of India
The Imperial Order of the Crown of India is an order in the British honours system.The Order was established by Queen Victoria in 1878, when she became Empress of India. The Order is open only to women; no new appointments have been made after the Partition of India in 1947...
.
See also
- Kolathunad
- Mavelikara
- AttingalAttingalAttingal is a town and a municipality in the Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala state, India, bounded by the Mamom and Vamanapuram rivers. It is situated 30 km to the north of state capital of Thiruvananthapuram.-Demographics:...
- Travancore Royal FamilyTravancore Royal FamilyThe Travancore Royal Family descended from the Venad line of the Cheras and ruled over the Indian state of Travancore until 1947.The Royal family, alternatively known as the Kupaka Royal Family, Thripappur Swaroopam, Venad Swaroopam, Vanchi Swaroopam etc., has its seat today at Trivandrum in...
- Moolam Thirunal
- Sethu Lakshmi BayiSethu Lakshmi BayiMaharani Pooradam Thirunal Sethu Lakshmi Bayi CI was the ruler of Travancore as regent for her nephew, Chithira Tirunal from 1924 until late 1931...
- Kerala Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran
Sources
- Travancore State Manual Vol II (1906) by V. Nagam AiyaV. Nagam AiyaDiwan Bahadur Veeraraghavapuram Nagam Aiya was an Indian historian, civil servant and chronicler in the erstwhile princely state of Travancore.- Early life :...
- Travancore State Manual Vol II (1940) by TK Velu Pillai
- Visakhavijaya: a study by Ramakrishna Pillai
- At the turn of the tide by Dr. Lakshmi Raghunandan
- India by Pierre LotiPierre LotiPierre Loti was a French novelist and naval officer.-Biography:Loti's education began in his birthplace, Rochefort, Charente-Maritime. At the age of seventeen he entered the naval school in Brest and studied at Le Borda. He gradually rose in his profession, attaining the rank of captain in 1906...