T. Venkata Rao
Encyclopedia
Rai Raya Rai Venkata Rao (died 1843), (also spelt as Venkatta Row), was an Indian administrator and statesman who served as the Diwan of Travancore from 1821 to 1829 and in 1838-1839. He was the father of R. Raghunatha Rao
and paternal uncle of Sir T. Madhava Rao.
to Gundo Pant in a Thanjavur Marathi family. He was educated in the Madras Presidency and on completion of his education, joined the service of the British.
due to ill-health.
In 1821, when the Diwan, Reddy Rao accepted a jagir of two villages from the queen,it created a scandal in the kingdom forcing him to resign. Venkata Rao was selected to replace him with the support of the British resident.
On taking office, Venkata Rao immediately waived taxes. He set up his base at Quilon
and organised a number of irrigation works. The Kadinangulam backwaters were created during his tenure.
R. Raghunatha Rao
Diwan Bahadur Rai Raghunatha Rao CSI was an Indian civil servant, administrator, politician and Indian independence activist who served as the Diwan of Indore from 1875 to 1880 and 1886 to 1888. He was related to Indian statesman Sir T...
and paternal uncle of Sir T. Madhava Rao.
Early life
Venkata Rao was born in Coombaconum in Madras PresidencyMadras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
to Gundo Pant in a Thanjavur Marathi family. He was educated in the Madras Presidency and on completion of his education, joined the service of the British.
Public life
Venkata Rao served as the Head Sheristadar to the Chief Commissioner of Mysore from 1834 to 1838 and as Assistant Chief Commissioner of Mysore from 1840 to 1842. In 1842, he was appointed Diwan of Hyderabad and served till 1843, when he returned to BangaloreBangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
due to ill-health.
Diwan of Travancore
In 1819, Venkata Rao joined the Travancore state service as an assistant to Col. McDowall, the British resident. He impressed the Queen-regent of Travancore, by his abilities and was soon appointed Diwan Peishkar or Governor of one of the divisions of the Travancore kingdom. During his tenure as Diwan Peishkar, Venkata Rao repaired and refurbished the Padmanabhaswamy temple in Trivandrum and modified the dress codes of the sepoys.In 1821, when the Diwan, Reddy Rao accepted a jagir of two villages from the queen,it created a scandal in the kingdom forcing him to resign. Venkata Rao was selected to replace him with the support of the British resident.
On taking office, Venkata Rao immediately waived taxes. He set up his base at Quilon
Quilon
Quilon may refer to,* Venad, a former state on Malabar Coast, India* Kollam , Kerala state, India* Kollam district, Kerala state...
and organised a number of irrigation works. The Kadinangulam backwaters were created during his tenure.