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Travancore Kingdom, History, Travancore Kingdom Kings List and Duration

Travancore Kingdom

Southwest Indian princely state known as Travancore Kingdom is currently a part of Kerela. It was formerly referred to as the kingdom of Travancore, which was a well-known name at the time. Its current name is Kerela. Due to its reputation as a maritime state, Travancore also benefited the nation’s maritime trade. It also had a lot of natural resources, which made it feel like a self-sufficient state and prevented it from wanting to join the Indian union. Candidates can learn everything they need to know about Travancore Kingdom in this post for UPSC Exam Preparation.

Read about: Awadh Kingdom

Travancore Kingdom History

Up until 1858, the princely state of India was ruled by the royal line of Travancore, and the state’s capital is Thiruvananthapuram or Padmanabhapuram. The Kingdom of Travancore, also known as the state of Travancore, was an earlier Hindu primitive kingdom.

In its early years, the Travancore Kingdom covered most of what is now Kerala’s southern Kanyakumari district as well as Tamil Nadu’s southern portion. The Travancore kingdom’s official flag was red with a silver dextrally-coiled conch casing, commonly known as Turbinella pyrum, at its centre.

The 19-gun salute, which is regarded as the second-highest honorary gun salute among other gun salutes by the British Empire to the monarch of Travancore state and expresses the king’s esteem among the British Empire, was used to honour the Travancore rulers.

The Travancore state was regarded as one of the greatest princely kingdoms or states, with reputed accomplishments in political administration, social reforms, education, and public work. Additionally, the Travancore royal family and the state government took countless innovative steps for the socioeconomic development of the kingdom.

Compared to the rest of Kerala, southern and central Travancore had a far more independent early political and cultural history. Between Alappuzha in the south and Kasaragod in the north, the Malabar Coast was under the control of the Chera Empire. Coimbatore, Palakkad Gap, Kolli Hills, and the Salem region were included in this.

During the ancient Sangam era, when Tamil Nadu and the Malabar Coast were connected by a significant trade route, the Cheras dynasty ruled the region surrounding Coimbatore. However, the Ay Empire, which was also connected to the Madurai Pandya and Cheras dynasties, ruled over the southern portion of the modern-day state of Kerala.

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Travancore Kingdom Kings List

The major title of the Travancore Kingdom is “king,” and the king is descended from the royal family or line of Travancore rulers. The kingdom’s sovereign realm is located in Kerala, India’s southernmost state. Up until 1949, when India seized Travancore, the monarch of Travancore was the country’s top authority.

The Travancore kings have held this status ever since. The Travancore family’s dominance came to an end in 1949 when the Travancore state consented to be amalgamated with India. The Travancore kingdom was founded in 1663 and controlled by a number of monarchs of the royal line until the country’s independence.

Below given is the list of kings of Travancore:

Kings Duration
Rama Varma 1663-1672
Aditya Varma 1672-1677
Umayamma Rani 1677-1684
Ravi Varma 1684-1718
Aditya Varma 1718-1719
Unni Kerala Varma 1719-1724
Rajah Rama Varma 1724-1729
Marthanda Varma 1729-1758
Dharma Raja 1758-1798
Balarama Varma 1798-1810
Gowri Lakshmi Bayi 1810-1815
Gowri Parvati Bayi 1815-1829
Swathi Thirunal 1829-1846
Uthram  Thirunal 1846-1860
Ayilyam Thirunal 1860-1880
Visakham Thirunal 1880-1885
Moolam Thirunal 1885-1924
Sethu Lakshmi Bayi 1924-1931
Chithira Thirunal 1931-1949

Read about: Maratha Empire

Travancore Kingdom UPSC

After numerous public court petitions had been filed, the Indian High Court ruled in 2011 that the Travancore royal family and all custodial rights of the temple should be given to the family. Subsequently, in July 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that the Travancore royal family must assume governance of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple. Until 1949, Travancore kingdom was ruled and administered by the royal family of Travancore and taken under the consideration of the government. Travancore Kingdom is fully explained in this article for UPSC exam preparation.

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Travancore Kingdom, History, Travancore Kingdom Kings List & Duration_4.1

FAQs

Who is the founder of Travancore kingdom?

Travancore's history started with Marthanda Varma, who inherited the Venad (Thrippappur) kingdom and transformed it into Travancore during his rule (1729–1758).

Who is the present king of Travancore?

Padmanabhadasa Sree the current titular Maharajah of Travancore is Sree Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma (born 1949).

What is Travancore called now?

Travancore and Cochin (now Kochi) combined to become the state of Travancore-Cochin upon Indian independence; its borders were redraw, and Kerala was given its current name in 1956.

Was Travancore under British rule?

In accordance with the Treaty of 1795, Travancore recognized British rule as well. In return, the British promised to protect Travancore from its enemies. The submissive Samantha rajas enabled the British to directly rule Malabar and indirectly rule Kochi and Travancore.

Is Travancore royal family rich?

The foundation of India's voluminous cultural heritage has been its gold treasures and diamond-studded earth crusts. Additionally, the Travancore royal family still owns a sizeable portion of the nation's gold holdings. You and your family won't get the chance to possess one of the richest temples in the world every day.