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Sree Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma (r. 1885–1924), properly H. H. The Maharajah of Travancore Sree Padmanabhadasa Vanchipala Sir Rama Varma VI, in 1895. A great deal of the credit for his progressive rule should go to his Diwan, Sir T. Rama Rao, as Aiyar would have been the first to agree. At Rao’s prompting, on March 30th, 1888, the Maharajah set up a Legislative Council to advise the Prince on policy and law, India’s first popularly elected legislative assembly and a historic step towards democratic constitutional monarchy in India. Rao founded a hospital at Nedungolam with his own money; his daughter-in-law was married to the Diwan of Mysore in that state’s own ‘golden age’.
Introduction
In 1885, His Highness Sir Rama Varma Moolam Thurunal became Maharajah of Travancore. A close confidant was historian Ramanath Aiyar, who some eighteen years later catalogued the various ways in which the Maharajah had moved Travancore forward in terms of society and industry.
SINCE his accession, the country has progressed by giant strides.* The existence of four arts colleges; the establishment of training schools to teach the principles and practice of teaching; of agricultural schools to impart instruction in elementary theoretical and practical agriculture; of the Industrial School of Arts where a systematic course of instruction is given in drawing, designs, and painting; of a Sanskrit college to represent the Oriental faculty; of medical schools to train Hospital Assistants; of a Survey school to teach surveying to the Revenue and Judicial subordinates; prove beyond doubt that every facility which the practical sagacity of a ruler can suggest, is afforded for intellectual development.
Again, by the granting of agricultural loans; by the holding of agricultural exhibition; by the organisation of an agricultural demonstration farm and school; by the remission of various obnoxious taxes which pressed heavily on industry; by the settlement of the longstanding dispute between landlords and tenants; and by comprehensive land survey and assessment, the interests of the rural population have been considerably advanced.
The Kingdom of Travancore in southwest India was founded in 1729 out of the much smaller kingdom of Venad by Marthanda Varma (r. 1729–1758), who chose to ally with the British rather than the Dutch. Under the British Raj (after 1857) Travancore was fortunate to have a series of enlightened Maharajahs, the last of whom, Maharajah Sri Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, attempted to establish a state independent of the new Indian Union in 1947. Travancore narrowly escaped being taken over by Communists, and two years later was absorbed into the Indian Union. Since 1956 it has been more or less the State of Kerala.
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