How well do you WE know Indian History and Politics ! ~ at least
the history of Independent India, dating back to 15th Aug 1947 ? In Governance, we know the posts of Prime
Minister, President, Vice-President at the Centre; Chief Minister, Governor at
the State level – ever heard of a Rajpramukh !!
Those who know
History would feel happy that the Apex Court has restituted what was absolutely
RIGHT – the right to administer the temple at Thiruvananthapuram of Sri Anantha
Padmanabha Swamy. The Govt that usurped
power simply had no right, whatsoever after whatever was agreed upon
constitutionally in 1947 ! Confusing !!
pannagendrashayana shrIpadmanAbha mudA kAma-
sannamAnasaM mAmava sArasAyatalocana
an
exceptionally mellifluous song rendered by M. Balamuralikrishna, Neyyattinkara
Vasudevan , K. J. Yesudas in Raagamaalika – in the movie “ Swathi Thirunal” based on the life of Swathi Thirunal Rama
Varma, the Maharaja of the state of Travancore. The song is a tribute to Lord
Ananthapadmanabhaswamy .. …
Upon India's independence
from the British on 15 August 1947, Sree Chithira Thirunal initially chose to
keep his domain an independent country. As this was unacceptable to the Govt.
Of India, several rounds of negotiations were held between the Maharaja and the
Indian representatives. Finally an agreement was reached in 1949 and Sree
Chithira Thirunal agreed to merge Travancore officially as a part of the Union
of India. In 1949, Travancore was united with Cochin, and Sree Chithira
Thirunal served as the first and only Rajpramukh (Governor
equivalent) of the Travancore-Cochin Union from 1 July 1949 until 31 October
1956. On 1 November 1956, the state of
Kerala was created by uniting the Malayalam-speaking areas of the
Travancore-Cochin Union with Malabar, and Sree Chithira Thirunal's office of
Rajpramukh came to an end.
The Kingdom of Travancore
was an Indian kingdom from c. 870 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore
Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At its zenith,
the kingdom covered most of modern-day central and southern Kerala with the
Thachudaya Kaimal's enclave of Irinjalakuda Koodalmanikyam temple in the
neighbouring Kingdom of Cochin, as well as the district of Kanyakumari, now in
the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The official flag of the state was red with a
dextrally-coiled silver conch shell (Turbinella pyrum) at its centre..
King Marthanda
Varma inherited the small feudal state of Venad in 1723 and built it into
Travancore, one of the most powerful kingdoms in southern India. Marthanda
Varma led the Travancore forces during the Travancore-Dutch War of 1739–46,
which culminated in the Battle of Colachel. The defeat of the Dutch by
Travancore is considered the earliest example of an organised power from Asia
overcoming European military technology and tactics. Marthanda Varma went on to conquer most of the
petty principalities of the native rulers who had allied with the Dutch against
him. In
the early 19th century, the kingdom became a princely state of the British
Empire. The Travancore Government took many progressive steps on the
socio-economic front and during the reign of Maharajah Sri Chithira Thirunal
Balarama Varma, Travancore became a prosperous modern princely state in British
India, with reputed achievements in education, political administration, public
work, and social reforms.
When the
British Crown partitioned British India and granted independence to the new
Dominions of India and Pakistan, more than a third of the subcontinent was
still covered by princely states, with rulers whose position and status within
the Indian Empire had varied. In 1947 there were more than 560 such princely
states in India, over which the British Crown had suzerainty but not
sovereignty. In 1947, princely states numbering 555 covered 48% of
area of pre-independent India and constituted 28% of its population. Relations
with them were determined by subsidiary alliances and other treaties
establishing indirect rule. By the Indian Independence Act 1947 the Crown
abandoned its suzerainty, leaving the rulers of the states free to choose to
accede either to India or to Pakistan or to remain fully independent. Due to
the diplomacy of Vallabhbhai Patel and VP Menon, Travancore, Bhopal and Jodhpur
signed the instruments of accession before 15 August 1947.
Then came the ‘Privy Purse’, a payment made to the ruling (royal or lower)
families of erstwhile princely states as part of their agreements to first
integrate with India in 1947 after the independence of India, and later to
merge their states in 1949 whereby they lost all ruling rights. .. .. but it was not to continue longer – in
1971, the Parliament by the 26th Amendment in 1971, abolished all their privileges and allowances
from the central government ceased to exist.
Mr. V. P.
Menon who was the Constitutional Advisor to the Governor General till 1947 and
Secretary to the Ministry of States played a stellar role in the integration of
the princely States into the Dominion of India. In his book titled, “Story of
Integration of the Indian States”, Mr. Menon dealt with “Travancore – Cochin”
in Chapter XIV and he wrote:- “The
ruling family of Travancore traces its descent from the ancient Chera kings of
South India. In later historic times, Travancore
was split up into a number of petty principalities. The consolidation of these
into a single State was the achievement of Rajah Marthanda Varma, who ruled in
the first half of the eighteenth century. He brought the whole of Travancore
under his sway, established order and settled the country. In January 1750, he formally
and solemnly dedicated the State to Sri Padmanabha, the tutelary deity of his
family; and he and his successors have ever since ruled as ‘Dasas’, or servants
of that deity. The present
ruler, Sir Rama Varma succeeded to the
gaddi in 1924 at the age of twelve and was invested with full ruling powers in
Nov 1931. During his rule the revenues of the State were nearly quadrupled from
a little over Rs. 2.5 crore to over Rs. 9.5 crore. His
titles are: Major-General. Sri Padmanabha Dasa, Vanchipala, Sir Bala Rama
Varma, Kulasekhara Kiritapati, Manney Sultan, Maharaja Raja Rama raja Bahadur,
Shamsher Jang.
The present
Maharajah of Cochin, Sir Rama Varma, is, on the other hand, well advanced in
age. In fact, for over a century, the Maharajahs of Cochin had all been fairly
old when they succeeded to the gaddi. The ruling family of Cochin claims to be
directly descended from Cheraman Perumal, who once ruled Kerala. Hyder Ali and
later Tippu Sultan overran the territories of Cochin in the latter half of the
eighteen century, and this brough about an alliance with the English East India
Company when, in 1791, the Maharajah agreed to become their tributary. The
ruling families in both the States follow the Marumakkathayam law, or the law
of inheritance through the female line. The Maharajah, assuming that he has no
brother, is succeeded by his sister’s eldest son. This is generally the law
followed by the majority of the Malayalam-speaking Hindus in both States.
… … …
The Maharaja
stated that he governed the State on
behalf and as a servant of Sri Padmanabha and that he attached great importance
to this position being maintained; that if no satisfactory solution on these
points was possible, and if the Government of India still insisted on the
integration of the two States he would rather abdicate than act against his
convictions.
… … …
Lastly, he
felt that on account of the dedication of the State to Sri Padmanabha and the
special loyalty and devotion which the rulers of Travancore owed to that deity, it would not
be possible for him to take the usual oath of office as Rajpramukh.
… … …
I reached
Trivandrum on 21 May and had several meetings with the Maharajah. I told him
that, with goodwill on both sides, there was no reason why we should not come
to an agreement. The first hurdle was the Maharajah’s inability to take the
oath of office as head of the State. The devotion of the present Maharajah to
Sri Padmanabha borders on fanaticism; he rules the State not as its head but as
a servant of the tutelary deity.
… … ….
A problem
peculiar to Travancore-Cochin related to the properties attached to temples,
called Devaswoms. It is necessary to give some explanation of the history of
the Devaswoms in each of these States. Travancore had been ruled by an unbroken
line of Hindu kings from the earliest times and had retained throughout the
centuries its essential character of a Hindu State. The most important temple in this State has always been, and still
is, the Sri Padmanabha temple, richly endowed and possessing very extensive
landed properties. These were originally managed by a Yogam (or Synod) of eight
hereditary trustees and the ruler, but at the beginning of the eighteenth
century the Yogam was ousted and the administration of the temple together with
its properties was taken over entirely by the ruler. Thereafter the temple
properties became intermixed with the properties of the State. The State continued however to contribute to the maintenance of
the temple and the religious ceremonies. This state of affairs continued until
the time of the integration of the two States.
Apart from
this temple, there were a large number of Devaswoms in the State founded and
endowed by the people and managed by ooralars, or trustees. From ancient times,
the Maharajah had Melkoima rights (the right of superior authority or overlordship)
over the trustees. Before 1811, the State had no direct concern in the
management of these temples; in that year Colonel Munro, the then British
Resident for Travancore and Cochin, assumed the Dewanship and, in exercise of
the Melkoima right of the Maharajah, took over the management of the Devaswoms
in Travancore. Three hundred and forty-eight major and 1,123 minor Devaswoms
with all their properties, were thus taken over for management. Even then their income was
considerable. In course of time, the management of yet more was assumed.
A good deal of
agitation was excited on the ground that the Government of the State were
spending less on the maintenance of the temples and on the religious ceremonies
than the amount of revenue which accrued from the Devaswom properties and that
they were appropriating the balance of the income to themselves. In the end,
the legal position was put beyond doubt by the issue of a proclamation by the
Maharajah whereby the Government of the State accepted the obligation of
maintaining the temples in an efficient condition, and all lawsuits against
them were barred. In 1946, the Maharajah issued another proclamation which
fixed the amount payable every year to the temples at a figure of not less than
Rs.25 lakhs and reserved the right of making further contributions if necessary
from the State revenue. Finally, in 1948, immediately before the grant of
responsible government, a proclamation was issued by which a yearly sum of
Rs.50 lakhs was fixed for the maintenance of all the temples in the State,
other than the Sri Padmanabha temple which was to receive Rs.1 lakh annually.
Hindu opinion
in the State was unanimous in holding not only that the continued payment of
the existing allotments should be guaranteed, but also that adequate
compensation should be given in respect of the properties taken over by the
Government and the profits derived from them. The annual contribution thus
claimed ranged from Rs.1 Crore to Rs.2 Crore. Obviously, this plea could not be
accepted; at the same time it was impossible to decline the obligation of
maintaining these temples, the State having taken over all their properties.
I discussed
the question with the ministries, as well as with the Maharajah of Travancore.
Eventually we came to an agreement by which the annual payment of Rs.51 lakhs
made to the temples by the Travancore Government would be continued and out of
this amount a sum of Rs.6 lakhs would be contributed annually for the
maintenance of the Sri Padmanabha temple.
The most
difficult issue related to the administration of this grant. After prolonged
discussion it was agreed that the administration of the Sri Padmanabha temple
should be conducted under the control and supervision of the Maharajah through
an executive officer to be appointed by him. It was decided that there should
be a committee of three Hindu members nominated by the Maharajah to advise him; and that one of the
three should be nominated on the advice of the Hindu members of the Council of
ministers. With regard to the other temples in Travancore, a body to be called
the Travancore Devaswom Board would be set up. This Board would consist of
three Hindu members, one of whom would be nominated by the Maharajah, one
elected by the Hindus among the Council of Ministers and one by the Hindu
members of the Legislative Assembly of the Union.
In Cochin,
unlike Travancore, the properties of the temples were administered separately
as a ‘reserved subject’ by the, Maharajah; but after the grant of responsible
government, he appointed the Premier of the State to act in his personal
capacity as the chief executive authority for Devaswoms. The Poornathrayeesa
temple at Trippunithura is the temple of the ruling family and the Maharajah
asked for the control of the rituals and ceremonies in this temple, as well as
for those in the Pazhayannur temple. I agreed to this request. It was decided
to set up a Devaswom Board in Cochin on the same lines as in Travancore. As the
Devaswom properties had remained separate, there was no necessity to make any
special grant from State revenues. The landed properties of the temples, I
should add, are subject to the land revenue and tenancy laws of the State just
like any other landed properties.
These
decisions were subsequently incorporated in the covenant. Later on, when the
Constitution of India was being finalized, a provision was included to
safeguard the payment to the temples in Travancore by making it charged and
non-votable by the Legislature of the Union.
It must be
emphasized here that this provision in the covenant relating to Devaswoms
brought about a far-reaching social reform in both States. These two States had
been the seat of an orthodoxy not found in any other part of India except
Malabar. The Temple-entry reform in Travancore recognized to a certain extent
the place of harijans in the Hindu society; but under the covenant, the
Harijans would gain a measure of control of the temples through their
representatives in the Legislature and in the ministry and would also be able
to hold posts in the Devaswom Department which had hitherto been denied to
them.
The press had
been kept fully informed of the progress of the discussions and during one of
my press conferences, there were some criticism regarding the provision for
maintenance of the temples in Travancore. I pointed out to the critics that the properties of the temples taken over by
the Travancore State Government had increased many times in value and yielded
an income greater than the amount of contribution provided in the covenant. If
the contribution was considered undesirable or excessive, the State would have
no option but to return the properties to the temple. The State could not have
it both ways, by refusing to return the properties while at the same time
refusing to maintain the Devaswoms.”
Mr. V.P. Menon thus adverted to the issues: that after dedication
in January 1750, Raja Marthanda Varma and his successors ruled as “Dasas” or
servants of the deity Sri Padmanabhaswamy; that the ruling families of
Travancore and Cochin followed the Marumakkathayam law or the law of
inheritance through the female line; that an agreement was arrived at, by which
annual payment of Rs.51 lakhs made to the temples by the Travancore Government
would be continued, and out of said amount a sum of Rs.6 lakhs would be
contributed annually for the maintenance of the Temple; that the administration
of the Temple should be conducted under the control and supervision of the
Maharaja of Travancore through an Executive Officer appointed by him; and that
as against such contribution the value of the properties of the temples taken
over by the State Government was far greater. He also referred to the stand of
the Ruler of Cochin with respect to the rituals and ceremonies in the
Poornathrayeesa Temple at Trippunithura.
On 10.08.1947 a
Proclamation was issued by the Maharaja of Travancore which stated:-
“WHEREAS our
Ancestors and Ourselves have, as devotees of Sri Padmanabha, been ruling over
the State of Travancore during many centuries and our sole concern has been the
welfare and happiness of our subjects whom we have been associating with us and
propose further to associate with us in the administration of the State;
And Whereas it
has become necessary, in the events that have happened to regulated the
succession to the Throne of Travancore, to determine other questions incidental
thereto, to regulate and fix the civil list of ourselves and the members of Our
Royal Family and to make provision for certain other purposes,
And Whereas in
respect of succession, adoption, marriage, and other matters, our royal family
has from time immemorial 20ecognized and observed the Marumakkathayam law as
modified by custom and usage in Our Royal Family,
We are pleased
to Command and Enact as follows-
1. The
succession to the Throne of Travancore shall be in accordance with the
Marumakkathayam law as modified by the custom and usage prevailing and
20ecognized in Our Royal Family from time immemorial.
2. In case the
Sovereign, on the date of His succession, under the age of eighteen years, then
, until he attains the age of eighteen years, and where the Sovereign is
incapacitated by serious illness, the powers and authorities belonging to the
Sovereign of Travancore shall be exercised in the name and on behalf of the
Sovereign by a Council of Regency consisting of three of the senior most
members of Our Royal Family, who are above eighteen years of age, or of such
lesser number of members as may be available.
3. Provided
always that the Council shall not be entitled to change the rule or order of
succession or otherwise to hinder
The Travancore
Interim Constitution Act, 1123 came into force on 24.03.1948. The aspects referred to by Mr. V.P. Menon
find clearly reflected in the Covenant entered into by the Maharajas of
Travancore and Cochin with the Government of India. Mr. V.P. Menon had signed
the Covenant on behalf of the Government of India.
In case
you wonder the authenticity of the above portion in Green – or had read something
else in the History – please do know that the foregoing is simply part-extract of that 218 page long judgment of Supreme
Court of India in Civil Appeal No. 2732 of 2020 (arising out of SLP(C)No.11295
of 2011) etc. Sri Marthanda Varma (D)
Thr. LRs. & Anr. vs. State of Kerala and ors.
Padmanabhapuram,
now part of Tamil Nadu nearer KanyaKumari was the former capital city of the erstwhile Hindu
Kingdom of Travancore. It is around 20km from Nagercoil, 39km from Kanyakumari
town and 60km from Thiruvananthapuram city. The
palace is located at the foot of the Veli Hills, which forms a part of the
Western Ghats. The river Valli flows nearby. The palace is located near Thuckalay,
Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu state but administered by the Government of
Kerala state.
With regards
– S. Sampathkumar
17.7.2020.
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