PREDECESSORS and SHORT HISTORY: The
state
was founded about 1100. Succession is by matrilineal
descent (Marumakkathayam),
where wealth, title and ruling powers passed from the
incumbent Maharaja to his sister's eldest son. If there
were more than one sister, the first born male child of
that generation would be the heir, regardless of whether
his mother was older or younger than other sisters. Rulers
were ...
- Raja RAJA RAMA
VARMA I, Raja of Travancore 1721/1729,
married and had issue.
- Pappu Thampi, conspired with the Ettuveetil
pillamar (nobles of the eight houses), and the
religious heads to assassinate their cousin, but he
escaped from the capital city of Padmanabhapuram,
and with an army killed his cousins as well as the
nobles who had conspired against him.
- Raman Thampi, killed with his brother by their
cousin.
- Raja Shri
Padmanabha Dasa Vanchi Pala MARTANDA VARMA III
[Anizham Thirunal], Raja of Travancore 1729/1758, Padmanabha
Dasa
Vanchi Pala [cr. 3.1.1750], born 1706, son of
the Junior Rani of Attingal, defeated the Dutch at the
Battle of Colachel in 1741, expanded his kingdom up to
Kochi in 1746, he signed the Treaty of Mavelikkara
with the Dutch on 15th August 1753, whereby both the
parties agree to live in friendship and peacel he is
known as "the maker of modern Travancore " for
developing a small kingdom into a powerful state, he
was succeeded by his nephew. He died 1758.
- Raja Shri
Padmanabha Dasa Vanchi Pala DHARMA VARMA II
[Karthika Thirunal], Raja of Travancore 1758/1798, he
further consolidated the kingdom
- Raja Shri
Padmanabha Dasa Vanchi Pala BALA RAMA VARMA I
[Avittam Thirunal] (nephew), Raja of Travancore
1798/1810, died 1810.
- Rani Ghauri Lakshmi
Bai [Ayilyam Thirunal], Regent of Travancore
1810/1815, she succeeded her brother, married Raja
Raja Varma Koil Thampuran of Changanassery, and had
issue. She died 1815.
- Raja Shri Padmanabha Dasa Vanchi Pala Rama
Varma III Kulasekhara Kiritapati Manney Sultan
Maharaja Raja Ramaraja Bahadur Shamsher Jung
[Swati Thirunal] (qv)
- Raja Shri Padmanabha Dasa Vanchi Pala
Martanda Varma IV Kulasekhara Kiritapati Manney
Sultan Maharaja Raja Ramaraja Bahadur Shamsher
Jung [Uthram Thirunal] (qv)
- Rukhmini Bai, born 1800, married and had
issue. She died 1837.
- HH Shri Padmanabha Dasa Vanchi Pala
Maharaja Rama Varma IV Kulasekhara Kiritapati
Manney Sultan Maharaja Raja Ramaraja Bahadur
Shamsher Jung [Ayilyam Thirunal] (qv)
- HH Shri Padmanabha Dasa Vanchi Pala
Maharaja Rama Varma V Kulasekhara Kiritapati
Manney Sultan Maharaja Raja Ramaraja Bahadur
Shamsher Jung [Visakham Thirunal] (qv)
- Rani Lakshmi Bai, born 26th December 1829
(#1), married
Bharani nal Amma Thampuran, and had issue.
- HH Shri Padmanabha Dasa Vanchi Pala
Maharaja Bala Rama Varma II Kulasekhara
Kiritapati Manney Sultan Maharaja Raja
Ramaraja Bahadur Shamsher Jung [Mulam
Thirunal] (qv)
- Pooroorutthanthi nal Thamburatty,
married and had issue.
- Ayilyam nal Mahaprabha Amma
Thamburatty, married and had issue.
- Rani Sethu Parvati Bai [Moolam
Thirunal] of Mavelikara Palace, married
Ravi Varma Kochu Koilthampuran, an
esteemed Sanskrit scholar, and had issue,
three sons and one daughter.
- HH Shri Padmanabha Dasa Vanchi
Pala Maharaja Sir Bala Rama Varma III
Kulasekhara Kiritapati Manney Sultan
Maharaja Raja Ramaraja Bahadur Shamsher
Jung [Shri Chitra Thirunal] (qv)
- the Elaya Raja
- HH Shri Padmanabha Dasa Vanchi
Pala Maharaja Martanda Varma V
Kulasekhara Kiritapati Manney Sultan
Maharaja Raja Ramaraja Bahadur Shamsher
Jung [Shri Uthradom Thirunal] (qv)
- HH Rani Lakshmi Bai Karthika
Thirunal, born 17th September 1916 in
Thiruvananathapuram, Kerala, she was
well versed in Sanskrit, English and
French and interested in Music,
Literature and Sports, she was the first
member of the Travancore Royal Famil to
visit a foreign country breaking the
age-old ban on crossing the sea; married
24th January 1934 (Pallikettu), 25th
January 1934 in Poonjar, Lt.-Col. Goda
Varma Raja, born 13th October 1908 or
17th September 1908 in Kanijiramattam
Palace, Poonjar, Kerala, died 30th April
1971, son of Narayanan Nampoothiri, and
his wife, Ambalika, he undertook a
mountaineering course in Switzerland and
established the sports council in 1954,
and had issue. She died 8th June 2008 in
a Hospital at Thiruvananthapuram.
- Shree Avaittam Thirunal Rama
Varma, born 1936, died 1944.
- Shree Moolam Thirunal Rama
Varma, he succeeded as HH Shri
Padmanabha Dasa Vanchi Pala Maharaja (name
unknown) Kulasekhara
Kiritapati Manney Sultan Maharaja Raja
Ramaraja Bahadur Shamsher Jung, 56th
Maharaja of Travancore.
- Gauri Parvathi Bai Pooyam
Thirunal
- Gauri Lakshmi Bai Aswathi
Thirunal, a graduate in economics, and
is the author of five books including
a detailed study of the Sri
Padmanabhaswamy temple, married 1963,
 Raja Rama Varma, died
in a car accident on 30th December
2005 at Ochira aged 68, the funeral
was held at the Paliyekkara
Padinjarekkottaram, on the following
day, and has issue, two sons.
- Daughter, married P.R. Rama Varma
Raja of Poonjar, born 25th September 1904.
- Umayamba or Umba Amba Bai Thampuratty of
Kilimanoor Palace, born 1832, married Sreekantha
Bhatta Thiripad of Ezhumavil Illam, and had
issue. She died 1887.
- Raja Ravi Varma, born 29th April 1848 in
Kilimanoor Palace nr Trivandrum, married 1866,
Pooroorutthanthinal Thampuratty of Mavelikar
Palace (sister of Maharani Lakshmi Bai), and
had issue, five children. He died 2nd October
1906 in Kilimanoor Palace nr Trivandrum (#2).
- Kerala Varma, married and had issue.
- Rukmini Varma, married and has issue.
- Jay Varma, he is a gifted coloured
pencil artist and has won the Sanford
Award for Exceptional Merit at the
Eighth Colored Pencil Competition, held
in Birmingham, Michigan in 2000.
- C. Raja Raja Varma, he was an accomplished
painter and acted as the assistant, secretary
and business manager for his elder brother; he
was the author of The Diary of C. Raja Raja
Varma, published by Oxford University Press
(edited by Erwin Neumayer and Christine
Schelberger), he married Janaki Amma, died
1933 in Trivandrum, (she married 2ndly, C.V.
Raman Pillai) (her younger sister, died 1906,
married C.V. Raman Pillai). He died sp on 4th
January 1905 in Bangalore.
- Rani Ghauri Parvati
Bai, Regent of Travancore 1815/1829, she
succeeded her sister
- Raja RAMA VARMA III
KULASEKHARA Kiritapati Manney Sultan Maharaja Raja
Ramaraja Bahadur Shamsher Jung [Swathi
Thirunal], Raja of Travancore 1829/1846, born 16th
April 1813, a patron of music, composer and musician,
fluent in Marathi, Telugu, Bengali, Tamil and Oriya,
died 25th December 1846.
- Raja MARTANDA VARMA
IV KULASEKHARA Kiritapati Manney Sultan Maharaja
Raja Ramaraja Bahadur Shamsher Jung [Uthram
Thirunal], Raja of Travancore 1846/1860, died 1860.
- HH Shri Padmanabha
Dasa Vanchi Pala Maharaja RAMA VARMA IV KULASEKHARA
Kiritapati Manney Sultan Maharaja Raja Ramaraja
Bahadur Shamsher Jung [Ayilyam Thirunal],
Maharaja of Travancore 1860/1880, born 13th March 1832
(#1),
married and had adoptive issue. He died 30th May 1880.
- (A) Shri Achyuthan Thampi
- HH Shri Padmanabha
Dasa Vanchi Pala Maharaja RAMA VARMA V KULASEKHARA
Kiritapati Manney Sultan Maharaja Raja Ramaraja
Bahadur Shamsher Jung [Visakham Thirunal],
Maharaja of Travancore 1880/1885, born 1837, married
1859, HH Maharani Panapillai Lakshmi Pillai Kochamma
of Arumana Ammaveedu, and had issue. He died 1885.
- Sree Narayanan Thampi, he laid the foundation for
vehicular transportation in Travancore in 1910, when
he registered a company named �Commercial Transport
Corporation�, with bus services from Trivandrum to
Nagercoil and Trivandrum to Kollam; married Lakshmi
Pillai Kochamma, and had issue, the Kizhakkaemadhom
family.
- Bhagavati Pillai Kochamma, married 1883.
- Rukmini Pillai Kochamma, married 1883.
- Bhageerathi Pillai Kochamma, married 1883.
- HH Shri Padmanabha
Dasa Vanchi Pala Maharaja RAMA VARMA VI KULASEKHARA
Kiritapati Manney Sultan Maharaja Raja Ramaraja
Bahadur Shamsher Jung [Mulam Thirunal], 53rd
Maharaja of Travancore 1885/1924, born 25th September
1857, married and had issue. He died 1924.
- generation
- generation
- Thankachi
Jaya Menon, born 1941 in Thiruvananthapuram, as
the great granddaughter of Sri Mulam Thirunal
Rama Varma; she was brought up in the Belhaven
Palace, Thiruvananthapuram and educated
privately by palace tutors, married Ravi Menon.
 HH
Shri Padmanabha Sevini Vanchi Dharma Vardhini Raja
Rajeshwari Rani Pooradam Thirunal Sethu Lakshmi
Bayi, Attingal Mootha Thampuran C.I., Regent
of Travancore 1924/1931 and Senior Maharani of
Travancore, born 19th November 1895, daughter of
Ayilyam Nal Mahaprabha Thampuratti of the Utsavamadhom
Palace in Mavelikara, and his wife, a daughter of the
celebrated artist Raja Ravi Varma and a member of a
branch of the Kolathunad Royal Family that had settled
in Travancore towards the end of the 18th century;
married and had issue. She died 1985.
- HH Shri Padmanabha
Dasa Vanchi Pala Maharaja Sir BALA RAMA VARMA II
KULASEKHARA Kiritapati Manney Sultan Maharaja Raja
Ramaraja Bahadur Shamsher Jung G.C.S.I.,
G.C.I.E., [Shri Chitra Thirunal], 54th Maharaja of
Travancore 1924/1991, born 7th November 1912, elder
son of Ravi Varma Kochu Koilthampuran, and his wife,
Rani Sethu Parvati Bai [Moolam Thirunal] of Mavelikara
Palace (see above); G.C.S.I. [cr.1946], G.C.I.E.
[cr.1935], Rajpramukh of Travancore 1949/1956,
Chancellor and Founder of Travancore University,
Colonel-in-Chief of Travancore State Forces, Hon.
Major-General in the British Army, he died unmarried
on 19th July 1991 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
 HH
Shri Padmanabha Dasa Vanchi Pala Maharaja MARTANDA
VARMA V KULASEKHARA Kiritapati Manney Sultan
Maharaja Raja Ramaraja Bahadur Shamsher Jung
[Shree Uthradom Thirunal], 55th Maharaja of Travancore
1991/2013, born 22nd March 1922, younger son of Ravi
Varma Kochu Koilthampuran, and his wife, Rani Sethu
Parvati Bai [Moolam Thirunal] of Mavelikara Palace
(see above); educated in England as well as a graduate
of the Travancore University, he was a Sanskrit
scholar and an enthusiastic photographer; he served as
custodian of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple; married HH
Maharani Radha Devi (n�e Pandalai), died 1993,
daughter of Lt.-Col. Dr. Krishnan Gopinath Pandalai,
and his wife, Mrs. Kamala Pandalai, and had issue, one
son and one daughter. He died 16th December 2013 and
was cremated the same day at the Kavadiyar Palace
Grounds.
- Sri Anantha Padmanabhan Thampi
- Dr. Pooyam Thirunal Gauri Parvathi Devi
- HH Shri Padmanabha
Dasa Vanchi Pala Maharaja RAMA VARMA VII KULASEKHARA
Kiritapati Manney Sultan Maharaja Raja Ramaraja
Bahadur Shamsher Jung [Shree Moolam Thirunal
Rama Varma] (see above)
|
PRESENT RULER: HH Shri Padmanabha Dasa
Vanchi Pala Maharaja RAMA VARMA VII Kulasekhara
Kiritapati Manney Sultan Maharaja Raja Ramaraja Bahadur
Shamsher Jung [Shri Moolam Thirunal], 56th and
present Maharaja of Travancore since 2013.