Indian Legends

The Zamorins belonged to the Nediyiruppu Swaroopam of Eranad. Their early base was inland, away from the coast. This was a major limitation because Kerala’s wealth moved through ports. The rulers of Eranad understood that access to the sea was the key to political expansion. They fought the Porlathiri rulers of Polanad and gradually secured the region around Kozhikode. This gave them the one thing their state needed most: a maritime window.

Rama Varma XV accepted this challenge with a reforming mind. He was not remembered as a warrior king like Sakthan Thampuran, but as an administrator who worked through institutions. His reign came at a time when modern governance was becoming more important than royal spectacle. Revenue records, education, public health, transport, local administration and legal reform were becoming the new instruments of statecraft. In this sense, Rama Varma XV belongs to the generation of Indian princes who tried to modernise their states while preserving cultural identity.

Kerala Varma V was educated and proficient in English, which was significant in the political climate of nineteenth-century Kochi. A ruler under British influence needed more than traditional legitimacy. He needed the ability to understand colonial correspondence, communicate with officials, follow institutional procedure and work through a growing administrative machinery. English education gave Kerala Varma V a practical advantage in dealing with the British authorities and the modern departments of the state.

Sakthan Thampuran belonged to the Cochin royal family, also known as the Perumpadappu Swaroopam. Before he formally ascended the throne, he had already become an important figure in administration. By the time he became ruler, he had developed a deep understanding of power, revenue, temple administration, local elites and regional politics. This experience shaped his style of kingship. He believed that a kingdom could survive only when authority flowed from the throne with confidence and discipline.

The story of Veera Kerala Varma begins in the larger historical memory of the Perumpadappu Swaroopam, the royal house that later became the Kingdom of Kochi. Traditional accounts connect the dynasty to the final phase of the Chera order in Kerala.

By the time Unni Rama Koil I appears in the historical record, the Malabar coast was already a crowded theatre of power. The Zamorin of Kozhikode held great influence over maritime trade, while Kochi sought space to protect its autonomy and build its own commercial importance.

One of the first major tragedies of his reign was the fall of Raja Kesavadas, the brilliant Dewan who had served Dharma Raja and had contributed immensely to Travancore’s administration, trade, public works, ports and finances. The State Manual credits Kesavadas with developing Alleppey as a commercial centre, improving roads, bridges, markets, fortifications, temples and revenue arrangements. His removal soon after Balarama Varma’s accession weakened the administrative backbone that could have guided the young ruler through a dangerous decade.

His reign is remembered first for firmness. Hyder Ali’s expansion into Malabar created panic among Kerala’s old ruling houses. The Mysorean military machine was large, mobile and aggressive. Malabar’s political order began to collapse under pressure. Travancore, however, stood behind its northern defensive belt, diplomatic caution and military preparedness. Dharma Raja refused to behave like a frightened vassal

Marthanda Varma ascended the Venad throne in 1729. Britannica notes that he crushed Dutch expansionist designs at the Battle of Kolachel twelve years later and then adopted a European style of martial discipline while expanding Venad into the southern state of Travancore. That single summary captures the scale of his reign: internal consolidation, military modernisation, territorial expansion and state-building.