Aditya Varma Manikandan ( ml, ആദിത്യ വർമ്മ മണികണ്ഠൻ) popularly known as Aditya Varman, was the last ruling

Maharaja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great Monarch, king" or "high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Em ...

of the

Princely State A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule, subject to ...

Thekkumkur The Kingdom of Thekkumkur ( ml, തെക്കുംകൂർ രാജ്യം) (also transliterated as ''Thekkumkoor'' or ''Thekkumcore'') was an independent kingdom in the southern part of Kerala in India from 1103 CE until 1750 CE.P. Shung ...

. He was the ruler until September 1749 when the king of Travancore Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma ousted him from Neerazi Palace at the

Battle of Changanassery The Battle of Changanacherry was a battle between the kingdoms of Thekkumkur and Travancore in September 1749.Shungoonny Menon - A HISTORY OF TRAVANCORE - First edition: 1878 , New edition: 1983, Page 130, 131 - Defeat in this decisive battle ...

. Thekkumkur kings were known as Manikandan. The goddess was Cheruvally Bhagavathi in the space. The official residence of Sri Aditya Varma was Neerazi Palace.

The Battle of Changanassery

It was a time when an alliance between Aditya Varma and his younger brother Goda Varma broke out. The king was willing to the alliance with Kochi, however, the crown prince was sympathetic to Travancore and Marthanda Varma. Goda Varman (crown prince of Thekkumkur) and

Marthanda Varma Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (Malayalam: ) was the founding monarch of the southern Indian Kingdom of Travancore (previously Venadu) from 1729 until his death in 1758. He was succeeded by Rama Varma ("Dharma Raja") (1758–98).Subrahman ...

of Travancore were classmates at Madurai when they were studying of Rajyadharma. After hearing of the military advance of the

Travancore The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. A ...

under the leadership of Ramayyan Dalawa and Caption De Lannoy; the crown prince of Thekkumkur (Goda Varman) then advised king ''Aditya Varma Manikandan'' to make a friendship with Travancore kingdom by understanding the downfall of princely state Ampalapuzha (Chempakassery) and the fall of princely state

Kayamkulam Kayamkulam is a town and municipality in the ''Onattukara'' region of Alappuzha district in Kerala. It is the second biggest town in Alappuzha district. It is located on the western coast of India, and was an ancient maritime trading center. O ...

. Meanwhile, when Marthanda Varma seized

and Chempakassery, Aditya Varma realized that they were the next victims and sent his brother to

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

for an unconditional peace mission and met Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma of Travancore and requested help. Unfortunately, Marthanda Varma asked Goda Varman, to promise that he would be in power if he helped to oust king Adithya Varman. Marthanda Varma had already heard the rift between the brothers. The younger king was well-received in the southern part of Thekkumkur kingdom. The self-righteous crown prince decided to return to Thekkumkur soon after the disagreement. The evil intelligence of Marthanda Varma and Ramayyan Dalawa aroused together. He sent a messenger to the younger king and told him the fake news, saying, "Departure to Kottayam immediately; the mother's health is bad". The crown prince Goda Varman decided to leave, boarded the boat and headed north; Marthanda Varma gave him some gifts for Thekkumkur king Aditya Varma Manikandan On the way, he descended on

Anchuthengu Fort The fort was the East India Company's first permanent post on the Malabar Coast. In November 1693, John Brabourne was sent by the British East India Company (EIC) to Attingal, where he obtained from Rani Ashure a grant of a site for a fort on t ...

and received eleven ritual fire by the

British authorities ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_est ...

. From there he reached via

Paravur Lake Paravur Kayal is a lake in Paravur, Kollam district, Kerala, India. Although it is small, with an area of only 6.62 km², it is the end point of the Ithikkara River and part of the system of lakes and canals that make up the Kerala B ...

Ashtamudi Lake Ashtamudi Lake (''Ashtamudi Kayal''), in the Kollam District of the Indian state of Kerala, is the most visited backwater and lake in the state. It possesses a unique wetland ecosystem and a large palm-shaped (also described as octopus-shaped) ...

, Kayamkulam Lake and

Vembanadu Lake Vembanad is the longest lake in India, as well as the largest lake in the state of Kerala. The lake has an area of 230 square kilometers and a maximum length of 96.5 km. Spanning several districts in the state of Kerala, it is known as Ve ...

. The next day the boat of the crown prince reached Illyakkadavu at Thazhathangadi. Ramayyan's servants were followed by another boat and they slaughtered the crown prince Goda Varman and his servants. The next day was the declaration of war of Travancore. ''Crown prince's "classmate" challenges to Aditya Varman Manikandan for cheating and killing of his younger brother'' Ramayyan Dalawa spread the news that the Thekkumkur king Adithya Varman killed crown prince Goda Varman. But historian P. Shankuni Menon is justifying Travancore in his book ''Travancore History of Shankuni Menon''. The Thekkumkur fort and the

Neerazhi Palace Neerazhi Palace ( ml, നീരാഴി കൊട്ടാരം) was the royal palace of the Thekkumkur kingdom. Palace is located at Puzhavathu in Changanassery. The palace was used by the Thekkumkur dynasty until 1750 and later by the Parap ...

at Changanassery were attacked in September 1749. The Vazhappally Pathillathil Pottimar(administrator of

Vazhappally Maha Siva Temple Vazhappally Maha Siva Temple ( ml, വാഴപ്പള്ളി മഹാശിവക്ഷേത്രം) is a Hindu temple located in Vazhappally near Changanassery in Kottayam district in the Indian state of Kerala. The temple is adm ...

) assisted the king Aditya Varman in the Neerazhi Palace and transferred him to Nattassery at

Kottayam Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south ...

. The Kannamperoor wooden bridge at Vazhappally was destroyed to prevent the Travancore troops from following them in the event of adverse weather. The Thekkumkur king Aditya Verman fled to

Calicut Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second la ...

and gave refuge to the Zamorin (Zamuthiri). Proceedings of September 11, 1749; On the 28th of the year Malayalam era 925 Chingam (September 11, 1749 AD), the capital of the Thekkumkur conquered by Ramayyan Dalawa and merged to Travancore kingdom.A Sreedhara Menon (1 January 2007). A Survey Of Kerala History. DC Books. pp. 166–. . Retrieved 9 August 2012.

References

{{Reflist, 2 18th-century Indian royalty Kingdom of Thekkumkur