Maharani Uthrittathi Thirunal Gowri Parvathi Bayi (1802–1853) was the Regent of the
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
n state of
Travancore
The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...
in 1815–1829. She succeeded her sister Maharani
Gowri Lakshmi Bayi, till her regency was relinquished in favour of her nephew, Maharajah
Swathi Thirunal.
Early life
Maharani Gowri Parvathi Bayi was born to Princess Bharani Thirunal of the
Travancore royal family in 1802, who was the Senior Rani of Attingal (the Maharani's of
Travancore
The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...
were styled as Ranis' of
Attingal). When her elder sister Maharani
Gowri Lakshmi Bayi died after childbirth in 1815, Gowri Parvati Bayi was only thirteen years of age. As the only female left in the family, Gowri Parvathi Bayi became Regent
Maharani on behalf of her nephew, the heir, Maharajah
Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma. Upon her accession she was actively counseled by her brother in law, Raja Raja Varma of the Changanssery royal family, as well as her husband, Raghava Varma, who belonged to the royal family of
Kilimanoor
Kilimanoor is a panchayat and a town in the Varkala taluk of Thiruvananthapuram district in Kerala, India. It is located on Main central Road, MC/SH 1 Road, northwest of the city of Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), east of Attingal and eas ...
Ministerial changes
The Maharani's first act after coming to power was to appoint a new
Dewan
''Dewan'' (also known as ''diwan'', sometimes spelled ''devan'' or ''divan'') designated a powerful government official, minister, or ruler. A ''dewan'' was the head of a state institution of the same name (see Divan). Diwans belonged to the el ...
or Prime Minister to her state, as Dewan Devan Padmanabhan had died and state affairs were being conducted by his deputy Bappu Rao. In 1815 Sanku Annavi
Pillai was appointed to the position but was soon found to be incapable of handling his difficult office and within two months he was removed. After ten months, following the suggestion of the British Resident,
John Munro, 9th of Teaninich,
Raman Menon, a Judge of the Huzhur Court of
Travancore
The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...
was appointed Dewan. However, differences of opinion arose between Dewan Raman Menon and the British Resident and hence Raman Menon was relocated to an inferior office in 1817, at which point he preferred to retire from service entirely. It may be of interest to note that Dewan Raman Menon was the great-grandfather of
Krishna Menon, the reputed Indian diplomat of the 20th century, and the ancestor of the Vengalil family. In his stead a deputy known as Reddy Rao was appointed Dewan as he was close to the Resident in September 1817. He successfully reigned until the year 1821. In 1819 the British Resident Col. Munro resigned his office and a new Resident Col. McDowell succeeded him as the British Representative in Travancore. His assistant, Vencatta Rao, caused a falling out between him and the Dewan and in 1821 Vencatta Rao became Dewan of Travancore. He remained Dewan till the year 1830.
Chief acts
Maharani Gowri Parvati Bayi instituted several reforms in her state during her regency on behalf of her nephew. Some of the chief reforms were:
* The beginning of modern education in Travancore can be traced to the issue of the
Royal Rescript by Rani Gouri Parvati Bai in 1817. Consider the fact that the "universal education" was not practiced in most countries, including those in the West at this point in time.
*
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
ryots were freed from their services connected with
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
religious ceremonies. They were also freed from attending to public work on Sundays with regard to their religious customs.
* Restrictions put on some of the lower castes of
Travancore
The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...
regarding the wearing of ornaments of gold and silver were removed and they were permitted to adorn themselves as they pleased. Among the higher castes such as the
Nairs, for the use of gold ornaments special licenses (''Adiyara Panam)'' had to be purchased. This was abolished.
* The Maharani passed a proclamation allowing everyone in her kingdom to tile the roofs of their houses. This was an important proclamation in the context of
Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
, seeing that at a time powerful kings like the
Zamorin
The Samoothiri (Anglicised as Zamorin; Malayalam: , , Arabic: ''Sāmuri'', Portuguese: ''Samorim'', Dutch: ''Samorijn'', Chinese: ''Shamitihsi''Ma Huan's Ying-yai Sheng-lan: 'The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores' 433 Translated and Edi ...
did not even permit their vassal kings to tile the roofs of their palaces.
* Restrictions in terms of usage of certain types of houses were removed. Previously only castes till the
Nairs were permitted residences known as
Nalukettus, after purchasing a licence (''Adiyara Panam)''. Buildings known as ''Ettu Kettu''s, ''Panthrandu Kettu''s etc. were subject to high taxes and required licenses. Such taxes and payments were entirely abolished and members of all communities were permitted the use of these buildings. Similarly the right to travel in palanquins, atop elephants, and in carriages was permitted to all who could afford the same.
* Coffee cultivation was introduced into
Travancore
The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...
for the first time.
* Vaccination was introduced towards the end of the reign of her sister Maharani
Gowri Lakshmi Bayi. This was popularised by her sister the Regent Maharani Gowri Parvati Bayi which was a great achievement for her.
* The Maharani permitted Christian Missionary enterprise in
Travancore
The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...
and even donated lands for the construction of churches in her state.
* Following the rebellion of
Velu Thampi Dalawa the armies of Travancore had been disbanded save for seven hundred men to guard the palaces and for state ceremonies under the suzerainty of the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
. The Maharani convinced the British Government of
Madras
Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...
to raise it to two thousand one hundred men in 1819.
* In 1818 under the regency of the Maharani,
Travancore
The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...
entered into a trade treaty with
Ceylon
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
for the supply of
Jaffna
Jaffna (, ; , ) is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka, Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a Jaffna Peninsula, peninsula of the same name. With a population o ...
Tobacco on certain stated terms and prices.
* The Maharani relieved the females of her country from their religious obligations of bearing torches during state processions in 1823. This relief to her womenfolk was twenty years before Lord Ashley passed an Act in
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
relieving women of that country from certain oppressive and degenerating obligations such as working bare-chested in coal mines etc.
The rescript regarding universalisation of education of 1817 says: "The state should defray the entire cost of the education of its people in order, that there might be no backwardness in the spread of enlightenment among them, that by diffusion of education they might become better subjects and public servants and that the reputation of the state might be advanced thereby."
The Queen's proclamation of 1817 is hailed by educational historians as 'the
Magna Carta
(Medieval Latin for "Great Charter"), sometimes spelled Magna Charta, is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardin ...
of Education' in Travancore. Through this rescript, the state was proclaiming its entire responsibility to provide budgetary accommodation for costs involved. A rule was also enforced that every school run on systematic lines was to have two teachers paid by the State. This may be regarded as the first formal recognition by the State to the right of education from public revenue.
End of regency
In the year 1829 Maharajah
Swathi Thirunal reached the age of sixteen and became a major. Hence his aunt, the Maharani, decided to relinquish her regency on his behalf and invest him with full powers. Accordingly, Maharajah
Swathi Thirunal was crowned King in 1829.
Full title
Her Highness Sri Padmanabha Sevini Vanchi Dharma Vardhini Raja Rajeshwari Maharani Uthrittathi Thirunal Gowri Parvati Bayi, Attingal Elaya Thampuran, Regent Maharani of Travancore.
Review of the Maharani
In the words of V. Nagam Aiya, the author of the
Travancore
The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...
State Manual, 1906,
Family
The Maharani Gowri Parvati Bayi was married thrice. Her first husband was Raghava Varma of the
Kilimanoor
Kilimanoor is a panchayat and a town in the Varkala taluk of Thiruvananthapuram district in Kerala, India. It is located on Main central Road, MC/SH 1 Road, northwest of the city of Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), east of Attingal and eas ...
royal family and after his early death she married again, her husband's brother. His death in 1824 caused her to marry again but from none of her three marriages did the queen have any issue. She looked upon her nephews and niece as her own children since after the death of
Gowri Lakshmi Bayi it was she who brought them up. She died in 1853.
References
*
Travancore
The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...
State Manual by V.Nagam Aiya
* History of Travancore by Shankunni Menon
See also
*
Swathi Thirunal
*
Gowri Lakshmi Bayi
*
Travancore
The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...
*
Nair
*
Moolam Thirunal
{{Kingdom of Travancore
Travancore royal family
Indian female royalty
Maharajas of Travancore
Regents of India
19th-century women regents
People from the Kingdom of Travancore
19th-century Indian monarchs
19th-century Indian women politicians
19th-century Indian politicians
People from Thiruvananthapuram district
1802 births
1853 deaths
19th-century regents