Sir Rama Varma XIV KCSI (1848–1888) was the ruler of the

Kingdom of Cochin The Kingdom of Cochin, named after its capital in the city of Kochi (Cochin), was a kingdom in the central part of present-day Kerala state. It commenced at the early part of the 12th century and continued to rule until 1949, when monarchy ...

from 1864 to 1888. He was the first Maharajah of Cochin to be knighted.

Reign

Rama Varma was the nephew of his predecessor Ravi Varma IV. Rama Varma was an extremely weak monarch and was afflicted by illness throughout his reign. The administration was handled mostly by his Diwans -

T. Sankunni Menon Thottakattu Sankunni Menon CSI (21 April 1820 - 1881), also spelt as Shungoony Menon, was an Indian civil servant and administrator who served as the Diwan of the Cochin kingdom from 1860 to 1879. His administration is recognized as a period of ...

till 1879 and his brother

T. Govinda Menon Thottakattu Govinda Menon (29 August 1823) was an Indian civil servant and administrator who served as the Diwan of Cochin kingdom from 1879 to 1890. He was the younger brother of T. Sankunni Menon Thottakattu Sankunni Menon CSI (21 April 182 ...

from 1879 onwards. Govinda Menon arranged a meeting between Rama Varma XIV and the Maharaja of Travancore at Thiruvananthapuram and Tripunithara. Rama Varma attended upon the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rule ...

Albert Edward at

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Tamil Nadu, the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and territories of India, Indian state. The largest city ...

in 1876, during his visit to India. Rama Varma built the Puthen Bungalow and Mani Malika at Thrippunithura.

Death

Rama Varma died at Thrippunithura in July 1888.

Honours

In acknowledgement of his loyalty to the British Crown, Rama Varma was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India.

References

* {{s-end 1848 births 1888 deaths Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India Rulers of Cochin