Raja Sri Brahdamba Dasa Raja Ramachandra Tondaiman Bahadur (20 October 1829 – 15 April 1886) was the ruler of princely state of Pudukkottai from 13 July 1839 to 15 April 1886.

Early life

Ramachandra Tondaiman was born in Pudukkottai on 20 October 1829 to Raghunatha Tondaiman, the

Raja Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian subcontinent, Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. T ...

of Pudukkottai kingdom and his second wife, Rani Kamalambal Ayi Sahib. He was educated in private and succeeded to throne at the age of nine on the death of his father with the British political agent at Pudukkottai acting as the

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

Reign

Pudukkottai was administered by a regent in the early years of Ramachandra's reign. Soon after his accession, Ramachandra was awarded the style of "

His Excellency Excellency is an honorific style (manner of address), style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder ...

" by the British government. In 1844, Ramachandra, formally, assumed control of the government. Ramachandra's administration was allegedly marked by extravagance and financial mismanagement. He was punished by the British government who twice revoked the permission to use the style "His Excellency" in 1859 and 1873. In 1878, at the advice of Sir T. Madhava Rao, the Madras government appointed A. Seshayya Sastri, former Diwan 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 ...

as the Diwan of Pudukkottai. Sastri reformed the administration and rebuilt the city of Pudukkottai as per modern principles of town planning. The Pudukulam and Pallavankulam tanks in the city were renovated and a Post and Telegraph Office was inaugurated in 1884. At Sastri's suggestion, Ramachandra renovated many Hindu temples in the state. In 1881, Ramachandra officially adopted the hereditary title "Brihadambadas" with the consent of Sastri. Ramachandra was awarded the style "

His Highness Highness (abbreviation HH, oral address Your Highness) is a formal style (manner of address), style used to address (in grammatical person, second person) or refer to (in grammatical person, third person) certain members of a reigning or formerly ...

" on 16 May 1884 along with an 11-gun salute. He was awarded the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

medal in 1875 and the Empress of India Medal in gold in 1877.

Family

HH Subbamma Bai Sahib Rani of Pudukottai

Ramachandra Tondaiman married Rani Brihadambal Rajammani Bayi Sahib on 13 June 1845. The couple had two daughters. * Kamalambal Rajammani Bayi Sahib (d. 24 January 1903) * Mangalambal Rajammani Bayi Sahib (d. 1873) Ramachandra married for a second time, to Janaki Subbammal, the eldest daughter of the ''

zamindar A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian was the official language; ''zamindar'' is the ...

'' of Neduvasal on 31 August 1848. The couple had a son and a daughter * Sivarama Raghunatha Tondaiman (died 1867) * Brihadambal Rajammani Bayi Sahib (1852–1903) Since Sivarama Raghunatha Tondaiman, Ramachandra Tondaiman's only son predeceased him, Ramachandra adopted Martanda Bhairava Tondaiman, son of his daughter Brihadambal, and designated him heir-apparent to the throne.

Patronage of music

Ramachandra Tondaiman patronised music and organised Carnatic music concerts in his palace. Ramachandra Tondaiman, himself, was a prolific composer and set his drama ''Kuruvaji Nataka'' to music and had it enacted at the Viralimalai Murugan temple.

Notes

{{reflist 1829 births 1886 deaths Hindu monarchs Indian Hindus Pudukkottai state