The Kingdom of Travancore (Thiruvithamkoor) was an Indian kingdom from 1500 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At its zenith, the kingdom covered most of modern-day central and southern Kerala with the Thachudaya Kaimal's enclave of Irinjalakuda Koodalmanikkam temple in the neighbouring Kingdom of Cochin, as well as the district of Kanyakumari, now in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The official flag of the state was red with a dextrally-coiled silver conch shell at its center. In the early 19th century, the kingdom became a princely state of the British Empire. The Travancore Government took many progressive steps on the socio-economic front and during the reign of Maharajah Sri Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, Travancore became the second most prosperous princely state in British India, with reputed achievements in education, political administration, public work and social reforms.
Raja Ravi Varma was a celebrated Indian Malayali painter and artist. He is considered among the greatest painters in the history of Indian art for a number of aesthetic and broader social reasons. Firstly, his works are held to be among the best examples of the fusion of European techniques with a purely Indian sensibility. While continuing the tradition and aesthetics of Indian art, his paintings employed the latest European academic art techniques of the day. Secondly, he was notable for making affordable lithographs of his paintings available to the public, which greatly enhanced his reach and influence as a painter and public figure. Indeed, his lithographs increased the involvement of common people with fine arts and defined artistic tastes among common people for several decades. In particular, his depictions of Hindu deities and episodes from the epics and Puranas have received profound acceptance from the public and are found, often as objects of worship, across the length and breadth of India.
Kingdom of Cochin was a late medieval kingdom and later princely state on the Malabar Coast, South India. Once controlling much of the territory between Ponnani and Thottappally, the Cochin kingdom shrank to its minimal extent as a result of invasions by the Zamorin of Calicut. When Portuguese armadas arrived in India, the Kingdom of Cochin had lost its vassals like Edapalli, Cranganore etc. to Zamorin and was looking for an opportunity to preserve the independence of Cochin which was at risk. King Unni Goda Varma Tirumulpadu warmly welcomed Pedro Álvares Cabral on 24 December 1500 and negotiated a treaty of alliance between Portugal and the Cochin kingdom, directed against the Zamorin of Calicut. Cochin became a long-time Portuguese ally (1503–1663) providing assistance against native overlords. After the Portuguese, the Dutch East India Company (1663–1795) was an ally of Cochin. This was followed by the English East India Company, having suzerainty over the Cochin state. Even today, the full official designation of the Raja of Cochin is “Perumpadappu Gangadhara Veera Kerala Thrikkovil Adhikarikal”.
Marthanda Varma, known as the Maker of Modern Travancore, was ruler of the Indian state of Travancore (Venadu) from 1729 until his death in 1758. He was succeeded by Rama Varma (1758–98).
Venad was a medieval kingdom lying between the Western Ghat mountains and the Arabian Sea on the south-western tip of India with its headquarters at the port of Kollam/Quilon. It was one of the major principalities of Kerala, along with kingdoms of Kannur (Kolathunadu), Kozhikode (Zamorin) and Kochi (Perumpadappu) in medieval and early modern period.
Rama Varma Kunhjippilla Thampuran (1751–1805), or Rama Varma IX, popularly known as Sakthan Thampuran, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Cochin. He was the King of the present-day southern Indian city of Kochi and his palace was in Thrissur City. The city of Thrissur is referred to as the Cultural Capital of Kerala owing to its many traditional festivals and historic temples. Sakthan Thampuran is considered the architect of the city of Thrissur. The festival Thrissur Pooram is considered to have been first started by him.
Rama Varma, known as the Kulasekhara PerumalChakravarthikal, was the last ruler of the Chera Perumal/Kulasekhara dynasty in medieval Kerala. Rama Varma was a Perumal, the Chera king in Kodungallur, and was instructed in administration by the advisory council known as "the Four Brahmin Ministers". He is best known for his highly successful, yet defensive, wars against the powerful Chola empire. Royal orders attributed to Rama Varma can be found at Panthalayani Kollam near Quilandy, Perunna near Changanassery and at Quilon.
Sree Kerala Varma College is situated in Kanattukara, Trichur City of Kerala State, India. It was founded on 11 August 1947 by Rama Varma XV, the Maharaja of erstwhile Kingdom of Cochin.
Kilimanoor is a census town in the state of Kerala, India. It is located on MC/SH 1 Road, 36 kilometres (22 mi) from the city of Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum). The town area is administered by two grama panchayats, Pazhayakunnummel and Kilimanoor grama panchayat. Kilimanoor town is an important business centre and one of the potential fast-growing towns in south Kerala. Kilimanoor is looking forward to become a municipality.
Kilimanoor palace is a palace located in Kilimanoor, in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the birthplace of painter Raja Ravi Varma and Raghava Varma, the father of king Marthanda Varma.
Shakthan Thampuran Palace is situated in City of Thrissur in Kerala state, India. It is named as Vadakkekara Palace, was reconstructed in Kerala-Dutch style in 1795 by Ramavarma Thampuran of the erstwhile Princely State of Cochin, well as Sakthan Thampuran is preserved by Archaeological Department. The palace was converted into a museum in 2005 by State.
Rajah Rama Varma was the ruler of the Indian kingdom of Venad, later known as Travancore, in the modern day state of Kerala, India between 1724 and 1729, having succeeded his brother Unni Kerala Varma. He is better known as the uncle of Maharajah Padmanabha Dasa Vanchi Pala Marthanda Varma Kulasekhara Perumal, the "maker of modern Travancore". He was born as the second son of Rajah Ittamar of Thattari Kovilakam into the Royal Family of Kolathunadu. His entire family, including himself, two sisters and his elder brother Unni Kerala Varma, were adopted into the Venad house as members of the Travancore Royal Family by Rajah Ravi Varma, nephew of Umayamma Rani due to their failure of heirs there. Of his sisters, one died soon after her adoption while the other was the mother of the Maharajah Marthanda Varma.
The Travancore Royal Family was the ruling house of the Kingdom of Travancore. They lost their ruling rights in 1949 when Travancore merged with the Indian Union and their privileges were abolished by the Indian Union in 1971 by a constitutional amendment. Travancore and Kolathiri families are said to be those surviving among the original royal Nair Family's lineages, and are both descendants of the Ay/Venad Family, Cheras, Pandyas and Cholas. The ruler in that bloodline was Maharaja Sree Moolam Thirunal, as the family of Maharaja Chithira Thirunal and successors.
Mavelikkara Prabhakara Varma (1928–2008) was an Indian carnatic singer. and teacher who descended from the royal family of Mavelikkara, Kerala.
Raja Ravi Varma College of Fine Arts is located in Mavelikkara, Kerala, India. The college was established by Rama Varma son of Raja Ravi Varma in 1915. The first principal of this college was Artist P.J.Cherian. The college offers both undergraduate degree and diploma courses in fine arts, including in sculpture, painting and applied arts. This government institution is affiliated with the University of Kerala. The current principal is Tensing Joseph.
Lt. Col. P. R. Godavarma Raja often referred to as G. V. Raja, was a sports and tourism promoter and administrator, pilot, sportsman and Sanskrit scholar. He took special care in inspiring the youth into sports and was instrumental in founding the Kerala Sports Council in 1953. G.V Raja occupied the post of Council President till he was killed in a flight mishap in 1971. G.V Raja also played a key role in establishing the Thiruvananthapuram Tennis Club, Flying Club, and the development of the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport.
Aswathy Thirunal Gowri Lakshmi Bayi of the former Travancore Royal Family is a noted Indo-Anglian writer from Kerala. She has ten books to her credit.
Sri Moolam Thirunal Palace or SMP Palace or SMT Palace is a palace situated near the heart of the city of Kollam, in the state of Kerala, India. It was constructed in 1936 as a commemorate for the shashtabda poorthi of the then ruler of erstwhile Travancore, Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma.
Sree Rama Varma Music School is a music school situated in Thrissur city in Kerala, India and it is the first music school in Kerala state. The school is also known as S.R.V. Music School. In 2016, the institution was upgraded as a music college with the name of S.R.V. Govt. College Of Music And Performing Arts.
