TRAVANCORE STATE MANUAL : Volume 1

By AIYA, V., NAGAM

Book Id: WPLBN0100301700
Format Type: PDF eBook:
File Size: 16.81 MB
Reproduction Date: 12/9/1906

Title:	TRAVANCORE STATE MANUAL : Volume 1
Author:	AIYA, V., NAGAM
Volume:	Volume 1
Language:	English
Subject:	Non Fiction, Social Sciences, Travancore
Collections:	Authors Community, History
Historic Publication Date:	1906
Publisher:	VICTORIA INSTITUTIONS, Aaradhana, DEVERKOVIL 673508

Member Page:	VED from VICTORIA INSTITUTIONS
Citation APA MLA Chicago Nagam Aiya, B. V. (1906). TRAVANCORE STATE MANUAL : Volume 1. Retrieved from http://gutenberg.us/

Description
There are many insights in this book. The writer of the main part of this book is V. NAGAM AIYA. I think that many Indian academic historians, who have endeavoured to write the history of ‘Modern’ India, should take lessons from this most unassuming writer, V. NAGAM AIYA. For, they have written the history of ‘Modern’ India in terms of and the perspective from, the Party congresses, meetings, terror activities, splits in political parties, and the doings, and ways and manners of various small-time political leaders who aspired to national leadership in the wake of the British Empire being dismantled all around the world by the foolish leadership of the British Labour Party. However, in this book, history is written from the perspective of creative activities, social improvements, educational developments, administrative reforms etc. done by the rulers. In fact, there was always the possibility of writing it from various other perspectives in sync with the manner in which history of ‘Modern’ India has been written. For example, there was the continuous social rebellion by the Shanars in Travancore. If Shanars had taken over the rule, they would have written a history similar to that written by Indian academic historians. Containing the history of their various political meetings, memorandums, agitations, hartals, violent activities, shootings, bomb attacks and other political blackmails and intimidations. And about the various attainments of their various leaders. Instead of that, this is a different kind of history writing in which the history of the nation is followed as it slowly moves from barbarian features to that of focused civilised achievements. The first thing that I noticed was the quality of the English. It is quite good, readable and yet perfectly scholarly. Not like the modern day academic pedants who pretend to more than they possess, and allude to more information than they can really assimilate. One very striking point in the book is the usage of ‘honourable company’ with regard to the East India Company. This adjective of ‘honourable’ is a necessary item in the feudal vernaculars of the Indian peninsula. Without this adjective, (mentioned or unmentioned), words and attributes can go down. However, there is this issue. The same word can have severely differing meanings when seen from English and from Indian peninsular vernaculars perspectives. In English the sense of ‘an honourable man’ is that of a person who is honest, has rectitude, wouldn’t cheat, would keep his words, would be fair in dealings etc. However, the vernacular sense is none of these. Here it is a forcible imposition meaning that the entity has to be ‘respected’.

Summary
The Travancore State Manual is a huge book, not only on the antiquity of Travancore, but also on the various other features of the place. It is not just a book on the history of the place. To get to know something about the antiquity of Travancore, this book might be quite useful. There are locations where everything looks quite honest. There are also locations where one would have to be a bit wary in imbibing the contentions and arguments. However on the whole, this is a good book. The next item of jingoistic reproach would be the very obvious support to the English colonial rule. This feature can be felt in many pages dealing with the English colonial times in the subcontinent. The history of modern Travancore kingdom is detailed in part 2 of this book. It commences from the history of Marthanda Varma (1729-1758). It is a remarkable history and story of this minute kingdom which withstood all the onslaughts of history, by simply sticking close to the English colonial administration. The history moves on to the other rulers who came after Marthanda Varma. These sovereigns were: RAMA VARMA (1758-1798), BALA RAMA VARMA (1798-1810), GOURI LAKSHMI BAYI (1811-1815), GOURI PARVATHI BAYI (1815-1829), RAMA VARMA (Swathi Tirunal 1829-1847), MARTANDA VARMA (Uttram Tirunal 1847-1860), RAMA VARMA (Ayilliam Tirunal 1860-1880), RAMA VARMA (Visakham Tirunal) and SIR RAMA VARMA (Mulam Tirunal).

Excerpt
State of the country and chief events Travancore at this period extended from Attungal to Nagercoil. The dynasty of Jayasimha still continued to rule the country between Azhikkal (Karunagapalli Taluq) in the north and Paravur in the south, and, as noted above, there was an alliance in 1727 A.D., between the chiefs of Chinganad and other States to crush the power of Travancore. Nanjanad which once formed part of Travancore was at this time occupied by the Pandyans. The district between Chinganad and Nanjanad was the true Travancore and even in this small territory, the king’s authority was nominal. The Ettuvittil Pillamars and the Madampimars usurped all power and the king was constantly in fear for his own life. King Aditya Varma and the five sons of his niece Umayamma Rani were cruelly murdered by the Ettuvittil Pillamars and the Rani herself fled for her life. Kerala Varma, the prince who was invited from Kottayam regained for the Rani and her son the lost kingdom. Marthanda Varma, whose career we shall notice hereafter, tried his best to keep the confederates in check during the last two reigns of the period but was not successful. At the close of the epoch we find that King Rama Varma himself went to Trichinopoly to solicit aid to put down the rebels and restore order in his own dominions. Later on, the Queen and her son were waylaid and an attempt was made to murder them. Besides the Pillamars, the Yogakkars and the Madampimars, there appeared to have been other petty chieftains whose tributes contributed to the revenues of the State. These also grew refractory and the result was that the king was left literally without men or money. As a natural consequence anarchy and confusion in their worst forms stalked the land. The neighbouring chiefs came with armed marauders and committed dacoities from time to time plundering the people wholesale, not sparing even the tali* on their necks and the jewels on the ears of women. The headman of each village in his turn similarly treated his inferiors. The people of Nanjanad in a body fled to the adjoining hills on more than two occasions, complaining bitterly to the king of his effeteness and their own helplessness.

Table of Contents
Commentary PART 1 Creation of a digital version CANTANKEROUS REASONS AN UNASSUMING TALENTED HISTORIAN OBSERVATIONS SLAVERY in the South-Asian PENINSULA THE PEOPLES OF KERALA NO MENTION of MAHABALI CLASSICAL CASE of CULTURAL HISTORY MANIPULATION23 HOW MUCH TRADE CONTRIBUTES TO CULTURAL ENHANCEMENT MARTHANDA VARMA; an ANGLOPHILE WHEN SLAVERY ACTUALLY was LIBERATION RAMA VARMA AN ANTEDATING NAYAR PADA [Nayar Brigade] KESAVADASAPURAM A FAKE HISTORY NOT MENTIONED BALA RAMA VARMA GOURI LAKSHMI BAYI THE TRAGIC REIGN of SWATI TIRUNAL TRADE AND CRUDE OFFICIALS THE REAL REFORMERS OF INDIA, MALABAR & TRAVANCORE THE ERRORS IN SOCIAL ENGINEERING REPULSION FOR THE WORD ‘SUDRA’ WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN MALABAR PLACE NAMES A PROPITIOUS RELATIONSHP AND A GULLIBILITY CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES WHAT A FOOL DID The Royal Family General observations from this book The Image of the English rule in the Indian Peninsula Commentary PART 1 Creation of a digital version CANTANKEROUS REASONS AN UNASSUMING TALENTED HISTORIAN OBSERVATIONS SLAVERY in the South-Asian PENINSULA THE PEOPLES OF KERALA NO MENTION of MAHABALI CLASSICAL CASE of CULTURAL HISTORY MANIPULATION23 HOW MUCH TRADE CONTRIBUTES TO CULTURAL ENHANCEMENT MARTHANDA VARMA; an ANGLOPHILE WHEN SLAVERY ACTUALLY was LIBERATION RAMA VARMA AN ANTEDATING NAYAR PADA [Nayar Brigade] KESAVADASAPURAM A FAKE HISTORY NOT MENTIONED BALA RAMA VARMA GOURI LAKSHMI BAYI THE TRAGIC REIGN of SWATI TIRUNAL TRADE AND CRUDE OFFICIALS THE REAL REFORMERS OF INDIA, MALABAR & TRAVANCORE THE ERRORS IN SOCIAL ENGINEERING REPULSION FOR THE WORD ‘SUDRA’ WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN MALABAR PLACE NAMES A PROPITIOUS RELATIONSHP AND A GULLIBILITY CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES WHAT A FOOL DID The Royal Family General observations from this book The Image of the English rule in the Indian Peninsula &c. &c.