Goodbye dear highness

Thiruvananthapuram: Thousands of people paid a teary farewell to the last scion of the erstwhile Travancore princely state, Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma, who died of age-related health problems at a private hospital here, in the early hours of Monday.

The 91-year-old head of the erstwhile Travancore royal family was admitted to the hospital on December 2 with gastrointestinal bleeding and had been on ventilator support. The end came at 2.20 am.

The body was placed at the Levee Hall near Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple for nearly eight hours where people from all walks of life paid their last respects. Later, the body was carried in a flower bedecked army vehicle belonging to the Madras Regiment, to Kowdiar palace where the cremation took place with full state honours. Earlier, people had gathered on either side of the roads at various places to pay homage to one who had been so dear to them. 

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Union Minister Shashi Tharoor flew down from Delhi at 5.15 pm to pay their respects. They reached Kowdiar palace when the final rituals were in progress. Last rites were led by Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma who will be taking over as the head of the royal family. Marthanda Varma leaves his son Anantha Padmanabhan Thampi and daughter Dr Parvathi Devi. His wife Radha Devi had died in 1993.

After the death of his elder brother, Sri Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma in 1991, who was the last ruling Maharaja of Travancrore State, Marthanda Varma became the head of the royal family and was anointed as the trustee and ‘Dasa’ of Padmanabhaswamy temple which is also the abode of the family deity.

Strictly following the practice of his ancestors for the last three centuries, Marthanda Varma used to offer a 15-minute worship at the temple at 7 am every day. If he missed a day, he was fined Rs 157.35 as per traditional rules.

Born as the younger son of Maharani Sethuparvathi Bayi and Ravi Varma Koyi Thampuran on March 22, 1922, Marthanda Varma had his initial education in the palace under 14 tutors.

Later he graduated from the erstwhile Travancore Royal University in 1943 and won a gold medal from the university for being the best student in Sanskrit.  A staunch vegetarian and a teetotaler, Marthanda Varma did not even drink coffee or tea and hated smoking. He used to read at least five newspapers every day and kept clippings of important news from different sectors.

Travancore icon departs

To old timers of Thiruvananthapuram, Uthradam Thirunal Matrthanda Varma was their Elaya Raja, the young brother of the Maharaja of Travancore, Sri Chithira Thirunal Bala Rama Varma - bold, courageous and impetuous, whose passion for photography and horse riding was well known.

But twenty three years ago after the demise of Sri Chithira Thirunal, Marthanda Varma became the Valia Thampuran or Head of the Travancore Royal Family. This was the beginning of a new phase of life for him.

Marthanda Varma came down to Thiruvananthapuram from Banglaore, where he had settled since 1953, leaving behind the lifestyle of a business-man to take over as the custodian of the Sri Padmanabhaswami Temple in 1991. As Padmanabhadasa the tenor and style of his life changed completely.

It was a natural imbibement of the traditions of simple living, high thinking and a predilection for listening to words of ordinary people that were the characteristic qualities of the Travancore royal family.

Above everything else was their deep devotion and strong faith in Sri Padmanabha, their tutelary deity, a palpable, subterranean source of strength which sustains them in all their endeavours! Sri Marthanda Varma had once remarked philosophically and metaphorically that he had no desires now except to offer daily the sweet milk of his devotion to Lord Padmanabha, which was always boiling in the cauldron of his heart!

An exceptional boldness to speak out his mind in situations that demanded it was an unmistakable quality of his nature. He was Travancore's representative at meetings convened by the council of Princely Rulers in the 1940s, where he expressed his views very firmly.

Marthanda Varma's grooming and education were reflected in his varied interests. He was an avid reader and a bibliophile as well. A keen photographer, he has left behind a treasure of rare and vintage photographs.

Valia Thampuran also had a collector's eye for stamps, coins, antiques, watches, fountain pens and cars. He also had the habit of cutting important interesting articles and snippets from newspapers and magazines and pasting them in notebooks for future reading.

A great conversationalist, solicitous host and enviable diplomat, it was always a great experience to meet Marthanda Varma. No wonder he could reach out to the masses so easily!

A much revered VVIP guest at public function both at home and in the countries of the Middle East, his speeches and thoughts flitted from historical to global issues of contemporary relevance. To the general public of Trivandrum he was a cultural and spiritual icon, one who also championed the protection of movements of historical importance.

It was his intervention that motivated our army to restore the Victory Pillar at Colachel coast. It was a movement that was erected in commemoration of our nation's first ever victory over a foreign power in 1941 A.D.

The curtain has come down on the life of this great man which will definitely find a place in the pages of Kerala's history. And no one who has seen him before his Lord, will ever be able to wipe away the image of his old, frail from standing with folded hands before Sri Padmanabha, that easily from their minds.

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Thiruvananthapuram: Thousands of people from various walks of life paid their last respects to Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma at the Levee Hall where the body was kept for public to pay homage, during the funeral procession from Fort to Kowdiar palace and at the palace premises.

The body was brought to the Levee hall at Fort from SUT hospital around 6 a.m.  Ministers, politicians, senior government officials, heads of leading private and public sector institutions and other prominent personalities paid their  respects to the late head of the royal family.

Members belonging to  the Kani community of Agasthya forests paid floral tributes to Marthanda Varma with the flowers they brought from the forests. The Kani community members customarily call on the Travancore family members every Onam to  present their agricultural produces. “It has been a ritual we have been doing over the past many decades and hope to take it forward without fail,” said Eachuthu Kani, a member in the group.

Many prominent politicians including KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala, Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, Speaker G Karthikeyan, Food and Civil Supplies Anoop Jacob, CPI leader Benoy Viswom and DGP K S Balasubramanian turned up at the Levee Hall to pay their respects.

The funeral procession from Levee Hall to Kowdiar Palace started  around 3 p.m. in a decorated open vehicle of Indian Army’s Madras regiment.  Along the way hundreds of persons thronged either sides of the road and paid homage to Marthanda Varma.

Next: ‘Thampuran touched many a heart; me too’

‘Thampuran touched many a heart; me too’

Thiruvananthapuram: For 48-year-old Pushpaharan, Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma, head of the Travancore royal family was the man who changed his life.

A former head load worker at Chalai market, Pushpaharan underwent heart bypass surgery in 2002. Doctors advised him not to engage in hard labour. But that was the only way he could provide for his wife and two children and Pushpaharam was in a state of despair about the future of his family.

"After the heart surgery I used to take a morning walk regularly and every day as I reached the overbridge at around 7.15 am, Thamburan (king) would pass by slowly in his car on his way to Sree Padmanabha Swami temple for the routine darshanam. I made it a point to make a gesture of greeting to him every day and he used to acknowledge it," says Pushpaharan, sharing his experience with reporters.

Then one day in 2004, the car stopped near Pushpaharan. "As usual I was about to greet Thamburam, when he beckoned me and enquired about me. I told him about the hard times I was having. He asked me to meet him at Pattom Palace."

Pushpaharan went to the palace for the first time that very day. The Uthradam Thirunal offered him a cheque for financial assistance, but Pushpaharan respectfully declined it and sought a job instead.

"Thamburan appointed me as one of the keepers of the Rangavilasam, and Krishnavilasam palaces, Levee hall and nearby premises and it gave me a fresh lease of life. My family is fully obliged to Thamburan," said Pushpaharan.

He also said that the erstwhile ruler insisted that he should be spared any hard labour because of his heart condition. "Thamburam had full trust in me as he used to contact me for anything related to the Rangavilasom, and Krishnavilasom palaces and nearby premises," Pushpaharan says proudly.