Sethu Lakshmi Bayi
Encyclopedia
Maharani Pooradam Thirunal Sethu Lakshmi Bayi CI
(1895–1985) was the ruler of Travancore
as regent
for her nephew, Chithira Tirunal
from 1924 until late 1931. She is known for continuing the progressive tradition of the Travancore rulers preceding her with many social and economic reforms.
. Her father Kerala Varma Koil Thampuran was a nephew of her grandfather from Kilimanoor palace
. The Mavelikara family was closely associated with the Travancore Royal Family
as Mahaprabha's direct aunts, Lakshmi Bayi and Parvathi Bayi had been adopted and installed as the Ranis of Travancore in 1858. This adoption, which was the 6th in the Travancore House, was without results as the Senior Rani Lakshmi Bayi
, who was married to Kerala Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran was childless while the Junior Rani Parvathi Bayi had only sons. In the prevalent matrilineal system of inheritance known as Marumakkathayam
, the presence of females to continue the line and dynasty was crucial. With the death of the Junior Rani in 1893, followed by that of the eldest of her three sons in 1895 the royal family came to consist solely of Maharajah Moolam Thirunal, Rani Lakshmi Bayi
and her two nephews. The Rani now looked upon her nieces, Mahaprabha and Kochukunji of Mavelikara, to bring forth females who could subsequently be adopted into the royal family. The Rani, accompanied by her nieces, went on a pilgrimage to Rameswaram (Sethusamudram
) and performed several religious ceremonies there in early 1895. Within months of their return, news reached her that Mahaprabha had conceived. Subsequently a daughter was born to her. Since her birth was believed to be a direct result of the Rani's pilgrimage to Sethusamudram, the child was named Sethu Lakshmi Bayi. The next year in 1896 Kochukunji gave birth to a daughter who was similarly named Sethu Parvathi Bayi.
In 1900 Rani Lakshmi Bayi formally petitioned Maharajah Moolam Thirunal that time had come for an adoption to perpetuate the ruling line and hence the two children were adopted. The adoption itself was met with some opposition from other branches of the Kolathunad family who nominated females from their families as also objections from the First Prince Chathayam Thirunal Rama Varma, but these were overcome and Sethu Lakshmi Bayi was adopted into the Travancore Royal Family as Junior Rani as Sethu Parvathi Bayi was First Princess.
and Travancore while Sethu Parvathi Bayi became Junior Rani. Kerala Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran was appointed the guardian of the Ranis and tutors were appointed to teach them. In 1906 when she was still ten years old the Senior Rani was married to Sri Rama Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran, a grandnephew of her guardian who belonged to the royal house of Haripad
. Four years later in 1910 the marriage was consummated and the couple started living together, before which they were allowed to see each other only briefly for an hour every day. Meanwhile, after her adoption and subsequent separation from her family she was permitted to meet her relations only after 6 month intervals and this separation caused her to grow closer to her consort.
In 1910 she was found to be pregnant but suffered a miscarriage. In 1912 having passed her minority the Maharajah granted her the rights to assume control of the Sreepadom Estate which consisted of revenues from Attingal
and large landed properties traditionally held by the Senior Rani. Meanwhile the Junior Rani gave birth to her eldest son Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma
, the last ruling Maharajah of Travancore. He was on birth proclaimed heir apparent to Moolam Thirunal and this greatly changed the position of the Junior Rani whose status was always thus far below that of the Senior Rani. The Junior Rani was granted a separate palace and establishment after her demand that the Sreepadom be granted to her could not be met. Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, in the meantime, it was found, was unable to conceive and bear a child. Gradually the relations between the two Ranis grew distant.
The Rani's chief counsellor after the death of her guardian in 1913 was her consort. The Maharajah objected to this and took a further disaffection to the Senior Rani on her refusal to entertain his principal favorite, a certain Sankaran Thampi, who was his consort Vadasseri Ammachi's first husband, and later, on her espousal by the Maharajah, married her sister. Thus he was closely related to the Maharajah and was further influential as the Comptroller of the Palace. In addition, her inability to bear an heir further strained her relations with the Maharajah, to whom the principal objective of the 1900 adoption was to ensure the continuation of the dynasty. The Senior Rani was increasingly confined to Trivandrum by the Maharajah and her meetings with her family members were further curtailed. At the same time the Junior Rani was allowed adequate liberty as she had borne two more children namely Karthika Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi in 1916 and Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma
in 1922. Finally in 1923 Sethu Lakshmi Bayi became pregnant and gave birth to her elder daughter, Uthram Thirunal Lalithamba Bayi.
, her first trip outside Travancore, the Senior Rani received news that Moolam Thirunal was critical due to septicemia. The Maharajah died after her return leaving behind the 12 year old Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma
as heir to the throne. Since the boy Maharajah was still a minor it was decided that the Senior Rani should assume power and be Regent ruler until he came of age in 1930. Accordingly Sethu Lakshmi Bayi was proclaimed Maharani Regent of Travancore and commenced the regency in September 1924. Soon after this the Junior Maharani Sethu Parvathi Bayi represented to the Paramount Power that as she was the mother of the Maharajah, the regency should belong to her. However the Senior Maharani sent a clarification to the Government of India that under the Marumakkathayam system in the event of the minority of a male member, the Senior Rani, irrespective of her relation to the Maharajah, was by inherent right, to be the interim ruler. In fact when the regency was proclaimed, the title of the Senior Rani was read out as "...Rani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi Maharajah..." to imply that she reigned in her own right as Head of the royal house and not as wife or mother of a Maharajah.
The relations between the Junior and Senior Maharanis were further strained during the Regency. Often attempts were made to replace the Maharani's regency by establishing a Regency Council. However none of these propositions were accepted. In 1929 the Junior Maharani once again complained to the Viceroy regarding the regency but the same year Sethu Lakshmi Bayi was decorated with the Order of the Crown of India
.
at Vaikom
. Soon after in 1925 the Maharani was visited by Mahatma Gandhi
. Their meeting resulted in a royal proclamation by which all the public roads and streets in Travancore were thrown open to all Hindus irrespective of caste. Mahatma Gandhi called it a "bedrock of freedom" in his Young India (26 March 1925) magazine while describing the Maharani thus:
The regency was marked by many social reforms in Travancore. In 1925 less than a year after she assumed power, animal sacrifice was banned in Travancore. In 1926 the Maharani abolished the Devadasi
system in temples. She broke an orthodox tradition of appointing upper-caste Brahmin
s and Nair
s as Dewan
s and appointed M.E. Watts, a TravancoreAnglo Indian Christian as her Dewan in 1925. Amendments were brought about in the same year in the Travancore Nayar Act pertaining to the Marumakkathayam system of inheritance and family which was being found more and more unsuitable in modern times, and eventually in 1928 the system was altogether done away with, introducing patrilineal nuclear family system in Travancore. Also a law was passed in 1925 fostering and developing local self government in rural areas in the form of Panchayats. The Panchayats even held the power to act as juries in small and petty civil cases. In 1926 the Maharani passed a Newspaper Regulation to curb the misuse of press which became a controversial topic as it curbed many rights of the press. Meanwhile the College for Women in Travancore was raised to First Grade by the Maharani Regent and the Scouts movement was given impetus. The Medical Department was bettered and modernized so as to provide better services. The Maharani also appointed the first female doctor in Travancore as Durbar Physician and head of the Medical Department. In 1928 a Central Road Board was established and several new highways and roads were constructed across Travancore. The Quilon Ernakulam Railway was completed and Telephone services were thrown open for the public. In 1929 Trivandrum was lighted with electricity for the first time. The Maharani also began work on the establishment of a Travancore University, which was accomplished by Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma
later. By the end of the regency, the Maharani was spending nearly 1/5 of the state's revenue on the Education Department.
Meanwhile owing to several complaints from the Junior Maharani pertaining to the Regent's refusal to permit her complete control over the Maharajah's Civil List
funds, once again attempts were made to replace the Maharani's rule with a Regency Council. However, the Viceroy being satisfied with the regency of the Senior Maharani, did not permit any such changes. Amidst all this, in 1929 came an episode of Black Magic
. The Maharani and the British resident received intelligence that secret ceremonies, involving animal sacrifice, were being performed in the Kowdiar Palace
under the supervision of the Junior Maharani's brothers. The three brothers and the Junior Maharani's mother were thereafter asked by the Resident to leave the Palace and to seek prior permission from him before any further interaction with the Maharajah or Junior Maharani. Following this episode the Resident decided it would be prudent to send the Maharajah to Mysore for administrative training, without the Junior Maharani accompanying him. However by personally applying to the Viceroy the Junior Maharani was permitted to reside close to her son in Bangalore
. Meanwhile the Travancore Government began work on developing Cochin Harbor and a special Banking Enquiry Committee was set up to look into providing rural credit facilities. In 1929 the Maharani was informed that the Maharajah would not accede to full powers on his 18th birthday in November 1930, but when he turned 19 and a half in May 1932. Thus the regency was extended for a period. However by mid 1931 it was decided that the accession should take place after the Maharajah's 19th birthday. Thus accordingly in November 1931, after almost 8 years the regency of Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi terminated and Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma
was proclaimed ruler of Travancore.
During the regency the Senior Maharani had been drawing Rs. 200,000/- per annum for expenses. The revenues of Travancore had risen to more than Rs. 250,00,000/- during this period. Since the Senior and Junior Maharanis were on bad terms with each other, to protect her interests Sethu Lakshmi Bayi applied to the Viceroy to allow her to retain her allowance and all the dignities and privileges that she had enjoyed as Maharani Regent. However these were not met and the Maharani was retired on an pension of Rs. 75,000/- per annum, given by the Maharajah who had full rights to withdraw this allowance as well.
which however did not succeed due to the timely intervention of the Resident. In 1935 and 1937 respectively the Maharani received the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal
and the King George VI Coronation Medal
respectively. Around this time all the official papers and records of the Travancore Government pertaining to the regency were destroyed in a mysterious fire.
The Maharani spent only a few months at her palace in Trivandrum (Satelmond Palace). She preferred otherwise to reside at her "country residence" on the banks of the Vellayani
lake, Lalindloch Palace. The monsoons were spent at Halcyon Castle
on the beach at Kovalam
and for the summers she retired to her estate in Peermade. Her husband also owned a villa at Pothencode
where the family lived sometimes.
The Maharani thus spent her time until 1947 in Travancore with her husband and two daughters. Her second daughter, Karthika Thirunal Indira Bayi was born in 1926. In 1936 the Maharani was informed that her allowance would be withheld as she was failing to make courtesy calls on the Maharajah from time to time. The Maharani replied that as the eldest member in the royal family, it was her nephew, the Maharajah who should be calling on her and not the other way round, yet she conceded to do as she was asked to. She was asked to return to Satelmond Palace in Trivandrum which was under the control of the Maharajah. In 1938 her elder daughter Princess Lalithamba Bayi was married to Sri. Kerala Varma Avargal of Kilimanoor
. In 1940 her eldest granddaughter, Bharani Thirunal Rukmini Bayi (Rukmini Varma
) was born. Later in 1945 her younger daughter Princess Indira Bayi was married to a member of the Haripad family who, however, died in 1949. Thereafter in 1952 she was married to Kerala Varma of Kilimanoor, a cousin of her brother in law.
*********
in 1949, Lalithamba Bayi moved away to Bangalore and settled there with her children. In the early 1950s even Indira Bayi settled in Madras and the Maharani was alone in Trivandrum. Slowly she started disposing the many properties and palaces she privately owned and by the late 1950s was greatly lonely and contemplating moving to Bangalore to be with her daughter and grandchildren. This was hastened in 1957 by her servants in the Palace forming a Union and creating problems. While it was strictly controlled and put down initially, it resurfaced in 1958 and the servants went on strike. About this time the Maharani suffered a mild heart attack as well. Thereafter it was decided that she should stay with her family members in Bangalore. Thus in 1958 the Maharani arrived in Madras after leaving Trivandrum hastily, and by early 1959 moved to Bangalore where she constructed a bungalow for herself close to her daughter's house and took up residence there. She never came back to Travancore.
The Maharani lived in Bangalore for more than 25 years. Her consort, the Valiya Koil Thampuran, occasionally visited Kerala
where he had his own properties and estates. In 1971 the Government of India
abolished the Privy Purse in India
given to former rulers and their families and thus the Maharani stopped receiving her allowances. However after a prolonged legal battle, a few years before her death, the pension granted her after the regency was reinstated. Since many years she had been bedridden and ill in Bangalore and in February, 1985 the Maharani died in Bangalore. She was at that time the last surviving member in the Order of the Crown of India
. Prominent among her descendants are artists Rukmini Varma
and Jay Varma, writers Shreekumar Varma
and Dr. Lakshmi Raghunandan. The Malayala Manorama describes the reign of Sethu Lakshmi Bayi as follows:
Every year the Maharani Setu Lakshmi Bayi Memorial lecture is held in Trivandrum. In 1995, on her 100th birth anniversary, her biography At the Turn of the Tide was published by the Maharani Setu Lakshmi Bayi Memorial Charitable Trust, Bangalore.
Her Highness Sree Padmanabha Sevini Vanchi Dharma Vardhini Raja Rajeshwari Rani Pooradam Thirunal Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, Attingal Mootha Thampuran, Companion of the Imperial Order of the Crown of India
, Maharani of Travancore.
Order of the Crown of India
The Imperial Order of the Crown of India is an order in the British honours system.The Order was established by Queen Victoria in 1878, when she became Empress of India. The Order is open only to women; no new appointments have been made after the Partition of India in 1947...
(1895–1985) was the ruler of Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
as regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
for her nephew, Chithira Tirunal
Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma
Chithira Thirunal Maharaja was the last ruling maharaja of the princely state of Travancore, in southern India...
from 1924 until late 1931. She is known for continuing the progressive tradition of the Travancore rulers preceding her with many social and economic reforms.
Early life
Sethu Lakshmi Bayi was born on the 19th of November 1895 to Ayilyam Nal Mahaprabha Thampuratti of the Utsavamadhom Palace in Mavelikara. Her mother belonged to a branch of the Kolathunad Royal Family that had settled in Travancore towards the end of the 18th century and was the daughter of the celebrated artist Raja Ravi VarmaRaja Ravi Varma
Raja Ravi Varma was an Indian painter from the princely state of Travancore who achieved recognition for his depiction of scenes from the epics of the Mahabharata and Ramayana...
. Her father Kerala Varma Koil Thampuran was a nephew of her grandfather from Kilimanoor palace
Kilimanoor palace
Kilimanoor palace is famous as the birth place of Raja Ravi Varma, the celebrated Indian painter.-The Palace:The Palace complex covers more than six hectares, and comprises the traditional residential structures of Kerala, like the Nalukettu, small and medium sized buildings, two ponds, wells and...
. The Mavelikara family was closely associated with the Travancore Royal Family
Travancore Royal Family
The Travancore Royal Family descended from the Venad line of the Cheras and ruled over the Indian state of Travancore until 1947.The Royal family, alternatively known as the Kupaka Royal Family, Thripappur Swaroopam, Venad Swaroopam, Vanchi Swaroopam etc., has its seat today at Trivandrum in...
as Mahaprabha's direct aunts, Lakshmi Bayi and Parvathi Bayi had been adopted and installed as the Ranis of Travancore in 1858. This adoption, which was the 6th in the Travancore House, was without results as the Senior Rani Lakshmi Bayi
Rani Lakshmi Bayi of Travancore
Rani Bharani Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi CI was the Senior Rani of Travancore from 1857 till her death in 1901. Her consort was the famous poet and writer, styled the father of Malayalam literature, Sri Kerala Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran. -Early life:...
, who was married to Kerala Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran was childless while the Junior Rani Parvathi Bayi had only sons. In the prevalent matrilineal system of inheritance known as Marumakkathayam
Marumakkathayam
Marumakkathayam is a matrilinear system of inheritance which was followed by all Nair castes including of Royal Families, some of the Ambalavasis, Arayars, Ezhava, some tribal groups and Mappilas in North Malabar of Kerala state, South India. Unlike other Brahmin families, Payanoor Nambootiris...
, the presence of females to continue the line and dynasty was crucial. With the death of the Junior Rani in 1893, followed by that of the eldest of her three sons in 1895 the royal family came to consist solely of Maharajah Moolam Thirunal, Rani Lakshmi Bayi
Rani Lakshmi Bayi of Travancore
Rani Bharani Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi CI was the Senior Rani of Travancore from 1857 till her death in 1901. Her consort was the famous poet and writer, styled the father of Malayalam literature, Sri Kerala Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran. -Early life:...
and her two nephews. The Rani now looked upon her nieces, Mahaprabha and Kochukunji of Mavelikara, to bring forth females who could subsequently be adopted into the royal family. The Rani, accompanied by her nieces, went on a pilgrimage to Rameswaram (Sethusamudram
Sethusamudram
Sethusamudram is the sea that separates Tamil Nadu, India, from Sri Lanka. It encompasses the Gulf of Mannar, the Palk Strait, and a shoal of islands and bays that separate them called Ram Setu...
) and performed several religious ceremonies there in early 1895. Within months of their return, news reached her that Mahaprabha had conceived. Subsequently a daughter was born to her. Since her birth was believed to be a direct result of the Rani's pilgrimage to Sethusamudram, the child was named Sethu Lakshmi Bayi. The next year in 1896 Kochukunji gave birth to a daughter who was similarly named Sethu Parvathi Bayi.
Senior Rani
Within a year of the adoption in 1900 the two princes, Chathayam Thirunal and Aswathy Thirunal died followed by Rani Lakshmi Bayi herself in 1901. Thus at the age of six Sethu Lakshmi Bayi succeeded her as Senior Rani of AttingalAttingal
Attingal is a town and a municipality in the Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala state, India, bounded by the Mamom and Vamanapuram rivers. It is situated 30 km to the north of state capital of Thiruvananthapuram.-Demographics:...
and Travancore while Sethu Parvathi Bayi became Junior Rani. Kerala Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran was appointed the guardian of the Ranis and tutors were appointed to teach them. In 1906 when she was still ten years old the Senior Rani was married to Sri Rama Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran, a grandnephew of her guardian who belonged to the royal house of Haripad
Haripad
Haripad is a town in Alappuzha District, Kerala, India, located between Alappuzha and Kollam on National Highway 47. Haripad is close to the Arabian Sea, and connects Mavelikkara and Thrikkunnappuzha....
. Four years later in 1910 the marriage was consummated and the couple started living together, before which they were allowed to see each other only briefly for an hour every day. Meanwhile, after her adoption and subsequent separation from her family she was permitted to meet her relations only after 6 month intervals and this separation caused her to grow closer to her consort.
Attingal
Attingal is a town and a municipality in the Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala state, India, bounded by the Mamom and Vamanapuram rivers. It is situated 30 km to the north of state capital of Thiruvananthapuram.-Demographics:...
and large landed properties traditionally held by the Senior Rani. Meanwhile the Junior Rani gave birth to her eldest son Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma
Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma
Chithira Thirunal Maharaja was the last ruling maharaja of the princely state of Travancore, in southern India...
, the last ruling Maharajah of Travancore. He was on birth proclaimed heir apparent to Moolam Thirunal and this greatly changed the position of the Junior Rani whose status was always thus far below that of the Senior Rani. The Junior Rani was granted a separate palace and establishment after her demand that the Sreepadom be granted to her could not be met. Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, in the meantime, it was found, was unable to conceive and bear a child. Gradually the relations between the two Ranis grew distant.
The Rani's chief counsellor after the death of her guardian in 1913 was her consort. The Maharajah objected to this and took a further disaffection to the Senior Rani on her refusal to entertain his principal favorite, a certain Sankaran Thampi, who was his consort Vadasseri Ammachi's first husband, and later, on her espousal by the Maharajah, married her sister. Thus he was closely related to the Maharajah and was further influential as the Comptroller of the Palace. In addition, her inability to bear an heir further strained her relations with the Maharajah, to whom the principal objective of the 1900 adoption was to ensure the continuation of the dynasty. The Senior Rani was increasingly confined to Trivandrum by the Maharajah and her meetings with her family members were further curtailed. At the same time the Junior Rani was allowed adequate liberty as she had borne two more children namely Karthika Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi in 1916 and Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma
Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma
Sri Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma is the scion of the former Travancore royal family.He joined the firm of Plymouth and Company at Bangalore in 1952, working there and also studying the functioning of industries at a basic level...
in 1922. Finally in 1923 Sethu Lakshmi Bayi became pregnant and gave birth to her elder daughter, Uthram Thirunal Lalithamba Bayi.
Maharani Regent of Travancore
In 1924 while on a sojourn in MaduraiMadurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
, her first trip outside Travancore, the Senior Rani received news that Moolam Thirunal was critical due to septicemia. The Maharajah died after her return leaving behind the 12 year old Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma
Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma
Chithira Thirunal Maharaja was the last ruling maharaja of the princely state of Travancore, in southern India...
as heir to the throne. Since the boy Maharajah was still a minor it was decided that the Senior Rani should assume power and be Regent ruler until he came of age in 1930. Accordingly Sethu Lakshmi Bayi was proclaimed Maharani Regent of Travancore and commenced the regency in September 1924. Soon after this the Junior Maharani Sethu Parvathi Bayi represented to the Paramount Power that as she was the mother of the Maharajah, the regency should belong to her. However the Senior Maharani sent a clarification to the Government of India that under the Marumakkathayam system in the event of the minority of a male member, the Senior Rani, irrespective of her relation to the Maharajah, was by inherent right, to be the interim ruler. In fact when the regency was proclaimed, the title of the Senior Rani was read out as "...Rani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi Maharajah..." to imply that she reigned in her own right as Head of the royal house and not as wife or mother of a Maharajah.
The relations between the Junior and Senior Maharanis were further strained during the Regency. Often attempts were made to replace the Maharani's regency by establishing a Regency Council. However none of these propositions were accepted. In 1929 the Junior Maharani once again complained to the Viceroy regarding the regency but the same year Sethu Lakshmi Bayi was decorated with the Order of the Crown of India
Order of the Crown of India
The Imperial Order of the Crown of India is an order in the British honours system.The Order was established by Queen Victoria in 1878, when she became Empress of India. The Order is open only to women; no new appointments have been made after the Partition of India in 1947...
.
The Regency
The regency had opened amidst many troubles including a SatyagrahaSatyagraha
Satyagraha , loosely translated as "insistence on truth satya agraha soul force" or "truth force" is a particular philosophy and practice within the broader overall category generally known as nonviolent resistance or civil resistance. The term "satyagraha" was conceived and developed by Mahatma...
at Vaikom
Vaikom
Vaikom is a taluk and also its capital town, situated in the North-West of Kottayam in Kerala, India. Its western border is the Lake Vembanad, and is crossed by various estuaries of the River Muvattupuzha. It lies between Ernakulam and Kottayam...
. Soon after in 1925 the Maharani was visited by Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
. Their meeting resulted in a royal proclamation by which all the public roads and streets in Travancore were thrown open to all Hindus irrespective of caste. Mahatma Gandhi called it a "bedrock of freedom" in his Young India (26 March 1925) magazine while describing the Maharani thus:
Devadasi
In Hinduism, the devadasi tradition is a religious tradition in which girls are "married" and dedicated to a deity or to a temple and includes performance aspects such as those that take place in the temple as well as in the courtly and mujuvani [telegu] or home context. Dance and music were...
system in temples. She broke an orthodox tradition of appointing upper-caste Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
s and Nair
Nair
Nair , also known as Nayar , refers to "not a unitary group but a named category of castes", which historically embody several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom bore the Nair title. These people historically live in the present-day Indian state of Kerala...
s as Dewan
Dewan
The originally Persian title of dewan has, at various points in Islamic history, designated various differing though similar functions.-Etymology:...
s and appointed M.E. Watts, a TravancoreAnglo Indian Christian as her Dewan in 1925. Amendments were brought about in the same year in the Travancore Nayar Act pertaining to the Marumakkathayam system of inheritance and family which was being found more and more unsuitable in modern times, and eventually in 1928 the system was altogether done away with, introducing patrilineal nuclear family system in Travancore. Also a law was passed in 1925 fostering and developing local self government in rural areas in the form of Panchayats. The Panchayats even held the power to act as juries in small and petty civil cases. In 1926 the Maharani passed a Newspaper Regulation to curb the misuse of press which became a controversial topic as it curbed many rights of the press. Meanwhile the College for Women in Travancore was raised to First Grade by the Maharani Regent and the Scouts movement was given impetus. The Medical Department was bettered and modernized so as to provide better services. The Maharani also appointed the first female doctor in Travancore as Durbar Physician and head of the Medical Department. In 1928 a Central Road Board was established and several new highways and roads were constructed across Travancore. The Quilon Ernakulam Railway was completed and Telephone services were thrown open for the public. In 1929 Trivandrum was lighted with electricity for the first time. The Maharani also began work on the establishment of a Travancore University, which was accomplished by Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma
Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma
Chithira Thirunal Maharaja was the last ruling maharaja of the princely state of Travancore, in southern India...
later. By the end of the regency, the Maharani was spending nearly 1/5 of the state's revenue on the Education Department.
Meanwhile owing to several complaints from the Junior Maharani pertaining to the Regent's refusal to permit her complete control over the Maharajah's Civil List
Civil list
-United Kingdom:In the United Kingdom, the Civil List is the name given to the annual grant that covers some expenses associated with the Sovereign performing their official duties, including those for staff salaries, State Visits, public engagements, ceremonial functions and the upkeep of the...
funds, once again attempts were made to replace the Maharani's rule with a Regency Council. However, the Viceroy being satisfied with the regency of the Senior Maharani, did not permit any such changes. Amidst all this, in 1929 came an episode of Black Magic
Black magic
Black magic is the type of magic that draws on assumed malevolent powers or is used with the intention to kill, steal, injure, cause misfortune or destruction, or for personal gain without regard to harmful consequences. As a term, "black magic" is normally used by those that do not approve of its...
. The Maharani and the British resident received intelligence that secret ceremonies, involving animal sacrifice, were being performed in the Kowdiar Palace
Kowdiar Palace
Kowdiar Palace in Trivandrum, Kerala, India was built in 1915 by Sree Moolam Thirunal and was gifted to Sethu Parvati Bayi.It is the official residence of the Travancore Royal Family....
under the supervision of the Junior Maharani's brothers. The three brothers and the Junior Maharani's mother were thereafter asked by the Resident to leave the Palace and to seek prior permission from him before any further interaction with the Maharajah or Junior Maharani. Following this episode the Resident decided it would be prudent to send the Maharajah to Mysore for administrative training, without the Junior Maharani accompanying him. However by personally applying to the Viceroy the Junior Maharani was permitted to reside close to her son in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
. Meanwhile the Travancore Government began work on developing Cochin Harbor and a special Banking Enquiry Committee was set up to look into providing rural credit facilities. In 1929 the Maharani was informed that the Maharajah would not accede to full powers on his 18th birthday in November 1930, but when he turned 19 and a half in May 1932. Thus the regency was extended for a period. However by mid 1931 it was decided that the accession should take place after the Maharajah's 19th birthday. Thus accordingly in November 1931, after almost 8 years the regency of Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi terminated and Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma
Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma
Chithira Thirunal Maharaja was the last ruling maharaja of the princely state of Travancore, in southern India...
was proclaimed ruler of Travancore.
During the regency the Senior Maharani had been drawing Rs. 200,000/- per annum for expenses. The revenues of Travancore had risen to more than Rs. 250,00,000/- during this period. Since the Senior and Junior Maharanis were on bad terms with each other, to protect her interests Sethu Lakshmi Bayi applied to the Viceroy to allow her to retain her allowance and all the dignities and privileges that she had enjoyed as Maharani Regent. However these were not met and the Maharani was retired on an pension of Rs. 75,000/- per annum, given by the Maharajah who had full rights to withdraw this allowance as well.
After the Regency
After the regency the Maharani retired from active involvement in the affairs to the state. She continued to look after affairs of the Sreepadom estate for sometime after which in 1939 the Maharajah assumed control of the estate and placed it in a trust from which all the female members of the royal family would receive allowances. Thus the traditional holdings of Sethu Lakshmi Bayi as Senior Rani of Attingal were taken away. Complaints to the Viceroy were met with no benefit to her. Similarly the Maharajah initiated a move to secure the Maharani's summer estate at PeermadePeermade
Peermade, also transliterated as Perumade, Peerumed, Peerumade or Peermede, is a hill station in the state of Kerala, India...
which however did not succeed due to the timely intervention of the Resident. In 1935 and 1937 respectively the Maharani received the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal
King George V Silver Jubilee Medal
The King George V Silver Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal made to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the coronation of King George V.-Issue:...
and the King George VI Coronation Medal
King George VI Coronation Medal
The King George VI Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal made to celebrate the coronation of King George VI.-Issue:For Coronation and Jubilee medals, the practice up until 1977 was that United Kingdom authorities decided on a total number to be produced, then allocated a proportion to each of...
respectively. Around this time all the official papers and records of the Travancore Government pertaining to the regency were destroyed in a mysterious fire.
The Maharani spent only a few months at her palace in Trivandrum (Satelmond Palace). She preferred otherwise to reside at her "country residence" on the banks of the Vellayani
Vellayani
-Location:Vellayani can be reached easily from Thiruvananthapuram Central Bus Station at Thampanoor and from City Bus Depot at East Fort. It is well connected by state road transport and private buses. Nearest airport is Thiruvananthapuram International Airport.-Tourism:Vellayani is on the banks...
lake, Lalindloch Palace. The monsoons were spent at Halcyon Castle
Halcyon Castle
Halcyon Castle was built in 1932 in the princely state of Travancore, in the modern day state of Kerala, India. It was constructed by M.R.Ry Sri Rama Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran, the consort of H.H. Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, as a retreat for their family...
on the beach at Kovalam
Kovalam
Kovalam is a beach town on the Arabian Sea in Thiruvananthapuram city, Kerala, India. It is located around 13 km from the down town of Trivandrum.-Etymology:...
and for the summers she retired to her estate in Peermade. Her husband also owned a villa at Pothencode
Pothencode
Pothencode, is Developing area of Thiruvananthapuram District in Kerala, India.It is believed that the word Pothencode is derived from Budhencode....
where the family lived sometimes.
The Maharani thus spent her time until 1947 in Travancore with her husband and two daughters. Her second daughter, Karthika Thirunal Indira Bayi was born in 1926. In 1936 the Maharani was informed that her allowance would be withheld as she was failing to make courtesy calls on the Maharajah from time to time. The Maharani replied that as the eldest member in the royal family, it was her nephew, the Maharajah who should be calling on her and not the other way round, yet she conceded to do as she was asked to. She was asked to return to Satelmond Palace in Trivandrum which was under the control of the Maharajah. In 1938 her elder daughter Princess Lalithamba Bayi was married to Sri. Kerala Varma Avargal of Kilimanoor
Kilimanoor
Kilimanoor is a census town in the state of Kerala, India. It is located on MC/SH 1 Road, 36 km from the city of Thiruvananthapuram .The town area is administered by 2 grama panchayats, pazhayakunnummel and kilimanoor grama panchayat....
. In 1940 her eldest granddaughter, Bharani Thirunal Rukmini Bayi (Rukmini Varma
Rukmini Varma
Rukmini Varma is an Indian artist based in Bangalore. Born as H.H. Bharani Thirunal Rukmini Bayi, Fourth Princess of Travancore to H.H. Princess Uthram Thirunal Lalithamba Bayi and Sri. Kerala Varma Avargal, she is a granddaughter of Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi and belongs to the Travancore Royal...
) was born. Later in 1945 her younger daughter Princess Indira Bayi was married to a member of the Haripad family who, however, died in 1949. Thereafter in 1952 she was married to Kerala Varma of Kilimanoor, a cousin of her brother in law.
*********
After Independence
After Independence in 1947 and the creation of Travancore-CochinTravancore-Cochin
Travancore-Cochin or Thiru-Kochi is a former state of India . It was created on 1 July 1949 by the merger of two former princely states, the kingdoms of Travancore and Cochin....
in 1949, Lalithamba Bayi moved away to Bangalore and settled there with her children. In the early 1950s even Indira Bayi settled in Madras and the Maharani was alone in Trivandrum. Slowly she started disposing the many properties and palaces she privately owned and by the late 1950s was greatly lonely and contemplating moving to Bangalore to be with her daughter and grandchildren. This was hastened in 1957 by her servants in the Palace forming a Union and creating problems. While it was strictly controlled and put down initially, it resurfaced in 1958 and the servants went on strike. About this time the Maharani suffered a mild heart attack as well. Thereafter it was decided that she should stay with her family members in Bangalore. Thus in 1958 the Maharani arrived in Madras after leaving Trivandrum hastily, and by early 1959 moved to Bangalore where she constructed a bungalow for herself close to her daughter's house and took up residence there. She never came back to Travancore.
The Maharani lived in Bangalore for more than 25 years. Her consort, the Valiya Koil Thampuran, occasionally visited Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
where he had his own properties and estates. In 1971 the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
abolished the Privy Purse in India
Privy Purse in India
In India, the Privy Purse was a payment made to the royal families of erstwhile princely states as part of their agreements to first integrate with India in 1947, and later to merge their states in 1949 whereby they lost all ruling rights...
given to former rulers and their families and thus the Maharani stopped receiving her allowances. However after a prolonged legal battle, a few years before her death, the pension granted her after the regency was reinstated. Since many years she had been bedridden and ill in Bangalore and in February, 1985 the Maharani died in Bangalore. She was at that time the last surviving member in the Order of the Crown of India
Order of the Crown of India
The Imperial Order of the Crown of India is an order in the British honours system.The Order was established by Queen Victoria in 1878, when she became Empress of India. The Order is open only to women; no new appointments have been made after the Partition of India in 1947...
. Prominent among her descendants are artists Rukmini Varma
Rukmini Varma
Rukmini Varma is an Indian artist based in Bangalore. Born as H.H. Bharani Thirunal Rukmini Bayi, Fourth Princess of Travancore to H.H. Princess Uthram Thirunal Lalithamba Bayi and Sri. Kerala Varma Avargal, she is a granddaughter of Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi and belongs to the Travancore Royal...
and Jay Varma, writers Shreekumar Varma
Shreekumar Varma
Shreekumar Varma is an Indian author, playwright, newspaper columnist and poet, known for the novels Lament of Mohini , Maria's Room , Devil's Garden: Tales Of Pappudom , The Magic Store of Nu-Cham-Vu and the historical book for children, Pazhassi Raja: The Royal Rebel...
and Dr. Lakshmi Raghunandan. The Malayala Manorama describes the reign of Sethu Lakshmi Bayi as follows:
Full Title
As Senior Maharani of Travancore, Sethu Lakshmi Bayi's full title was:Her Highness Sree Padmanabha Sevini Vanchi Dharma Vardhini Raja Rajeshwari Rani Pooradam Thirunal Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, Attingal Mootha Thampuran, Companion of the Imperial Order of the Crown of India
Order of the Crown of India
The Imperial Order of the Crown of India is an order in the British honours system.The Order was established by Queen Victoria in 1878, when she became Empress of India. The Order is open only to women; no new appointments have been made after the Partition of India in 1947...
, Maharani of Travancore.