‘India’s Maharajas, Beyond Dancing Girls & Elephants’ by Manu S Pillai
Drawn from his book, ‘False Allies’, historian and author Manu S Pillai draws an intriguing portrait of the rulers of India’s princely states as we have rarely seen them before.
Travancore
Raja Ravi Varma with Seth Lachman Das and Prince Aswathi Tirunal Marthanda Varma and courtiers
This rare photograph was possibly taken in the 1890s during Raja Ravi Varma’s trip to the Northern India. As the guardian of Prince Aswathi Tirunal of Travancore (seated, centre), Raja Ravi Varma (seated, right) travelled through important princely and native states of Northern India. The tour began in Trivandrum on November 18, 1894, and lasted… Read more »
Chitra Thirunal Bala Rama Verma, One Fanam of Travencore Mint
The kingdom of Travancore was a Hindu feudal kingdom till 1858 and later an Indian princely state ruled by the lankini Travancore royal family. In ancient times, the region had been ruled by the Cheras, Cholas and briefly by the Vijayanagara dynasty, until it became an independent state in the mid-18th century. The Travancore royals… Read more »
Bala Rama Varma, Silver, 1/4 Rupee
Bala Rama Varma was the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Travancore until its annexation by independent India in 1949. This silver coin issued under his name has the royal emblem of the conch on the obverse side, with a legend in Malayalam translating to “Travancore Half Rupee Chitra” encircled by an olive… Read more »