Serfoji II- The quintessential colonial era Indian Maharajah

It was the year 1675 when the Sultan of Bijapur dispatched a force led by the Maratha general Ekoji to reclaim the Thanjavur throne from Alagiri. Ekoji, also known as Venkoji, defeated Alagiri and occupied Thanjavur. He, however, seized the kingdom and made himself king instead of handing over the throne to the Sultan. Thus began the rule of the Marathas over Thanjavur, which went on till the nineteenth century. The illustrious dynasty produced several great kings who ruled over the city of Thanjavur. However, the greatest scion of the Thanjavur Marathas was Serfoji II.

A portrait of Serfoji II by Raja Ravi Verma; (Source- Amazon)

The Marathas established their rule in Thanjavur in the seventeenth century and went on to rule over Thanjavur till the nineteenth century. The dynasty produced several great kings who ruled over the city of Thanjavur. However, the greatest king of all the Thanjavur Marathas was Serfoji II. His father and former King Raja Tulgaji was heirless and hence had adopted Serfoji Raja Bhonsle Chattrapathy (Serfoji II) through duly performance of all necessary religious rites. Coronated as the King of Thanjavur in 1787 when his father Tulgaji passed away, he was just ten years old, and hence his paternal uncle, Amar Singh was appointed as his regent. Soon after when Serfoji had come of age and it was his time to duly take over the throne, Amar Singh showed his true colors and usurped the throne.  With the help of Archpalt Compell, the Madras governor of the British East India Company, he even denied the young Prince the benefits of basic education.

A Danish bishop named Schwartz stepped in at this moment to save the young prince and sent him to Madras, where Rev. Wilhelm Gericke educated him. He quickly attained fluency in a number of languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Sanskrit, French, German, Danish, Greek, Dutch, and Latin. Schwartz later made an appeal to the then Governor General of India concerning Serfoji’s condition and situation. This appeal proved to be much decisive in the history of Thanjavur Marathas as it led to radical changes in the politics of Thanjavur. In 1798, Lord Cornwallis deposed Amar Singh from the throne. Serfoji II reclaimed Thanjavur's throne in June 1789 with the help of Britishers, and hence he acknowledged the British East India Company's overlordship. In his obligation to the British, he also accepted the stipulations of the 1792 treaty signed between Amar Singh and the British East India Company.

In addition, in 1799, Serfoji II and the British East India Company signed another treaty. According to the treaty, Serfoji could no longer exert influence over Thanjavur Kingdom's administration and was granted an annual pension of 100,000 pagodas and one-fifth of the state's land revenue. Serfoji's authority was limited to the Fort of Thanjavur and its environs. As a result, he was made a prisoner and perpetual pensioner by the British, who had earlier liberated him. He was stripped of his throne, position, and authority. As a result of these circumstances, he focused on and gave all of his time to the pursuit of culture and learning. The five-story Sarjah Mahadi at the Thanjavur palace and the Manora Fort Tower in Saluvanayakanpattinam, both built during his rule, serve as indicators of the wealth of his activities.

The most alluring fortification of the Thanjavur Marathas was the fort of Manora, which was constructed in 1814–1815. The miniature fortress of Manora, which can be considered the pinnacle of Tanjavur Maratha architecture, is situated between Pattukkottai and Rameshwaram on a coastal site. The eight-story fortress is a hexagonal structure made of bricks and stones. The fort is not just aesthetically significant, but also historically significant. According to legend, it was built to celebrate the British armies' victories and Napoleon Bonaparte's defeat in 1814. Many people thus believe that this monument celebrates Napoleon’s historic defeat at Waterloo, however, that is chronologically inconsistent with the structure’s construction. Truth is that Sarfoji II built the Manora in 1814, long before the Battle of Waterloo, in an effort to show his love and dedication to triumphant England because the British had assisted him in gaining the kingdom of Thanjavur. For a while, the fortress served as a lighthouse. It is also claimed that the structure served as the Maratha royal family's summer palace. In actuality, Serfoji II and Shivaji II did occasionally reside in the structure. Manora is the only monument erected in honor of the English outside Europe.

The Thanjavur Maharaja Serfoji's Sarasvati Mahal Library, described in the Encylopedia Britannica's survey of Libraries of the World as "the most remarkable library in India," is another example of Serfoji's lasting influence. Serfoji displayed a keen interest in curating this great library which survives to date. According to popular legend, he traveled on a pilgrimage to Banares and hired a large number of pandits (scholars) to procure and copy a large number of works from all esteemed Sanskrit learning institutions in North India. With 36,326 titles, the library boasts a sizable collection of Sanskrit manuscripts, the majority of which were acquired by Serfoji II. The reference section of the library was founded by Maharaja Serfoji, whose collection includes nearly 4500 books in English, French, Latin, Italian, and other languages. Serfoji was tolerant and open-minded toward people of different religions. He passed away on March 7, 1832, after nearly 40 years in power.

One can thus gauge from the initiatives undertaken by him that, why Serfoji II, the last sovereign ruler of Thanjavur is known as the greatest of them all. During his rule, Thanjavur was one of the most advanced princely states on the Indian subcontinent. The typical Indian Maharajah of the British colonial era, he was intelligent and well-educated, fluent in Latin and Sanskrit, and capable of conversing and compiling literary works in both Tamil and English. His vision enabled Thanjavur to move ahead of other princely kingdoms, enter a new era, and emerge as a worthy competitor to European nations.

Miniature Painting of Serfoji II (Source-Wikimedia Commons)