The Maharaja of the people, the Dasa of Lord Padmanabha

A King, who devoted his entire life to the service of his people and the Lord. The ruler’s whose simple approach to life humbled his friends and foes, alike. Such was the story of Sree Padmanabhadasa Sree Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma, the titular Maharaja of Travancore, and the ritual head of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple.

The Titular Maharajah of Travancore, Sree Uthradom Thirunal Marthana Varma (22nd March, 1922 till 16th December, 2013). Image source: Wikipedia

Sree Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma was born as the Heir Apparent to the royal family of Travancore on 22nd January 1922. He was the youngest brother of Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, the last ruling monarch of the Kingdom of Travancore and Karthika Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi. His mother, Junior Maharani, Sethu Parvathi Bayi, came from a distant royal family in Travancore. The Travancore royal family follows the Marumakkathayam system or matrilineality, implying that the rulers are succeeded not by their own sons/daughters but by the sons of their sisters. So, Uthradom Thirunal, upon his birth, was declared the Elaya Rajah (crown prince) of Travancore.

The young prince received his education privately under 14 tutors, who made him well-versed in several subjects. He completed his graduation in 1943 from the Travancore University (now, University of Kerala) with specializations in History, Economics and Politics. He was revered for his erudition by his contemporaries, both at home and abroad. Apart from his mother tongue, Malayalam, the Elaya Rajah was fluent in English and Sanskrit. He was even honored with the Moncombu Aandi Iyer Gold Medal for his proficiency in Sanskrit. The prince had several hobbies and he acquired several skills in his early life. When his brother, the monarch of the time, gave him a Rolleiflex camera, the prince mastered the art of photography and went on to build a fine collection of 5,000 negatives. In his later life, he exhibited his photos in a gallery by opening the Rangavilasom Palace to the public. He played hockey, polo, golf, football and tennis in his free time. He had also been the patron of the Trivandrum Tennis since 1938.  Club.

But, the young prince was most passionate about cars and possessed a magnificent collection of several four-wheelers, both vintage and new. Because he drove a lot and for his fondness of cars, the Mercedes Benz company in Stuttgart honored him with several medals.

In 1945, Uthradom Thirunal got married to Shrimati Radhadevi Pandalai, who later became the Ammachi Panapillai Amma (consort of the ruling monarch of the Travancore royal family). Together, they had a son, Ananthapadmanabhan Thampi and a daughter, Parvathidevi Kochamma.

In 1952, Sree Uthradom Thirunal, having moved to Bangalore with his family, began working at the firm of the Plymouth Motor Company. His royal background had little impact on the way he was treated at the company, as ensured by his trainer. It was in Plymouth where Uthradom realized his passion for automobiles and entrepreneurship. He acquired basic industrial knowledge by working as a clerk and also as a truck driver. Some of his contemporaries, even pictured him as the next Henry Ford, had he strived for it. His experience in the corporate organizational settings was quite useful when he later became the CEO of the family-owned spice-owned company, Aspinwall. In Bangalore, he also founded the Varma Industries Pvt Ltd, that dealt with the manufacture of rexine and other fabrics for cars.

He could have been a successful entrepreneur, but fate had some other plans for the young prince, who was soon summoned by his family in Travancore.

In 1991, the last ruling monarch and the elder brother of Uthradom Thirunal, Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, passed away. Although the kingdom of Travancore had formally ceased to exist from 1952, the erstwhile ruling families still retained regional significance and carried out several royal duties that were mostly ceremonial in nature. Hence, after the death of his brother, Uthradom Thirunal became the titular Maharaja of Travancore. He also became the ritual head of the Sree Padmanavaswamy Temple and carried out the daily ceremonies, expected of all the royals in Travancore. He was the hereditary custodian, trustee and the dasa (servant) of the temple. One of the most fascinating things about the royal family of Travancore is their relationship of utmost devotion and surrender to their Lord Padmanava (incarnation of Vishnu). The family have stressed repeatedly over the years that, the Travancore ruling family belonged to the Lord Padmanava and ruled only on his behalf.

Sree Uthradom Thirunal: “We are rulers on His behalf, I live because of His grace”.

As the head of the royal family, he visited the temple every day to share the day’s events with the Lord. Failing to do so, he had to pay a fine and seek forgiveness from the Lord. Inside the temple, he was not a ruler born with wealth and power, but a humble servant (dasa), who lived to serve the Lord. In his later years, he came at the centre of a controversy surrounding the massive amounts of wealth discovered in the vaults of the Padmavaswamy temple. However, the Maharaja, arguing that the wealth was the possession of the Lord alone, gave up all personal claims.

Maharaja Uthradom Thirunal was humble and lived by the motto of simple living and high thinking. He lived with his son and daughter in the Pattom Palace, Trivandrum till his death in 2013. Humility is seldom associated with a person born into royalty. But Maharajah Thirunal lived up to his title. He was a man of vision and intellect, who had a significant influence on the making of modern Kerala. He was the patron of the Sree Uthradom Thirunal Hospital, Muthalamada Sneham Charitable Trust, Sneham Super Speciality Hospital Project, and several other charity projects. In the span of 91 years he lived, Sree Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma amassed a wealth of knowledge and gained utmost reverence from his people. His recognition goes beyond the Indian borders as he was well acquainted with several important personalities from around the world. He was a maharaja, who lived by his simple ideals. He was a king, who lived beyond his title.

The “padmanavadasa”, Maharaja Uthradom Thiruanal, on his way to offer his daily services to Lord Padmanavaswamy. Image Source: BlogSpot