Legends of Travancore- A Numismatic Heritage

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About the Book The Kingdom of Travancore in the Southern part of India was a native state in British India which was well known for its progressive outlook. Its enlightened royalty ruled the country as Sree Padmanabha Dasa. They had in place a well oiled administrative mechanism that implemented various programs and reforms, resulting in an overall development of Travancore. Though Travancore was under the colonial rulers, there was well-orchestrated administrative machinery for coinage. Coins were minted as per the specifications ordered by the periodically issued Royal Proclamations. It is creditable that Travancore retained its independence in its functioning to a large extent. This book is an insight into the coins of Modern Travancore (from 1729 CE) which not only reflects the religious beliefs of the rulers, but also sketches the socio-political atmosphere of the period.

About the Author Dr Joseph Thomas hailing from Thiruvananthapuram, is a Professor of Urology at Manipal University in India. His passion for collecting coins developed into a serious numismatic pursuit. His special area of interest is the study of the history of Venad and Travancore. His detailed study of the Travancore coins and the various related issues give an insight into the rich numismatic heritage of modern Travancore. He is a Life Member of the Philatelic and Numismatic Association of Thiruvananthapuram and a Life Member of the South Indian Numismatic Society, Chennai.

Foreword The Princely State of Travancore located in the southernmost tip of the Indian sub-continent shared a special position with the other important princely states of India like Baroda, Jaipur, Mysore, and Patiala and Hyderabad during the British Raj. It excelled in the field of Trade and Commerce, Education and Literacy, Health Care, Culture and Fine Arts, and had ranked foremost many times even surpassing the previously mentioned Kingdoms in economic and social indicators.

Travancore is also remembered for its numismatic wealth. Between 17th and 19th centuries, only a very few princely states had the right to coinage, which included Hyderabad, Mewar, Jaipur, Tonka, Orchcha and of course Travancore in copper and silver; Bundi, Jaisalmer, Kishangarh and Kutch in silver; and Bahawalpur, Baroda, Gwalior, Indore, Jodhpur, Junagadh, Pudukkotai, Ratlam and Sailana in copper coins. Among these states, Jaisalmer, Orchcha and Kishangarh do not seem to have exercised their right to issue coins or their coins are unknown due to some other reasons.

One of the main reasons for possessing such a right to coinage was the economic strength of the Princely States. Recently, many numismatists have been attributing great importance to Travancore coins due to their aesthetic appeal and iconographic importance.

According to many historians, the first mint of Travancore was established in Padmanabhapuram during the time of King Ravi Varma Kulashekhara (1595 - 1609). This mint was active even during the times of King Veera Bala Marthanda Varma (1729 - 1758) and King Rama Varma alias Dharma Raja (1758 - 1798) up to the time of Bala Rama Varma (1798 - 1810). But there were royal mints both in Thiruvithamcore and Eraniel during the Venad times before Ravi Varma Kulashekhara. These mints were seen as symbols of sovereignty and royal authority of erstwhile Travancore or Venad over their feudatories like Vijayanagara and Pandya Kingdoms. Raja Keshava Das, the able Dewan of Dharma Raja (1789 - 1798) and a pragmatic economist, was responsible for the propagation and popularization of anantharaayan coins over raashi and kaliyan coins. His later successor, Velu Thampi Dalawa (1799 - 1809) was the person credited for connoting the local term chackram for coins when he ordered the manufacturing and popularization of sudarshana chackram coins.

Though the State of Travancore was restrained from minting gold coins, the thulabhara coins and the coins minted during the royal investitures are worth notable. Mathilakom Records (1375 CE - 1798 CE) throw light on the 16 penances or shodasha daanam, which were considered mandatory for the monarchs of Venad to attain the title of Kulashekhara Perumal.

So, for the performance of ritualistic penances like thulapurusha daanam and hiranyagarbham at Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple, the Monarch would require gold coins of his weight and this necessitated the minting of thulabhara coins. However, the coins which were minted during the regal periods of both Ayillyam Thirunal Rama Varma (1860 - 1880) and Vishakham Thirunal Rama Varma (1880 - 1885) are considered to be very precious by numismatists all around the world. The silver coins minted during the time of Sri Chithira Thirunal Bala Rama Varma (1931 - 1949) are also considered valuable. These coins were minted at the Royal mint in Birmingham in England and the Silver coins were minted, either in Birmingham or in Bombay. The sufficient quantity of metal was duly provided by the erstwhile government of Travancore. The copper coins were minted, mainly at the mints of Padmanabhapuram and Thiruvananthapuram, though occasionally minting took place in Mavelikkara, Paravur and Karunagappally. The main reason behind giving importance to these coins by numismatists is due to the purity of gold and sharpness in quantity. The perfection attained on the obverse and reverse sides of these coins and the uniqueness in presenting the motifs are another reason to add more significance to them.

King Uthram Thirunal Marthanda Varma (1846 - 1860) and younger brother of Swathi Thirunal had the privilege of minting exceptional copper coins with the motifs of Lord Navaneetha Krishna, before the commencement of mechanized minting which had started during the time of Maharani Gouri Parvathi Bayi, the Queen Regent (1815 - 1829) with the technical support of Col Munroe, the then Dewan of Travancore. However, it is not clear about the circulation of these coins although a few are displayed at the numismatic gallery in Padmanabhapuram Palace. But the gold coins minted during the time of King Vishakham Thirunal Rama Varma are the most attractive and valuable ones. He ordered the manufacturing of these much acclaimed coins in 1881.

Preface The history of the Kingdom of Travancore could be traced back to many centuries. Its geographically advantageous position in the Southern part of India protected it from external influences, allowing it to evolve into a culture of its own. At the same time, its rich trade relations with the other countries had influenced the development of Travancore in different spheres of life. Travancore became truly a "God's own country" after the Thrippati Danam performed by Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma, the maker of Modern Travancore. After this dedication of the whole of the newly formed State to Lord Padmanabha, the Lord was considered as the real Ruler of Travancore. The Maharajas henceforth ruled on behalf of the Lord as Sree Padmanabha Dasa, which made the administration of the State and the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram interlinked. After India got Independence and the State of Kerala was formed, the administration of the State got separated from that of the Temple. But the Travancore Maharaja continued to look after the affairs of the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple.

Having been born and educated in Thiruvananthapuram, the erstwhile capital of Travancore, I was aware of its rich heritage, which stimulated me to pursue its history.

Coins had always fascinated me as they symbolized the uniqueness of the issuing authority. The history of the issuing country as well as its political, economic, social and culturol influences were represented in a coin. A crudely fashioned piece of metal with the legends of the issuing authority was commonly used as a coin initially. This evolved into more sophisticated coins minted with advanced modern technology. I also realized that collecting coins as a hobby was only the beginning of a more detailed numismatic study that would unravel the beauty of a coin. I felt that a deeper look into the details of the coinage of Travancore was definitely one of the best ways to trace the history of the Kingdom of Travancore.

My initial curiosity about the numismatic heritage of Travancore turned into a passion with the realization that Travancore had its own unique system of coinage. There was an organized system in place for minting of coins under separate administrative machinery for overseeing minting, distribution and withdrawal of coins. Travancore had its own mints (kammattoms) with coining techniques, coin stores (karuvelappura) and assessors (Shroff). Each of the Rulers had minted their own coins usually withdrawing the previously circulating coins. It was a significant achievement that the Travancore Rulers had closely guarded their right of coinage even when it was under the British power. The records related to coinage were meticulously maintained. Though the initial records were documented in palm leaves, the later records were notified in Travancore Gazettes and reported in the yearly Administrative Reports and Statistics. Some of the earlier mints and other related buildings had become Kerala Government Offices and establishments. Though it was not possible to locate some of the earlier buildings, the general locality was traced. This historical pursuit turned out to be a very educative and fruitful journey that re-emphasized the glorious past of Travancore. The Royal Proclamations, the Government Gazettes, Administrative Reports, Travancore Statistics and Travancore Almanacs gave details of the coins that were to be minted, the working of the Mint Establishment, the statistics of the coins minted, coins in circulation and coins that were withdrawn. There were many issues regarding the coinage that the people faced as it was intricately linked to daily life. The Editorials, Reports and News items in the Malayalam Daily Malayalam Manorama also provided a rich source of information about the coinage from 1894 CE.

The history of Modern Travancore covers the period from 904 - 1 124 ME/1729 - 1950 CE. During this time span, nine Maharajas and three Regents ruled Travancore. The extensive and rich numismatic heritage of Travancore made it a formidable task to study all the aspects related to coins issued by the various rulers. The history of Modern Travancore could be divided into three phases for the sake of convenience. The initial phase was the one that saw the annexation of the various principalities in the region and the successful thwarting of external invasions that led to the evolution of Travancore into a prominent State in South India. The second phase was the one of power play by different colonial powers in India that saw the English emerging as the supreme power. The Travancore British relationship was one of mutual respect and this special relationship augured well for the overall development of Travancore. The third phase saw the shifting of powers, which finally led to Indian Independence and the formation of the Indian Republic. The coins minted by the various Rulers of Modern Travancore were intricately linked with the socio-political scene that existed in the Kingdom during that period. This necessitated the study of these factors also, as they had a significant influence on the coinage of the period.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages