COINS OF TRAVANCORE

LOCATED IN EXTREME SOUTH EAST INDIA,THE KINGDOM OF TRAVANCORE WAS A FORMER HINDU FEUDAL KNIGDOM(TILL 1858) AND INDIAN PRINCELY STATE THAT HAD BEEN RULED BY THE TRAVANCORE ROYAL FAMILY FROM THE CAPITAL AT  PADMANABHAPURAM OR THIRUVANANTHAPURAM.

THE KINGDOM OF TRAVANCORE AT ITS ZENITH COMPRISED MOST OF MODERN DAY MIDDLE AND SOUTHERN KERALA, KANYAKUMARI DISTRICT, AND THE SOUTHERN MOST PARTS OF TAMIL NADU.

THE OFFICIAL FLAG OF THE STATE WAS RED WITH A DEXTRALLY-COILED SILVER CONCH SHELL AT ITS CENTRE. THE KING OF THE STATE WAS ACCORDED 19-GUN SALUTE,THE SECOND HIGHEST AMONG THE HONORARY GUN SALUTES THAT WERE GRANTED BY THE BRITISH EMPIRE TO HONOUR THE HEADS OF THE PRINCELY STATES.

THE STATE GOVERNMENT TOOK MANY PROGRESSIVE STEPS IN THE SOCIO ECONOMIC FRONT AND THE STATE WAS ONE AMONG THE BEST PRINCELY STATES, WITH REPUTED ACHIEVEMENTS IN EDUCATION,POLITICAL ADMINISTRATION, PUBLIC WORK AND SOCIAL REFORMS.

KING MARTHANDA VARMA ( 1729-1758) FOUNDED THE MODERN KINGDOM OF TRAVANCORE BY MILITARILY EXPANDING THE KINGDOM OF VENAD.

HE HAILED FROM THE KINGDOM OF THRIPPAPPUR,ONE OF THE BRANCHES OF THE VENAD ROYAL FAMILY WHO TRACE THEIR ORIGIN BACK TO THE AY KINGDOM AND LATER CHERA KINGDOM.

IN 1741, TRAVANCORE WON THE BATTLE OF COLACHEL AGAINST THE DUTCH EAST INDIA COMPANY, RESULTING IN THE COMPLETE ECLIPSE OF DUTCH POWER IN THE REGION. IN THIS BATTLE,THE ADMIRAL OF THE DUTCH, EUSTACHIUS DE LANNOY,WAS CAPTURED, LATER HE JOINED THE TRAVANCORE ARMY AND ROSE UP TO BECOME THE COMMANDER OF THE TRAVANCORE FORCES AND MODERNISED THE TRAVANCORE ARMY BY INTRODUCING BETTER FIREARMS,ARTILLERY AND THE EUROPEAN STYLE OF MILITARY DRILLS AND DISCIPLINE.

THE TRAVANCORE-DUTCH WAR(1739-1753) IS THE EARLIEST EXAMPLE OF AN ASIAN STATE OVERCOMING A EUROPEAN POWER IN WAR.

TRAVANCORE  BECAME THE MOST DOMINANT STATE IN THE KERALA REGION BY DEFEATING THE POWERFUL ZAMORIN OF CALICUT IN THE BATTLE AT PURAKKAD.

RAMAYYAN DALAWA,THE PRIME MINISTER(1737-1756) OF MARTHANDA VARMA,ALSO PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THIS CONSOLIDATION AND EXPANSION, TRAVANCORE OFTEN ALLIED WITH THE ENGLISH EAST INDIA COMPANY IN MILITARY CONFLICTS.

DURING THE REIGN OF DHARMA RAJA,MARTHANDA VARMA'S SUCCESSOR,TIPU SULTAN,THE DE FACTO RULER OF  KINGDOM  OF  MYSORE AND THE SON OF HYDER ALI, ATTACKED TRAVANCORE AS  A  PART OF THE MYSOREAN  INVASION OF  KERALA,THIS LED TO THE THIRD ANGLO- MYSORE WAR,AS TRAVANCORE WAS AN ALLY OF THE ENGLISH EAST INDIA COMPANY.

IN 1804 AND 1808-09,TRAVANCORE WITNESSED TWO ARMED REBELLIONS,THE FIRST ONE DIRECTED AGAINST THE THEN PRIME MINISTER OF TRAVANCORE, VELU THAMPI DALAWA AND THE SECOND ONE AGAINST THE EAST INDIA COMPANY UNDER  THE  LEADERSHIP OF VELU  THAMPI  DALAWA.

FOLLOWING DALAWA VELU THAMPI'S REQUEST, THE 1805 REBELLION WAS PUT DOWN BY THE ENGLISH EAST INDIA COMPANY AND THE COMPANY'S FORCES PUT DOWN THAMPI'S OWN 1808-09 REBELLION. BOTH OF THESE WERE NOT DIRECTED AGAINST THE KING,WHO DID NOT ACTIVELY GET INVOLVED IN ANY OF THE TWO,TILL THE ISSUE HAD BEEN DECIDED.

CHITHIRA THIRUNAL,THE LAST KING OF TRAVANCORE, MADE THE TEMPLE ENTRY PROCLAMATION IN 1936 ABOLISHING THE BAN ON LOW-CASTE PEOPLE FROM ENTERING HINDU TEMPLES.

AT THE SAME TIME C.P.RAMASWAMI IYER,CHITHIRA THIRUNAL'S PRIME MINISTER IS REMEMBERED FOR THE RUTHLESS SUPPRESSION OF A LOCAL STRUGGLE ORGANISED BY THE COMMUNISTS,KNOW AS THE PUNNAPRA- VAYALAR UPRISING.

WHEN UNITED KNIGDOM ACCEPTED DEMANDS FOR A PARTITION AND ANNOUNCED ITS INTENTION TO QUIT INDIA,THE KING OF TRAVANCORE,CHITHIRA THIRUNAL, ISSUED A DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE ON 18TH JUNE 1947. THE DECLARATION WAS UNACCEPTABLE TO THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA, MANY ROUNDS OF NEGOTIATION WERE CONDUCTED AMONG THE DIWAN, C.P.RAMASWAMI IYER,AND THE INDIAN REPRESENTATIVES. ON 23RD JULY 1947 THEY DECIDED IN FAVOUR OF THE ACCESSION TO THE INDIAN UNION,PENDING APPROVAL BY THE KING.

AN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON THE DIWAN BY THE COMMUNISTS ON 25 TH JULY CAUSED TO HASTEN THE ACCESSION OF TRAVANCORE STATE TO THE INDIAN UNION.

TRAVANCORE AND THE PRINCELY STATE OF COCHIN MERGED ON 1ST JULY TO FORM THE INDIAN STATE OF TRAVANCORE-COCHIN.

LATER TRAVANCORE-COCHIN JOINED WITH THE MALABAR DISTRICT OF MADRAS STATE, ON 1ST NOVEMBER 1956, TO FORM THE INDIAN STATE OF KERALA.

RULERS OF TRAVANCORE

BALA RAMA VARMA I - ME 973-986 /  1798-1810 AD 
RANI PARVATHI BAI,REGENT - ME 990-1004 / 1815 - 1829 AD
RAMA VARMA III - ME 1004 - 1022 / 1829 - 1847 AD
MARTANDA VARMA II - ME 1022 - 1035 / 1847 - 1860 AD
RAMA VARMA IV - ME 1035 - 1055 / 1860 - 1880 AD
RAMA VARMA V - ME 1057 - 1062 / 1880 - 1885 AD
RAMA VARMA VI - ME 1062 - 1101 / 1885 - 1924 AD
SETHU LAKSHMI BAYI ( REGENT) - ME 1101- 1107 / 1924 - 1931 AD
BALA RAMA VARMA II - ME 1101 - 1126 / 1924 - 1949 AD


MONETARY SYSTEM 

16 CASH ( KASU ) = 1 CHUCKRAM 
4 CHUCKRAM = 1 FANAM
2 FANAMS = 1 ANANTARAYA
7 FANAMS = 1 RUPEE
52 1/2 FANAM = 1 PAGODA

DATING 

ME - MALABAR ERA 
ADD 824 0R 825 TO THE ME DATE FOR THE AD DATE 
( I.E. ME 1112 PLUS 824-825 = 1936-37)

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Malayalam numerals	൦	൧	൨	൩	൪	൫	൬	൭	൮	൯

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RULER :  RAMA VARMA IV                            

YEAR:ND 

DENOMINATION :ONE CHUCKRUM

METAL :SILVER

WEIGHT :0.40 GRAMS 

DIAMETER :7 MM

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RULER : RAMA VARMA VI                            

YEAR: ND (1901-10)

DENOMINATION : ONE CASH 

METAL : COPPER

WEIGHT : 0.61 GRAMS

DIAMETER : 11 MM

_________________________________________________________

RULER : RAMA VARMA VI                              

YEAR: ND (1901-10 AD )

DENOMINATION : 4 CASH 

METAL : COPPER

WEIGHT : 2.52 GRAMS 

DIAMETER : 18 MM

_______________________________________

RULER :  RAMA VARMA VI                                 

YEAR: ND ( 1906-35)

DENOMINATION : 8 CASH 

METAL : COPPER

WEIGHT : 4.93 GRAMS

DIAMETER : 22 MM

_______________________________________________________

RULER :   RAMA VARMA VI                                

YEAR: ND (1906-35 )

DENOMINATION : ONE CHUCKRUM

METAL : COPPER

WEIGHT : 9.92 GRAMS

DIAMETER : 26 MM

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RULER :  RAMA VARMA VI                            

YEAR: ND (1901)

DENOMINATION : 2 CHUCKRUMS 

METAL : SILVER 

WEIGHT : 0.71 GRAMS 

DIAMETER : 11 MM

_________________________________________

RULER :  BALA RAMA VARMA II                              

YEAR: ND ( 1938-49)

DENOMINATION : 8 CASH 

METAL : BRONZE

WEIGHT : 3.82 GRAMS

DIAMETER : 22 MM

_______________________________________

RULER :  BALA RAMA VARMA II                            

YEAR: ND (1939-40)

DENOMINATION : ONE CHUCKRUM 

METAL : BRONZE 

WEIGHT : 7.64 GRAMS 

DIAMETER : 26.5 MM

_________________________________________

RULER : BALA RAMA VARMA II                            

YEAR: ME 1116 ( 1940-41 AD )

DENOMINATION : ONE FANAM

METAL : SILVER ( 0.50 FINENESS)

WEIGHT : 1.50 GRAMS 

DIAMETER : 15.5 MM

__________________________________________