- Gowri Lakshmi Bayi of Travancore
Padmanabha Sevini Vanchi Dharma Vardhini Raja Rajeshwari Maharani Gowri Lakshmi Bayi (1791 -1814) was the
Maharani of the Indian state ofTravancore from 1811 till 1813 and Regent from 1813 till her death in 1814 for her sonSwathi Thirunal Rama Varma. She was the only Queen of Travancore to have reigned in her own right for two years before becoming a regent.Background
Gowri Lakshmi Bayi was born in the year 1791 to Princess Attham Thirunal, Senior Rani of
Attingal of theTravancore Royal Family , adopted sister of MaharajahBalarama Varma . Attham Thirunal was adopted into theTravancore family fromKolathunad in 1788. The Maharanis ofTravancore were styled as the "Ranis of Attingal". Gowri Lakshmi Bayi was one ofTravancore s most popular Queens and introduced several reforms in the state.Accession
The unpopular Maharajah Bala Rama Varma, during whose reign Travancore faced a number of internal and external problems, revolts and unnecessary battles and conspiracies, including the most important revolt of
Velu Thampi Dalawa , died in 1811. At the death of the Maharajah, Gowri Lakshmi Bayi, the senior Rani of Attingal, was barely twenty years of age. There were no eligible male members in the family which meant she would have to take overTravancore and rule it as regent till such an heir would be born to her. However her accession was not easy because a member of theMavelikara Royal family, a distant cousin, Prince Kerala Varma, who was the pet of the previous ruler, staked a claim on the throne which was anything but unsubstantiated. The Princess placed in the hands of the British Resident Col. John Munro, one ofTravancore 's most loved British Residents, a document asserting her claim and proving the claim of Kerala Varma untenable. This irked Kerala Varma who resorted to tact and tried to convince the Princess to give up her claim. However the Resident sided with Gowri Lakshmi Bayi and she was made the Regent Maharani ofTravancore in 1811. Kerala Varma was permitted to reside atTrivandrum , the capital; but when he tried to create further troubles, he was imprisoned and banished fromTravancore .Colonel Munro Dewan
On of the earliest acts of Gowri Lakshmi Bayi was Regent was to dismiss the existing
Dewan or Prime Minister, Ummini Thampi. Ummini Thampi was accused of squandering money and acquiring all the property of the vanquished rebel freedom fighterVelu Thampi Dalawa and others. He was dismissed and when he tried to cause further trouble he was imprisoned and punished after being found guilty of conspiracy against the Regent Maharani Gowri Lakshmi Bayi. The Maharani was now asked to nominate some individual for the post ofDewan , to which she stated that she found no eligible individual and would like to appoint the Resident Colonel John Munro as herDewan . Accordingly, Munro became Dewan ofTravancore in 1811.Government Reforms
* The
Dewan Col. Munro informed the Maharani of the widespread corruption in her Government owing to the practice of giving all power, administrative and judicial, to a single officer right from village level to district level. To end this the Proverticars (village officers), Kariakkars (Taluka officers) and the district officials were all deprived of their judicial powers and instead a Court of Appeal and five District Courts atPadmanabhapuram ,Mavelikara ,Trivandrum , Vaikam and Alwaye were established and modern judicial system was introduced inTravancore . The Courts had each two judges and aBrahmin Sastri. The judges were chosen only from theBrahmin andNair castes and theChristian community ofTravancore . For the trial of Government servants another court known as the "Huzhur" court was also established.* The Police was reorganised in
Travancore during the reign of Maharani Gowri Lakshmi Bayi at the suggestion of Col. John MunroDewan .* Deprived of magasterial and judicial power, the district and village officials now could concentrate their attention on the collection of revenue alone, curtailing their power greatly and making them subject to judicial trial in case of misconduct. The revenue department was cleaned of corruption and revenue collection became smoother and organised.
ocial Reforms
* All males excepting of the
Brahmin andNair castes and a few communities from theChristian andIslam ic religions had to pay a certain capitation tax, taxes on festivals, taxes on inheritance of property was abolished.
*Travancore contained a large number of "Devaswoms" or Temple Corporations that held vast areas of land and controlled most of the important and wealthy temples in the country. These corporations had fallen prey to corruption and mismanagement and they next engaged theDewan s attention. More than three hundred of the biggest temples ofTravancore were appropriated by the Government under a Devaswom Board and cleared of corruption and mismanagement.
* By a Royal Proclamation in 1812, Her Highness Maharani Gowri Lakshmi Bayi, abolished the purchase and sale of all slaves and granted them independence excepting those attached to the soil for agricultural purposes.Syrian Christian s were freed from their attachment to temples and castes like theEzhava s, Kaniyans etc. were given independence from their Lords.
* A vaccination department was started inTravancore in 1813 under her regency. Finding orthodox reservations amongst her subjects with regard to vaccination, the Queen first vaccinated herself and other members of the Royal family to reassure her people.Change in Dewanship
In 1814 Col. JOhn Munro resigned his Dewanship as it was not a permanent arrangement for the Resident to take that post. In his stead the Judge of the Appeal Court, Devan Padmanabhan was appointed as
Dewan . However he soon after died from smallpox. In his place, one of Col. Munro's assistants, Bappu Rao, was appointed asDewan ofTravancore in that same year.Family and Demise of the Maharani
The Maharani was married to a Koil Thampuran, Prince Rajaraja Varma Avargal of the
Changanassery Royal Family. From this marriage Gowri Lakshmi Bayi had issue two sons and a daughter. Her daughter was Maharani Gowri Rukmini Bayi born in 1809. Her eldest son was born on 16th April 1813, the famous MaharajahSwathi Thirunal who was a musician and artist and ruled independently from 1829-1846. He married a lady who belonged to the ThiruvattarAmmaveedu family. The Maharani next had a son in 1814, MaharajahUthram Thirunal who ruled from 1846-1860. The Maharani Gowri Lakshmi Bayi started losing her health after giving birth to Uthram Thirunal and died in 1814 within a few days of his birth. She was succeeded as Regent Maharani by her sister,Gowri Parvati Bayi . Her only daughter, who was now the only female in the matriarchal Travancore Royal Family, Gowri Rukmini Bayi married Rama Varma Koil Thampuran ofThiruvalla Royal Family in 1819 and had seven children, five sons and two daughters. One of these daughters died soon while the other married and had two sons, includingMoolam Thirunal Sir Rama Varma.She too died in 1857 after the birth ofMoolam Thirunal and so in 1858 two princesses were adopted from theMavelikara Royal family into Travancore.ee also
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Travancore
*Maharani
*Swathi Thirunal
*Moolam Thirunal
*Nair
* AmmaveeduReferences
*
Travancore State Manual by V.Nagam Aiya
* History of Travancore by Shungunny Menon
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