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Swathi Thirunal
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Swati Tirunal was born into the Vanchi royal
family on April 16, 1813. He was the second child of the Regent Queen
Gowri Lakshmi Bai who ruled Travancore during 1811-1815, and Rajaraja
Varma Koyithampuran of Changanasseri Palace. He had an elder sister (Rugmini
Bai) and a younger brother (Uthram Tirunal Marthanda Varma). Rani Lakshmi
Bai passed away about two months after the birth of her third child. After
her death, her younger sister Gowri Parvathi Bai was in charge of the
state and the children. Since Rama Varma was just seventeen months old
when his mother passed away, Gowri Parvathi Bai ruled for fourteen years
before Swati Tirunal took over as the king. When he was just four months
old, his mother invited Col. Munroe (who was the representative of the
British East India Company) and his officials and declared in the Durbar
that she was entrusting the East India Company with the care of her child
and expected the Company to co-operative with him in future. The famous
poet and composer Irayimman Thampi is said to have written the song
Omanathinkalkkitavo nalla komalathamarappuvo, perhaps the most famous
lullaby in Malayalam, about Swati Tirunal when he was born.
Both his aunt/foster mother, well-versed in music and dance, and his father, a Sanskrit scholar. took special care about his education. Col. Munroe also is said to have taken interest in his education. He started learning Malayalam and Sanskrit at the age of six and English at the age of seven. The young Prince studied several languages, including Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Sanskrit, English and Persian. He impressed all his teachers, and even guests from abroad, with his keen understanding of not only languages but also other subjects like geometry. P. Sankunni Menon (A History of Travancore from the Earlier Times, 1878) records an incident when Swati Tirunal told Col. Welsh, a visiting British officer, that the word geometry and words like hexagon, septagon and so on were derived from Sanskrit. Swati Tirunal was deeply interested in music right from childhood. He tried to learn the languages in which he found good music. His education in music started with the first lessons from Karamana Subrahmania Bhagavathar and Karamana Padmanabha Bhagavathar. Later, he studied music from his English teacher Subbarao. He continued to learn music by listening to accomplished musicians and practicing himself. This was a period when music and art were thriving in many parts of South India. The triumvirate of Carnatic music, Thyagaraja (1757-1847), Shyama Shastri (1767-1827) and Muthuswami Dikshitar (1775-1835), lived and enriched music during this period. Swati Tirunal's palace also was home to many musicians and artistes of the period, including the well-known Vativelu brothers, Thyagaraja's disciple Kannayya Bhagavathar, Ananthapadmanabha Goswami (a Maharashtrian singer known as Kokilakanthameru swami), Shadkala Govinda Marar, and many others. Swati Tirunal took over the reins of Travancore from his aunt at the age of sixteen. He appointed his teacher Subbarao as the Diwan, without consulting either his aunt or the East India Company, which the then Resident reported to the Company. However, the Company did not trouble him on this issue. One of his first moves was to shift the government secretariat from Kollam to Thiruvananthapuram. This enabled him to spend time looking after government affairs. He took steps to curb corruption in the government, and told even the Diwan to resign when he heard that the Diwan had acted to favour a particular party in a land dispute. He started an English school at Thiruvananthapuram in 1834, which came to be called the Raja's Government Free School and later became Maharaja's High School and then Maharaja's College. This is now the University College. Later, similar schools were started at many other places. He also implemented reforms in the legal sector, starting Munisif, District and Appellate Courts and modernising laws. He identified on Kandan Menon from Malabar and appointed him as Huzoor Diwan Peshkar to bring about legal reforms. Another of his achievements was to settle many land disputes by carrying out a resurvey of the land, in which also Menon helped him. He also conducted the first census of the state in 1836. As per the census, the population of Travancore was 1,28,068. Swati Tirunal was also instrumental in bringing modern medicine to the state. He appointed a European as the palace physician. He was also given the responsibility of providing medical assistance to local people, for which hospitals were started. It is this post that was known as Surgeon General till the formation of Kerala State. He also started an engineering department, which was placed under the command of one Lietenant Horsley. The Karamana bridge was built at that time. Another area where Swati Tirunal took
interest was in astronomy. He wished to compare Western findings with
Indian knowledge. For this, he invited one Caldecott, an industrial
representative who lived in Alapuzha, who used to fabricate instruments
for astronomical observations. Finding that there was much common between
western and Indian knowledge about the universe, Swati Tirunal started an
observatory and placed Caldecott in charge. Started in 1837, some of the
equipment is still to be seen at the Thiruvananthapuram observatory (now
under the Department of Physics, University of Kerala). He is also
credited with starting the first government press (the only press at that
time was CMS Press in Kottayam), and the museum and zoo in
Thiruvananthapuram. |
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Swati Tirunal's Compositions: Adrisutha vara Kalyani Adi Aho chitha Sankarabharanam Misrachap Alarsara parithapam Suruti Misra Chap Anjaneya Saveri Adi Aradhayami Bilahari Misrachap Bhaja bhaja manasa Sindhu bhairavi Adi Bhaktha parayana Sankarabharanam Misrachap Bharathi mamava Thodi Adi Bhavadeeya katha Bhairavi Adi Bhavathi viswaso Mukhari Thriputa Bhavayami nandakumaram Sree Roopakam Bhavayami raghuramam Ragamalika Roopakam Bhavaye gopa Pushpalathika Roopakam Bhavaye padmanabham Madhyamavati Adi Bhavaye sree gopalam Punnaga varali Roopakam Bhavaye sree janaki Sreeranjani Adi Bhogeendra sayinam Kunthalavarali Jampa Bhujaga saayino Yadukulakamboji Roopakam Chaliya kunjanamo Brindavana saranga Adi Charu pankaja Kamboji Adi Chinthayami the Bhairavi Adi Chinthaye padmanabham Mohanam Misrachap Dani samajendra Thodi Adi Deva deva kalpayami Nadanamakriya Roopakam Deva mamayi Kedara gowla Misrachap Devadeva Jagadiswara Poorvikalyani Adi Devadeva mam Thodi Misra Chap Devi jagajjanani Sankarabharanam Adi Devi pavane Saveri Adi Dina mana hridi mama Sourashtram Adi Dyayami sreeraghu Madyamavathi Jampa Gamgeya vasana Hamirkalyani Adi Gopalam Bilahari Roopakam Hahantha vamchitaham Dhanyasi Adi Harasimuda kamu Manji Adi Indumukhi Sankarabharanam Ata Ithu Sahasa Sainhdavi Adi Jagadisa pancha Nadhanamakriya Adi Jagadisa sada mamava Natta kurinji Adi Jagadisa sri Nagagandhari Adi Jalaja nabha Kedaragowla Misra Chap Janani mamava Bhairavi Thriputa Janani pahi Sudha saveri Thriputa Jaya jagadisa Yamuna kalyani Adi Jaya jaya raghuramam Sahana Misrachap Jaya jaya rama ramana Devagandhari Jampa Jayajaya padmanabha Manirangu Adi Jayajaya padmanabha Sarasangi Adi Kalakani Neelambari Misrachap Kalayami namda kamaneeya Kannada Misrachap Kalayami raghu ramam Begada Misrachap Kalayami sree ramam Dhanyasi Roopakam Kalaye Jemjuti Roopkam Kalaye Parvathi natham Sankarabharanam Misrachap Kalaye deva deva Malahari Jampa Kamajanaka Gowla Adi Kamalajasya hrutha Ragamalika Adi Kantha thava Atana Adi Karanam vina Kamboji Misra Chap Karunakara madhava Begada Roopakam Kosalendra Madhyamavathi Adi Krupaya palaya Charukesi Misra Chap Kunjanabha daya Saranga Adi Madhava makalaye Jemjuti Adi Mamava jagadiswara Saraswathimanohari Adi Mamava karunaya Shanmukhapriya Misra Chap Mamava padmanabha Varali Misra Chap Mamava sada janani Kanada Roopakam Mamava sada varade Nattakurinji Roopakam Mamavanada padmanabha Gowlipanthu Misrachap Mamavasritha Bhavapriya Adi Mandhara dhara Thodi Thriputa Mathanga thanaya Panthuvarali Adi Mohana thava Mohanam Adi Mohanamayi Yadukulakamboji Misra Chap Nanda sutha thava Kurinji Jampa Narasimha mamava Arabhi Jampa Nrithyathi nrithyathi Sankarabharanam Adi Padasanathi Kamboji Misrachap Padmanabha pahi Hindolam Adi Pahi jagajjanani Hamsanandi Adi Pahi jagajjanani Vachaspathi Adi Pahi janani santhatham Natta kurinji Thriputa Pahi padmanabha Bilahari Adi Pahi parvatha nandini Arabhi Adi Pahi sada Mukhari Roopakam Pahi sreepathe Hamsadhwani Adi Pahi tharakshupura Jaganmohini Adi Pahimam Saveri Roopakam Pahimam sree Kalyani Adi Pahimamanisam Sainhdavi Adi Pahitha Anandabhairavi Adi Palaya madhava Asaveri Adi Palaya raghunayaka Saranga Misra Chap Palaya sree padmanabha Mukhari Misrachap Palaya suda mamayi Darbar Adi Palayamam deva deva Poornachandrika Thisra Adi Pancha bana thanu Poorvi kalyani Adi Pankajaksha thava Thodi Roopakam Pannaga sayana pahi Paraju Misrachap Pannagendra sayana Ragamalika Roopakam Parama Bhadrakara Dvijavanthi Adi Parama purusha Ahari Misrachap Parama purusha Vasantham Adi Parama purusham Lalithapanchamam Jampa Paramanada natana Kedaram Adi Paripahi ganadhipa Saveri Adi Paripahimam Mohanam Adi Paripalayamam Rithigowla Roopakam Parvathi nayaka Bowli Adi Pavana suguna Ananda bhairavi Adi Raghukula thilaka Bhairavi Adi Rajivaksha Sankarabharanam Adi Rama pathe Bhairavi Adi Ramachandra pahi Poornachandrika Adi Ramarama guna Simhendramadyamam Xdi Ramarama pahi Bhoopalam Roopakam Ramarama pahi Devagandhari Roopakam Rasavilasa Kamboji Adi Reenamadadrutha Sri Adi Reenamadanutha Bihag Adi Sadaramava Saraswathi Adi Sadaramava Suruti Adi Sakhihe nee gamikka Sankarabharanam Thriputa Samajendra Revagupthi Adi Sambo sathatham Karnatakakapi Adi Sami ninne Yadukulakamboji Ata Samodam Thodi Adi Samodam chinthayami Udayaravichandrika Misra Chap Samodam pari Ramapriya Adi Sankara sreegiri Hamsanandi Adi Santhatam bhajamiha Bilahari Misrachap Sarasa sama mridu Gowrimanohari Adi Sarasa samamukha Kamas Adi Sarasa suvadana Kalyani Adi Sarasaksha paripalaya Panthuvarali Adi Saraseeruha nabha Kedaram Misrachap Sarasijababha Mayamalavagowla Adi Sarasijanabha Kamboji Ata Sarasijanabha murare Thodi Misrachap Saroja nabha Chakravakam Adi Saroruhasana Panthuvarali Adi Sathatham thavaka Kharaharapriya Adi Savamarusha Kamas Adi Schala mela Sankarabharanam Ata Seve nanda nandanam Navaroj Misrachap Seve syanandooreswara Kalyani Adi Smarahari padaravindam Sama Adi Smarajanaka subha Bihagm Thriputa Smaramanasa padmanabha Darbar Roopakam Smarasada manasa Bilahari Adi Sowre vitharukugalu Darbar Adi Sree ramachandra Huseni Adi Sreekumara Atanam Adi Sreerama chandra Thodi Adi Sreeramana vibho Arabhi Adi Suma sayaka Karnatakakapi Roopakam Thapa samana Saranga natta Roopakam Thavaka namani Kedara gowla Jampa Thavaka padambuja Suruti Misrachap Theliviyalu Punnagavarali Misra Chap Valaputala vasama Atana Misrachap Vanajaksha Saveri Ata Vande deva deva Begada Roopakam Vande sada Paraju Adi Vande sadapadma Navarasakannada Adi Vimala kamala dala Neelambari Adi Viraha manasa rame Kapi Misra Chap Viraha manasa sada Sudhabhairavi Adi |
