princely state · Indian princely states
Travancore
Origins
Marthanda Varma, ruler of the small chiefdom of Venad from 1729, crushed rival nobles, annexed neighbouring principalities and defeated the Dutch East India Company at Colachel in 1741. In 1750 he dedicated the enlarged kingdom to the deity Padmanabha, ruling thereafter as the god's servant from Thiruvananthapuram.
Rule and society
Travancore allied with the British against Tipu Sultan and became a subsidiary ally in 1795 and 1805; the diwan Velu Thampi's revolt of 1809 was suppressed. Rulers such as Swathi Thirunal patronised music and learning, and the state invested early in schools, so that literacy rose far above the Indian average. The Temple Entry Proclamation of 1936 opened state temples to all Hindus. Its economy rested on pepper, coconut and rubber.
Decline and legacy
In 1947 the diwan C. P. Ramaswami Iyer proposed independence, but after protests and an attack on him the Maharaja acceded to India. On 1 July 1949 Travancore merged with Cochin to form Travancore-Cochin, the core of Kerala from 1956.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- Travancore was a protectorate of Company rule in India1795 CE – 1858 CE
- Travancore was a protectorate of British Raj1858 CE – 1947 CE
More states of Indian princely states →
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Travancore. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/travancore
- MLA
- “Travancore.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/travancore. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Travancore.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/travancore.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Travancore’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/travancore (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻