romance
Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to:
Common meanings
* Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings
* Romance languages, ...
novel
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...
Venad
Venad was a medieval kingdom lying between the Western Ghat mountains and the Arabian Sea on the south-western tip of India with its headquarters at the port city of Kollam/Quilon.Noburu Karashmia (ed.), A Concise History of South India: Is ...
(
Travancore
The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...
) during the final period of
Rajah Rama Varma
Rajah Rama Varma was the ruler of the Indian kingdom of Venad, later known as Travancore, in the modern day state of Kerala, India between 1724 and 1729, having succeeded his brother Unni Kerala Varma. He is better known as the uncle of Maharajah ...
’s reign and subsequently to the accession of
Marthanda Varma
Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (Malayalam: ) was the founding monarch of the southern Indian Kingdom of Travancore (previously Venadu) from 1729 until his death in 1758. He was succeeded by Rama Varma ("Dharma Raja") (1758–98).Subrahmany ...
. Set in
Kollavarsham
The Malayalam Calendar is a sidereal solar calendar used in Kerala. The origin of the calendar has been dated to 825 CE, the beginning of the Kollam Era.
There are many theories regarding the origin of the era, but according to recent schola ...
901–906 (Gregorian calendar: 1727–1732), the story revolves around three protagonists, Ananthapadmanabhan, Subhadra and Mangoikkal Kuruppu, who try to protect the title character from Padmanabhan Thambi and Ettu Veetil Pillamar who plan to oust him from the throne of
Travancore
The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...
. The novel utilizes rich allusions to the Indian subcontinent and Western, historical, cultural and literary traditions.
The historical plot is aided with the love story of Ananthapadmanabhan and Parukutty, the chivalric actions of the former, and the aspects of romanticism in the longing of Parukutty for her lover as well as in the
unrequited love
Unrequited love or one-sided love is love that is not openly reciprocated or understood as such by the beloved. The beloved may not be aware of the admirer's deep and pure affection, or may consciously reject it. The Merriam Webster Online Dic ...
of Zulaikha. The yesteryear politics of Venad is presented through the council of Ettuveettil Pillas, the subsequent claim of throne for Padmanabhan Thambi, the coup attempt, the patriotic conduct of Subhadra, and finally to her tragedy following the suppression of revolt. The intertwined representation of history and romance is attained through
classic
A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...
style of narration, which includes vernacular languages for various characters, rhetorical embellishments, and a blend of dramatic and archaic style of language suitable to the bygone period.
This novel is the first
historical novel
Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...
published in
Malayalam language
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
and in
south India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...
. The first edition,
self publish
Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an ebook or as a physical copy using POD (pr ...
ed by the author in 1891, received positive to mixed reviews, but book sales did not produce significant revenue. The revised edition, published in 1911, was an enormous success and became a bestseller. The story of
Travancore
The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...
is continued in the later novels, '' Dharmaraja'' (1913) and '' Ramarajabahadur'' (19181919). These three novels are together known as ''CV's Historical Narratives'' and ''C. V. Raman Pillai's Novel Trilogy'' in Malayalam literature.
The 1933 movie adaptation ''
Marthanda Varma
Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (Malayalam: ) was the founding monarch of the southern Indian Kingdom of Travancore (previously Venadu) from 1729 until his death in 1758. He was succeeded by Rama Varma ("Dharma Raja") (1758–98).Subrahmany ...
'' led to a legal dispute with the novel's publishers and became the first literary work in Malayalam to be the subject of a
copyright infringement
Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, s ...
. The novel has been translated into
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
,
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nati ...
, and
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
, and has also been abridged and adapted in a number of formats, including theater, radio, television, and comic book. The ''Marthandavarma'' has been included in the curriculum for courses offered by universities in
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
and
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
, as well as the curriculum of the
Kerala State Education Board
Kerala Board of Public Examination is the state level education board of Kerala. It is administerd by the Government of Kerala. The board is responsible for conducting various examinations on the basis of a unified law.Its Headquarters is locate ...
.
Historical background and context
The
Venad
Venad was a medieval kingdom lying between the Western Ghat mountains and the Arabian Sea on the south-western tip of India with its headquarters at the port city of Kollam/Quilon.Noburu Karashmia (ed.), A Concise History of South India: Is ...
kingdom under Ravi Varma (
Kollavarsham
The Malayalam Calendar is a sidereal solar calendar used in Kerala. The origin of the calendar has been dated to 825 CE, the beginning of the Kollam Era.
There are many theories regarding the origin of the era, but according to recent schola ...
859893,
Gregorian Calendar
The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years dif ...
: 16841718) had to resist foreign attacks and make the eventual payments of arrears to Madurai Nayaks; which resulted in the imposition of fresh taxes to meet the expenses. This made the feudal chieftains, the feudal lords (
Ettuveettil Pillamar
The Ettuveetil Pillamar (Lords of the Eight Houses) were nobles from eight ruling Houses in erstwhile Travancore in present-day Kerala state, South India. They were associated with the Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram and the Ettara ...
) and their confederates (Madampimar), who were once suppressed by Kerala Varma of
Kottayam
Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south-we ...
(
Wayanad
Wayanad () is a district in the north-east of Indian state Kerala with administrative headquarters at the municipality of Kalpetta. It is the only plateau in Kerala. The Wayanad Plateau forms a continuation of the Mysore Plateau, the southern ...
) during the period of
Umayamma Rani
"Aswathi Thirunal" Umayamma, known as Queen Umayamma or Queen Ashure (Aswathi),Papers and articles. "Holding Kings to Ransom – Royal Women in Matrilineal Kerala": Manu S. Pillai (2015 (died 1698), was the regent queen of Venad, Venad (Venatu) ...
, become recalcitrant. Ravi Varma was succeeded by Aditya Varma (Kollavarsham 893894, Gregorian Calendar:1718), and during his reign, resolutions were made by the local bodies in villages not to pay the taxes. Unni Kerala Varma succeeded to the throne, and during his reign, the feudal chieftains became more powerful as the King was weak in disposition. The forces once organized by Kerala Varma were disbanded and some of them took services under the feudal lords. Unni Kerala Varma was succeeded by Rama Varma in Kollavarsham 899 (Gregorian Calendar: 1724); during his reign the feudal lords grew stronger.
Rama Varma, pleased with the energy and intelligence of the then prince
Marthanda Varma
Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (Malayalam: ) was the founding monarch of the southern Indian Kingdom of Travancore (previously Venadu) from 1729 until his death in 1758. He was succeeded by Rama Varma ("Dharma Raja") (1758–98).Subrahmany ...
, allowed him to take necessary actions in the affairs of government; which the prince utilized to adopt measures against the rebellious feudal lords, who in-turn became his inveterate enemies and planned lethal actions against the prince. Marthanda Varma suggested to the King to obtain aid from foreign forces against the power of the feudal lords, and Rama Varma made a treaty with Madurai Nayaks at
Tiruchirappalli
Tiruchirappalli () ( formerly Trichinopoly in English), also called Tiruchi or Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with bein ...
in Kollavarsham 901 (Gregorian Calendar 1726) to have additional forces be supplied to Venad for an annual payment.
Marumakkathayam
Marumakkathayam was a system of matrilineal inheritance prevalent in regions what now form part of the southern Indian state Kerala. Descent and the inheritance of property was traced through females. It was followed by all Nair castes, Ambalav ...
as the rule of succession, which is collateral descent through maternal nephews. The feudatory chiefs persuaded the sons of King Rama Varma, Pappu Thambi and Raman Thambi to claim their father's throne through Makkathayam, which is lineal descent through sons, while Marthanda Varma was the legal heir. The novel opens in Kollavarsham 901, when feudatory chiefs are taking lethal actions against prince Marthanda Varma, while King Rama Varma headed to Tiruchirappalli for the treaty with Nayaks. The plot moves two years ahead during when the payment to Madurai forces became arrears, the King become ill and bed ridden, feudatory chiefs and sons of Rama Varma joined hands in conspiring against the prince.
The novel narrates how Marthanda Varma ascended to the throne overcoming hurdles with the help of his well wishers and the entanglements of their personal lives with the history of
Travancore
The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...
(Venad).
Title
The novel released with the title scripted as ''മാൎത്താണ്ഡവൎമ്മാ'' in
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
, for which the Latin equivalent is ''Māṟttāṇḍavaṟmmā''. Though the original title is a single word, the
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
counterpart was scripted as ''Martanda Varma'' with a space between ''Martanda'' and ''Varma'' akin to the scripting of the title in
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nati ...
as ''மார்த்தாண்ட வர்மா''. The title was later changed to ''മാൎത്താണ്ഡവൎമ്മ'' in the editions published by Kamalalaya Book Depot by omitting the long Monophthong vowel sign ാ (ā) in the end, though English counterpart was kept unchanged in the regular editions, the abridged edition corrected it to ''Marthandavarma'', which was followed in the editions and reprints after the copyright period. The title was further revised post the centenary of the novel as ''മാർത്താണ്ഡവർമ്മ'', replacing the Dot reph, ൎ with
Chillu
''Chillu'' () is a 1982 Cinema of India, Indian Malayalam language, Malayalam film, directed by Lenin Rajendran. The film stars Rony Vincent, Shanthi Krishna, Venu Nagavally, Sukumari, Jagathy Sreekumar, Adoor Bhasi and Nedumudi Venu in the lea ...
, ർ inline with the contemporary Malayalam script usage.
Plot summary
In Panchavan forest a group of merchants find a young man, Ananthapadmanabhan, unconscious and covered in blood. They take him with them. Two years later, Parukutty still refuses to believe that her missing lover, Ananthapadmanabhan, is dead. Her mother arranges for her to marry Padmanabhan Thambi, elder son of aging King Rama Varma, through Thambi's right hand, Sundarayyan. The king has fallen ill and is confined to his bed. Desiring the throne, Thambi, with Sundarayyan, spreads the lie that the rightful heir, Prince Marthanda Varma, planned the attack on Ananthapadmanabhan because of an argument over a prostitute. Thambi allies himself with the Ettuveettil Pillas to oust the prince, stirring up the people against him and the royal officials. Some citizens stop paying taxes and the forces and finances of the royals are diminished.
Prince Marthanda Varma and his aide, Parameswaran Pilla, stays at Charottu palace while on way to Bhoothapandi, to have discussions with Madurai forces, who detained the prime minister, Arumukham Pilla after payment for the forces become arrears. Velu Kuruppu, a loyalist fighter who serves Padmanabhan Thambi, with his lancers chase out the prince and his aide, however the chased-duo evade chasers after being aided by a mad Channan who misdirect the pursuers, who in-turn fight with mad Channan, Ananthapadmanabhan in disguise. Velu Kuruppu and his team run away after Channan was helped by the archer Chulliyil Chadachi Marthandan Pilla, who also kills a few of the lancers as a payback to Channan for saving his life earlier. The prince and his aide take refuge at Mangoikkal Kuruppu's house. Following Thambi's order to capture the Channan-people, the mad Channan is captured and locked in the dungeon. Upon discovering that Marthanda Varma is at Mangoikkal's house, Velu Kuruppu sends his men to the house and rushes back to Thambi to arrange for more lancers and Nair soldiers to finish off the prince. The mad Channan finds an underground passage from the dungeon to Charottu palace rushes to the Channan-people. As the prince and Mangoikkal arrange for additional forces, Velu Kuruppu and his men launch an attack on Mangoikkal and set the house on fire. The mad Channan and the Channan-people reach Mangoikkal's house to fight the attackers, and Channan rescues prince and his aide trapped in house on fire. Fighters from Mangoikkal's martial arts school join the fight and defeat Velu Kuruppu's men. That night, Thirumukhathu Pilla visits Thambi to ask about the murder of his son, Ananthapadmanabhan; during when one of Velu Kuruppu's lancers arrives and recounts the defeat at Mangoikkal's.
Marthanda Varma returns to his
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
home. Thambi and Sundarayyan arrive to stay at Chembakassery. At night, Ananthapadmanabhan, disguised as a citizen of
Kasi
KASI (1430 AM, "News Talk 1430") is a radio station licensed to serve Ames, Iowa. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. and licensed to iHM Licenses, LLC. It airs a News/Talk radio format.
The station was assigned the KASI call letters by ...
(Kasivasi) enters Chembakassery by drugging the caretaker of the armory, Shanku Assan. Thambi, overwhelmed by Parukutty's beauty, goes to her room to attain her but is dragged out by Kasivasi. Half asleep, Parukutty is disturbed by glimpses of the scuffle and falls ill. Later, Sundarayyan steals ornaments from the house. Thambi and his team leave the next morning.
Kazhakkoottathu Pilla comes to inquire into Parukutty's illness. He is then followed by Ananthapadmanabhan, disguised as a beggar, to Kudamon Pilla's house. At Kudamon's house a council is formed by the Ettuveettil Pillas and Sundarayyan in support of Padmanabhan Thambi as the next king. Kazhakkoottathu Pilla voices his dissatisfaction with the situation but assures his support. He leaves the council, followed by the beggar. Kazhakkoottathu meets Mangoikkal on the way. The beggar returns to the council to hear the final decision. The council decides to assassinate Prince Marthanda Varma.
Afterwards, Ramanamadathil Pilla meets Subhadra, the granddaughter of Kudamon Pilla's maternal aunt. Kazhakkoottathu tricks Mangoikkal and abducts him. As Sundarayyan is returning from the council, he is confronted by the beggar who tries to snatch the council note from him. Struggling, they both fall into the Killiyar. The beggar rescues Sundarayyan, who cannot swim. Sundarayyan awakes on the shore and delivers the council decision to Thambi.
Learning of Parukutty's illness, Subhadra goes to console her mother and learns about Thambi's stay and the theft at the house. At the royal palace a message arrives from Pathan camp warning of the council at Kudamon Pilla's house, as the resolution is unknown, the prince should stay alert at all times. The message also announces the arrival of Mangoikkal. Ramayyan recommends strict action against the conspirators but the prince disagrees. During the discussion the prince realizes that Kalakkutty, whom he had sent to deliver a request for help to Thirumakhathu Pilla, is the maternal uncle-in-law of Sundarayyan; also concludes that Ettuveettil Pillas may have harmed Mangoikkal.
Subhadra arrives at Thambi's house by night and asks him about his actions at Chembakassery. During the conversation Thambi realizes that Subhadra knows that the murder that he and Sundarayyan are trying to blame on the prince, was committed by Velu Kuruppu. Thambi goes to stab her with his dagger but, seeing her unmoved, he shrinks back. When Subhadra leaves, Thambi and Sundarayyan decide to kill her, as she knows their secret. Sundarayyan buys poison at Pathan camp but Ananthapadmanabhan, disguised as Shamsudeen, sells him a harmless colored powder. Subhadra persuades Shanku Assan to tell her if the Kasivasi who entered Chambakassery the other night is still at Pathan camp. On his return from Pathan camp, Assan tells her that Sundarayyan was there buying poison. At Pathan camp, Hakkim warns Shamsudeen to be careful of danger when searching for Mangoikkal. Subhadra realizes that Sundarayyan plans to poison her and returns home. The prince and his aide, disguised as civilians, go with Ramayyan to look for Mangoikkal.
At night, Ramayyan goes to Sree Pandarathu house, home of Kazhakkoottathu, searching for Mangoikkal. The prince and his aide, sheltered behind a tree, notice an unidentifiable figure (Velu Kuruppu) pass by in a westerly direction. Later, the prince witnesses Sundarayyan heading to his wife, Anantham's, house. Subhadra is with Ramanamadathil Pilla, who leaves after assuring her that he will return. As Ramanamadathil passes by, the prince overhears him talking to himself about the greatness of Kazhakkoottathu Pilla, who captured Mangoikkal. Ramayyan returns to the prince and tells him that he could not check at Sree Panadarathu house due to additional security forces stationed there. Velu Kuruppu arrives at Thambi's house. The prince and his aides leave to check on the ailing king. The archer, Chulliyil Chadachi Marthandan Pilla, chases after them, shooting arrows. The arrows are struck down by the mad Channan who then beats down the archer. Anantham brings food, that her husband secretly poisoned, to Subhadra. Subhadra realizes that the stolen ornaments are at Anantham's house and that she is unaware of her husband's plans. The mad Channan, hiding nearby, overhears their conversation. Ramanamadathil, Sundarayyan and Chulliyil Chadachi Marthandan Pilla visit Thambi's house to talk about assassinating the prince. When Ramanamadathil returns, Subhadra realizes the plan to assassinate the prince by Velu Kuruppu. She sends Shankarachar to deliver a note to the prince. At the king's palace, the prince is relieved to find that the king is a bit better after receiving medicine. Velu Kuruppu attempts to stab the prince while he is returning to his palace with his aide. Shankarachar stops him, they fight and Velu Kuruppu stabs Shankarachar then runs away. The prince and his aide reach Shankarachar, who manages to deliver the note before his final breath. Velu Kuruppu reaches Thambi, who summons Ramanamadathil, Chulliyil Chadachi Marthandan Pilla, Sundarayyan and Kodanki. They decide to move Mangoikkal from Sree Pandarathu house to Chembakassery.
Meanwhile, the mad Channan goes to Sree Pandarathu house, drugs the guards and gets the keys. He finds Mangoikkal in the dungeon but Ramanamadathil and company arrive and cut off their escape. In turn, Velu Kuruppu then Kondanki approach the Channan and are shot dead by his pistol. Channan agrees to be in detention with Mangoikkal Kuruppu on the condition that he be allowed to keep his weapons, after Ramanamadathil informs that detainees will be prosecuted by Thirumikhathu Pilla. Mangoikkal and the Channan are moved to Chembakassery and are watched over by palace guards who are loyal to Thambi. Sundarayyan and others spread the lie that prince Marthanda Varma tried to assassinate Ramanamadathil and is responsible for the night's murders.
Subhadra gets some relief when her servant returns from Pathan camp with medicine for Parukutty. He also tells her that one of the men at the camp resembles her ex-spouse. An angry mob of citizens rush the palace, but are turned back by the ailing king who signals for them to leave. Ramanamadathil arrives at Thambi's house to tell about the revolt at the palace and praises the actions of Sundarayyan. Chulliyil Chadachi Marthandan Pilla and a servant arrive and announce the death of King Rama Varma. After Rama Varma's funeral, Marthanda Varma manages to send the required payment to the forces from Madurai. Subhadra reaches Chembakassery with medicine for Parukutty, who immediately begins to recover from her illness. Subhadra stays at Chembakassery for the next five days.
The prince discovers that the men sent from
Kilimanoor
Kilimanoor is a panchayat and a town in the Chirayinkeezhu taluk of Trivandrum district in Kerala, India. It is located on MC/SH 1 Road, North-west of the city of Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), 14 km east of Attingal and east of Var ...
, led by Narayanayyan, have been defeated by Kazhakkoottathu Pilla and his men. He fires the palace guards who are working for Thambi. Subhadra returns home after learning of the council being held at her house by Thambi and team. Parukutty and her mother get the keys from caretaker to release the two men from detention. Upon release, the mad Channan runs ahead to conceal his identity and is followed by Mangoikkal. Parukutty sees his resembles to her missing lover and realizes that he is the one who fought off Thambi the night he tried to attain her. Ettuveettil Pillas, the Thambi brothers and Sundarayyan decide to assassinate the prince at the palace that night. Mangoikkal's nephews arrive at the palace to support the prince. He tells them to come in the morning and coordinate with Ramayyan. Later, the prince is awakened from his sleep by Subhadra's arrival in his room, informing him his life is in danger. The prince follows her after remembering that she was the one who helped him another night. Kudamon Pilla, Padmanabhan Thambi and company enter the palace to assassinate the prince but find no one. Subhadra heads to her house with Marthanada Varma, Parameswaran and Ramayyan who are disguised as menials. They are spotted by Raman Thambi and his team on the way, but she and the trio evade him due to her quick thinking. The trio hide near a banyan tree while Subhadra fetches five men, dressed as porters, from her home and rejoins them. She instructs them to cross
Venganoor
Venganoor is an area within the Trivandrum City of Kerala, India, which is situated 13 km south of the city. It is known as the birthplace of Ayyankali, the great Dalit leader of Kerala. Venganoor is located near Vizhinjam where an interna ...
. They are about to leave when Thirumukhathu Pilla arrives and recognizes the prince. He asks Subhadra why she is helping the one who killed her brother, Ananthapadmanabhan. She assures him that her brother is not dead. Thirumukhathu reveals that he is her father. Subhadra says that her brother will be at Pathan camp.
Subhadra goes home and the others head east as Thirumukhathu knows that Aruveettukar are waiting near the west banks of the river,
Karamana
Karamana is a suburb of Thiruvananthapuram (formerly and often still known as Trivandrum), the capital city of Kerala, India. It is one of the most densely populated but green parts of Thiruvananthapuram. The land is serviced by the Karamana Riv ...
. Unable to find the prince, Thambi and the Ettuveettil Pillas lead their forces to Manakkadu, to attack Magaoikkal's fighters. Tipped off by Subhadra, Mangoikkal's fighters are able to put up a stiff resistance despite being outnumbered. Pathan fighters led by Shamsudeen and Beeram Khan arrive and assist against Thambi's forces. Beeram Khan fights Sundarayyan who he has a personal grudge against for causing his separation from, his then-spouse, Subhadra. Sundarayyan brings down Beeram Khan's horse, trapping the latter under the horse. Sundarayyan advances towards him but Beeram Khan springs out from under the body, kills his opponent and leaves the battlefield at once. Shamsudeen shoots Thambi in the hand as he is about to kill Nuradeen. Before Ramanamadathil Pilla and Raman Thambi can advance towards Shamsudden the battlefield is surrounded by Thirumukhathu Pilla and Prince Marthanda Varma's forces. The Thambi brothers and the Ettuveettil Pillas are arrested.
The next day, the prince conducts post funerary rituals for the king. He brings back his nephew, the little prince, and aunt, who were safeguarded by Keralavarma Koithampuran at Chembakassery. There, a joyful Parakutty awaits her lover Ananthapadmanabhan's return from the Pathan camp. A few days later, Marthanda Varma ascends the throne. The king orders Ananthapadmanabhan to move Subhadra from her house to safeguard her from Kudamon Pilla, who the king has just released. Subhadra is at her house and sad due to the revelation about her ex-spouse. Kudamon Pilla arrives, catches her by the hair and is about to plunge his sword but Beeram Khan rushes in crying not to kill her. On hearing the voice of her ex-spouse and seeing him longing for her, she thanks god that she can even die. The sword falls on her neck. Before Kudamon Pilla can slay Beeram Khan, he is cut into two by Ananthapadmanabhan who has just arrived. On hearing the news, Marthanda Varma swears under his breath that he will seek vengeance on those responsible for the un-warranted shedding of blood.
Three years later, Mangoikkal's house has been rebuilt. Ananthapadmanabhan heads Marthanda Varma's forces in battles with
Desinganadu
Kollam (), also known by its former name Quilon , is an ancient seaport and city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. The city i ...
and other kingdoms. He stays at Chembakassery with his family. Marthanda Varma earns fame as a protector of the people as well as a servant to Sreepadmanabha deity. The people celebrate.
Characters
Character relations
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Matrilineal family
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Patrilineal family
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Family of lineage unknown
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Character gets killed during the time-line of novel
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Active character during the timeline of novel
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Development
Background and composition
C. V. Raman Pillai
Cannankara Velayudhan Raman Pillai (19 May 1858 – 21 March 1922), also known as C. V., was one of the major Indian novelists and playwrights and a pioneering playwright and novelist of Malayalam literature. He was known for his historical nove ...
was introduced to historical fiction through the works of
Sir Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...
and
Alexandre Dumas
Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where '' '' is French for 'father', to distinguish him from his son Alexandre Dumas fils), was a French writer ...
during his days at Maharaja's College, Thiruvananthapuram. After graduating in 1881, Pillai traveled to the southern provinces of Travancore with his friend P. Thanu Pillai, then the
Tahsildar
In India and Pakistan, a Tehsildar or Mamlatdar is a tax officer accompanied by revenue inspectors. They are in charge of obtaining taxes from a tehsil with regard to land revenue. A tehsildar is also known as an executive magistrate of the relev ...
at
Agastheeswaram
Agastheeswaram is a panchayat town in Kanniyakumari district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
History
Agasteeswaram is named after Sage Agastya who had visited this place to teach Ramayana. Most of the people from this village are well educat ...
, and became acquainted with the regional legends that he later incorporated into his novels.
Before starting to write ''Marthandavarma'', Pillai would read English novels and take notes. While writing ''Marthandavarma'', Pillai had difficulty sleeping and his constant
betel chewing
Betel nut chewing, also called betel quid chewing or areca nut chewing, is a practice in which areca nuts (also called "betel nuts") are chewed together with slaked lime and betel leaves for their stimulant and narcotic effects. The practice ...
instigated his writing. During the composition, Pillai's spouse and Mukkalampattu Janaki Amma were amanuenses, whenever one of them was free. However, the author's neighbor, Ms. Thazhamadathu Janaki Amma, actually transcribed more of the book than either of them. Pillai went to Madras to pursue his law examination.
In January 1890, the Malayalam novel '' Indulekha'' was released and became a topic of discussion in Madras. The instant fame of ''Indulekha'' and its author, O. Chandumenon, incited C. V. Raman Pillai to complete his novel ''Marthandavarma''. N. Balakrishnan Nair recounts that a challenge was raised by some Malabarians as to whether there were any men in
Travancore
The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...
who could create another literary work like ''Indulekha'', to which C. V. Raman Pillai reciprocated that he will prove it as affirmative. For almost two months after that, the author was occupied in writing ''Marthandavarma''. C. V. Raman Pillai, while involved in the discussions of memorandum, mentioned to G. Parameswaran Pillai that with the publication of his novel, ''Marthandavarma'', people would be proud about their early history. Eventually, he lost interest in passing his law examinations, as his main intention was to complete ''Marthandavarma'' and ready the manuscript for printing. C. V. Raman Pillai left for Trivandrum after he was entrusted to translate the memorandum to Malayalam. According to N. Balakrishnan Nair, the author rejoined in his job on Ciṅṅaṁ 9, 1066 (23 August 1890).
C. V. Raman Pillai sent the completed chapters to his friend N. Raman Pillai at Madras, who in turn edited and contributed to the manuscript. The author's earlier experiences of having estranged from home, his life with Muslims at Hyderabad, having suggested converting to Islam and marry a Muslim girl were adapted to build the characterization of Shamsudeen and the descriptions of Pathan camp in the novel. The character of Karthyayani Amma is based on his elder sister, and the attire of Velu Kuruppu is based on the outlook of
K. C. Kesava Pillai
Kanakku Chembakaraman Kesava Pillai (1868–1914) was an Indian composer of Carnatic music and a poet of Malayalam literature. He was the Poet Laureate of Travancore and was known for ''Kesaveeyam'', a mahakavya in Malayalam, two Attakatha (perf ...
.
Controversy over the period
According to P. K. Parameswaran Nair, consensus is the novel was developed during 1890, though he claimed that the author wrote it between 1883 and 1885, which contradicts his own statement that C. V. Raman Pillai thought about writing a novel only at the age of twenty-eight years, which is around 1887. P. Venugopalan affirms that there is an earlier version of the novel, and that N. Raman Pillai listened to a reading of an early draft while at Madras. The affirmation about the inclusion of Subhadra in the earlier version of novel brought out another contradiction to the claim of P. K. Parameswaran Nair with his own quotes from the words of C. V. Raman Pillai, which state that the author envisioned the character of Subhadra through his wife, Bhageeridhi Amma, whom he married only in November 1887. One of Pillai's later amanuenses, K. R. Prameswaran Pilla, quoted the author as saying that he started writing ''Marthandavarma'' while staying in Madras. N. Balakrishanan Nair notes that, Pillai made several visits to Madras with the particulars from N. Raman Pillai's home, while
G. Parameswaran Pillai
G. Parameswaran Pillai (1890–1963), also known as "GP", was the Chief Secretary and Officiating ''Dewan'' of the erstwhile Travancore kingdom in pre-Independent India. He started his career as a lawyer, and later became Judge of the Court of ...
and the latter were in Madras.
George Irumbayam
George Irumbayam is an Indian literary critic and literature researcher. Author of 39 literary and 7 spiritual books. Early life
He was born on 19 December 1938 as the eldest child of Irumbayam Poovathunkal Varkey and Annamma, who totally h ...
asked P. K. Parameswaran Nair about the existence of such a
letter
Letter, letters, or literature may refer to:
Characters typeface
* Letter (alphabet), a character representing one or more of the sounds used in speech; any of the symbols of an alphabet.
* Letterform, the graphic form of a letter of the alphabe ...
; who said that he had lost it. The claim of P. K. Parameswaran Nair and those who supported the same were concluded as attempts of fans of C. V. Raman Pillai, whom they wanted to cast as the first novelist of
Malayalam literature
Malayalam, the lingua franca of the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puduchery, is one of the six Classical languages of India. Malayalam literature comprises those literary texts written in Malayalam, a Sou ...
, and George Irumbayam remarked that the fans went to the extent of not believing the words of the writer in the deliberation of their attempt.
Printing
P. K. Parameswaran Nair states that the proceedings with printers at Madras were initiated after the completion of novel writing, which contradicts his own statement about the completion of printing till 150 pages while quoting a letter from N. Raman Pillai, whose words indicate that the scripting was in progress. K. R. Parameswaran Pilla notes that the printing of the novel was started after the completion of third chapter. The printing was done at Messrs. Addison & Co., Madras, to whom the manuscripts were passed over by N. Raman Pillai. N. Balakrishnan Nair points that C. V. Raman Pillai went to hometown from Madras to arrange the money for printing, and during the time, he sent the manuscripts to N. Raman Pillai.
C. V. Raman Pillai was involved in the Malayalam translation of memorandum proposed by G. Prameswaran Pillai titled then as ''Malayāḷi Memorial'' followed by the printing and getting the signatures from supporters, and being involved in the activities, he fell short of money as some promised sponsors pulled out fearing an adverse reaction from Government. K. P. Sankara Menon and G. Parameswaran Pillai came to Trivandrum by the end of December 1890 for campaigning about the memorandum. C. V. Raman Pillai bore the expenses of their commutations and proceedings, and went on to sell his wife's necklace to meet the requirements. The memorandum was eventually sent to the king on 10 January 1891 by K. P. Sankara Menon.
The financial crunch due to the situations put C. V. Raman Pillai in a difficulty that he could not meet the expenses to complete the printing of the remaining chapters as intended; so, he made a concise version and got it printed as part of twenty-sixth chapter, which thus became the final chapter of the novel. P. K. Parameswaran Nair states that there were three more chapters after the twenty-sixth chapter by referring to a letter from N. Raman Pillai, who came to know about the concise narration only after getting the printed copy as he had left to Thiruvananthapuram before the completion of printing, criticized the author regarding the same. According to N. Balakrishnan Nair, the concise version included in twenty-sixth chapter is an abridgement of two intended chapters. C. V. Raman Pillai states in the preamble that he wanted to have an annexure at the end of the novel.
Publication
Release
When printing of further copies with errata was over, C. V. Raman Pillai made a request for permission on 13 April 1891 to submit the first copy at royal palace, and subsequently the book was released on 11 June 1891 after presenting the first copy to Aswathi Thirunal Marthanda Varma, to whom the book is also dedicated to. Pillai sent two copies to
Kerala Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran
Kerala Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran ( ml, കേരളവർമ്മ വലിയ കോയിത്തമ്പുരാൻ; 19 February 1845 – 22 September 1914) also spelt Kerala Varma Valiya Koilthampuran and known as Kerala Varma, w ...
, one for the recipient and another for recipient's wife, which was acknowledged in the recipient's letter to the author dated 24 June 1891. N. Balakrishnan Nair states that author gave several copies of book as complimentary ones, out of the total 1000 copies printed. According to P. K. Parameswaran Nair, the publication of ''Marthandavarma'' was a great event in the history of
Malayalam literature
Malayalam, the lingua franca of the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puduchery, is one of the six Classical languages of India. Malayalam literature comprises those literary texts written in Malayalam, a Sou ...
. The novel was the first of its kind in Malayalam literature, the release of the novel made
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
the sixth, ' (1862, ''Anguriya Binimaya'' by
Bhudev Mukhopadhyay
Bhudev Mukhopadhyay (1827–1894) was a writer and intellectual in 19th century Bengal. His works were considered ardent displays of nationalism and philosophy in the period of the Bengal renaissance. His novel ''Anguriya Binimoy'' (1857) was t ...
) or , ' (1865, ''
Durgeshnandini
''Durgeshnandini'' ( bn, দুর্গেশনন্দিনী, ''Doorgeshnondini'', ''Daughter of the Feudal Lord'') is a Bengali language, Bengali Historical fiction, historical Romance novel, romance novel written by British India, Indian ...
'' by
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (also Chattopadhayay) CIE (26 or 27 June 1838 – 8 April 1894) was an Indian novelist, poet, Essayist and journalist.Staff writer"Bankim Chandra: The First Prominent Bengali Novelist" ''The Daily Star'', 30 June 2011 ...
Karan Ghelo
''Karan Ghelo: Gujarat's Last Rajput King'' ( gu, કરણ ઘેલો: ગુજરાતનો છેલ્લો રજપૂત રાજા) is a Gujarati historical novel by Nandshankar Mehta. It was published in 1866 and was the first ...
'' by Nandshankar Tuljashankar Mehta), 3. mr, मोचनगड, ' (1871, ''Mochanagad'' by Ramchandra Bhikaji Gunjikar), 4. or, ପଦ୍ମମାଲୀ, ' (1888, ''Padmamali'' by Umesh Chandra Sarkar), 5. ur, ملک العزیز ورجنا, ', (1888, , ''Malik-ul-Aziz Varjina'' by
Abdul Halim Sharar
Abdul Halim Sharar ( ur, ; 4 September 1860 – 1 December 1926) was an Indian author, playwright, essayist and historian from Lucknow. He left behind, in all, hundred and two books. He often wrote about the Islamic past and extolled virtues l ...
), 6. ml, മാർത്താണ്ഡവർമ്മാ, ' (1891, ''Marthandavarma''). Indian language and first
Dravidian language
The Dravidian languages (or sometimes Dravidic) are a family of languages spoken by 250 million people, mainly in southern India, north-east Sri Lanka, and south-west Pakistan. Since the colonial era, there have been small but significant i ...
to have a novel in the genre of historical fiction, thus became the first, ') 2. 1892''Suryakantha'' ( kn, ಸೂರ್ಯಕಾಂತಾ, ') by Lakshman Gadagkar, 3. 1895''Mohanangi'' ( ta, மோகனாங்கி, ') by T. T. Saravanamuthu Pillai, 4. 1896''Hemalata'' ( te, హేమలత, ') by
Chilakamarti Lakshmi Narasimham
Chilakamarti Lakshmi Narasimham (26 September 1867 – 17 June 1946) was an Indian playwright, novelist and author of short stories, who wrote in the Telugu language. He was a romantic and a social reformer in the tradition founded by Veeresal ...
. historical novel of
South India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...
.
Revised edition
In 1911, Kulakkunnathu Raman Menon, who owned B. V. Book Depot at Trivandrum, acquired rights of the novel, to publish from his own publishing house. C. V. Raman Pillai did a revision for the new edition, in which he had replaced the edits of N. Raman Pillai in the first edition with his own. The author corrected the flaws in the usages of
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
and
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
words, together with the change of phrases that are in line with the then usages of Malayalam. The changes included the removal of a precognitive narration about the death of Padmanabhan Thambi at
Nagercoil
Nagercoil, also spelt as Nagarkovil ("Temple of the Nāgas", or Nagaraja-Temple), is a city and the administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District in Tamil Nadu state, India. Situated close to the tip of the Indian peninsula, it lies on an ...
, removal of reference to an earlier spouse of character Anantham prior to her relationship with Sundarayyan and removal of references to mistresses from
Thanjavur
Thanjavur (), also Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is the 11th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of South Indian religion, art, and architecture. Most of the Gr ...
. The copyrights of the novel were registered on 11 August 1911, and D. C. Kizhakemuri notes that the copyrights were reserved until 31 December 1972.
All the reprints of the novel available after 1911 are only of the revised edition.
Sahithya Pravarthaka Co-operative Society
Sahithya Pravarthaka Co-operative Society (SPCS) or Sahithya Pravarthaka Sahakarana Sangham is a cooperative society of writers in the south Indian state of Kerala for publication and sales of books. It was founded in 1945 by a group of twelve wri ...
(SPCS) alias Sahithya Pravarthaka Shakarana Sangham of
Kottayam
Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south-we ...
, Poorna Publications of
Kozhikode
Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second la ...
, and
D. C. Books
DC Books is a publisher in Kerala publisher of books in Malayalam, and one of the publishers in India . It also operates one of the largest book store chains in India, with a network of over 45 bookshops under the DC Books and Current Books b ...
of Kottayam started publishing their editions from 1973, 1983, and 1992 respectively to remain as the major publishers of the novel.
Translations
''Marthandavarma'' has been translated into three languages,
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nati ...
,
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
and
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
as five different versions, among which two were in Tamil another two, were in English and one incomplete translation was in Hindi.
* 1936: ''Marthanda Varma'' (English) – The first English translation by B. K. Menon was published by Kamalalaya Book Depot, Trivandrum in 1936, and was republished by
Sahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government. Its of ...
in 1998 after a revision by the daughter of B. K. Menon, Prema Jayakumar.
* 1954: ''மார்த்தாண்ட வர்மா'' (, Tamil) – The first translation of the novel in Tamil was by O. Krishna Pillai. It was published by Kamalalaya Book Depot, Trivandrum.
* 1979: ''Marthanda Varma'' (English) – The second English translation by
R. Leela Devi
Dr. R. Leela Devi (13 February 1932 – 19 May 1998) was an Indian writer, translator, and teacher who wrote in English, Malayalam, and Sanskrit. She was from the state of Kerala.
Profession
Writer and translator
Dr. R. Leela Devi wrote an ...
was published by Sterling Publishers, New Delhi. A reprint by the same publisher was released in 1984.
* 1990: ''मार्ताण्ड वर्मा'' (, Hindi) – Kunnukuzhy Krishnankutty has done the Hindi translation, which was serialized and left incomplete in the editions of journal ''Kēraḷ Jyōti'' from Kerala Hindi Prachar Sabha,
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
during June 1990 to December 1990.
* 2007: ''மார்த்தாண்ட வர்ம்மா'' (, Tamil) – The second Tamil translation of the novel by P. Padmanabhan Thambi was published by Sahitya Akademi.
Reception
The novel received positive to mixed response, being the first historical novel of
Malayalam literature
Malayalam, the lingua franca of the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puduchery, is one of the six Classical languages of India. Malayalam literature comprises those literary texts written in Malayalam, a Sou ...
and
south India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...
. Prof. Guptan Nair notes that the literary work was hailed as a masterpiece.
Critical reception
In the review appeared on
The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
, Madras edition dated 21 December 1891, the novel is mentioned as a respectable specimen what an
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
graduate is capable of accomplishing in the department of fiction. P. Thanu Pillai rated the novel as a rare and valuable addition to the literature of Malayalam.
Kerala Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran
Kerala Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran ( ml, കേരളവർമ്മ വലിയ കോയിത്തമ്പുരാൻ; 19 February 1845 – 22 September 1914) also spelt Kerala Varma Valiya Koilthampuran and known as Kerala Varma, w ...
and
Kodungallur Kunjikkuttan Thampuran
Kodungallur Kunjikkuttan Thampuran (1864 - 1914) also transliterated as ''Kotungallur Kunhikkuttan Thampuran'', was a Malayalam poet and Sanskrit scholar lived in Kerala, India. His birth-name was Rama Varma. He is famous for his single-hande ...
ranked the novel as better than the heretofore-released novels in Malayalam. Kilimanoor Ravi Varma Koil Thampuran remarked that he could not keep aside the novel once he started reading the book. P. Sundaram Pillai stated that he read the novel with so much pride. The review in The Hindu criticized the free usage of
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
words, which will make novel to be enjoyed by the elite people and not the general readers.
Kerala Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran
Kerala Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran ( ml, കേരളവർമ്മ വലിയ കോയിത്തമ്പുരാൻ; 19 February 1845 – 22 September 1914) also spelt Kerala Varma Valiya Koilthampuran and known as Kerala Varma, w ...
criticized the inappropriate usages of Sanskrit words, among which some are remarked as unpardonable blunders.
General reception
When ''Marthandavarma'' was released, the people of
Trivandrum
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
devoured it. N. Balakrishnan Nair notes that the release of novel was celebrated like a literary festival at Trivandrum. Though the novel became the topic of discussion in cottages, elite circles, clubs and law courts, the sale of book was very poor. The author did not even get the required revenue to pay the printing costs, and at one point of time, he took one hundred numbers of unsold books as a bundle to his elder brother, who was then the
Tehsildar
In India and Pakistan, a Tehsildar or Mamlatdar is a tax officer accompanied by revenue inspectors. They are in charge of obtaining taxes from a tehsil with regard to land revenue. A tehsildar is also known as an executive magistrate of the relev ...
at
Muvattupuzha
Muvattupuzha () is a town in the midlands directly to the east of Kochi in Ernakulam district, Kerala, India. It is located about from downtown Kochi, and is a growing urban centre in central Kerala. The town is also the starting poin ...
and demanded one hundred rupees. C. V. Raman Pillai had sent unsold copies of the novel to P. Ayyappan Pillai, the then Education Secretary and to his friend P. Thanu Pillai, the then Manager of Huzur Court (Court of Appeal) at their respective offices, to have those sold. N. Balakrishnan Nair notes that the remaining copies among the one thousand numbers of first print were damaged due to infestation by termites. The general reading people slowly accepted the novel and, the author went on to release five more editions until 1911.
Reception of revised edition
The revised edition of the novel, published in 1911 by Kulalakkunnathu Raman Menon's publishing house, received overwhelming positive response and became one of the best sellers of the period. N. Balakrishnan Nair notes that the sale of book was similar to that of
Adhyatma Ramayana
''Adhyatma Ramayana'' (Devanāgarī: अध्यात्म रामायण, IAST: ''Adhyātma Rāmāyaṇa'', ) is a 13th- to 15th-century Sanskrit text that allegorically interprets the story of Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' in the Advaita Vedant ...
and by 1951 Kamalalaya Book Depot released the 25 edition. P. Venugopalan states that it is not doubtful that ''Marthandavarma'' is the most sold book in Malayalam.
Theme
History and chivalric romance
In the preamble, Pillai states that he wrote the book with the intention of creating a model of historical
romance
Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to:
Common meanings
* Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings
* Romance languages, ...
in
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
; historical events of the eighteenth century serve as the skeleton of the story. The novel presents the events during
Kollavarsham
The Malayalam Calendar is a sidereal solar calendar used in Kerala. The origin of the calendar has been dated to 825 CE, the beginning of the Kollam Era.
There are many theories regarding the origin of the era, but according to recent schola ...
901 to 906 (
Gregorian Calendar
The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years dif ...
: 17261731), pertaining to disputes over the throne of
Venad
Venad was a medieval kingdom lying between the Western Ghat mountains and the Arabian Sea on the south-western tip of India with its headquarters at the port city of Kollam/Quilon.Noburu Karashmia (ed.), A Concise History of South India: Is ...
during 1729. According to
George Irumbayam
George Irumbayam is an Indian literary critic and literature researcher. Author of 39 literary and 7 spiritual books. Early life
He was born on 19 December 1938 as the eldest child of Irumbayam Poovathunkal Varkey and Annamma, who totally h ...
, history is wrapped in
romance
Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to:
Common meanings
* Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings
* Romance languages, ...
, and K. M. Tharakan echoes that point. The internal conflicts in this novel are presented through the character of Subhadra, while most of major conflicts in the novel are external. Kalpatta Balakrishnan notes that Anathapadmanabhan's heroic adventures combine
romance
Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to:
Common meanings
* Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings
* Romance languages, ...
and history. The novel promotes hero-worship and
patriotism
Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and sense of attachment to one's country. This attachment can be a combination of many different feelings, language relating to one's own homeland, including ethnic, cultural, political or histor ...
through romantic affectation, a mode maintained until the end.
Romance and romanticism
The realistic aspects of the novel are presented through conversations, which in its inherence and vigor provide an individuality to the story.
George Irumbayam
George Irumbayam is an Indian literary critic and literature researcher. Author of 39 literary and 7 spiritual books. Early life
He was born on 19 December 1938 as the eldest child of Irumbayam Poovathunkal Varkey and Annamma, who totally h ...
is of the view that the romantic elements in the novel are intertwined with the realistic legibility of historical elements. The honest behavior of Mangoikkal Kuruppu to the prince, the anxious preparations of Karthyayani Amma to receive Padmanabhan Thambi, short-tempered reactions of Shanku Assan represent realistic aspects in the novel. N. Balakrishnan Nair states that the novel is a love story built around a serious period in the history of
Travancore
The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...
. The
romance
Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to:
Common meanings
* Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings
* Romance languages, ...
of Ananthapadmanabhan and Parukutty is presented as a supporting aspect to
heroism
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''her ...
in the novel. The romance between Ananthapadmanabhan and Parukutty gives a soul and emotional angle to the historical and political themes of the novel. The historical plot about power struggle between Marthanda Varma and rebels is presented as rich and active through the love story of Ananthapadmanbhan and Parukutty. The emotional factor of the novel is further emphasized with another plot of romance involving Ananthapadmanabhan with the
unrequited love
Unrequited love or one-sided love is love that is not openly reciprocated or understood as such by the beloved. The beloved may not be aware of the admirer's deep and pure affection, or may consciously reject it. The Merriam Webster Online Dic ...
of Zulaikha, thereby making the love story a
love triangle
A love triangle or eternal triangle is a scenario or circumstance, usually depicted as a rivalry, in which two people are pursuing or involved in a romantic relationship with one person, or in which one person in a romantic relationship with so ...
. The story of Subhadra is also considered as a tragic love story, which strengthens the romantic aspects of the novel. The love failures of Subhadra and Zulaikha aid in creating a favorable surrounding for the romantic aspects of the novel. D. Benjamin remarks that the very first instance of romantic love in Malayalam literature is in this novel. The longing of Parukutty for the return of her lover, Zulaikha's love failure are seen as reminiscences of romantic love, and latter is considered as foremost romantic heroine of Malayalam literature in romanticism. The romantic aspects similar to that in '' Prometheus Unbound'' and in the apocalyptic poetry of
William Blake
William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. ...
are identified in the personality of Subhadra, with which the character coveys a conflict-oriented complexity of multi-colored romanticism.
Politics
The author's political interests are shown in allegorical form. The novel presents the conspiracies, power struggle, internal agitations in the political history of Travancore, and history provided the basic conflict and a suitable period. Novelist incorporated political and social undercurrents of Venad in the novel, which discusses a conflict between the ruler and the ruled. The social relevance lies in its questioning of the collateral rule of succession (
Marumakkathayam
Marumakkathayam was a system of matrilineal inheritance prevalent in regions what now form part of the southern Indian state Kerala. Descent and the inheritance of property was traced through females. It was followed by all Nair castes, Ambalav ...
) followed in Venad, with the failed agitation of
Nair
The Nair , also known as Nayar, are a group of Indian Hindu castes, described by anthropologist Kathleen Gough as "not a unitary group but a named category of castes". The Nair include several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom histor ...
- Thambi clans to acquire power from Varmas. In a way, the basic theme of novel is the eruption of revolt against the collateral succession through maternal nephews, and the subsequent suppression of the revolt. Kalpatta Balakrishnan notes that the major theme of the novel is power struggle between the royal head and the kingship seekers, and not a conflict between the ruled and the ruler. The relevance of historical context is that, it is about the contest to acquire political power, and the political significance is that it is about forceful acquisition of royal power, and so novel is previewed as a political novel. The freedom of thought that links the ruled ones to the power is presented through Mangoikkal Kuruppu's impeccable criticism of kingship. In the high-paced narrative, the character of Subhadra creates the lot of responses, as she is the only political character in the novel, even though the character Marthanda Varma represents royal lineage, royal power and royal justice, where as Thambies and Pillas are the riotous group who try to topple the traditional rule of succession in the kingdom. Subhadra represents the
patriotic
Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and sense of attachment to one's country. This attachment can be a combination of many different feelings, language relating to one's own homeland, including ethnic, cultural, political or histor ...
code of conduct, with which she heads to defeat the attempts of rebel groups, and eventually sacrifices her life. The open claim for the throne and the subsequent agitations lead the course of actions in the novel; which in result is to topple the rule of succession of the kingdom. This no-compromise fight for the throne makes the novel rather a political history of power struggle in
Venad
Venad was a medieval kingdom lying between the Western Ghat mountains and the Arabian Sea on the south-western tip of India with its headquarters at the port city of Kollam/Quilon.Noburu Karashmia (ed.), A Concise History of South India: Is ...
. Novelist raises the royal position through the novel, not the personality of the royal head because the history in novel is the historical awareness constituted by the author.
Conflicts
When the historical background is kept apart, the novel represents dramatic feud between the good and bad, and concludes to the complete failure of sin and partial success of goodness in the end. The novel presents the fight between respectable and despicable characters as that in devasura conflict. According to K. M. Tharakan, though novelist tries to preach global philosophy about the final victory of goodness through various conflicts in the plot, serious effort is not taken to unveil the human mindset; however, M. P. Paul mentions that author depicts peculiar skill in presenting minute emotions of human mind, in the novel. Even though, the motif of the novel is
politics
Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...
, the curiosity generated in the novel is through exceptional presentation of interpersonal issues. The novel successfully comprises history of the state, interpersonal relationships, and social issues in the outset of imagination. The character of Subhadra adds the investigative mood to the plot, though she is considered as the foremost representation of
tragedy
Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy ...
in C. V. Raman Pillai's writings. The amusement-thread of the novel is led by her secretive investigations similar to that of
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...
. The story of Subhadra is presented as a delightful tragedy, where she realizes her identity apart from the atrocities of her ancestors.
N. Krishna Pillai
N. Krishna Pillai (22 September 1916 – 10 July 1988) was an Indian dramatist, literary critic, translator and historian of Malayalam language. Known for his realism and dramatic portrayal of psycho-social tensions, Pillai's plays earned him th ...
and Prof. V. Anandakuttan Nair state that the novel comprises three plots, among which the first one is the political theme about the power struggle between
Marthanda Varma
Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (Malayalam: ) was the founding monarch of the southern Indian Kingdom of Travancore (previously Venadu) from 1729 until his death in 1758. He was succeeded by Rama Varma ("Dharma Raja") (1758–98).Subrahmany ...
and opponents, the second is the
romance
Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to:
Common meanings
* Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings
* Romance languages, ...
of Ananthapadmanabhan and Parukutty, and the third is the tragedy of Subhadra. M. G. Sasibhooshan states that the plot consists of four sections, which are the above three together with the adventures of
Marthanda Varma
Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (Malayalam: ) was the founding monarch of the southern Indian Kingdom of Travancore (previously Venadu) from 1729 until his death in 1758. He was succeeded by Rama Varma ("Dharma Raja") (1758–98).Subrahmany ...
, and concordance of these sections made the novel as an exceptional literary work.
Style
Structure
The novel is presented in twenty-six chapters describing the historical events, and each chapter is provided with an epigraph in the form of verses that implies the content of the respective chapter. The major events of the novel take place during
Kollavarsham
The Malayalam Calendar is a sidereal solar calendar used in Kerala. The origin of the calendar has been dated to 825 CE, the beginning of the Kollam Era.
There are many theories regarding the origin of the era, but according to recent schola ...
903904 (
Gregorian Calendar
The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years dif ...
: 1728), within a span of twenty-eight days, among which only eleven days are explicitly presented through the chapters from two to twenty-six. A night during the Kollavarsham 901 is presented in chapter one and a consolidated set of events until Kollavarsham 906 is narrated in the final chapter. The novel switches to earlier periods, 1680s, 1703, 1720 while describing the backgrounds of Sundarayyan and Subhadra, marriage and breakup of Subhadra, and the relationship of Ananthapadmanabhan and Parukutty. Prof. Thumpamon Thomas points that the narration is as small water streams that eventually form into a waterfall similar to the strands in a twisted rope made of coir. The author successfully combines geographical structure of locality and suitable historical period with a legitimacy of day and night, and an accuracy as in an almanac, through his narrative style.
Characterisation
The story is narrated in a non-complex structure by maintaining the momentum of heroic valor and action, while presenting three dimensional characters. The novel is noted to be focused on multiple heroes and heroines. Grorge Irumbayam states that the hero of the novel is Ananthapadmanabhan and Parukkutty is the heroine, however also mentions that the novel has dual heroines due to the prominence of the character, Subhadra. D. Benjamin notes that Marthanda Varma is the hero of novel. Kalpatta Balakrishnan remarks that Ananthapadmanabhan and Parukutty are leads of the plot only when the story is a
romance
Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to:
Common meanings
* Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings
* Romance languages, ...
, and as the story is based on the heir-ship of
Marthanda Varma
Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (Malayalam: ) was the founding monarch of the southern Indian Kingdom of Travancore (previously Venadu) from 1729 until his death in 1758. He was succeeded by Rama Varma ("Dharma Raja") (1758–98).Subrahmany ...
who leads the course of actions, Ananthapadmanabhan is not the hero of the novel. The historical environment created in the novel and the personalities of bygone period are coherent to the situations. The characters are presented in a way that it is impossible to differentiate between fictional and historical ones.
N. Krishna Pillai
N. Krishna Pillai (22 September 1916 – 10 July 1988) was an Indian dramatist, literary critic, translator and historian of Malayalam language. Known for his realism and dramatic portrayal of psycho-social tensions, Pillai's plays earned him th ...
notes that the major attributes of historical characters in the novel are specifically given by the author. The presentation of novel is unique with the creation of unprecedented characters and not through structure complexity.
Rhetorical dramatism
The presentation of characters in the novel is noted to be similar to the appearance of roles in
Kathakali
Kathakali ( ml, കഥകളി) is a major form of classical Indian dance. It is a "story play" genre of art, but one distinguished by the elaborately colourful make-up and costumes of the traditional male actor-dancers. It is native to the M ...
. The novel is noted for the usage of rhetorical embellishments in narration. The novel uses a particular style of using verses from ballads,
puranas
Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...
, and archaic literary works in descriptions and dialogs pertaining to the narrative situation, among which usage of quotes from puranas are comparatively less to that from Aattakatha. The major usages of quotes as epigraphs and inline ones are to indicate the plot of respective chapters or to point a particular behavior of characters, and this is noted to be a style inspired from
Sir Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...
, as well as a manifestation of author's knowledge in the puranas, legends, yesteryear ballads, and socio-cultural situation of Venad. The narrative style comprises plenty of such embellishments as in a lyric, to form a rhetorical prose, and this is noted to be author's crookedness of narrative style. The narrative style depicts a considerable level of the coherence between the consecutive sentences and in parts, and presents notions adapted from performance arts such as Kathakali,
Play
Play most commonly refers to:
* Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment
* Play (theatre), a work of drama
Play may refer also to:
Computers and technology
* Google Play, a digital content service
* Play Framework, a Java framework
* Pla ...
,
Kudiyattam
Koodiyattam ( ml, കൂടിയാട്ടം; IAST: kūṭiyāṭṭaṁ; ) is a traditional performing art form in the state of Kerala, India. It is a combination of ancient Sanskrit theatre with elements of ''Koothu'', an ancient perfor ...
,
Mohiniyattam
Mohiniyattam, ( ml, മോഹിനിയാട്ടം), is an Indian classical dance form that developed and remained popular in the state of Kerala. Kathakali is another classical dance form of Kerala. Mohiniyattam dance gets its name fr ...
, and
Bharatanatyam
Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of S ...
. The dramatic language attained in the narration is through the abundant usages of
passive voice
A passive voice construction is a grammatical voice construction that is found in many languages. In a clause with passive voice, the grammatical subject expresses the ''theme'' or ''patient'' of the main verb – that is, the person or thing t ...
and
gender-neutral pronouns
A third-person pronoun is a pronoun that refers to an entity other than the speaker or listener. Some languages with gender-specific pronouns have them as part of a grammatical gender system, a system of agreement where most or all nouns have a va ...
in
objective case
In grammar, an oblique (abbreviated ; from la, casus obliquus) or objective case (abbr. ) is a nominal case other than the nominative case, and sometimes, the vocative.
A noun or pronoun in the oblique case can generally appear in any role exc ...
, where as the archaic style of language is through usages of
dative case
In grammar, the dative case (abbreviated , or sometimes when it is a core argument) is a grammatical case used in some languages to indicate the recipient or beneficiary of an action, as in "Maria Jacobo potum dedit", Latin for "Maria gave Jacob a ...
.
Conversational
Pillai created a new style of his own for narration, in which author presents different style of languages for different characters. N. Krishna Pillai points that 64% of the novel is used for conversations of characters. The narration style interspersed with fine pieces of humor, and lively flashes of wit is stated as heartily attractive to the readers due to its simplicity and sweetness; which also leads the reader through the events of novel at fast pace. The variance in the behavior of characters are shown through specific style of language used for particular characters, and the styles of language are vigorous in conversations. The stylistic symbols among the specialties of language variance and author's idiolect marks the narration as a
classic
A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...
style. The unveiling of truth and mystery in the end through conversations is arguably a perfection of narration technique, according to C. Sreekanta Kurup.
Narration
The expansion of plot is noted to be through the stagnantly rising events, without pushing back the narration on the behest of describing the struggles of characters. The narration keeps the reader in suspense, with the rise of incidents out of incidents, leading to unexpected intricacies and complications with a veil of mystery until the final revelations. The novel is presented with so many events, the arrangements of which create a feel that plot is long enough to fit in a book double the present size of the novel. The narration is presented in a manner that makes a reader to feel the accomplishment of wonders in the novel are inevitable. The language used in the novel is simple and is not overly mixed with
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
, when tallying with author's later novels. The language used in this novel does not create any resistance to reading, unlike in his later novels. The style of narration in ''Dharmaraja'' is termed as ''Kirmīravadhaśaili'', adhering to author's terminology, ''Kiṟmīravadharīti'', where as the narrative style used in this novel is termed as ''Śī Vī Śaili''. The author termed it as ''Mārttāṇḍavaṟmmā-style'',, ''Māṟttāṇḍavaṟmma''-rīti) which he admitted to not able to continue in his later works.
The novel is identified as an incident-rich work interlaced with fast-paced events during the period of a well-known historical personality, there by possessing the most required aspect of a
historical novel
Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...
.
Intertextuality and allusions
The novel has a rich focus on
intertextuality
Intertextuality is the shaping of a text's meaning by another text, either through deliberate compositional strategies such as quotation, allusion, calque, plagiarism, translation, pastiche or parody,Gerard Genette (1997) ''Paratexts'p.18/ref>H ...
, making regular references and homages to both the Indian subcontinent and Western literary traditions, histories and cultures. These sections provide a limited overview of the most important references and allusions in the novel and links to more thorough examinations of the allusions and intertextuality used throughout the novel.
Characters based on legends, history and real life
Many of the characters in the novel are based on persons from history, legend and the author's life. Major characters borrowed from history include Prince Marthanda Varma (the title character) based on
Marthanda Varma
Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (Malayalam: ) was the founding monarch of the southern Indian Kingdom of Travancore (previously Venadu) from 1729 until his death in 1758. He was succeeded by Rama Varma ("Dharma Raja") (1758–98).Subrahmany ...
, Pappu Thambi and Raman Thambi based on the Thambi brothers, Ananthapadmanabhan based on Ananthan/Ananthapadmanabhan (a warrior and commander in the Travancore forces during the reign of Marthanda Varma), Mangoikkal Kuruppu based on Mangottu Assan (a martial arts master from Mancode), Ettuveettil Pillas based on
Ettuveetil Pillamar
The Ettuveetil Pillamar (Lords of the Eight Houses) were nobles from eight ruling Houses in erstwhile Travancore in present-day Kerala state, South India. They were associated with the Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram and the Ettara ...
and Ramayyan based on
Ramayyan Dalawa
Ramayyan (died January 1756) was the Dewan of Travancore state, India, during 1737 and 1756 and was responsible for the consolidation and expansion of that kingdom after the defeat of the Dutch at the 1741 Battle of Colachel during the reign of Ma ...
. Chulliyil Chadachi Marthandan Pilla is based on Chadachi Marthandan, a legendary figure from Chulliyur.
Other historically sourced characters are King Rama Varma based on
Rajah Rama Varma
Rajah Rama Varma was the ruler of the Indian kingdom of Venad, later known as Travancore, in the modern day state of Kerala, India between 1724 and 1729, having succeeded his brother Unni Kerala Varma. He is better known as the uncle of Maharajah ...
, the little Prince Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma based on the infant
Dharma Raja
Dharma Raja Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma ( ml, ധർമ്മരാജാ കാർത്തിക തിരുനാൾ രാമവർമ്മ, 1724–17 February 1798) was the Maharajah of Travancore from 1758 until his death in 1798. He s ...
, and Ammattampurāṭṭi who is based on his mother. There are also Narayanayyan (an assistant to Ramayyan Dalawa), and Arumukham Pilla (the acting Dalawa of Venad during Kollavarsham 901903 and Dalawa during 904909).
Events based on legends, history and politics
Several of the events in the book are based on occurrences from history or legend, these include: the pact between King Rama Varma and Madurai Nayaks in Kollavarsham 901 at
Tiruchirappalli
Tiruchirappalli () ( formerly Trichinopoly in English), also called Tiruchi or Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with bein ...
for the latter to supply additional forces to Travancore for a fixed annual fee, the assassination attempts on Marthanda Varma at Kalliyankattu temple, at Panathara, near the
Ezhava
The Ezhavas () are a community with origins in the region of India presently known as Kerala, where in the 2010s they constituted about 23% of the population and were reported to be the largest Hindu community. They are also known as ''Ilhava'' ...
house at Perunkadavila and at the
Nedumangad
Nedumangad is a town and municipality in Thiruvananthapuram metropolitan area of Thiruvananthapuram district in the Indian state of Kerala, and is the headquarters of Nedumangad tehsil and Nedumangad Revenue Division (RDO). It is a suburb ...
fort as well as the attempt by Velu Kuruppu and his men when the mad Channan helped Marthanda Varma hide inside a tree implying the aid by a Channan plougher to hide and another attempt when Marthanda Varma hid inside the big hole within a jack tree at the
Neyyattinkara Sree Krishna Swami Temple
Neyyattinkara Sree Krishna Swamy Temple is a Lord Krishna temple situated at Neyyattinkara, 20 km south of Thiruvananthapuram city, in Kerala. One of the important temples of Lord Krishna, the temple is also of great historic importance ...
, the attempted murder of the little Prince Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma in Kollavarsham 903 while he and his mother were traveling from Trivandrum to Attingal, the heirship claim by the Thambi brothers through linear succession against the collateral rule of succession followed in Venad, the treaty of the Thambi brothers with foreign forces to out-throw Marthanda Varma from power, the council of Ettuveettil Pillas planning the murder attempt on Marthanda Varma, the coup d'état by the Thambi brothers, Marthanda Varma's accession to the throne in Kollavarsham 904 following the illness and death of King Rama Varma and the detention of Arumukham Pilla by Madurai forces.
Other events mentioned in the novel are the conquest of Desiganadu by Marthanda Varma after his accession to the throne and the Kalipankulam incident as a murder of five princes with the involvement of Ramanamadathil Pilla, as well as the death of Padmanabhan Thambi at the hands of Marthanda Varma's accomplices. The novel also refers to the attack of a Mukilan (a petty chieftain under Moghul emperor) in Travancore during Kollavarsham 853–855 when, a few families were converted to Mohammedians, and the tragic death of Iravikutti Pilla in the war against the forces of
Thirumalai Nayak
Tirumala Nayaka ( Tamil: ''"Thirumalai Nayakar"''; 1623–1659) was the ruler of Madurai Nayak Dynasty in the 17th century. He ruled Madurai between A.D 1623 and 1659. His contributions are found in the many splendid buildings and temples of M ...
.
Architecture and geography
The novel describes the setting as the kingdom of Venad under the rule of the King Rama Varma. The major events occur in and around
Padmanabhapuram
Padmanabhapuram is a town and a municipality near Thuckalay in Kanyakumari district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. As of 2011, the town had a population of 21,342.
History
Padmanabhapuram was the erstwhile capital of the Kingdom of Travanc ...
, the capital of the kingdom, and
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
within Venad.
Aralvaimozhi
Aralvaimozhi is a panchayat town in Kanniyakumari District in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is a small town situated in southern India. The town was earlier called as ''Aramboly'' during colonial period.
History
Aralvaimozhi pass was a s ...
, or Āṟāṁvaḻi, and
Edava
Edava is a panchayat in Varkala Taluk of
Trivandrum district in the state of Kerala, India. Edava is located 5km north of Varkala, 21km south of port city Kollam and 44km north of capital city Trivandrum. Kappil beach is a famous surf location ...
or Idava are mentioned as the south-eastern, and north-western borders of Venad, respectively.
Padmanabhapuram locations
Much of the novel is set in
Padmanabhapuram Palace
Padmanabhapuram Palace, also known as Kalkulam Palace, is a Travancore era palace located in Padmanabhapuram in the Kanyakumari district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The palace is owned, controlled and maintained by the government of the ...
, Charottu Palace, and Mangoikkal House. The Darbhakulam mansion and the Kalkulam mansion of Padmanabhapuram Palace existed during the timeline of the novel. The novel describes the residence at the place of the present southern mansion on the northern side of the contemporary palace. Prince Marthada Varma halts there on his way to Boothapandi and later Padmanabhan Thambi camps there, after which fifty members of the Channar people were executed at the palace compound. Charottu Palace is 2 miles (3.218688 km) north of Padmanabhapuram Palace. The former is small, with only an enclosed quadrangular homestead ( Nalukettu) and a cookhouse (Madapalli). Prince Marthanda Varma and his aide Parameswaran Pilla reside there after evading Padmanabhan Thambi at Padmanabhapuram Palace through the tunnel passage. The closed tunnel passage between Padmanabhapuram Palace and Charottu Palace had access from the Tāikoṭṭāraṁ (Mother's mansion) at the former palace, and cites its closed existence.
Mangoikkal House is 2 Nazhika north to Charode. The house includes a grove, through which the mad Channan reaches Mangoikkal House to rescue Prince Marthanda Varma. The Mangoikkal kalari (martial arts school of Mangoikkal) is nearby which aid Mangoikkal Kuruppu and his nephews. The house name Mangoikkal is in reminiscence of the house of Mangottu Assan at Mancode, and the house name of the author's patron Kesavan Thambi Karyakkar, Nangoikkal.
In the novel, Prince Marthanda Varma is cornered and trapped at Kalliancaud Temple or Kaḷḷiyankāṭṭukṣētraṁ, from where, he is later escaped as a Brahmin. The temple is Kalliancaud Sivan Kovil (located at 8°11'52"N 77°23'27"E). Ananthapadmanabhan is attacked and left for dead by Velu Kuruppu in Panchavankadu or Panchavan Forest, a forest area on the way to Nagercoil from the residence of Ananthapadmanbhan's mother near Kollavarsham 901. Prof. N. Krishna Pilla and Prof. V. Anandakuttan Nair state that Panchavankadu and Kalliyankadu are the same.
Thiruvananthapuram locations
The novel describes Thiruvananthapuram as the capital of the kingdom, but P. Venugopalan states that this is historically inaccurate, because the capital hadn't yet changed from Padmanabhapuram to Thiruvananthapuram. The novel includes four major locations in Thiruvananthapuram: Thiruvananthapuram fort, Subhadra's house,
Killi river
Killi river, also called Killiyar, the main tributary of Karamana River, originates at Theerthankara close to Panavur in Nedumangad taluk of Thiruvananthapuram district. The river enters Thiruvananthapuram city at Vazhayila and flows through M ...
, and
Manacaud
Manacaud is a locality in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala, India. This place is situated between Kamaleswaram and Attakulangara on East Fort - Kovalam - Vizhinjam Road. The United Arab Emirates embassy is also situated in Manacaud.
L ...
.
Thekkekoyikkal or the southern mansion within the fort is home to Prince Marthanda Varma. In the novel, Velu Kuruppu tries to attack Marthada Varma, while the latter is on his way to the mansion, but is foiled by Shankarachar. The novel mentions another location within the fort, the house Chembakassery. Scholars debate Chembakassery's historicity: P. K. Parameswaran Nair assumes that Chembakassery House never existed, where as the article ''Anantapadmanābhan nāṭāruṁ tiruvitāṁkūṟ niṟmmitiyuṁ'' states that the house existed and the author was familiar with it. The fort present in the novel was later rebuilt during
Kollavarsham
The Malayalam Calendar is a sidereal solar calendar used in Kerala. The origin of the calendar has been dated to 825 CE, the beginning of the Kollam Era.
There are many theories regarding the origin of the era, but according to recent schola ...
922–928 and eventually demolished after the independence of India; preserved ruins can be found at the
east fort
The Kizhakke Kotta, commonly known as East Fort, is a busy commercial street located at the heart of the central business district of Thiruvananthapuram city the capital of Kerala. East Fort is known as the heart of the city as it is located i ...
in Thiruvananthapuram.
Subhadra's house is a few blocks north to the royal passage at Andiyirakkam. Manacaud or Manakadu is referred to in the novel as the place where
Pathan
Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...
merchants are camped. Fighters of Mangoikkal also camp there, where their final confrontation with the Thambi brothers and Ettuveettil Pillas take place.
narcoanalysis
"Truth serum" is a colloquial name for any of a range of psychoactive drugs used in an effort to obtain information from subjects who are unable or unwilling to provide it otherwise. These include ethanol, scopolamine, 3-quinuclidinyl benzilate, ...
to discover the former's whereabouts, however it yielded no results. Astrological practices are also employed, such as praśnaṁ vayppŭ and
Natal astrology
Natal astrology is also known as Genethliacal Astrology, which implies nativity. It is a system of astrology that claims to shed light on an individual’s personality or path in life. This concept is based on constructing a horoscope or natal c ...
, which are referenced when Shanku Assan says to Parukutty that chothirisham or jyothisham will not go wrong.
The narrative depicts
superstitious
A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs and pr ...
customs such as Ūṭṭŭ or Kāḷiyūṭṭŭ, Pāṭṭŭ, Uruvaṁ Vaypŭ, Amman Koṭa, Cāvūṭṭŭ, Uccinakāḷi Sēva as quite common among the
hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
religious followers. The people at the palace conduct
occult
The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism a ...
acts with clergy, priests and magicians to extend the lifetime of the king. Thirumukhathu Pilla goes for
paranormal
Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Nota ...
retrocognition
Retrocognition (also known as postcognition or hindsight ), from the Latin ''retro'' meaning "backward, behind" and ''cognition'' meaning "knowing", describes "knowledge of a past event which could not have been learned or inferred by normal means" ...
through Mashinottam, an Indian clairvoyant practice, to confirm the rumors concerning the death of his son, Ananthapadmanabhan. Velu Kuruppu mentions that
sorcery
Sorcery may refer to:
* Magic (supernatural), the application of beliefs, rituals or actions employed to subdue or manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces
** Witchcraft, the practice of magical skills and abilities
* Magic in fiction, ...
was used by a
namboothiri
The Nambudiri (), also transliterated as Nampoothiri, Nambūdiri, Namboodiri, Nampoothiri, and Nampūtiri, are a Malayali Brahmin caste, native to what is now the state of Kerala, India, where they constituted part of the traditional feudal el ...
pad of the Akavoor family to evoke protection on his armor shield by the incantation of seventy million Dhanwantharam, a set of hymns offered to
Dhanvantari
Dhanvantari () is the physician of the devas in Hinduism. He is regarded to be an avatar of Vishnu. He is mentioned in the Puranas as the god of Ayurveda.
During his incarnation on earth, he reigned as the King of Kashi, today locally referr ...
in order to safeguard against ill fortune.
Beeram Khan is a
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
convert who is also a
Nair
The Nair , also known as Nayar, are a group of Indian Hindu castes, described by anthropologist Kathleen Gough as "not a unitary group but a named category of castes". The Nair include several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom histor ...
and Subhadra's ex-spouse. He married Fathima after his
proselytization
Proselytism () is the policy of attempting to convert people's religious or political beliefs. Proselytism is illegal in some countries.
Some draw distinctions between '' evangelism'' or '' Da‘wah'' and proselytism regarding proselytism as invo ...
to
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
, as he became a dependent of Hakkim's family. At one point, Hakkim intended to proselytize Ananthapadmanabhan to Islam with the support of Usman Khan while the latter was drugged unconscious, but could not do so because Zulaikha opposed the act. The novel presents the
miscegenation
Miscegenation ( ) is the interbreeding of people who are considered to be members of different races. The word, now usually considered pejorative, is derived from a combination of the Latin terms ''miscere'' ("to mix") and ''genus'' ("race") ...
between a Shasthri (an
aryan
Aryan or Arya (, Indo-Iranian *''arya'') is a term originally used as an ethnocultural self-designation by Indo-Iranians in ancient times, in contrast to the nearby outsiders known as 'non-Aryan' (*''an-arya''). In Ancient India, the term ' ...
race) and a lady of Marvar caste (a dravidian race); whom are the parents of Sundarayyan and Kondanki.
Padmanabhan Thambi is represented as a philanderer whose paramours include: Kamalam, Sivakami, the mistress at the seventh house and the unnamed female prostitute at
Kottar
Kottar is a locality and a bazaar area of Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu state, in the southernmost part of Peninsular India ; though a part of Nagercoil today, it is the original town around which the city of Nagercoil grew. It was an ancient trade centre ...
. Subhadra mentions that he was after her since she was ten years old. Consequently, Ananthapadmanabhan opposes his father's agreement to a marriage proposal for his younger sister from Padmanabhan Thambi. When the proposal is cancelled, an enraged Sundarayyan says to Ananthapadmanabhan to keep an
incest
Incest ( ) is human sexual activity between family members or close relatives. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by affinity (marriage or stepfamily), adoption ...
uous relationship with his younger sister; to which Ananthapadmanabhan makes a
racist
Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...
remark against Sundarayyan that "thān maṟavanaṭō" (hey! you are a
Maravar
Maravar (also known as Maravan and Marava) are a Tamil community in the state of Tamil Nadu. These people are one of the three branches of the Mukkulathor confederacy. Members of the Maravar community often use the honorific title ''Thevar''. The ...
). This further enrages Sundarayyan to favor the attack on Anathapadmanabhan at Panchavankadu, which starts the series of events in the novel.
The Venad royal family follows the heirship through
Marumakkathayam
Marumakkathayam was a system of matrilineal inheritance prevalent in regions what now form part of the southern Indian state Kerala. Descent and the inheritance of property was traced through females. It was followed by all Nair castes, Ambalav ...
, collateral descent through maternal nephews. In the novel, Sundarayyan points out that this system is opposed to the common system of heirship through Makkathayam ( lineal descent through sons) and proposes to raise a claim to the throne for the elder son of King Rama Varma, Padmanabhan Thambi, who at one point conveyed his concern to Sunadarayyan that the latter system would bring his younger brother Raman Thambi against him. The Ettuveettil Pillas pledge to make Padmanabhan Thambi the next king by assassinating Prince Marthanda Varma, the legal heir to the kingdom, even though the Ettuveettil Pillas follow the system of
matrilineality
Matrilineality is the tracing of kinship through the female line. It may also correlate with a social system in which each person is identified with their matriline – their mother's lineage – and which can involve the inheritance of ...
with
avuncular
The avunculate, sometimes called avunculism or avuncularism, is any social institution where a special relationship exists between an uncle and his sisters' children. This relationship can be formal or informal, depending on the society. Early a ...
paterfamilias
The ''pater familias'', also written as ''paterfamilias'' (plural ''patres familias''), was the head of a Roman family. The ''pater familias'' was the oldest living male in a household, and could legally exercise autocratic authority over his ext ...
. Some of the Ettuveettil Pillas are noted to be of
Vellalar
Vellalar is a generic Tamil term used primarily to refer to various castes who traditionally pursued agriculture as a profession in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and northeastern parts of Sri Lanka. The Vellalar are members of several ...
clan, who follow Makkathayam.
Writers and literature
The novel explicitly mentions
Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan
Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan (, ) (Malayalam: തുഞ്ചത്ത് രാമാനുജൻ
എഴുത്തച്ഛൻ) (Floruit, ''fl.'' 16th century) was a Malayalam devotional poet, translator and linguist from Kerala, sout ...
, P. Shangoony Menon, and also refers to Shankaracharyar as kēraḷēcārakaṟttāvŭ, which means the author of customs in Kerala,
Venmani Achhan Nambudiripad
Venmani Parameshwaran Nambudiripad (1817-1890), popularly known as Venmani Achhan Nambudiripad was a famous poet of Malayalam. He was born in the Venmani Illam, a family which was involved in the Venmani School of Malayalam Literature. He was the n ...
as kavikulōttaṁsan (one at the crest of poets clan) and compares his lifetime to that of Sundarayyan.
Story-line adaptation
The novel uses the references to the Ettuveettil Pillas in the ''Sree Veera Marthandavarmacharitham'' Aattakatha, to form the characters and also uses the four-line verse about them as epigraph to the eleventh chapter. The character of Sundarayyan in the novel is similar to the character of Pichakappalli in this Aattakatha.
The situations in which Marthanda Varma escapes the attempts on his life by Thambi's men are in line with similar events from the ''Marthandamahathmyam'', a lyrical work written as a
Kilippattu
Kilippattu or ''parrot song'' is a genre of Malayalam poems in which the narrator is a parrot, a bee, a swan, and so on. Kiḷippaṭṭu was popularized by the 16th-century poet Ezhuthachan (The Father Of The Malayalam language).
In Adhyathm ...
based on the stories about
Marthanda Varma
Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (Malayalam: ) was the founding monarch of the southern Indian Kingdom of Travancore (previously Venadu) from 1729 until his death in 1758. He was succeeded by Rama Varma ("Dharma Raja") (1758–98).Subrahmany ...
.
The attack at Mangoikkal house by Padmanabhan Thambi's men is similar to the attack and eventual burning of Mangottu Assan's house in ''Ottan Katha'', one of the ballads of
Venad
Venad was a medieval kingdom lying between the Western Ghat mountains and the Arabian Sea on the south-western tip of India with its headquarters at the port city of Kollam/Quilon.Noburu Karashmia (ed.), A Concise History of South India: Is ...
based on the stories about Marthanda Varma.
''
Ivanhoe
''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' () by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. Set in England in the Middle Ages, this novel marked a shift away from Scott’s prior practice of setting st ...
'' by
Sir Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...
is considered to be the most influential work in the development of ''Marthandavarma''. Like in ''Ivanhoe'', the first chapter of the novel opens with the description of a forest, and every chapter opens with an epigraph similar to those in Scott's books.
M. P. Paul
Menacherry Poulose Paul (1904–1952) was an academic, educationist, scholar and literary critic of Malayalam. Considered by many as one of the major literary critics of Malayalam literature, Paul inaugurated comparative literature in Malayala ...
claims that the characters Marthanda Vama, Ananthapadmanabhan, Chulliyil Chadachi Marthandan Pilla are based on characters from ''Ivanhoe'', even though they are based on the history and legends of
Venad
Venad was a medieval kingdom lying between the Western Ghat mountains and the Arabian Sea on the south-western tip of India with its headquarters at the port city of Kollam/Quilon.Noburu Karashmia (ed.), A Concise History of South India: Is ...
.
M. P. Paul also claims that the situations involving either the mad Channan, Subhadra or Thirumukhathu Pilla are similar to situations in ''
King Lear
''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare.
It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane an ...
'' by
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
, the character of Shanku Assan is similar to that of Dominie Sampson in ''
Guy Mannering
''Guy Mannering; or, The Astrologer'' is the second of the Waverley novels by Walter Scott, published anonymously in 1815. According to an introduction that Scott wrote in 1829, he had originally intended to write a story of the supernatural, ...
'' by Sir Walter Scott.
M. Leelavathy
Mundanat Leelavathy (born 16 September 1927) is a Malayalam writer, literary critic, and educationist. She taught at various colleges in Kerala before retiring as Principal from Government Brennen College, Thalassery. During her long literary c ...
points that the character of Subhadra is prototyped from the Flora McIvor of ''
Waverley Waverley may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Waverley'' (novel), by Sir Walter Scott
** ''Waverley'' Overture, a work by Hector Berlioz inspired by Scott's novel
* Waverley Harrison, a character in the New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Stree ...
'' by
Sir Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...
.
:Neelikatha (subplot)
:According to P. Venugopalan, the story of ''Panchavankattu Neeli'' (Pañcavankāṭṭunīli, lit. Neeli of Pachavan forest) in the third chapter of the novel is a combination of stories form the ballads ''Panchavankattu Neelikatha'' (''Pañcavankāṭṭunīlikatha'') and ''Neelikatha'' (''Nīlikatha'', lit. story of Neeli). Thikkurissi Gangadharan states that ''Kaḷḷiyankāttunīli'' (Neeli of Kalliyancaud) is changed to ''Pañcavankāṭṭunīli'' by the author of the novel.
Appropriations
The novel heavily incorporates verses from ''
Nalacharitham
Nalacharitham is a Kathakali play ( Aattakatha) written by Unnayi Warrier. Based on the Mahabharatha, it tells the story of King Nalan and his consort Damayanthi. The play consists of four parts – called First, Second, Third and Fourth Day ...
Adhyathmaramayanam
''Adhyathmaramayanam Kilippattu'' is the most popular Malayalam version of the Sanskrit Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. It is believed to have been written by Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan in the early 17th century, and is considered to be a classic ...
''
Kilippattu
Kilippattu or ''parrot song'' is a genre of Malayalam poems in which the narrator is a parrot, a bee, a swan, and so on. Kiḷippaṭṭu was popularized by the 16th-century poet Ezhuthachan (The Father Of The Malayalam language).
In Adhyathm ...
, ''Sree Mahabharatham'' Kilippattu by
Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan
Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan (, ) (Malayalam: തുഞ്ചത്ത് രാമാനുജൻ
എഴുത്തച്ഛൻ) (Floruit, ''fl.'' 16th century) was a Malayalam devotional poet, translator and linguist from Kerala, sout ...
, ''Harishchandracharitham'' Aattakatha by Pettayil Raman Pilla Asan, ''Ravanavijayam'' Aattakatha by Vidwan Rajarajavarma Koi Tampuran of Kilimanur, ''Rukmineeswayamvaram'' Aattakatha by Aswathi Thirunal Ramavarma Thampuran, ''Kalakeyawadham'' Aattakatha by Kōṭṭayattŭ Tampuran, ''Bashanaishadham''
Champu
Champu or Chapu-Kavya (Devanagari: चम्पू-काव्य) is a genre of literary composition in Indian literature. The word 'Champu' means a combination of poetry and prose. A ''champu-kavya'' consists of a mixture of prose (Gadya-Kav ...
by Mazhamangalam as epigraphs, as descriptions and quotations. The novel also draws verses from ''Kirmeerawadham'' Aattakatha by Kōṭṭayattŭ Tampuran, ''Subhadraharanam'' Aattakatha by Mantṟēṭattŭ Nampūtiri, ''Dakshayagam'' Aattakatha by
Irayimman Thampi
Iravivarman Thampi, better known as Irayimman Thampi (1782 October 12 - 1856 July 29), was an Indian Carnatic musician, music composer and poet from the Kingdom of Travancore. He was a vocalist in the court of Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma, Swathi ...
, ''Banayudham'' Aattakatha by Bālakavi Rāmaśāstrikaḷ, ''Keechakawadham'' Aattakatha by Irayimman Thampi, ''Rāmāyaṇaṁ'' (Irupattunālu vr̥ttaṁ), ''Ramayanam'' Vilpattu, ''Vethalacharitham'' Kilippattu by Kallēkuḷaṅṅara Rāghavapiṣāraṭi, ''Symanthakam'' Ottan Thullal by
Kunchan Nambiar
Kunchan Nambiar was a prominent Malayalam poet of the 18th century (1705-1770). Apart from being a prolific poet, Nambiar is also famous as the originator of the dance art form of Thullal, most of his works were written for use in Thullal perfo ...
, ''Krishnarjunavijayam'' Thullal, ''Kuchelavritham'' Vanchipattu by Ramapurathu Varrier. The novel also comprises verses from the ballads ''Neelikatha'', ''Ponnarithal Katha'', ''Mavaratham'', and ''Iravikuttipillaporu''.
Languages
The novel mentions the languages,
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
,
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nati ...
and Hindustani, among which the former one is used primarily for the narration with the adopted words from Tamil,
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
,
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
, Hindustani,
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
and a conversation in a substitution cipher,
Mulabhadra
Mūlabhadra (മൂലഭദ്ര) aka Mūlabhadri (:ml:മൂലഭദ്രി) was a secret method of communication employed by the royal spies of the erstwhile Travancore Kingdom during the medieval period. The scheme was also colloquially ...
.
Malayalam is the primary language used in the novel, Sanskrit words are extensively used in the novel such as , (lit. chew-able, drinkable, lick-able, and eatable), (lit. heap of ardor), a form of sa, , . Tamil words and prepositions are used in the statements of Shanku Assan, Anantham, Mangoikkal Kuruppu and in the narrations, among which, the
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nati ...
word (lit. spouse eminine, ml, നായകി in the first edition of the novel is replaced with the
malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
one (lit. heroine), adapted from sa, नायिका, lit=the lady who leads, in the revised edition. The novel uses the word which is a form of Hindustani word (lit. devil), , analogous to ar, شیطون, translit-std=ALA-LC, translit=šayṭān rooted from the he, שָׂטָן, translit-std=ISO, translit=śāṭān., and also uses the word , a form of Hindustani word adapted from the fa, بهادر, translit-std=ISO, translit=bahadur rooted from the ota, بهادر, . (lit. brave). The novel makes a
malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
usage for the
shawl
A shawl (from fa, شال ''shāl'',) is a simple item of clothing from Kashmir, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular or square piece of cloth, which is often folded ...
used by Thirumukhathu Pilla as , which is analogous to the
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
word and the
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
version , and for the meaning of
guard
Guard or guards may refer to:
Professional occupations
* Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault
* Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street
* Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning
* Prison ...
while referring to the posture of Chembakassery Mootha Pilla at the door of Parukutty's room, the novel uses a word akin to the obsolete form
gard
Gard () is a department in Southern France, located in the region of Occitanie. It had a population of 748,437 as of 2019;ambiguous usages of the term ''nazhika'', as a unit of measure for time and as a unit of measure for length. Nazhika as a unit of measure for time is analogous to Ghaṭi and 1 Nazhika corresponds to 24
minute
The minute is a unit of time usually equal to (the first sexagesimal fraction) of an hour, or 60 seconds. In the UTC time standard, a minute on rare occasions has 61 seconds, a consequence of leap seconds (there is a provision to insert a nega ...
s. Nazhika is a unit of measure for length prevailed in yesteryear Kerala at different denominations such as 1 Nazhika = 1.828 kilometers and 1 Nazhika = 914.4 meters. The ''C. V. Vyakhyanakosam'' states that 1 Nazhika in the novel corresponds to approximately 1.5 kilometers.
Adaptations
Abridgement
* 1964: ''Marthandavarma'' – An abridged version by Kannan Janardhanan, published by Kamalalaya Book Depot.
* 1984: ''Kuttikalude Marthandavarma'' – An abridged version by M. M. Basheer, published by C. V. Raman Pillai National Foundation.
* 2011: ''Marthandavarma'' – An abridged version by Prof. P. Ramachandran Nair, published by
D. C. Books
DC Books is a publisher in Kerala publisher of books in Malayalam, and one of the publishers in India . It also operates one of the largest book store chains in India, with a network of over 45 bookshops under the DC Books and Current Books b ...
with illustrations by Reji Karimulackal.
* 2012: ''Marthandavarma'' – An abridged version by V. Ramachandran, distributed through National Book Stall, Kottayam.
Comics
In 1985,
Amar Chitra Katha
Amar Chitra Katha (ACK Comics) is an Indian publisher of Indian comics and graphic novels. Most of its comics are based on religious legends and epics, historical figures and biographies, folktales and cultural stories. The company was founded ...
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
comic book adaptation of novel. The thirty-two pages of comic book adaptation was scripted by Radha Nair, illustrated by M. Mohandas, had the cover art by Ramesh Umrotkar under the consultancy by
Ram Waeerkar Ram Waeerkar (died 26 February 2003) was an Indian comics artist for the series Amar Chitra Katha, based on Indian mythology, history, and folklore. He illustrated the very first issue, 'Krishna' in 1969, and many others later. In the 1980s he was ...
and editing by
Anant Pai
Anant Pai (17 September 1929 – 24 February 2011), popularly known as Uncle Pai, was an Indian educationalist and a pioneer in Indian comics. He is most famous as the creator of two comic book series viz. ''Amar Chitra Katha'', which reto ...
.
In 2007, the comic book adaptation was released in
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
by
Balarama
Balarama (Sanskrit: बलराम, IAST: ''Balarāma'') is a Hindu god and the elder brother of Krishna. He is particularly significant in the Jagannath tradition, as one of the triad deities. He is also known as Haladhara, Halayudha, Balad ...
Amar Chithra Katha of
Malayala Manorama
''Malayala Manorama'' is a morning newspaper in Malayalam published from Kottayam, Kerala, India by the Malayala Manorama Company Limited. Currently headed by Mammen Mathew; it was first published as a weekly on 22 March 1888, and currently has ...
group as ''Māṟttāṇḍavaṟmma''. The title ''The Legend of Maathaanda Varma'' was later altered to ''Maarthaanda Varma'' and released in 2010 by Amar Chitra Katha Pvt. Ltd, and it was included in the comics-collection ''The Great Indian Classics''.
Films
* 1933: ''Marthanda Varma'' – a silent black & white film directed by P. V Rao.
:
:The film released on 12 May 1933 to face litigation from the publishers of the novel during the period through a court order as the producer of the movie did not have the required rights, subsequently the film was retained by court authorities and imposed a stay on further screening of the film till the closure of legal proceedings which later went against the film producer. Thus, the film marked the first of its kind copyright case involving a literary work and a feature film in India by being a second feature film of Malayalam film industry and the novel being the first Malayalam literary work to adapt to a film from the same industry.
* 1997: ''Kulam'' – a loose adaptation directed by
Lenin Rajendran
Lenin Rajendran ( ml, ലെനിൻ രാജേന്ദ്രൻ) was an Indian film director and screenwriter who worked in Malayalam cinema. He served as the Chairman of Kerala State Film Development Corporation from 2016 to January 2019. ...
:
:The film released on 21 February 1997 through Ambadi Pictures, focuses only on the story of Subhadra, the pivotal character of the novel by exploring her marital and non-marital relationships finally to her murder by Kudamon Pilla.
Television
* 2003: Marthanda Varma – A television serial directed by Suryan Chennithala. The telecast of the serial commenced on 15 January 2003 at 18:00 hours as an episode of 30 minutes on
Doordarshan
Doordarshan (abbreviated as DD; Hindi: , ) is an Indian public service broadcaster founded by the Government of India, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of Prasar Bharati's two divisions. One of India's largest bro ...
’s Thiruvananthapuram channel. The serial was abruptly discontinued after the telecast of fourth episode on 3 March 2003 due to non-agreement of terms between the producer and the television channel team.
* 2010: Veera Marthanda Varma – A television serial produced by Colosceum Media Pvt Ltd. The telecast commenced on 19 July 2010 through Surya TV as a daily serial on weekdays from Monday to Friday at 21:30 hours, which was later changed to weekend slot after the eighty-third episode in November 2010. The telecast slots of the serial on Surya TV were intermittently skipped from March 2011 and eventually it was discontinued after the 128 episode on 21 May 2011.
* 2014: Marthanda Varma – A television play based on the script of stage adaptation by P. Venugopalan and performed in 2013, with the same cast members who reprised their roles from the stage performance except for a few including the replacement of Jiji Kalamandir by Vinayan for the role of mad Channan. The program was telecasted on 27 March 2014 at 15:30 hours through
DD Malayalam
DD Malayalam (Malayalam:ഡി.ഡി മലയാളം) is a Malayalam language television channel operated by India's national broadcaster Doordarshan. It is commonly known as DD4, although it is not officially used now. The name was change ...
, and it was re-telecasted as six episodes on Sundays from the following week.
Theatre
''Marthandavarma'' was first adapted for theater in 1919 by Sree Chithira Thirunal Grandhasala. It featured an all-male cast. N. Rajan Nair notes that
Nair
The Nair , also known as Nayar, are a group of Indian Hindu castes, described by anthropologist Kathleen Gough as "not a unitary group but a named category of castes". The Nair include several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom histor ...
Vanchiyoor
Vanchiyoor is a locality in downtown Thiruvananthapuram city, the capital of the India state of Kerala. Vanchiyoor occupies an important place in the history of Travancore
The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the ...
and Kunnukuzhy also staged theatre adaptations in early days. The cultural organization, Kalavedi of Thiruvananthapuram forayed into theatre adaptations of ''Marthandavarma'' from 1957. N. Rajan Nair points that a stage performance of ''Marthandavarma'' once happened at
Kozhikode
Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second la ...
and performances are happened at
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
,
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
and
Madras
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
under the respective Malayali associations.
* 2008: Marthanda Varma – A stage adaptation directed by Kaladharan staged on 18 May 2008 at VJT hall, Thiruvananthapuram under the banner of cultural organization, Rasika.
* 2013: Marthanda Varma – A stage adaptation staged on 19 May 2013 17:30 hours at Prof. N. Krishnapillai Foundation Theatre, Nandavanam under the banner of Kalavedi, Thiruvananthapuram.
Radio
* 19911992: Marthandavarma – A radio play produced by All India Radio, Thiruvananthapuram. The radio play was broadcast in 30 minutes episodes, every Wednesday at 21:30 hours from 17 July 1991 to 1 January 1992, and it was re-broadcast in 15-minute episodes from Monday to Saturday at 14:15 hours between 20 January 2014 and 8 February 2014.
* 2012: Subhadra – A radio program produced by All India Radio, Thiruvananthapuram. The radio play was broadcast in 30 minutes episodes, every Wednesday at 21:30 hours from 28 November 2012 to 12 December 2012.
Sequels
Raman Pillai received many requests for a sequel, and created three, and these novels together with ''Marthandvarma'' are known as ''C. V. Raman Pillai's Novel Trilogy''. They are also known as ''C. V. yude Charithrakhyayikakal'' ( ml, സിവിയുടെ ചരിത്രാഖ്യായികകൾ, translit-std=ISO, translit=Siviyuṭe Caritrākhyāyikakaḷ, lit=CV's Historic Narratives). .
* 1913 : ''Dharmaraja'' The story follows the novel with the return of Thripura Sunadari Kunjamma, the sister of Thevan Vikaraman Kazhakkoottathu Pilla and her granddaughter Meenakshi to Travancore and subsequent situations in which Kesava Pilla (young Kesavadas) gets involved with the proceedings of Chandrakaran, the son of Ramanamadathil Pilla and the emergence of Haripanchanan as the antagonist, who is later revealed by Ananthapadmanabhan to be one among the twins of Thripura Sunadari Kunjamma, Ugran, who plan to topple the kingdom.
* 1918 : ''Ramarajabahadur'' ''Part I'' The story continues with the return of Chandrakaran as Manikyagoundan while
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan (born Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu, 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799), also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery.Dalrymple, p. 243 He int ...
is planning a march to Travancore for eventual conquer and presents cousin of Raja Kesavadas, Perinchakodan as main antagonist, who abducts Savithri, the daughter of Meenakshi.
* 1919 : ''Ramarajabahadur'' ''Part II'' After the failed meeting of Raja Kesavadas and the Ajithasimhan, the messenger of Tipu Sultan, war ensues between the Mysore forces and Travancore forces.
:P. K. Parmeswaran Nair guesses that Raman Pillai's ''Diṣṭadaṁṣṭṟaṁ'', serialized in the 1920 periodical ''Mitabhāṣi'' to incomplete is the follow up of above story. N. Balakrishnan Nair states that C. V. Raman Pillai never wrote the third part of story based on Raja Kesavadas. Ayyappa Panicker, who analyzes the published texts of ''Diṣṭadaṁṣṭṟaṁ'' to find no historical or related references to above story line and concludes the claim of P. K. Parameswaran Nair as a mere assumption.
Significance
Influence
The novel was a forerunner in Malayalam historical fiction. According to Kalpetta Balakrishnan, C. R. Velu Pillai's ''Rājaśēkaran'' and K. M. Varghese's ''Nellimūṭṭile Nammuṭe Ammacci'' and ''Taccil Māttu Tarakan'' were influenced by ''Marthandavarma''.
Kunjunni Mash
Kunjunni (10 May 1927 - 26 March 2006), popularly known as Kunjunni Mash (''Mash'' is the Malayalam equivalent of teacher), was an Indian poet of Malayalam literature. Known for his short poems with a philosophical overtone, his works were popu ...
said he wrote a novel after reading ''Marthandavarma'' at young age, but never published it. For Malayalam writer
Paul Zacharia
Paul Zacharia, popularly known mononymously as Zacharia, is an Indian writer of Malayalam literature. Known for his body of literary works composed of short stories, novellas, travelogues, screenplays, essays, columns and children's books, Zacha ...
, ''Marthandavarma'' gained him the ability to imagine a scene for his writing career.
* ''Kuñcuttampimāṟ'', the historical novel by N. Parameswaran Pilla, is presented as an unauthorized sequel to ''Marthandavarma''.
* ''Śītālakṣmi'', the historical play by
E. V. Krishna Pillai
E. V. Krishna Pillai (14 September 1894 – 30 March 1938) was an Indian writer of Malayalam literature and member of Sree Moolam Popular Assembly of Travancore. He was known to be a multi-talented personality and excelled as an advocate, Member ...
, is also considered an unauthorized sequel.
Academic usage
The literary significance of novel led the text of the novel to be used in school curriculum as original and abridged forms, and also been included in the course programs offered by various universities of
south India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...
.
* School curriculum An abridged version of the novel is used as ''Malayalam II Reader'' / ''Malayāḷaṁ Upapāṭhapustakaṁ'' for Standard IX under
Kerala State Education Board
Kerala Board of Public Examination is the state level education board of Kerala. It is administerd by the Government of Kerala. The board is responsible for conducting various examinations on the basis of a unified law.Its Headquarters is locate ...
during 19771986. The chapter 24 of the novel was used as third chapter in ''Malayalam I Reader'' / ''Kēraḷa Pāṭhāvali'' of Standard X during 19872004 under the same education board.
* University curriculum The novel is prescribed as study material for
B.A.
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
programmes in Malayalam offered by
Kannur University
Kannur University is a multi-campus public university established in 1996 to provide development of higher education in Kasaragod, Kannur, Wayanad districts of Kerala, India. It serves the region of North Malabar. It was established after the ...
Pondicherry University
Pondicherry University, also known as PU, is a Central university (India), collegiate public central university located in Kalapet, Pondicherry in Union Territory of Puducherry, India. It was established by an Act of Parliament in 1985 by the ...
(2010),
University of Kerala
University of Kerala, formerly the University of Travancore, is a state-run public university located in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital of Kerala, India. It was established in 1937 by a promulgation of the Maharajah of Travancore, Chit ...
(1977, 1991, 1997, 20042012). The text of the novel is prescribed for
M.A.
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
programmes in Malayalam offered by
Madurai Kamaraj University
Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) is a public state university located in Madurai city, in southern Tamil Nadu, India, established in 1966. MKU is one of the 15 universities in India with the University with Potential for Excellence status, wh ...
(19982008), Mahatma Gandhi University (19911992), University of Kerala (1984, 19771992, 2007, 2012, 2013) and as a reference book for M.A. programme in Malayalam offered by
University of Madras
The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigiou ...
.
Relevance
''Marthandavarma'' has the highest position among the novels in Malayalam, particularly historical novels. The novel attracts new readers and researchers over the time and remains as the most popular historical novel in Malayalam, thus considered as one among the classics of
Malayalam literature
Malayalam, the lingua franca of the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puduchery, is one of the six Classical languages of India. Malayalam literature comprises those literary texts written in Malayalam, a Sou ...
. The novel is noted for the excellent narrative combined with
chivalric romance
As a literary genre, the chivalric romance is a type of prose and verse narrative that was popular in the noble courts of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about marvel-filled adventures, often of a chivalric k ...
and
realism
Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to:
In the arts
*Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts
Arts movements related to realism include:
*Classical Realism
*Literary realism, a move ...
respectively thru unexpected adventurous events and the historical facts than in the author's later historical novels, compared to which, the elegant romantic aspects tied with history makes the legends presented in this novel as believable. The sequels ''Dharmaraja'' and ''Ramarajabahadur'' could not surpass the reception of ''Marthandavarma''. The novel is also the subject in the marketing of other historical novels.
D. C. Books
DC Books is a publisher in Kerala publisher of books in Malayalam, and one of the publishers in India . It also operates one of the largest book store chains in India, with a network of over 45 bookshops under the DC Books and Current Books b ...
, in one of their advertisements for novel ''Atijīvanaṁ'' by Ettumanoor Somadasan, states that there would not be any
Malayali
The Malayali people () (also spelt Malayalee and also known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian peoples, Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala in India, occupying its southwestern Malabar coast. ...
who has not read the novel ''Marthandavarma''.
See also
*
Ettara Yogam
The ''Ettara Yogam'' or the King and Council of Eight has been the administrative setup of Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvanthapuram, Kerala, India, for centuries.
Origin
According to historians, a six member Sabha was constituted to ru ...
*
Kurup of Travancore Kurup of Travancore is a title given to Nairs who held the status of "Naaduvaazhi"- the lord of small kingdoms.
Kurup of Travancore (alternatively Guyrip, Kuruppu or Kuruppanmar) was a title used by Nair, Nairs in the Kingdom of Travancore, many ...
*
Koyi Thampuran
Koyi Thampuran was the title of the Prince Consorts of the Queens and Princesses of Travancore. The Koyi Thampurans' gained prominence and prestige in Kingdom of Travancore as they were the fathers of the then reigning Kings. In Travancore, ther ...