Raja Sri Brahdamba Dasa Raja Ramachandra Tondaiman Bahadur (20 October 1829 – 15 April 1886) was the ruler of princely state of Pudukkottai from 13 July 1839 to 15 April 1886.

Early life

Ramachandra Tondaiman was born in

Pudukkottai Pudukkottai is the administrative headquarters of Pudukkottai District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a large city located on the banks of the Vellar River. It has been ruled, at different times, by the mutharaiyar dynasty , Cholas, ...

on 20 October 1829 to Raghunatha Tondaiman, the

Raja ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested f ...

of Pudukkottai and his second wife, Rani Kamalambal Ayi Sahib. He was educated in private and succeeded to throne at the age of nine on the death of his father with the British political agent at Pudukkottai acting as the

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

Reign

Pudukkottai was administered by a regent in the early years of Ramachandra's reign. Soon after his accession, Ramachandra was awarded the style of "

His Excellency Excellency is an honorific style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder usually retains the righ ...

" by the British government. In 1844, Ramachandra, formally, assumed control of the government. Ramachandra's administration was allegedly marked by extravagance and financial mismanagement. He was punished by the British government who twice revoked the permission to use the style "His Excellency" in 1859 and 1873. In 1878, at the advice of Sir T. Madhava Rao, the Madras government appointed A. Seshayya Sastri, former Diwan 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 ...

as the Diwan of Pudukkottai. Sastri reformed the administration and rebuilt the city of

as per modern principles of town planning. The Pudukulam and Pallavankulam tanks in the city were renovated and a Post and Telegraph Office was inaugurated in 1884. At Sastri's suggestion, Ramachandra renovated many Hindu temples in the state. In 1881, Ramachandra officially adopted the hereditary title "Brihadambadas" with the consent of Sastri. Ramachandra was awarded the style "

His Highness Highness (abbreviation HH, oral address Your Highness) is a formal style used to address (in second person) or refer to (in third person) certain members of a reigning or formerly reigning dynasty. It is typically used with a possessive adject ...

" on 16 May 1884 along with an 11-gun salute. He was awarded the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

medal in 1875 and the

Empress of India Medal The Empress of India Medal, also referred to as KIH Medal, was a commemorative medal awarded to mark the occasion of the proclamation of Queen Victoria as Empress of India in 1877. It was the first wearable medal issued to mark a commemorative o ...

in gold in 1877.

Family

HH Subbamma Bai Sahib Rani of Pudukottai

Ramachandra Tondaiman married Rani Brihadambal Rajammani Bayi Sahib on 13 June 1845. The couple had two daughters. * Kamalambal Rajammani Bayi Sahib (d. 24 January 1903) * Mangalambal Rajammani Bayi Sahib (d. 1873) Ramachandra married for a second time, to Janaki Subbammal, the eldest daughter of the ''

zamindar A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as ...

'' of

Neduvasal Neduvasal is a village in Pudukkottai district, Tamil Nadu, India. Demographics As per the 2006 census, Neduvasal had a total population of 5030 with 2650 males and 2380 females. Protest *''This is a place where the protests intensified for t ...

on 31 August 1848. The couple had a son and a daughter * Sivarama Raghunatha Tondaiman (died 1867) * Brihadambal Rajammani Bayi Sahib (1852–1903) Since Sivarama Raghunatha Tondaiman, Ramachandra Tondaiman's only son predeceased him, Ramachandra adopted

Martanda Bhairava Tondaiman Raja Sri Brahdamba Dasa Raja Sir Martanda Bhairava Tondaiman (26 November 1875 – 28 May 1928) was the ruler of the princely state of Pudukkottai from 15 April 1886 to 28 May 1928. Early life Martanda Bhairava Tondaiman was born on 26 Nov ...

, son of his daughter Brihadambal, and designated him heir-apparent to the throne.

Patronage of music

Ramachandra Tondaiman patronised music and organised Carnatic music concerts in his palace. Ramachandra Tondaiman, himself, was a prolific composer and set his drama ''Kuruvaji Nataka'' to music and had it enacted at the Viralimalai Murugan temple.

Notes

{{reflist 1829 births 1886 deaths Hindu monarchs Indian Hindus Pudukkottai state