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 November 1875 to Princess Brihadambal Rajammani Sahib of Pudukkottai and her husband M.R.Ry. Kolandaswami Pallavarayar Sahib Avargal. Princess Brihadambal was the eldest daughter of Ramachandra Tondaiman, the Raja of Pudukkottai. Martanda was Brihadambal's third son. At an early age, Martanda was adopted by Ramachandra Tondaiman as he did not have any male heirs of his own. Martanda was educated in private by Fredric Feilden Crossley, a

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

alumnus. Martanda excelled in sports and developed a liking for European culture and manners.

Reign

Ramachandra Tondaiman, the Raja of Pudukkottai, died on 15 April 1886 after a reign of fifty years. Martanda Bhairava Tondaiman was, therefore, crowned king at the age of eleven with a

regency 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 ...

headed by the Diwan, A. Seshayya Sastri governing the state in his minority. Martanda assumed the reins of the government on 27 November 1894 when he attained majority and was invested with full powers by Lord Wenlock, the

Governor of Madras This is a list of the governors, agents, and presidents of colonial Madras, initially of the English East India Company, up to the end of British colonial rule in 1947. English Agents In 1639, the grant of Madras to the English was finalized b ...

, himself. Soon after obtaining the management of the state, Martanda petitioned for the restitution of the Manovarti ''jagir''. Dirks, p 350 The Manovarti ''jagir'' consisted of four villages which had been designated by Vijaya Raghunatha Tondaiman in the early 19th century as the private property of his three wives. Since Martanda was unmarried and did not have wives of his own at the time, he desired that the ''jagir'' be restored to him. However, the government rejected his request. During his reign, Martanda attended the Coronation Durbar at Delhi in 1903 and the coronation of

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

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in 1911. In 1902, Martanda set up a representative assembly of 30 members on the pattern of the Mysore Assembly. The members of the assembly were nominated by heads of government departments and public institutions. The office of Councillor was created to assist the Diwan and the Diwan acting with the assistance of the Councillor was known as "Diwan-in-Council". Martanda was made a

Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander (GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) No appoi ...

in the 1913 New Year Honours' List.

Marriage and later life

The grave of the Rajah of Pudukota, Golders Green Crematorium

In March 1915, Martanda travelled to Australia where he met Australian socialite Molly Fink at Hotel Majestic Mansions in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. Martanda soon fell in love with her and followed her to Sydney. In August 1915, Martanda proposed to Molly and she accepted. The couple were married on 10 August 1915 at the Regsitrar's Office in Melbourne. A son Martanda Sydney Tondaiman was born to them on 22 July 1916. Martanda had been briefly engaged to an American woman prior to his marriage with Molly. Right from the beginning, the British authorities in India were hostile to their marriage. They refused to recognise Molly Fink as Martanda's wife and accord her the privileges due to a "Maharani". Martanda returned to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

in October 1915 with Molly but barely stayed for five months. The couple moved to Australia where they stayed from 1916 to 1919 and then to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and eventually,

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, where they purchased a villa, La Favourite. In 1921, Martanda formally gave up his claim to the throne of Pudukkottai and nominated his brother Raghunatha Pallavarayar to rule the state in his absence. Martanda settled down in France with Molly and Sydney. He died on 28 May 1928 at the age of fifty-two. His body was cremated and the ashes were interred in the Columbarium at the

Golders Green Crematorium Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum was the first crematorium to be opened in London, and one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000 (the equivalent of £135,987 in 2021), ...

in London as the India Office refused Molly's request to transport his body by air to India. Martanda Bhairava Tondaiman was succeeded as the Raja of Pudukkottai by his nephew, 6-year old Rajagopala Tondaiman, with Raghunatha Pallavarayar continuing as regent.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tondaiman, Martanda Bhairava 1875 births 1928 deaths Hindu monarchs Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire Pudukkottai state Golders Green Crematorium