Lord Vishnu's royal servants guard his riches

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As Sree Padmanbha Swamy temple's glittering gems are valued and tagged, it's not just the diamonds that shine but also the royal family of the erstwhile princely state of Travancore. It's an ode to the family's unflinchingdevotion and integrity that not a penny has gone missing from the billionsstored in the cellars of the centuries-old shrine administered by theroyals.Uthradam Thirunal Marthanda Varma, current head of the royal family, refuses to comment on the stock-taking exercise till the last paisa is counted. "Till then, only my eyes would speak," he insists. Whatmakes the family's story vis-a-vis the temple all the more compelling is thatthe rulers always knew of the riches, yet never touched them. "The riches arementioned in the book "Pradhanapetta Mathilakom Records" (Important MathilakomRecords) compiled by acclaimed Malayalam poet Ulloor S Parameswara Iyer andpublished in 1941. They also figure in the "Kottaram" (Palace) manual which runsinto 12 volumes," says noted historian M G Sasibhushan. "These records refer tothe sacred cellars from which treasure is being dug out." Observerstalk of the symbolic significance of the practice of royal family membersdusting sand off their feet when they emerge from the shrine. "It was meant toconvey that the family members would not take home or misappropriate even aspeck of sand belonging to Padmanabha," they say. In fact, the present head,Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma, religiously follows the rule of paying of Rs151 and 55 paise to the temple if he fails to make it to the shrine on anyday.Unlike other royals, the Travancore family has stayed away fromopulence with descendants more inclined towards art and culture."There was also a rule that the affairs of the palace should be runfrom the proceeds of its spice business and not with money from the statetreasury," says Sasibhushan. This is followed even now. The present ruler'snephew Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma, next in line to head the family, runs theAspinwall Company, which to this day supplies pepper to Buckingham Palace andmany more European royals," Sasibhushan says.Though the kingdom ofTravancore lapsed in 1949 following the Instrument of Accession with the Unionof India, the management of the temple remained with the royal family by virtueof a covenant. Travancore extended from Kanyakumari (now in TamilNadu) in the south to Aluva (Ernakulam district) in the north. Padmanabhapuram(now in TN) was its first capital, but this was shifted to Thiruvananthapuram byKarthika Thirunal Rama Varma, better known as Dharma Raja, so called because herefused to let go of refugees who had fled Malabar following Tipu Sultan'sonslaught. He succeeded Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma, first ruler ofTravancore, and is credited with formation of the state.The family,which ruled over erstwhile Travancore, has had a long lineage of visionaryrulers. In fact, it was a bold move by the first Marthanda Varma in 1750 thatinextricably bonded the temple and the palace. The king donated the wealth ofthe kingdom to the deity Padmanabha (Lord Vishnu) and ruled the state as"Padmanabha Dasa" (servant of Padmanabha).Some important namesin the family are Swathi Thirunal (1813-1846), legendary Carnatic musician, whopromoted English education and the last king Chithira Thirunal Bala Rama Varma(1912-1991), who abolished the death sentence making Travancore the firstterritory in India to do so. The last king issued the landmark Temple EntryProclamation in 1936 doing away with the ban on "untouchables" entering temples.C P Ramaswami Iyer, then Diwan influenced the king's decisions.