Raja Kesavadas (1745-1799) was the Dewan of Travancore during the reign of Dharma Raja Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma. This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... Flag for former princely state of Travancore Travancore or Thiruvithaamkoor (Malayalam: തിരുവിതാങ്കൂര്‍ [], തിരുവിതാംകൂര്‍ [], തിരുവിതാങ്കോട് []) was a princely state in India with its capital at Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram). ... Dharma Raja Karthika Thirunal [1] Rama Varma was a king of Travancore(1733-1798) (ME 899-973) from 1758 -1798. ...

Early Years

He was born Kesava Pillai (full name Raman Kesavan Pillai, nephew of Raman Pillai)in a small hamlet called Kunnattoor on March 17, 1745 A.D. in Travancore. Amongst the nair community who followed matrilineal system, it was the uncle's name which was used a prefix. Although he did not get receive a formal education, through his formidable talent, he was employed by a local merchant Poku Moosa Marackar as a tally clerk.

In Royal Service

He impressed the King with his behavior during a visit of the Marackar to the Palace. The king gave him a job in his administrative staff. Kesava Pillai climbed the lower rungs of the official ladder and in 1789 he was appointed as the Dewan of Travancore. He was given the title Raja by the British Governor Mornington, in appreciation of his administrative talents. It is said that out of humility he linked his name with the word Dasan (servant) and liked to be called Raja Dasan (servant of the King), but the name Raja Kesavadas stuck. He was a trained solider who trained under the Dutch Captain Eustance De lennoy who shifted allegiance to Maharaja Marthanda Varma after the Battle of Colachel. Captain Eustance De Lennoy (also spelt De Lannoy), was a Dutch naval commander of the Dutch East India Company , who was sent by the company to help establish a trading post at Colachel, Southern India, but was defeated at the Battle of Colachel by the Travancore army under Maharaja Marthanda... Marthanda Varma (1706 - 1758) was the son of the Rani of Attingal. ... The naval Battle of Kulachal took place on 10 August 1741 (31 July OS) [1], when forces of Marthanda Varma, the Raja of the erstwhile Indian State of Travancore (also known as Tiruvitamkur) defeated forces of the Dutch East India Company (also known as VOC), and the allied Rani of...

As Army chief

After the death of De Lennoy, Raja Kesava Das became Army Chief of Travancore. It was under Raja Keshavadas's direct command a comparatively small army humbled and defeated the invading army of Tipu Sultan near the Nedumkotta. Nedumkotta or Travancore lines was a wall built as a protection against consistent invasion and threats from northern kingdoms mainly Zamorins of kozhikode. ...

Contribution to trade and Commerce

He is considered as the chief architect of Alapuzha town. The area which alapuzha now occupies was once a coastal area which was uninhabited and filled with large weeded plants. He found alapuzha to be a good location for a port. He constructed two parallel canals for bringing goods to the port. He offered infrastructural facilities to merchants and traders from Surat, Mumbai and Kutch to start industrial enterprises, trading, and cargo centres. Alappuzha attained progress and became the financial nerve centre of Travancore during his time.
He constructed the Main Central Road( now State Highway No.1) from Thiruvananthapuram to Karukutty, near Angamaly which is still the main road in the hinterland areas of Kerala. The originating junction of this road has the name Kesavadasapuram. Alappuzha, also known as Alleppey, is a town in Alappuzha District of Kerala state of southern India. ... The Main Central Road (MC Road) is the arterial State Highway in the Travancore region of Kerala state, India. ... , Angamaly is a city and a municipality in Ernakulam district in the state of Kerala, India. ... The meaning of hinterland and its history. ... Kesavadasapuram is situated in Thiruvananthapuram district. ...

Last years

The continuous threat of attack from the Tipu Sultan had made him request the King to request for British help. This request for help finally allowed the British to have control on the kingdom and later led to installation of a regent under British rule ^[1].His tenure of Diwan ended with demise of Dharma Raja Karthika Thirunal in 1798. Balarama Varma, his successor aged fourteen became the crown prince who was a puppet in the hands Jayanthan Sankaran Nampoothiri. Raja Kesavadas was proclaimed as a traitor and kept under house arrest which helped Jayanthan Sankaran Nampoothiri to usurp the post of Diwan. Laterhis family assets were confiscated and was poisoned to death on 21st April 1799.His death put the capital into turmoil and a riot followed in which Jayanthan Sankaran Nampoothiri was removed which paved the way for Velu Thampi Dalawa to become the dewan. Portrait of Tippu Sultan, 1792 Tippu (Tips) Sultan (full name Sultan Fateh Ali Tippu), also known as the Tiger of Mysore (November 20, 1750, Devanahalli – May 4, 1799, Srirangapattana), was the first son of Haidar Ali by his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-nissa. ... Dharma Raja Karthika Thirunal [1] Rama Varma was a king of Travancore(1733-1798) (ME 899-973) from 1758 -1798. ... Balarama Varma (c. ... Velayudhan Chempakaraman Thampi was the Dalawa or Prime Minister of the Indian kingdom of Travancore between 1801 AD and 1809 AD during the reign of His Highness Maharajah Bala Rama Varma Kulasekhara Perumal. ...

References

• Alapuzha Website accessed on August 7, 2006.
• Voice of Dharma]accessed on August 7, 2006.

Notes

1. ^ Although this happened after his death