A fitting tribute to the last queen: Pooradam Thirunal Sethu Lakshmi Bayi
Thiruvananthapuram: The last queen of Travancore, Pooradam Thirunal Sethu Lakshmi Bayi CI, who ruled the kingdom from 1924 to 1931, is a forgotten figure, though she had introduced many reforms like abolition of Devadasi system and the prohibition of animal sacrifice. As a fitting tribute to her legacy, a documentary has been brought out which will be previewed at a meeting to be held to commemorate her next month. The documentary titled 'The Last Queen of Travancore' has been produced by Mr R.V. Reghunanthan, husband of the granddaughter of the regent queen, who was the granddaughter of the celebrated painter Raja Ravi Varma.
She was given the title ‘CI’ (Imperial Order of the Crown of India) by the then British empire. Mr Reghunanthan, 65, is a businessman based in Bangalore. Mr Sudheer Ghosh, production designer of the documentary, which is directed by G. Sugesh, told Deccan Chronicle that the documentary was conceived keeping in mind the fact that the queen does not have a memorial in the state. Maharajah Moolam Thirunal died in 1924 when his grand nephew and the heir to the throne, Sree Chithira Thirunal, was just 12 years old. Regency became necessary since the Maharajah was a minor.
Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, along with her younger cousin, Moolam Thirunal Sethu Parvathi Bayi, was adopted into the Travancore royal family from the Kilimanoor palace. Regent rani ruled the state till Sree Chithira Thirunal assumed the throne on attaining 18 years of age in 1931. Satelmond Palace, which was her principal residence, was later acquired by the government. The palace had run into a controversy following the 'Mudavanmugal Michabhoomi samaram' led by the the CPM. It was later handed over to the bio-medical wing of the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST).
Rani left the state following a strike by her servants in the palace in 1957. Though the strike was suppressed, it resurfaced in 1958. During this time Sethu Lakshmi Bayi suffered a mild heart attack and she left for staying with her family in Bangalore where she died in February 1985. During her rule, Sethu Lakshmi Bayi met Mahatma Gandhi following which she issued a royal proclamation by which all the public roads except the eastern road to Vaikom Mahadeva Temple were opened to all castes. This later led to the temple entry proclamation.
