Early Life
Rama Varma was born as a savior of Travancore. There was no male heir in the Travancore Royal family and the threat of the infamous Doctrine of Lapse loomed over this tiny state. Nobody in Travancore, including the then British resident Col. Munroe wanted the kingdom to be annexed to British India.
Then the Queen Regent, Rani Gouri Lakshmi Bayi conceived. Munroe informed his superiors that a heir is born to Travancore much before the baby was born. Garbhasriman, as he was popularly known, Swathi Thirunal was acclaimed a king even before his birth.
The story goes that the Resident even prayed at the Padmanabhaswamy Temple and made offerings that a baby boy be born to the Queen. Maharaja Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma was born in 1813 in Swathi (Chothi) star. And as by the tradition in his family, he was named Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma.
The most famous lullaby in Malayalam, Omanathingal Kidavao… was written when Swathi was born. This poem by Erayiamman Thampi is still very popular in Kerala.
Son of Rani Gauri Lexmi Bai who looked after the affairs of the State as Queen Regent and Raja Raja Varma Koyi Thampuran of Changanassery royal family, Swathi Thirunalshowed his prodigy from early years. His mother Rani Laxmi Bayi, the Queen Regent, passed away when the child was hardly two, leaving him in the care of her sister, Rani Parvathi Bayi, who took over as the Queen Regent, during the period of his childhood days. Regent Partvathi Bayi was very careful about the education of the young prince. Tutors were appointed for teaching him different subjects and languages. She was far-sighted about the need for having knowledge of different languages in the context of an emerging multilingual polity and administration. Thus Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Persian, Hindi and Marathi were taught to him, besides the mother-tongue. The extraordinary intellectual exuberance of Swathi Thirunal and the deeper interest and insight he showed in music and literature, amazed his tutors, and the British personalities who visited the state. Rama Varma was very attached to his aunt and shared a very special and warm relationship with her till the end.