These are times when hidden chapters of India’s past are being revisited, rediscovered. For good reason. The grit and glory of several regional kings — who were earlier sidelined to the margins of national history — are finally being given their due prominence.
In this context, a new book, God’s Own Empire (Penguin Random House), by history researchers Raghu and Pushpa Palat gains importance. The book unspools the story of erstwhile Travancore ruler Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma, who crushed the Dutch East India Company in the Battle of Colachel.
The Dutch had meddled in Travancore’s internal affairs to seize power and establish a trade monopoly. Marthanda Varma resisted.
“This significant battle marked the end of Dutch aspirations to colonize India. Its significance increases when one realizes that the Dutch were, at that time, more powerful than the English, who were still only traders,” the authors note.
“Notably, it stands out as the sole instance where an Indian monarch successfully defeated a major European power and ended their aspiration of colonizing India.”
‘God’s Own Empire’ sheds light on the life and times of this monarch, who ascended the throne when Travancore was still a minor state, riddled with clan wars and feudal machinations.
Stories of Marthanda Varma — who ruled Travancore from 1729 to 1758 — have survived as hearsay or grandmother’s tales passed down generations. To some, his name evokes awe and fear.
There is a tale of how he erased eight Nair families that conspired to overthrow him. The colloquial term kulamthonduka (dig a pond, while referring to ruining a place or thing), some say, originated from this episode. His vengeance, according to lore, wiped out their bloodlines, dismantled their homesteads, and dug ponds where those houses once stood.
However, as Raghu and Pushpa explain in their book, these stories present only a fragment of his “momentous life”. They narrate episodes of his strategic brilliance and human side.
Also featured are landmarks associated with the ruler, such as the ammachi plaavu (a jackfruit tree where he once hid from enemies), and the Neyyattinkara Sreekrishna Swamy Temple, which he later built. Most notably, he offered his kingdom to Sree Padmanabhaswamy and ruled thereafter as the deity’s representative.
“This could have been either a strategic move to root out any chances of rebellion or purely devotional, considering the staunch devotee that he was,” say Pushpa and Raghu.
The authors, known for the book ‘The Case that Shook the Empire’, began researching Marthanda Varma in 2019. A visit to the Kowdiar Palace, where they saw the weapons used in the Battle of Colachel, proved a turning point.
“The project involved heavy research, as one can see from the bibliography of God’s Own Empire. We referred largely at the British Library in London, went through tomes and studied earlier works on Travancore history,” says Pushpa.
As their research progressed, they discovered a complex man of purpose and resilience. “Even as a child, his mind was undeterred. He believed the power of the crown must be restored and protected. We found in him a remarkable man who stood for land and its people,” the authors say.
To them, the ruler’s so-called ‘cruel’ side was typical of kings navigating crises. “Kings annihilate enemies, and he too did the same,” says Pushpa, adding their book refrains from opinions or controversy and is instead grounded in fact.
Marthanda Varma built this kingdom from “nothing into a stellar one”, says Raghu. “He had to be militarily proficient. He knew how to plan wars, make allies, and take on adversaries. But he valued people for their mettle. He employed Admiral Eustachius De Lannoy (the Dutch commander taken prisoner after the Battle of Colachel) to train the Travancore army,” he says.
“He also understood that the local chieftains were wielding unruly power in administration, and hence brought in Tamil Brahmins like Ramayya. The result was a region where infrastructure and military strength thrived — paving the way for successors like Dharmaraja, who later famously stopped Tipu Sultan’s incursion.”
The Battle of Colachel, which began on 7 August 1741, was Marthanda Varma’s response to Dutch interference in Travancore’s affairs. In a pre-war meeting, he cut the haughty Dutch governor Gustaaf van Imhoff down to size.
“Then, in a deep stentorian voice, van Imhoff spoke to him of Dutch power and
their presence in the East. He told Marthanda how powerful the Dutch were and of their presence in Java, Ceylon and India, and that they were Europe’s foremost power,” the authors note in the book.
Van Imhoff warned Marthanda Varma that it “would be foolhardy not to adhere to the wishes of the Dutch”. But he was left frustrated as the king would not yield.
“He rose to his full height and, pointing at Marthanda, yelled that the Dutch would invade Travancore and depose him. Marthanda, amused, told him that he was free to do so and confidently added that if they tried to, they would be defeated,” the authors write.
As the back-and-forth heated up, Marthanda Varma “lost all patience with van Imhoff and abruptly ended the meeting, but not before contemptuously informing van Imhoff that should the Dutch attempt to invade Travancore, he would invade Europe with his boats and fishermen and depose the Dutch king”.
The battle, aimed at seizing Colachel to Cape Comorin, ended with the Dutch being routed by Travancore’s cavalry that had been strengthened under Marthanda Varma by reviving kalaris in every village, enhancing military training, forming strategic alliances, and bolstering arms. He also ensured that the Travancore navy cut off Dutch supplies at sea.
The Dutch were overconfident that “it would be very easy to cut those 50,000 to 90,000 men to pieces with 1,500 native and 1,000 European soldiers and ten pieces of artillery”. But, eventually, the Dutch were forced to surrender, leaving behind spoils such as cannons, muskets and swords, and the prisoners of war housed at Udayagiri Fort.
Describing the scene, the authors write: “De Lannoy, as the negotiator, approached Marthanda, who was sitting on a chair, and knelt before him. Then, with his head bent down, he extended his arms holding his sword and offered it to Marthanda. Authorized to speak on behalf of the Dutch, de Lannoy, with complete humility, said, ‘We surrender to your mercy. The field is yours.’”
Notably, De Lannoy and Donati were later appointed as military trainers, signifying the king’s pragmatic approach on state-building. De Lannoy was, in fact, later made the ‘Valiya Kappithan’ (chief captain) of the Travancore forces.
The Battle of Colachel shattered the Dutch dream of colonising the region. “The Dutch never recovered from this unqualified defeat,” says Pushpa, adding that it remains a symbol of a monarch who chose freedom and pride over submission.
The book is part of the couple’s broader aim to spotlight lesser-known rulers who shaped regional history. “The history told to us always painted us as people who lost. This is far from true. There are so many like Anizham Thirunal,” Pushpa says.
To Raghu and Pushpa, Anizham Thirunal’s frugal personal life but towering royal persona deserved chronicling. “He knew what he wanted, and he knew how to get it. He was no diplomat, but a pragmatic strategist, a man of faith and courage. An incident that reveals his attitude is how he chose to walk in the arattu procession of Sree Padmanabhaswamy, even when his enemies were plotting to assassinate him. His focus is also evident when, during a court session, he tells those praising him to cut to the point — ‘there is no time to waste’. That was Marthanda Varma, and that is how he should be remembered,” the couple say, hinting that they are already at work on more such stories that need to be retold.