Q. With reference to the emergence of the modern state of Travancore under Maharaja Marthanda Varma (c. 1729–1758), consider the following statements:
1.He decisively defeated the Dutch East India Company forces at the Battle of Colachel (1741), effectively ending the Dutch political and economic influence in the Malabar coast.
2.He instituted the practice of Thrippadidanam, dedicating his kingdom to the deity Sree Padmanabha, making himself and his successors the Padmanabhadasa (Servants of the Lord).
3.To finance his centralized state and modernized army, he abolished the royal monopoly on key commodities like pepper and instead focused solely on land revenue.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
Answer: B
Notes:
Explanation:
- Statement 1: Correct. The Battle of Colachel in 1741 was a historic victory where Travancore defeated the forces of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), effectively shattering the Dutch power in India and enhancing Travancore’s prestige.
- Statement 2: Correct. In 1750 CE, Marthanda Varma performed the Thrippadidanam, ritually surrendering his state to Lord Padmanabha, turning the monarchy into a religious institution and giving his authority a divine sanction, which also helped in suppressing the power of the local feudal lords.
- Statement 3: Incorrect. Marthanda Varma did not abolish the royal monopoly; instead, he aggressively imposed and enforced a state monopoly (Kuttakam) on key cash crops, most notably pepper, to secure steady revenue for his modern state apparatus and standing army.
