Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma Quotes (22 quotes)

Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma: 22 quotes0 likes

Famous Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma Quotes

“It is nice to see that the royal family of England has easily adapted to the changed times. They are well-trained to retain their memories, updated their knowledge and live according to the new conditions.”

Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma

In "When 'Maharaja of Travancore' met Queen Elizabeth II (8 July 2012)".

“Sri Chithira Tirunal Maharaja was a visionary. Gandhiji came here after the Temple Entry Proclamation was made by my brother, throwing open the temples to all the castes. The Mahatma said it was not a trip but a pilgrimage. The carpet on which he sat is now a prized possession of the family.”

Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma

In "Royal vignettes: Travancore - Simplicity graces this House (30 March 2003)"

“If my knowledge is correct, the government in the United Kingdom even took away the tax concessions given to the Royals. But the British royal family seems to have no complaint about that. It is a rare quality," he said.”

Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma

In "When 'Maharaja of Travancore' met Queen Elizabeth II (8 July 2012)".

“From the age of eight, I have grown up in an atmosphere pervaded by religion. The State was surrendered to Lord Padmanabhaswamy in 1750 by my ancestor whose name I bear. Nothing is greater than this concept and since that day, every morning, the ruler has the tradition of rendering an account of the previous day's administrative events to the lord. Whether I can communicate this attachment and devotion to others — the younger people in the family — is what worries me. Are they in attendance at the right time at the temple? This alone bothers me.”

Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma

In "Royal vignettes: Travancore - Simplicity graces this House (30 March 2003)"

“I have to go back a bit in time, to explain why. Everybody thinks that we Indians first rose against British colonial rule in 1857. In 1741, Travancore was the only Asian power to defeat the Dutch when they arrived here. After the battle, all the Dutch soldiers kneeled before my ancestors. One Dutchman, Benedictus Eustachius, even joined our army. We called him the Great Kapitan. Later, I learned that he was [US president] Franklin Roosevelt's ancestor when the latter's grandson came to look at our historical records.”

Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma

On his being to frugal in lifestyle in spite of being one of the richest families in India, and the British rule in “The riches belong to nobody, certainly not to our family.”
The riches belong to nobody, certainly not to our family, 2009

“In 1954, I was invited to a tea party hosted in honour of the Queen in Bangalore. She came with her husband to the party held at the Vidhan Soudha. I was keen to meet the Queen personally. I conveyed my desire to Vijayalakshmi Pandit, sister of India's first premier Jawaharlal Nehru, who was present. She immediately facilitated a meeting with the Queen for me and my wife Radhadevi.”

Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma

In "When 'Maharaja of Travancore' met Queen Elizabeth II (8 July 2012)".

Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma Quotes

“Then in 1839, almost two decades before the mutiny, we rose against the British. Our punishment was severe. They disbanded our police and army of 50,000, transferred our capital to Kollam, dumped two British regiments on us, and ordered us to pay for their upkeep. Thomas Munroe named himself Diwan of Travancore. When our spirit still did not flag, they brought in missionaries. But we did not get gobbled up by Western thought. We travel abroad occasionally, but it has not affected or changed our simple way of life. Why am I telling you this? So that you get an idea of how much our life has revolved around our faith, despite so many outside influences and kept us going.”

Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma

On retaining his identity inspite of Britih control, in “The riches belong to nobody, certainly not to our family.”
The riches belong to nobody, certainly not to our family, 2009

“She [Queen Elizabeth II] is a person of sharp memory and has great knowledge about India. I met her first in 1933 during my maiden visit to England. It was long before her coronation. She was then Princess Elizabeth. Her father, then Duke of York, was also there when I saw her.”

Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma

After meeting Queen Elizabeth, in When 'Maharaja of Travancore' met Queen Elizabeth II (8 July 2012) http://www.ndtv.com/article/south/when-maharaja-of-travancore-met-queen-elizabeth-ii-240858

“When we have guests, my wife and I serve them sometimes. In fact, a mediaperson from Germany who probably expected me to dress in fine clothes, once mistook me for my secretary.”

Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma

Entertaining his guests at the modest Pattom palace, in "Royal vignettes: Travancore - Simplicity graces this House (30 March 2003)"

“She had great knowledge about India. I again got startled when the Queen asked about my house in Bangalore. She said she had twice passed by my house at Nandi Hills during her visit to the place with the Maharaja of Mysore, who told her it belonged to the Elayaraja of Travancore.”

Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma

Quoted in "When 'Maharaja of Travancore' met Queen Elizabeth II (8 July 2012)".

“We are the Cheras, one of the four erstwhile royal families of South India and have a long and dynastic family tree. By 1750 Travancore had become rich and big. So my ancestor, the then king, made a unique spiritual and historical contribution. He decided to surrender all his riches to the temple - Padmanabhaswamy is also our family deity. He said our family would look after that wealth, the temple and the kingdom forever. But he did want the ego that comes with possessing it. He was influenced by Emperor Ashoka's catharsis in the killing fields of Kalinga. So he declared our family to be Padmanabha's 'dasas', devotees. A servant can resign his job, but a dasa can do so only when he dies.”

Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma

On his family links with the Padmanabhaswamy temple in
The riches belong to nobody, certainly not to our family, 2009

“You are the elayaraja (crown prince) of Travancore?' She then recollected our first meeting years back in England. I was amazed when she asked if Travancore was in the southern tip of India?”

Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma

After exchanging pleasantries with the Queen, quoted in "When 'Maharaja of Travancore' met Queen Elizabeth II (8 July 2012)".

“We are rulers on His behalf, I live because of His grace.”

Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma

On his reverence to the temple and the Lord which has formed the centre of existence for the Travancore royalty for more than 300 years, in Royal vignettes: Travancore - Simplicity graces this House (30 March 2003) http://www.hindu.com/mag/2003/03/30/stories/2003033000700700.htm

“I am what I am because I was the son of a princess. Women have always been very educated and progressive in my family.”

Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma

On the matrilineal system of inheritance in vogue among the royal family, in "Royal vignettes: Travancore - Simplicity graces this House (30 March 2003)"

“His favourite car, the copper blue 180D Mercedes Benz, was in his possession till he breathed his last. A person with varied interests, he had to his credit several trophies won as an amateur horse rider at various places in the country.”

Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma

The New Indian Express, in “An Avid Shutterbug, Driving Enthusiast, Sanskrit Scholar (17 December 2013)”

“During his Bangalore days he was a motor enthusiastic who clocked 4 million miles in his Mercedes Benz 180 D.. During those days Mercedes used to honour drivers who crossed one-lakh miles and it had presented him with 10 medals.”

Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma

The New Indian Express, in “An Avid Shutterbug, Driving Enthusiast, Sanskrit Scholar (17 December 2013)”

“He had varied interests including photography, sports and motoring. He has won trophies as an amateur horse rider and has even played table hockey, tennis, football and polo.”

Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma

Sangeetha Seshagiri, in "Marthanda Varma, Titular Head of Travancore Royal Family, Passes Away (16 December 2013)"

“He held the prestigious post as trustee of the famous Padmanabaswamy temple, which is deemed as the richest temple in the country.”

Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma

Sangeetha Seshagiri, in "Marthanda Varma, Titular Head of Travancore Royal Family, Passes Away (16 December 2013)"

“Later, he graduated from the then Travancore University with specialization in Economics, Politics and History. The varsity honoured him with Moncombu Aandi Iyer Gold Medal for being the best student in Sanskrit.”

Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma

Sangeetha Seshagiri, in Marthanda Varma, Titular Head of Travancore Royal Family, Passes Away (16 December 2013) http://www.ibtimes.co.in/articles/530446/20131216/marthanda-varma-passes-away-travancore-royalfamily-sreepadmanabhaswamytemple.htm

“He was educated by 14 palace tutors. He remembered a childhood stay with his mother in London, when he folded up as a paper boat a doctors’ report about his being too fat, and set it adrift on the Thames, so that she would not see it. He studied economics at Travancore University, and was a Sanskrit scholar.”

Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma

Anne Keleny, in Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma: The Maharajah of Travancore 4 March 2014 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/uthradom-thirunal-marthanda-varma-the-maharajah-of-travancore-9169048.html

“You are the elayaraja (crown prince) of Travancore?”

Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma

She then recollected our first meeting years back in England. I was amazed when she asked if Travancore was in the southern tip of India?
After exchanging pleasantries with the Queen, quoted in "When 'Maharaja of Travancore' met Queen Elizabeth II (8 July 2012)".

“We are an egalitarian State, (royalty) should go…. to either keep this temple or else become president of a thousand other temples. Except Pallivetta (the royal ritualistic hunt of the deities) and the Arat, when the deity is taken in procession to the seashore, we lost all other privileges. We sold our personal assets to keep this temple.”

Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma

In 1971, when the privy purse was abolished to the royal families, in "Royal vignettes: Travancore - Simplicity graces this House (30 March 2003)"