2021-06-07 Mon

The Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom (till 1858) and an Indian princely state that had been ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from the capital at Padmanabhapuram or Thiruvananthapuram. The Kingdom of Travancore at its zenith comprised most of modern-day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of Tamil Nadu. The official flag of the state was red with a dextrally-coiled silver conch shell (Turbinella pyrum) at its center. The king of the state was accorded a 19-gun salute, the second-highest among the honorary gun salutes that were granted by the British Empire to honor the heads of the princely states.

The state government took many progressive steps on the socio-economic front and the state was one among the best of princely states, with reputed achievements in education, political administration, public work, and social reforms.

An adjoined image is of 2 pagodas issued by Rama Varma II of Travancore Princely state in 1877 AD. The obverse of the coin depicts, “Date above and below large R.V. in English and Malayalam within beaded circle, Travancore in English and Malayalam around it”. And the reverse of the coin depicts, “Large R.V and AD Date in English and Malayalam, Denomination in English & Malayalam”.

Image Courtesy: Mintage World