Recently, the Union Minister of State for Tourism pledged to replace a statue of Sakthan Thampuran that was knocked over by a state transport bus in June.
About Sakthan Thampuran:
Sakthan Thampuran, also known as Raja Rama Varma Kunjipillai or Rama Varma IX, ruled over the Cochin kingdom from 1790 to 1805.
He was born in 1751 to Ambika Thampuran and Chendose Aniyan Namboodiri of the Cochin royal family, but was raised by an aunt who called him Sakthan, meaning ‘powerful’.
Strategist and ruler
As an 18-year-old he advised his king to maintain friendly relations with both the Dutch and the English, who were vying for a larger share of trade in the region.
Sakthan is said to have orchestrated Mysore’s attempt to invade the Travancore kingdom, which had established relations with the English East India Company.
This would result in the Powney treaty which freed the Cochin kingdom from its allegiance to Mysore and helped formalise its relations with the British.
He ended the institution of the Yogiatirippads — the erstwhile spiritual heads of key temples of that time.
He started the Thrissur Pooram in 1797 as an alternative to the Arattupuzha Pooram, then the largest temple festival in the state.
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