CROWNING GLORY

A new book takes an empathetic look at the legacy of a mother and son from one of India’s preeminent royal families

- SNEHA BHURA

History Liberated: The Sree Chithra Saga

By Princess Aswathi Thirunal Gouri Lakshmi Bayi

Published by Konark Publishers

Pages 434; Price ₹2,000

Mahadev Desai, Mahatma Gandhi’s close associate and confidante, once wrote a book called The Epic of Travancore. The kingdom of Travancore in southern India—which was a princely state during the British rule that later became part of the state of Kerala—is known to have promulgated several progressive reforms under the last Maharaja of Travancore, Sree Padmanabha Dasa Sree Chithira Thirunal Rama Varma (1912-1991), more popularly known as Sree Chithira Thirunal. One of the most notable ones was the temple entry proclamation, passed on November 12, 1936. The law facilitated the entry of all Hindus, irrespective of caste, to over 1,500 temples managed by the Travancore state. Sree Chithira Thirunal, hence, became the first Indian ruler to discard untouchability in religious affairs.