The visionary Raja Marthanda Varma has been forgotten

Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (1706-1758) hardly finds a mention in the mainstream narratives of India's past. And yet, he was the monarch who, in 1741, defeated the Dutch East India Company at the Battle of Colachel.

- SANTISHREE DHULIPUDI PANDIT

When Indians today think of medieval history, they think of the Mughals.

The entire period has been reduced to them, as if no other kings, no other civilizations, no other achievements existed in those centuries. This is not an accident. It is the outcome of decades of selective history-writing, where Mughal grandeur was glorified, their cruelty sugarcoated, and their failures whitewashed, while rulers from other parts of the country were either erased or buried under the weight of colonial and leftist constructs. This distortion has left generations of Indians misinformed about their own past and robbed them of the confidence that comes from knowing the full breadth of civilizational achievements. To correct this imbalance, it is necessary to revisit figures like Raja Marthanda Varma of Travancore, whose reign shows us a different story of medieval India: one of resilience, strength, and vision.

Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (1706-1758) hardly finds a mention in the mainstream narratives of India's past. And yet, he was the monarch who, in 1741, defeated the Dutch East India Company at the Battle of Colachel. It was the first time an Asian ruler decisively defeated a European colonial power. It was a victory that not only ended Dutch ambitions in India but also proved that Indians could fight and win against colonial invaders. Still, school textbooks remain silent about him, continuing instead with endless chapters on the Mughals. The consequence is that Indians grow up believing their ancestors were forever defeated, their kings incapable, and their kingdoms fragile.