Sakthan Thampuran
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A backgrounder
Anagha Jayakumar, Sep 10, 2024: The Indian Express
Who was Sakthan Thampuran?
Raja Rama Varma Kunjipillai or Rama Varma IX, better known today as Sakthan Thampuran, 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’. The word thampuran is believed to be an appropriation of the Sanskrit samrat, meaning emperor. The Cochin kingdom, which was part of the Late Chera Empire, covered the regions between Ponnani in Malappuram and Thottappally in Alappuzha in today’s Kerala. (Ashalatha Thampuran, History of the Cochin Royal Family: Tracing the Journey of Perumpadappu Swarupam, 2019)
Strategist and ruler
Sakthan Thampuran became heir apparent in 1769 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.
Sakthan Thampuran put an end to the institution of the Yogiatirippads — the erstwhile spiritual heads of the Vadakkumnathan and Perumanam temples, who had conspired against the previous Cochin king in his wars against the Calicut Zamorin — and entrusted temple management to the government.
He built a fearsome reputation for himself, and is said to have largely freed his kingdom of crime.
Thrissur and Pooram
Sakthan Thampuran transferred the seat of the Cochin kingdom from Thrippunithura to modern-day Thrissur. The Thekkinkadu Maidanam and the surrounding Swaraj Round became the basis for the city’s elaborate road system and infrastructure.
The king encouraged merchants of all religions and British officials to relocate to the city. He also overhauled and firmed up the kingdom’s finances, personally overseeing revenue management.
Sakthan Thampuran started the Thrissur Pooram in 1797 as an alternative to the Arattupuzha Pooram, then the largest temple festival in the state. The Thrissur Pooram was conceived as an opportunity for the major temples in Thrissur to come to pay their respects to Lord Shiva, the presiding deity at the Vadakkumnathan Temple.
