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The Travancore royal family is famous for its rich cultural heritage. The Puranic legacy of Travancore can be traced to the earliest times. The volume narrates the history of Travancore and its kings, descendants of the Chera dynasty, through photographs and paintings. The pictures have been taken by many famous photographers and painted by painters as well as include the works of the author, Uthradom Tirunal Marthanda Varma, himself who belongs to the Travancore royal family and is the great grandson of the celebrated artist of yore, Raja Ravi Verma.

The photographs capture the regal life of the royal family, especially their customs and practices, even as they feature the royal family with all its members at various times. They are of historical importance and provide vignettes from the lives of the royal family over the centuries. They present them engaged in various acts including offering obeisance to deities and engaged in meeting persons of high social stature. They enlighten readers on the life of the rulers, their interests and aspirations and importantly their contribution to art, culture, religion and social development of the region. An interesting introduction to their history shows the way in which the consolidation of the modern kingdom of Travancore came about and the maharaja surrendered his sword at the feet of Lord Padmanabha.

The volume is a visual treat that offers the royal family’s priceless collection of photographs which are of immense archival value and comprise a political and social record of the Travancore region and its people.