Full Length Portrait of Kerala Varma Valiya Koil Tampuran

Son of Devi Amba Tampuratti of Harippad, an aristocratic family linked through marriage with the ruling house of Travancore, and Mullappally Narayanan Namboothiri, a scholarly Brahmin, Kerala Varma (1845-1914) was in 1859 wedded to the Senior Rani of Travancore. In the years that followed he became a senior figure at the Travancore durbar, chairing the state's Textbook Committee, translating works from English to Malayalam, as well as producing poetry of great richness in Sanskrit. As husband to the Rani, he wielded considerable influence, but between 1875 and 1880 was imprisoned and later kept under house arrest by the then maharaja for participating in certain court intrigues. Released by the maharaja's successor, he stayed away from politics thereafter, focussing on his literary activities.