The Junior Rani Parvathi Bayi, legend goes, rejected Ravi Varma to be her consort, owing to his 'dark skin". Ravi Varma, however, counted this as a blessing for otherwise he would have been compelled to spend his life in a 'royal gilded cage' devoid of freedom to leave Travancore and build a career. Parvathi Bayi and her sister Lakshmi Bayi were adopted into the royal family and later Ravi Varma married her youngest sister Kochupanki of Mavelikkara.