Thread by @UnamPillai

This glum looking man is Ayilyam Tirunal, maharajah of Travancore (1860-80). In my new book #FalseAllies I make the case for looking more seriously at the Indian princely states and their histories during the Raj. Ayilyam Tirunal, for example, was no meek ally of the British..

..nor did he spend his time counting jewels & riding elephants. He was, on the contrary, a *political* figure capable of creatively fighting the pressures of colonialism. He knew, for eg, that bad financial management would invite British interference; so..

..together with his minister, he took his government treasury to a surplus. He knew the Raj would ask questions when he spent large sums on traditional temple rites and ceremonies; so he pre-empted them by spending even larger sums building schools, roads, and bridges.

Even in dress he was businesslike, to avoid the stereotype of the 'exotic' maharajah--white visitors were often disappointed because he did not fit their picture of a 'native prince'.  He gave grand speeches in English, tailored for a Western audience, and slowly built up..

..a reputation for good governance. The result was that the British had few excuses to actively interfere in his state, allowing the maharajah to preserve a great share of his political autonomy. Of course the man had to watch and make sure his power itself was not diluted..

..through too much 'progress': he had no desire to become a constitutional figurehead. All along he also managed to write poetry in Sanskrit, and remained orthodox in his personal beliefs, keeping the more conservative elements in the state content and quiet.

In keeping with tradition, as he lay dying in 1880 a Brahmin was found to come and embrace him, thus taking on the maharajah's sins. That way the ruler could die unblemished.

And once this was done, the scapegoat Brahmin was taken to Travancore's border and--with a bag of money--pushed into British Indian territory, where he was to forever deposit the maharajah's sins! 

#FalseAllies is in stores this week.
amazon.in/FALSE-ALLIES-I…

(This is the first time I am doing a Twitter thread. Forgive the simplified narrative. Condensing material from a 550 page book in Twitter threads requires a skill I am unsure I possess!)