Sanskrit sources of Kerala history
by Suma Parappattoli | 2010 | 88,327 words
This study deals with the history of Kerala based on ancient Sanskrit sources, such as the Keralamahatmyam. The modern state known as Keralam or Kerala is situated on the Malabar Coast of India. The first chapter of this study discusses the historical details from the inscriptions. The second chapter deals with the historical points from the Mahatm...
This book contains Sanskrit text which you should never take for granted as transcription mistakes are always possible. Always confer with the final source and/or manuscript.
8. Balarama Bharatam by Balarama Varma Maharaja
The Balarama Bharatam [Balaramabharata][1] is a treatise on Bharata sastra, in the form of Karika, and Vritti written by Balaramavarma Maharaja of Travancore (1758 -1798 AD) It consists of a Purvapithika and many prakarnas on the technical aspects of Natyasastra.
The purvapithika which serves the purpose of a general introduction possesses great historical utilities, where as prakaranas contain no information of historical value. The Purvapithika has a total number of 41 verses. The historical worth of the treatise consists in 34 verses, devoted for describing Balarama Varma, his ancestors his family, his kingdom and so on.
Historical facts
Travancore was in those days a land of charity, and also an asylum for the helpless.
agatikamanujānāmātmarakṣākaraṃ tajjayati hi satataṃ śrīvañcirājyasya rājyam |
Balaramavarma Kulasekhara was an all-around scholar, an expert in Bharatasastra and a reputed patron of letters—
śrī bālarāmakulaśekhara vañcibhūpassaṅgītanālabharatāmbudhi pūrṇacandraḥ |
ādakṣiṇābdhihimabhūdharamāttakīrtirvidyākalāvinayabhūḥ parirakṣati kṣmām ||
He belonged to the ceraline—
cerakṣitīśakulabhūṣaṇa divyaratnam |
Kulasekhara Alvar and Ceraman Perumal Nayanar were his ancestors. He had a brother Ravi Varma and also a nephew of his own name ie. Balarama Varma.
He performed the Hiranyagarbhadana and Tulapurushadana at Padmanabhapuram.
śrīpadmanābhapurataḥ sa hiraṇyagarbhādānaṃ tulāpuruṣadānamajasra dīkṣaḥ
vidyuktaśāstrakṛtaṣoḍadaśadānamāryarvidvadgaṇayā bhūvi vedavide pradāya ||
It is very significant that these two rites were performed at Padmanabhapuram, and this fact goes against the existing belief that the Travancore rulers could celebrate the same only at Trivandrum.
Rama Varma was a student all his life. He studied both Portuguese and English under a tutor. He was interested in yogic practise also. He maintained a good army of modern standards, and was arounded with guns, spears, bows etc. He has excellent ministers to help him in state affairs and they were experts in the art of state -craft. A verse content a reference also to the poet Devaraja[2] who was a particulor friend of the sovereign. He maintained a court of poets, scholars, musician etc. in a flourishing condition.
Footnotes and references:
[2]:
sa jayati cirajīvi vañcibhūdevarājaḥ |