List of Maharajas of Travancore

The Maharaja of Travancore was the principal title of the ruler of the Kingdom of Travancore in the southern part of Kerala, India. The Maharaja of Travancore was the topmost ruler of Travancore until 1949, when Travancore was acceded to India. Since then, the Maharaja of Travancore has remained in a titular position.

Maharanis of the Kingdom of Travancore (Aatingal Rani )
The rani of Attingal was the head of her principality and the eldest woman of the Trippapur svarupam. That meaning was specifically applied to the ranis of Attingal, in other parts of India this word had another definition. Because Travancore knew a marumakkathayam or matrilinear form of succession, the rani of Attingal had a special position. This meant that the eldest son of the rani was the first successor to Travancore's throne. His brothers and sisters were seated on the thrones of the other principalities. Therefore, the rani of Attingal could be seen as the mother of most of the royals in Travancore, and was succeeded by her own eldest daughter

Titular Maharaja
After British India became independent as two dominions in 1947, Chithira Thirunal agreed to accede his state to the new Dominion of India. Travancore was united with the neighbouring Cochin state and Chithira Thirunal served as Rajpramukh of the Travancore-Cochin Union from 1 July 1949 to 31 October 1956, which was the entire duration of the existence of that political entity. On 1 November 1956, the state of Kerala was created by uniting the Malayalam-speaking areas of the Travancore-Cochin Union with those of neighbouring Madras State, and Sree Chithira Thirunal's office of Rajpramukh came to an end. On 28 December 1971, Chithira Thirunal lost his privy purse and other privileges when the Indian government derecognized the rulers of the erstwhile princely states. Since then the head of the Travancore royal family is the pretender to the abolished title. The titular Maharaja fulfils his duties as Maharaja of Travancore in rituals related to the Padmanabhaswamy Temple. In 2012, the High Court of Kerala in a judgement on Mujeeba Rahman vs the State Of Kerala stated that, 'though by the 26th amendment of the Constitution, Article 363 was repealed whereby the rights and privileges of the rulers of Indian States were taken away, still the name and title of the rulers remained as such and unaffected in so far as names and titles were not contemplated as rights or privileges under the repealed Articles 291 and 362 of the Constitution.' So the titles were not abolished by the Government; only their political powers and right to receive Privy Purse were cancelled.

Titular Maharani
In 1971, the Indian government, through the 26th Amendment of the Constitution, repealed Article 363, thereby abolishing the rights and privileges of the rulers of Indian States. This action effectively ended the political powers and the right to receive the Privy Purse for these rulers. However, the titles and names of the rulers were not considered as rights or privileges under the repealed Articles 291 and 362 of the Constitution. As a result, the titles of the erstwhile rulers were not abolished by the government; only their political powers and financial privileges were revoked.

A notable example is the Travancore royal family, where the title of Maharani continues to hold cultural significance. The female head of the Travancore royal family traditionally holds the title of Maharani or Attingal Rani. Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, who left Travancore, retained her title until her death in 1985. After her, the title was passed to her sister's daughter, Karthika Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi, who held it from 1985 until her death in 2013. Subsequently, the title was briefly held by Maharani Pooradam Thirunal Sethu Lakshmi Bayi's elder daughter, Uthram Thirunal Lalithamba Bayi, from June to November 2013. After her passing, the title went to her younger sister, Karthika Thirunal Indira Bayi, who was the elder female head of the Travancore royal family from November 2013 until her death in July 2017.

Following the death of Karthika Thirunal Indira Bayi, the title passed to Uthram Thirunal Lalithamba Bayi. Currently, she is the female head of the Travancore royal family and is considered the Attingal Rani and titular Maharani of Travancore. Despite her status, there is a tendency to overlook her presence in historical accounts as she resides in Bangalore rather than in Travancore.