40-574: The Thampis and Kochammas are the sons and daughters of the maharajahs of Travancore and their consorts belonging to Nair caste . The Thampi surname is also used by non-Nair communities, and they have no relation to the aristocratic Nair Thampis. Thampis and Thankachis form a part of the Samanthan Nair and Illam Nair subcastes. This title was given by the royal families to their Nair relatives. The very term Thampi and Thankachi meaning, brother and sister respectively which indicated
80-569: A Srivijaya Monarchy. In the 12th century with the fall of the empire, the Seri King being a Muslim established the Sultanate of Brunei in 1363 with the throne name Sultan Mohamad Shah. In 1426, he established the sultanate of sulu as his death was recorded in 1431 Mt. Makatangis Sulu grave and 1432 Brunei grave. Both Sulu and Brunei claim the honor of his grave, while his brother, a Johore (Singapore) Prince Makdum Karim (Sharif Kabungsuwan of Malabang Lanao)
120-709: A few zamindars who were titled Maharaja for their cordiality and contribution to the British Raj. In the Mughal Empire it was quite common to award to various princes (hereditary or not) a series of lofty titles as a matter of protocolary rank. The British would, as paramount power do the same. Many of these (see also above) elaborate explicitly on the title Maharaja, in the following descending order: Furthermore, there were various compound titles simply including other princely styles, such as: Certain Hindu dynasties even came to use
160-722: A general trend of centralisation of power, so that by the Late Middle Ages there were a number of large and powerful kingdoms in Europe, which would develop into the great powers of Europe in the Early Modern period . By the end of the Middle Ages, the kings of these kingdoms would start to place arches with an orb and cross on top as an Imperial crown , which only the Holy Roman Emperor had had before. This symbolized them holding
200-518: A higher ranking variant of "Raja". Eventually, during the medieval era, the title "Maharaja" came to be used by sovereign princes and vassal princes, and the title " Maharajadhiraja " was used by sovereign kings . Eventually, during the Mughal and British eras , Maharajadhiraja too came to be used by princes, though it was used by sovereign kings as well, such as the King of Nepal . The title ranks under
240-514: A husband . In case a child king is crowned, the mother of the king takes charge of the kingdom and acts as a regent. Until the young king is of the age, the Rajmata ( Queen mother ) administers the kingdom. Famous examples include Rajamata Shetu Lakshmi Bai of Travancore dynasty, Gowri Lakshmi Bai, Maharaji (later Rajamata) Rudrama Devi of Kakatiya dynasty. When the king is present, the Rajamata being
280-567: A noted expert, in some of the areas on the borders of Travancore and Cochin Kingdom, they formed the third estate colloquially called "Thoruvam Nairs". In the caste hierarchy, they belonged to the Samanthan Nairs subcaste. Maharajah Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj ; lit. ' great ruler ' ; feminine: Maharani ) is an Indian princely title of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and medieval northern India ,
320-445: A unique style, including a term which as such is not of princely rank, e.g. Maharaja Gaikwar of Baroda , Maharaja Scindia of Gwalior , Maharaja Holkar of Indore, three of the very highest ranking ruling Maratha houses. Chakravarti is a Sanskrit term for "emperor". The meaning of chakravarti is "he, whose wheels (of chariot ) are moving" which symbolises that the leader who is a war hero, who commands over vast land and sea,
360-635: Is a derivation from the term *kunjom "kin" ( Old English cynn ) by the -inga- suffix. The literal meaning is that of a "scion of the [noble] kin", or perhaps "son or descendant of one of noble birth" ( OED ). The English term translates, and is considered equivalent to, Latin rēx and its equivalents in the various European languages . The Germanic term is notably different from the word for "King" in other Indo-European languages ( *rēks "ruler"; Latin rēx , Sanskrit rājan and Irish rí ; however, see Gothic reiks and, e.g., modern German Reich and modern Dutch rijk ). The English word
400-413: Is called Datuk Maharaja Lela Penghulu Istana Negara . Eventually, Maharajah Adinda was also used to refer to a particular lineage within the royal families. The King of Thailand has been called a "Maharaj" ( Thai : มหาราชา ). King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds the powers of government without control, or
440-474: Is of Germanic origin, and historically refers to Germanic kingship , in the pre-Christian period a type of tribal kingship . The monarchies of Europe in the Christian Middle Ages derived their claim from Christianisation and the divine right of kings , partly influenced by the notion of sacral kingship inherited from Germanic antiquity . The Early Middle Ages begin with a fragmentation of
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#1732868690054480-702: The Kingdom of Dali , submitted to the Mongol Empire , and in return was enfeoffed as Maharaja (摩诃罗嵯) of Dali, continuing to rule the area (but subordinated to Yuan princes and Muslim governors of Yunnan), until the Ming conquest of Yunnan . When the Indonesian Archipelago was still predominantly Hindu-Buddhist (circa 3rd century CE until the 15th century CE), all of the Indianised kingdoms which ruled different areas of
520-841: The archipelago was ruled by a "Maharaja" or simply referred by the locals as "Raja", such as the first and oldest Hindu kingdom of Indonesia the Kutai Martadipura in eastern Borneo , the Tarumanegara , the Srivijaya , the Majapahit and numerous other kingdoms. Traditional titles remain in use for other members of royalty, such as Pangeran Ratu for the heir and other local-Malay titles such as "Paduka Sri". The title "Maharaja" has been used to refer to kings of ancient Indianised kingdoms, such as Maharaja Mulavarman king of Kutai Martadipura and Maharaja Purnawarman king of Tarumanegara . Maharaja
560-529: The imperium and being emperors in their own realm not subject even theoretically anymore to the Holy Roman Emperor. Philosophers Works Currently (as of 2023 ), seventeen kings are recognized as the heads of state of sovereign states (i.e. English king is used as official translation of the respective native titles held by the monarchs). Most of these are heads of state of constitutional monarchies ; kings ruling over absolute monarchies are
600-664: The 19th century was Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He earned this title by keeping the Britishers beyond the Sutlej and even crushed the Afghan Empire. Maharajas in the twentieth century were the Maharaja of Cochin and Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala . Apart from princely states, rulers of some large and extended zamindaris were also awarded the title of Maharaja. The rulers of Jeypore , Darbhanga , Vizianagaram , Parlakhemundi Gidhaur were
640-418: The Maharaja. His wife is called Yuvarani. Rajakumara is the son of a king who is not the heir apparent. He is conferred with certain duties or powers per the king's wishes. The daughter of a king who is not the heir apparent is called Rajakumari. Maharani usually denotes the wife of a Maharaja (or Maharana , Maharao , Maharawal) or in rare cases, in some states where it was customary, a woman ruling without
680-534: The Northern Travancore Kingdom i.e present central Kerala districts like Thampis in Kottayam are people who have since migrated to northern borders of Kingdom after the 17th century. Accordingly, when a king died, his nephew (sister's son) would become the next ruler, and his own son, born of his wife, would be simply called Thampi with the title " Sri (mother's house name) (personal name) Thampi" which
720-761: The Srivijaya satellite empire of the Majapahit Empire dominated over the whole Malayas far-reaching the present Philippine Archipelago , Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia under the Srivijaya Empire of the Majapahit King Maharaja Pamariwasa. The latter's daughter Es-kander was married to an Arab (Zein Ul-Abidin), the third Makdum who promulgated Koranic studies (Madrassahs) and was a Srivijaya ruler in Seri who were
760-565: The Sultan during the Raffles' stint. The word Rajah derived from the word Maharaja. In 1842, the Sultan of Brunei ceded Sarawak to Rajah Brooke who founded the Kingdom of Sarawak and a line of dynastic monarchs known as the White Rajahs . In contemporary Malay usage, the title Maharaja refers to an emperor , e.g. " Maharaja Jepun " (" Emperor of Japan "). In Seri Malayas of the Srivijaya , under
800-570: The colonial Dutch East Indies authorities in October 1878. In peninsular Malaysia : In northern Borneo , the title Maharajah of Sabah and Rajah of Gaya and Sandakan was used from 29 December 1877 to 26 August 1881 by Baron von Overbeck (compare White Rajah ). The Englishman Capt. James Brooke was declared as Rajah Brooke by the Sultan of Brunei for his role in pacifying the Sarawak revolt against
840-549: The considerable influence of British representatives, such as Residents , at their courts. The word Maharaja may be understood simply to mean "ruler" or "king", in spite of its literal translation as "great king". This was because only a handful of the states were truly powerful and wealthy enough for their rulers to be considered 'great' monarchs; the remaining were minor princely states , sometimes little more than towns or groups of villages. The word, however, can also mean emperor in contemporary Indian usage. The title of Maharaja
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#1732868690054880-562: The descendants of the Ammaveedus, however, were simply known as Thampi and Thankachi. The Maharajahs of Travancore (current south Kerala and Kanyakumari district) adopted the matrilineal custom and inheritance prevalent in the land around the 14th Century AD. So basically, the Nair Thampi caste people originated at the original Travancore capital i.e. Padmanabhapuram in present day Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. The Thampis present in
920-431: The entire sovereignty over a nation ; he is a limited monarch if his power is restrained by fixed laws; and he is an absolute, when he holds the whole legislative , judicial , and executive power , or when the legislative or judicial powers, or both, are vested in other people by the king. Kings are hereditary sovereigns when they hold the powers of government by right of birth or inheritance, and elective when raised to
960-524: The eve of independence in 1947, the Indian Empire contained more than 600 princely states , each with its own native ruler, often styled Raja or Rana or Thakur (if the ruler were Hindu ) or Nawab (if he were Muslim ), with a host of less current titles as well. The British directly ruled two-thirds of the Indian subcontinent ; the rest was under indirect rule by the above-mentioned princes under
1000-468: The female equivalent is Maharaj Kumari (Maharajkumari ): daughter of a Maharaja. The Gorkha Kings of Nepal (now a republic) used the title of Mahārājādhirāja which was "King of Great Kings", a title of honour, a degree higher than Mahārājā. Rana Prime ministers of Nepal used the title of Shree Teen Maharaja while the Gorkha Kings used Shree Panch Maharajadhiraja. Duan Xingzhi, the last monarch of
1040-636: The former Western Roman Empire into barbarian kingdoms . In Western Europe, the kingdom of the Franks developed into the Carolingian Empire by the 8th century, and the kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England were unified into the kingdom of England by the 10th century. With the breakup of the Carolingian Empire in the 9th century, the system of feudalism places kings at the head of a pyramid of relationships between liege lords and vassals, dependent on
1080-511: The mother of the king, might given ceremonial roles. A famous Rajamata who functioned with the king is Rajamata Jijabai of the Maratha Kingdom , accompanying the Chhatrapati (king). Like Raja and various other titles, Maharaja was repeatedly awarded to notables without a princely state, such as zamindars . Maharaj Kumar (or Maharajkumar ) means son of a Maharaja or Heir-Apparent;
1120-569: The one who rules the people with dedication. In the Mahabharata, the Chakravarti Bharat is known to have ruled the entire sub-continent of India brought golden age to his empire. He is called as chakravarti. The wife of a Chakravartin or it's female Chakravartin is called a Chakaravartini. Yuvaraja means the crown prince of the kingdom or empire. He is granted with certain powers and responsibilities so that he can be prepared to take over as
1160-669: The position of the Thampi families as the non-crown inheriting royal relatives of the Royal House of Travancore as per the matrilineal law followed. The consort of the ruling Maharajah (King) as well as Elayarajah (Crown Prince) was known as the Ammachi with the title of Panapillai Amma . To the names of the sons of the Maharajahs was prefixed the title of Sri suffixed with Thampi. The daughters were known as Kochammas . The other members as well as
1200-652: The regional rule of barons , and the intermediate positions of counts (or earls ) and dukes . The core of European feudal manorialism in the High Middle Ages were the territories of the former Carolingian Empire , i.e. the kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Empire (centered on the nominal kingdoms of Germany and Italy ). In the course of the European Middle Ages, the European kingdoms underwent
1240-526: The second Makdum after the first one Makdum Tuan Masha'ik. Karim ul-makdum re=enforced Islam, a Srivijaya Johore ruler, later established the Sultanate of Maguindanao-Ranao (Mindanao) after taking the political authority of his father-in-law Tomaoi Aliwya of the Maguiindanao family dynasty. He adapted the title as sultan Aliwya (Sharif Kabungsuwan), the first Maguindanao Sultan. The second and third Makdum's father
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1280-576: The throne by choice. The term king may also refer to a king consort , a title that is sometimes given to the husband of a queen regnant , but the title of prince consort is more common. The English term king is derived from the Anglo-Saxon cyning , which in turn is derived from the Common Germanic * kuningaz . The Common Germanic term was borrowed into Estonian and Finnish at an early time, surviving in these languages as kuningas . It
1320-504: The title was equivalent to a prince . However in late ancient India and medieval south India , the title denoted a king . The form "Maharaj" (without "-a") indicates a separation of noble and religious offices, although since in Hindi the suffix -a is silent, the two titles are near homophones. Historically, the title "Maharaja" was first introduced in the first century BC by the Kushans as
1360-498: The titles of Maharajadhiraja Bahadur , Maharajadhiraja and Maharaja Bahadur , equal to Maharana and Maharao and above Raja Bahadur , Raja and Rai . The word Maharaja originates in Sanskrit and is a compound karmadhāraya term from mahānt- "great" and rājan "ruler, king"). It has the Latin cognates magnum "great" and rex "king". Due to Sanskrit's major influence on
1400-479: The vocabulary of most languages in Greater India and Southeast Asia , the term Maharaja is common to many modern Indo-Aryan and Dravidian languages . The Sanskrit title Maharaja was originally used only for rulers who ruled a considerably large region with minor tributary rulers under them. Since medieval times, the title was used by (Hindu) monarchs of lesser states claiming descent from ancient maharajas. On
1440-463: Was Sultan Betatar of Taif Arabia who was the 9th progeny of Hasan, the grandson of prophet Sayyidina Muhammad. The word can also be part of titles used by Malay nobility: Most famous was Bendahara Seri Maharaja Tun Mutahir of Malacca (executed 1509) and Datuk Maharaja Lela Pandak Lam of Perak (executed 1876). The palace marshal of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (head of state) of modern Malaysia
1480-569: Was also one of the highest titles of nobility in Travancore. All of the Maharajahs' daughters were known by the style of Kochamma with the title " (mother's house name) Ammaveetil Srimathi (personal name) Pilla Kochamma" . Since the Marumakkathayam system of matrilineal inheritance existed in Travancore, the descendants of these individuals would not gain any distinguishing title other than Thampi (male) and Thankachi (female). The title of Thampi
1520-607: Was also part of the titles of the nobility in the Sumatran sultanate of Aceh . In the past, the title of Maharaja is given to a leader of the unreigning noble family and the Prime Minister Maharaja Mangkubumi. The last Prime Minister of Aceh who was installed to be the Maharaja Mangkubumi, Habib Abdurrahman el Zahir, who also acted as the foreign affairs minister of Aceh but was deposed and exiled to Jeddah by
1560-587: Was also rarely given to some families in Travancore by the Maharajah of Travancore, as a reward for exemplary military, social or government services. Thampis indeed had some special social privileges in Travancore. Besides only the Maharajah, they were the only people permitted the use of Palanquins. They also had the right to visit their Royal Cousins, their father's heir as per the Marumakkathayam law, Without formally previously Announcing their visit. According to
1600-522: Was not as common before the gradual British colonisation of India, upon and after which many rajas and otherwise styled Hindu rulers were elevated to Maharajas, regardless of the fact that scores of these new Maharajas ruled small states, sometimes for some reason unrelated to the eminence of the state, for example, support to the British in Afghanistan, World War I or World War II . The Maharaja of Punjab in
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