Raja Sir Tanjore Madhava Rao, KCSI (20 November 18284 April 1891), also known as Sir Madhava Rao Thanjavurkar or simply as Madhavarao Tanjorkar, was an Indian statesman, civil servant, administrator and politician who served as the Diwan of Travancore from 1857 to 1872, Indore from 1873 to 1875 and Baroda from 1875 to 1882. He was the nephew and son of the former Travancore Diwans T. Venkata Rao and T. Ranga Rao.
Madhava Rao was born in a prominent family of Deshastha Brahmins of Kumbakonam in 1828 and had his education in Madras. After serving for two years in the Madras civil service, Madhava Rao was appointed tutor to the princes of Travancore. Impressed with his performance, Madhava Rao was transferred to the Revenue Department in which he rose step by step to become Diwan in 1857.
Madhava Rao served as Diwan of Travancore from 1857 to 1872 bringing about developments in education, legislation, public works, medicine, vaccination and public health and agriculture. He was also responsible for clearing Travancore's public debts. Madhava Rao quit as Diwan of Travancore and returned to Madras in 1872. He served as Diwan of Indore from 1873 to 1875 and as Diwan of Baroda from 1875 to 1882. In his later life, Madhava Rao actively participated in politics and was one of the early pioneers of the Indian National Congress. Madhava Rao died in 1891 in Mylapore, Madras at the age of 63.
Madhava Rao was respected and regarded for his administrative abilities. British Liberal statesman Henry Fawcett called him "the Turgot of India". In 1866, he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India.
Early life and career Madhava Rao was born on 20 November 1828 in a prominent Thanjavur Marathi Deshastha Brahmin family. A National Biography for India, Volume 1 By Jyotis Chandra Das Gupta, Page 64 His great-grandfather Gopal Pant and his grandfather, Gundo Pant, held offices of trust and power under the British as also various Indian princes. His father R. Ranga Rao served as the Diwan of Travancore from 18371838 and his paternal uncle Rai Raya Rai Venkata Rao was also a former Dewan of Travancore. Madhava Rao had two older brothers. His family was deeply attached to the Uttaradi Math.
Madhava Rao spent his early life in Madras city where he studied at the Government High School (later Presidency College, Madras). As a student, Madhava Rao was diligent and careful and strong in mathematics and science, and had as his tutor C. V. Runganada Sastri. In 1846, he received his Proficient's Degree with high honours. Soon afterwards, Powell appointed him tutor of Mathematics and Physics at the High School. However, Madhava Rao quit in a short while to take up a job in the office of the Accountant General. In 1848, he was appointed tutor to the princes of Travancore at the recommendation of the English Resident which he accepted. Madhava worked for four years as tutor to the Travancore princes. Impressed with his performance, he was offered a position in the Revenue Department of Travancore. In a short time, Madhava Rao rose to be Diwan Peishkar of the Southern division. One of his contributions as the Diwan Peishkar was the expansion of the rivulet which joins the Meenanthara and Koodo rivers. He also removed fraud from the transport of salt from Nanjinaud to Trivandrum and dacoits from the area.SIR T. MADAVA RAO, The Times of India (1861-current); Apr 6, 1891; ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Times of India pg. 4
During this time, Travancore was facing a severe financial crisis and the treasury was empty. A large amount of subsidy due to the Madras government remained unpaid. Not long after promulgating his infamous Doctrine of Lapse, Lord Dalhousie was looking forward to annexe Travancore too under this pretext. At this juncture, the Raja of Travancore Uthram Thirunal chose Madhava Rao to negotiate a deal with the British government which he did successfully. As a result, Madhava Rao was appointed the next Diwan of Travancore in 1857.
Dewan of Travancore
At that time the entire administration of the state was in a disorganised state, public treasuries were empty and large arrears of payments in way of salaries and otherwise were pending. The Maharajah had already taken a loan from the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple of Trivandrum and adding the subsidy to be paid to the British Government, the state of affairs was bad enough to deter anyone from taking up the post of Dewan. Soon after Madhava Rao's appointment, the Shanar agitations took place in Travancore which added to the problems of the state.
In 1860 however, the orthodox Maharajah died and Madhava Rao's own pupil, the late Maharajah's nephew, Ayilyam Thirunal succeeded. Under the new and relatively less orthodox Maharajah, Madhava Rao's administration started its progress. Monopolies, numerous petty taxes and cessations were abolished and land tax was reduced. By 1863 the debts of the Travancore Government were cleared and the Dewan proudly declared that "Travancore has no public debt now". Salaries of public servants were raised by more than 50 percent and its morale and efficiency was improved. Madhava Rao's progressive financial measures were testified by the fact that when he assumed the office of Dewan he had an indebted and empty treasury whereas when he left the state in 1872 the state had a reserve fund of forty lakhs of rupees, a great amount in those days. Indian Magazine and Review, Issues 241-252 By National Indian Association in Aid of Social Progress and Education in India., 1891 - Education, Page 310
While Madhava Rao is described essentially as a financier, he also brought a great deal of development in education, legislation, public works, medicine, vaccination and public health, agriculture etc. In education, he added a study of philosophy and international law and showed a taste for art and pictures. Despite his devotion to his own traditions, he advocated female education and social reform. Year after year his work was commended by the Madras Government. He also drew up State papers on special subjects such as Boundary disputes, trade reports and so on and started maintaining records of every department. In recognition of his services, by public subscription, a bronze statue of Madhava Rao was erected in Travancore. Educational Development in South India By K. G. Vijayalekshmy, Mittal Publications, 1993, Page-6
The coffee cultivation in Travancore got a major boost under his administration. He started the policy of Pandarapatta Vilambaram. Under this policy, the land belonging to the government was leased to the farmers at a very low price for cultivation. This policy of leasing land had a huge impact on the people as lots of young people left farming and decided to get modern education. He also reduced the rate of export and import duties to relieve the trade.The Times of India (1861-current); Apr 6, 1891
However, due to misunderstandings which arose between the Dewan and the Maharajah, Madhava Rao retired in February 1872. Indian Magazine and Review, Issues 241-252 By National Indian Association in Aid of Social Progress and Education in India., 1891 - Education, Page 310 The Maharajah, however, respected his work and granted him a pension of Rs. 1000, a princely amount in those days. His initial plan was to retire to Madras but instead there was great demand for his services among the Princes of India, because of his having secured for Travancore the appellation of "Model State of India" by the British Government. Henry Fawcett described, on hearing of his retirement in 1872, Madhava Rao as:
Madhava Rao was instrumental in recognising and employing Chattampi Swamikal at the Trivandrum secretariat.Raman Nair, R and Sulochana Devi, L (2010). Chattampi Swami: An Intellectual Biography. Trivandrum,. Chattampi Swami Archive, Centre for South Indian Studies, Trivandrum
Indore and Baroda
In 1872, at the request of Tukojirao Holkar II of Indore, the Government of India persuaded Madhava Rao out of his retirement to take charge as the Diwan of Indore. Madhava Rao served as Diwan from 1873 to 1875, during which he commenced the drafting of the Indian Penal Code and wrote minutes on the opium question and the extension of railways in Indore. Shortly afterwards, the Government of India requested Madhava Rao to take over as Diwan-Regent of Baroda whose ruler Malhar Rao Gaekwad had been deposed for mal-administration.
Madhava Rao reformed the revenue administration of Baroda and curbed the power of revenue officials called Sirdars. The land rights of the Sirdars were cancelled and their lands were annexed by the state. During his tenure as Diwan-Regent, Madhava Rao also effectively re-organized the army, schools, courts of law and libraries. He also introduced a lot of town-planning measures.
Madhava Rao resigned in September 1882 due to disagreements with the new Maharaja Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III. He retired to his home in Mylapore on pension.Nationalism and Social Reform in [sic] Colonial Situation By Aravind Ganachari, pages 163-170Princely India and the British: Political Development and the Operation of Empire By Caroline Keen, page 242The Indian Princes and their States By Barbara N.Ramusack, Cambridge University Press page 185
Struggle for first Constitution of an Indian Princely State
Many British civil servants in India who held positions within Indian princely states were disgusted by the total arbitrary power and laws of the Maharajas and Nawabs. In 1872, the retired Chief Commissioner of Mysore, Lewin Bentham Bowring had written in his memoir, Eastern Experience, that those Rao included this in his writing to the Viceroy, Francis Napier in March 1872, about the need for the implementation of a written constitution in princely states requesting “a system of fundamental principles, derived from the advanced political wisdom of Europe” while “carefully adapted to the conditions of the Native society” for the princely states.
Sir Madhav Rao drafted a model constitution for princely states of India in 1874 based on the principles of separation of power of the state and sent it to Lord Napier, Viceroy of India.
+ Some of the Key Provisions of the Charter or Constitution Provisions Explanation 1 The Maharaja as Sovereign is the highest authority in his dominions This requires no explanation. 2 The happiness of the people, as the foundation of the strength, durability, and happiness of the ruling Dynasty, shall be the paramount object of the Government of the country. This may seem trite. Nevertheless, the full recognition of this important principle is of the highest use in Native States, where sovereigns are sometimes apt to forget if not controvert it. Hence, it is thus prominently laid down and, in a manner, to imply that the best interests of the Dynasty depend upon its faithful observance. 3 The Government of the country shall be carried on according to laws and customs, whether at present in force or established hereafter. The object of this is obviously to do away with arbitrary Government altogether, and to induce the Government to conform its action to laws deliberately enacted and to customs established, in reference to public good alone. 4 A Darbar for making laws shall be organised, composed of men of wisdom, virtue, property, and patriotism, and such Darbar shall assist in the framing of useful laws from time to time and under rules to be hereafter laid down. As the Government is to be carried on according to law, something like a properly constituted machinery for making laws becomes at once a necessity. I reserve the details as to the construction of this Darbar, only remarking at present that, without much difficulty, a body may be constituted which, though far from perfect, may be practically competent to frame useful laws.
The Prime Minister will, of course, have to preside in this Darbar.