Kerala State Formation History

The various regions of Kerala were united during the time when they were part of the Chera Empire. However , with the collapse of the Chera rule, Kerala became many smaller units including Travancore, Cochin and Malabar. The Malayalam language played a very important role in the cultural unity of the people of Travancore, Cochin and Malabar . We can see the roots of Malayali equality based on language and region in the 14th century grammar book Lilathilakam. It talks about a Malayali community speaking a single language. However, the concept of Malayali equality really took shape towards the end of the 19th century. This is due to the spread of modern education. Modern education helped in the emergence of the concept of a region based on a common language in the minds of the people. Factors such as printing technology and the establishment of vernacular newspapers also helped in the formation of Malayali equality. The Malayali Memorial (1891) signed by more than 10,000 people was a sign of this new awareness. Malayali equality also developed with the national movement that grew in the early 20th century. A Malayali equality began to spread throughout Kerala, transcending the boundaries of Travancore .

At the beginning of the Indian national movement , that is, in the second half of the nineteenth century, Kerala was divided into three. Travancore in the south and Kochi in the middle were under different princely states. Malabar in the north was a district of the Madras province, which was part of British India. Although they were under different administrative systems, the people of these regions had similarities in language, culture and customs. Therefore, their common need was to bring all three regions under the same rule. The movement that made that a reality was the United Kerala movement.

Travancore and Cochin

Anizham Thirunal Marthandavarma extended the boundaries of the Trippapur kingdom, which extended from Kanyakumari to Edava, northwards to Kochi. Known as the ' founder of modern Travancore ' , Marthandavarma annexed many princely states such as Kollam , Kottarakkara , Kayamkulam , Chembakassery , Thekkumkur , Vadakkumkur to his realm, significantly increasing its area and introducing a systematic administrative system. It was his successor Karthika Thirunal Ramavarma, known as ' Dharmaraja ' , who shifted the headquarters from Kalkulam or Padmanabhapuram, which was the administrative capital of Marthandavarma, to Thiruvananthapuram . Later, this city became the capital of Thiru-Kochi and Kerala. The administration of the Cochin kingdom was systematic during the time of Shakthan Thampuran. Both of these princely states signed military alliances and became British protectorates by the early 19th century.

Malabar

The British received the Malabar region from Tipu Sultan in the Treaty of Srirangapatna in 1792. Subsequently, the administration of Malabar was reorganized on the British model. Malabar was initially administered under the Bombay Presidency ( 1793-1800) . In 1800 , Malabar became a district of the Madras Presidency. A Collector and nine Deputy Collectors were appointed to administer it. The first Collector was Major MacLeod, who assumed office on 1 October 1801. The headquarters of Malabar district was Kozhikode. Malabar was the most populous district in the Madras province. The present-day districts of Kannur , Kozhikode , Wayanad , Malappuram and Palakkad, as well as areas in the old Ponnani taluk of Thrissur district, were part of this district. In addition, Lakshadweep and British Kochi were also included in Malabar district.

The birth of the idea of ​​a united Kerala

The idea of ​​a region for Malayalam speakers by combining Travancore, Kochi and Malabar emerged in the early 20th century. K. Ramakrishna Pillai, the editor of ' Swadeshabhimani ' , had written about the formation of ' Aikya Keralam ' by combining these three regions in the early 20th century. He had even named his daughter ' Gomati ' after the first letters of the words Gosree (Kochi) , Malabar and Travancore. There are references that he was the first to predict that Thiruvananthapuram would become the capital of Kerala. ' One and a Half Crore Malayalis ' is a work by E.M.S.Namboodiripad, which mentions the need to form Kerala by including Malayalam-speaking regions . The effort for a united Kerala began in Malabar, which was lagging behind Travancore and Kochi in terms of living standards.

Formation of PCC (Pradesh Congress Committee)

In the early 1920s, the All India Congress Committee divided the regions of India on the basis of language for organizational purposes, which was considered as an endorsement of the argument for the formation of linguistic states. On this basis, a regional committee was formed in Kerala. In this, all three regions were represented as one state. The formation of the PCC was an important milestone in the process of formation of the Kerala state. K. Madhavan Nair was the first secretary of the Pradesh Congress Committee thus formed. Later ( 1925) when the title of Sarathi of the Pradesh Congress was changed to President, he was the first to hold that position. Initially, the KPCC had five district committees namely Thalassery , Kozhikode , Palakkad , Kochi and Travancore. Kozhikode was the headquarters of the KPCC at that time. With the formation of the Kerala state, the headquarters was shifted to Thiruvananthapuram. In 1927 , the Indian National Congress expressed the view that the time was ripe for a linguistic reorganization of the provinces of India. The Nehru Committee, headed by Motilal Nehru, formed at the All-Party Conference held in 1928 under the chairmanship of M.A. Ansari to prepare a model constitution for independent India, examined the issue. The committee took a favourable view of linguistic states on the basis of the conclusion that linguistic states would promote the cultural welfare of the people, ensure greater educational progress and enable them to participate actively in public affairs.

United Kerala Resolution

The first state assembly to pass the United Kerala resolution was held in Ernakulam in 1928. The same year, the All Kerala Tenants' Assembly, which supported the formation of a United Kerala, was also held in Ernakulam. The fourth All Kerala Congress session held in Payyannur in 1928 under the presidency of Jawaharlal Nehru , passed a resolution requesting the national leadership of the Congress to maintain Kerala as a separate state when India becomes independent in the future . In the 1930s , the movements of workers , farmers and students organized by the Socialist Party in Kerala developed in a Kerala-wide context. Cultural organizations like the ' Samastha Kerala Sahitya Parishad ' welcomed the idea of ​​a Malayalam-speaking state with great enthusiasm. When the Government of India Act of 1935 came into force, the possibilities of local self-government became clear. In November 1937, a political conference held in Thiruvananthapuram under the auspices of the Travancore District Congress Committee and chaired by Andhra-born Congress leader Dr. Pattabhi Seetharamaiah unanimously adopted a resolution to form a sub-federation comprising Travancore, Cochin and Malabar. The Travancore State Congress, which was established in Travancore in 1938 under the leadership of C.V. Kunjuraman , Pattom Thanupillai, P.S. Nataraja Pillai and others, and the Kochi Rajya Prajamandalam, which began functioning in Cochin in 1941 under the leadership of V.R. Krishnanezhuthachan, included a united Kerala among their goals. A delegation from the Kerala State Congress Committee , led by President Muhammad Abdur Rahman Sahib, approached the Congress Working Committee in 1938 and demanded the formation of a ' United Kerala ' when India became independent . The delegation was assured that when India became independent, there would be a need for re-division of the state and that the matter of Kerala would be considered at that time.

United Kerala Thampuran

In a message to the Cochin Legislative Assembly on 29 July 1945 , the King of Cochin, Kerala Varma, declared his support for the United Kerala movement and was willing to merge Cochin into such a state for the common good of the people. This step by the King of Cochin, which paved the way for the end of the separate identity of Travancore and Cochin, was displeasing to the then Travancore rulers. Because he stood for a united Kerala, Maharaja Kerala Varma came to be known as the King of United Kerala.

United Kerala Mahasammelan

In 1946 , the KPCC formed a sub-committee to strengthen the United Kerala movement . Its meeting was held in Cheruthuruthy in October under the chairmanship of K.P. Kesava Menon. As per the decision of this meeting, K. Kelappan presided over the United Kerala Mahasammelan held in Thrissur in April 1947. Travancore State Congress Vice President T.M. Varghese hoisted the flag. Hundreds of people from different parts of Kerala, representing cultural organizations and political parties, attended this conference. The King of Cochin, Kerala Varma, inaugurated the conference and spoke in favor of United Kerala. The resolution presented by the Prime Minister of Cochin, Ekanda Warrier, demanding the establishment of United Kerala as soon as possible was seconded by E. Moidu Moulavi and the resolution was unanimously accepted. A 100-member committee was elected for the activities. In this conference, Dr. Rajendra Prasad , J.B. Kripalani and others sent messages in support of a united Kerala, and V.K. Krishnamenon , T. Prakasham , Mannath Padmanabhan and others delivered speeches.

While releasing the first issue of the publication Jayakeralam, which was started from Chennai in January 1947, K.P.S. Menon stated that they were in favour of division on the basis of language and would work towards the formation of a united Kerala state comprising the areas from Kanyakumari to Kasaragod. In February 1948, K. Kelappan led the team that went to New Delhi to submit a memorandum to the Prime Minister regarding the formation of a Kerala state. The United Kerala Representative Conference held in Aluva in February 1948 gave a new impetus to the United Kerala movement. The number of members of the Working Committee was reduced from 100 to 15 for the smooth functioning of the committee . K. Kelappan was appointed as the president and K.M. Damodaramenon as the secretary. The great poet Vallathol also attended this meeting.

The Diwan's Dream

When it was certain that India would become independent in August 1947, Diwan Sir C.P. Ramaswamy Iyer began to make moves to keep Travancore an independent state. His moves were based on the argument that the power to decide the issue of the princely states merging with India or Pakistan belonged to the kings , not the people of the respective countries. However , all political parties and the general public in the country strongly opposed this. It was in this turbulent situation that on 25 July 1947 , while returning from a function at the Swathi Thirunal Sangeetha Academy, C.P. Ramaswamy Iyer was stabbed (later history recorded that the Diwan was attacked by K. Chidambara Subramanian Iyer, who was known as K.C.S. Mani). He resigned as Diwan on 19 August 1947 , giving up the dream of an independent state and left Travancore. On 28 July 1947 , the Maharaja announced his decision to join the Indian Union. P.G.N. Unnithan succeeded CP as the Acting Diwan.

Travancore Ministry

On 4 September 1947 , the Maharaja of Travancore issued a proclamation to form a new responsible government. Until India became a republic, the Chief Minister of Travancore was known as the ' Prime Minister ' . With the declaration of responsible government in Travancore, a cabinet was formed under the leadership of a Prime Minister. The newly formed Legislative Assembly had 120 members elected on the basis of adult suffrage. The Maharaja of Travancore, Sri Chithira Thirunal Maharaja, was the constitutional head. On 20 March 1948 , the newly formed Legislative Assembly met for the first time in Travancore. The President of the session was A.K. John. On 24 March 1948 , the first People's Cabinet with Pattom Thanu Pillai as the Prime Minister and T.M. Varghese and C. Kesavan as Ministers of State came to power in Travancore . Subsequently, when Pattom Thanu Pillai's first cabinet collapsed in 1948 , T.K. Narayana Pillai became the second Prime Minister of Travancore. T.K. remained in that position until the Thiruvananthapuram-Cochin State came into existence on July 1, 1949. It was during this period that the decision was made to establish the capital at Thiruvananthapuram and the High Court at Kochi.

Cochin Ministry

With the introduction of the diarchy system in Cochin on 17 June 1938, a minister was appointed. Ambattu Sivarama Menon was the first minister. After his death, Dr. A.R. Menon became a minister in 1939. Menon resigned in 1942 following a no-confidence motion. T.K. Nair became a minister in his place. The number of ministers increased to two in 1945. In 1946 , the number of ministers increased to four. When the Diwan rule ended, a cabinet was formed in Cochin under the leadership of a prime minister. The Maharaja of Cochin, Kerala Varma Thampuran, was the constitutional head. On 15 August 1947 , Panampilly Govinda Menon became the first prime minister of Cochin. T.K. Nair ( 1947-48) and E. Ikanda Warrier ( 1948-49) were the second and third prime ministers. Prajamandala leader Ikanda Warrier became the Prime Minister of Kochi after winning the first election held under adult suffrage. Warrier remained in the post of Prime Minister until the merger of Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi on 1 July 1949 .

Madras Cabinet

A ministry was formed in Madras, which included Malabar , in 1937. Kongattil Raman Menon , C.J. Varkey , R. Raghav Menon , and Kozhipuram Madhava Menon were ministers in various ministries. K.P. Kuttykrishnan Nair (Kozhikode) was the Minister of Law ( 1952-1954) in the C. Rajagopalachari ministry . N. Gopala Menon was the Speaker of the Madras Legislative Assembly from 27 September 1955 to 1 November 1956. Dr. P.V. Cherian was the Chairman of the Madras Legislative Council from 6 May 1952 .

Dhar Commission recommendation

The Aikya Kerala Samiti , in its submission to the Dhar Commission appointed by the Constituent Assembly of India to study the issue of state re-division, demanded the formation of a Kerala state comprising the regions of Malabar , Cochin , Travancore , Coorg , Nilgiris , Gudalur , South Canara , Mayyazhi and Lakshadweep. The Travancore government led by Pattom Thanu Pillai did not cooperate with the Dhar Commission. The Jaipur session of the Congress ( 1948) constituted a high-level committee (JVP Committee) consisting of Jawaharlal Nehru , Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Pattabhi Seetharamaiah to review the recommendations of the Dhar Commission. The committee reported that the proposal for division on the basis of language should be treated with great caution.

Buck Committee

Before the Buck Committee, a committee appointed in 1949 to study and report on the details of the merger of Travancore and Cochin, Sree Chithira Thirunal raised the demand that he be appointed as the Lifelong Perumal of the new state.

Part B State

According to the Merger Act of the Government of India, on 1 July 1949 , a new state called Travancore-Cochin was formed as a Part B state of the Indian Union by merging Travancore and Cochin. The efforts of V.P. Menon, the Secretary of the Princely Department, who was a Malayali and a confidant of the Union Home Minister Sardar Patel, were behind this. The official name of the United State of Travancore and Cochin became the State of Travancore and Cochin with the coming into force of the Indian Constitution. The Maharaja of Travancore became the Rajapramukh of the new state. The Raja of Cochin Ramavarma Pareekshith thampuran abdicated. Although he was offered the title of Uparajapramukh, he refused it. At the time of the merger of Thiru-Cochin, he had only one condition. He had to get four copies of the Cochin Government Calender every year, which cost 25 paise! Cochin was merged with Travancore because it was a very small princely state. However, this step was seen by the people as the first step towards the long-awaited formation of the state of Kerala. Thiruvananthapuram was designated as the capital of the Thiru-Cochin state and Ernakulam as the seat of the High Court.

By the time of the Thiru-Cochin merger, responsible governments had been established in Travancore and Kochi. The Prime Minister of Kochi was Ikanda warrier and the Prime Minister of Travancore was Paravoor T.K. Narayana Pillai. After the merger, a new cabinet was formed, including leaders from the affected areas. Paravoor T.K. Narayana Pillai was the Prime Minister. With the coming into force of the Constitution of India on 26 January 1950 , the position of ' State Prime Minister ' was changed to ' Chief Minister ' . At the time of merger with Travancore, there were 58 seats in the Cochin Legislative Assembly and 120 seats in Travancore . Initially, the combined Thiru-Cochin Legislative Assembly had 178 seats (later the number of seats was reduced). Thiru-Cochin had four districts: Thiruvananthapuram , Kollam , Kottayam and Thrissur. The number of taluks was 36. Thiruvananthapuram district included parts of present-day Kanyakumari district, Kollam district included parts of present-day Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha districts, Kottayam district included parts of present-day Ernakulam and Idukki districts, and Thrissur district included parts of present-day Ernakulam and Palakkad districts.

K. Kelappan resigned from the presidency of the United Kerala Committee, stating that the formation of Thiru-Cochin with the appointment of a Maharaja as the head of the state or Rajapramukh would not be helpful for the birth of the newly formed Kerala state. The committee continued its work under the presidency of K.P. Kesava Menon. The United Kerala Conference held in Palakkad in November 1949 adopted a resolution to establish a Kerala state excluding the Rajapramukh. In June 1952, the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee split into two. This led to a change in the policy of the Thiru-Cochin Pradesh Congress Committee and the Malabar Pradesh Congress Committee regarding a united Kerala. The Malabar Pradesh Political Conference held in Palakkad in April 1953 demanded the merger of Thiru-Cochin with the Madras province and the formation of a southern state. The Thiru-Cochin Congress Committee and the Thiru-Cochin government supported a united Kerala. However , they rejected the idea of ​​a southern state. Although the Congress workers in Malabar initially opposed the formation of a Kerala state, the conference of the United Kerala Committee held in Kozhikode influenced public opinion in Malabar in favour of the formation of a united Kerala. The Communist Party took the lead in organizing the United Kerala Conference held in Mumbai on 18 and 19 October 1952. A. Neshamani, the leader of the Travancore Tamil Nadu Congress, a political party that led the agitations demanding the inclusion of the southern taluks of Thiru-Cochin in Tamil Nadu.

Thiru - Kochi Assembly Elections

The TTNC party won 9 seats in the first Thiru-Kochi assembly elections . They supported the Indian National Congress to form a ruling coalition in the assembly. They withdrew this support after 19 months due to differences with the Congress over policy regarding the Tamil-speaking parts of the state. In the second assembly elections in 1954 , the TTNC won 12 seats. In the same year , the TTNC demanded the merger of Tamil-dominated taluks like Thovala , Agastheeswaram , Kalkulam , Vilavancode , Neyyattinkara , Chenkotta , Devikulam and Peerumedu with Madras State. In August 1954, street protests organized by the TTNC in support of these mergers turned violent. The police, who tried to maintain law and order, opened fire on the protesters. Four people were killed and about a dozen were injured. Till the late 1940s , apart from Kanyakumari district , there were Tamil majority areas in Devikulam and Peerumedu taluks of present-day Idukki district . The TTNC had also requested to merge these taluks with Madras state. However , due to some decisions of the Travancore Prime Minister Pattom Thanupillai, they were retained in the modern Kerala state.

Colonization project

He introduced a colonization scheme for the population re-organization of the Cardamom Hills. Through this , he aimed to relocate 8000 Malayalam speaking families to Devikulam and Peerumedu taluks. The success of this scheme, which selected an area of ​​about 50000 acres in these taluks, which were predominantly Tamil, for the colonization scheme, resulted in the retention of these two taluks and a large part of the Cardamom Hills as part of the state of Kerala under the States Reorganization Act of 1956 .

Thiru-Kochi Cabinet

On 1 July 1949, the state of Thiru-Kochi was formed by merging Travancore and Kochi. The King of Travancore, Chithira Thirunal, became the ' Rajapramukh ' . Paravoor T.K. Narayana Pillai, who was the ruler of Travancore, became the Chief Minister and T.M. Varghese became the Speaker. A.K. John , Dr. E.K. Madhavan and T.E. Abdullah represented Travancore, and Ikanda Warrier , K. Ayyappan and Panampilly Govinda Menon became ministers representing Kochi . On 28 February 1951, C. Kesavan became the second Chief Minister of Thiru-Cochin.

In 1952 , A.J. John became the first elected Chief Minister of Thiru-Kochi. On 23 September 1953 , A.J. John resigned from the cabinet. In 1954 , following the by-elections in Thiru-Kochi, Pattom Thanupillai became the Chief Minister. When Pattom Thanupillai resigned in 1955 , Panampilly Govinda Menon became the Chief Minister. This government ruled Thiru-Kochi from February 1955 to March 1956. After the fall of this cabinet, President's rule was imposed in Thiru-Kochi. It was during this time that the state of Kerala was formed in 1956 .

The government seal of Thiru-Kochi (this was the government symbol until 1956 ) consisted of the Ashoka Chakra in the middle, a conch shell above, two elephants raising their trunks and blessing them from either side , and an arch with the words Travancore and Kochi written below . Following the merger of Travancore and Kochi, five ministries were in power before the formation of Kerala.

1. Paravur TK Narayana Pillai (1949-1951)

2. C. Kesavan (1951-1952)

3. A.J. John ( 1952-1954)

4. Pattom A. Thanupillai (1954-1955)

5. Panampilly Govinda Menon (1955-1956)

State Reorganization

The incident of Potti Sriramulu fasting and dying for the separation of Andhra from Madras and making it a separate state prompted the Central Government to reorganize the state on the basis of language. After studying the matter and submitting the proposals of EMS Namboothiripad, the Government of India appointed a committee in December 1953 , headed by Syed Fazal Ali and comprising Pandit Hridayanath Kunsru and a Malayali, Sardar K.M. Panicker. After studying all the arguments in detail, the committee rejected the Southern State argument. As per the recommendations of the committee submitted in 1955 , the Constitution was amended in 1956 for the reorganization of the states . Thus, according to the Seventh Amendment, 14 states and six union territories came into existence. The four Tamil-majority taluks of South Travancore, namely Thovala , Agastheeswaram , Kalkulam and Vilavancode, were incorporated into the newly formed Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu. A part of the eastern Chenkotta taluk was merged with Tirunelveli district (now part of Tenkasi district), and the remaining parts of Travancore, Malabar except for Kochi and Gudalur, and the Kasaragod taluk of South Canara district were merged to form the state of Kerala on 1 November 1956. Gudalur, Coorg, Mayyazhi and Lakshadweep, which had been demanded by the United Kerala Committee, were not part of Kerala.

The rice fields of Travancore, Nanchinadu (Thovala , Agastheeswaram), the old capital Padmanabhapuram, and the legendary Kanyakumari of the Parashurama story were lost to Kerala. Swamithope , the abode of the Vaikuntha Swami, Maruthwamala , where Sree Narayana Guru performed penance , the Pechippara dam , which is as old as the Mullaperiyar , Suchindram, one of the great temples of Travancore, the Kuttalam waterfall , the historic Iraniyal Palace , and Udayagiri Fort were all transferred to the list of nostalgic memories of Keralites, especially those of southern Travancore. The ownership of Padmanabhapuram and Kuttalam palaces still belongs to Kerala. The islands of Lakshadweep , Amini and Minicoy, which were part of the Malabar district, became separate union territories. Coorg became part of Karnataka and Gudalur became part of Tamil Nadu. Mahe is now part of the Union Territory of Puducherry. When Kerala came into existence on 1 November 1956 , the President's Rule that existed in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi continued. The title of Rajapramukh was abolished and the state executive head was renamed the Governor. The last vestige of princely rule in Kerala was abolished when P.S. Rao was appointed as the Acting Governor in place of Rajapramukh. Kerala regained its identity and became an integral part of the Indian Union. Later, B. Ramakrishna Rao was appointed as the Governor of the state. The first election to the state assembly was held in 1957. 126 members were elected. The Governor nominated one member to represent the Anglo-Indian community.

Formation of Kerala State

In 1949 , Travancore and Kochi merged to form ' Thiru-Kochi ' . The ministries changed until 1955. President's rule was also introduced in 1956. The idea of ​​forming a state on the basis of language was born during this period. Thus, the state of Kerala was formed by merging Thiru-Kochi and Malabar, which was part of the Madras province. On 1 November 1956 , the state of Kerala came into existence by merging Travancore , Kochi , Malabar , and the Kasaragod taluk of South Canara district. The taluks of Thovala , Agastheeswaram , Kalkulam , and Vilavancode , which were part of Travancore, were ceded to the Madras state, and the taluks of Kasaragod and Hosdurg, which were part of southern Karnataka, were added to Kerala. The first assembly elections after the formation of Kerala were held between 28 February 1957 and 11 March 1957. In the elections, in which the Congress and the Communist Party contested for a single seat, the Communist Party won a majority. After 155 days of President's Rule ( from November 1, 1956 to April 5 , 1957 ), EMS Namboothiripad assumed office as the first Chief Minister of Kerala on April 5, 1957. It was the first Communist ministry in Asia to come to power through ballot papers.

Formation of districts

At the time of Kerala's formation, there were five districts: Thiruvananthapuram , Kollam , Kottayam , Thrissur , and Malabar. Malabar district, the largest district, was divided into Palakkad , Kozhikode , and Kannur districts on 1 January 1957. Alappuzha district was formed on 17 August 1957 by merging parts of the old Kottayam and Kollam districts. Ernakulam district, which came into existence on 1 April 1958 , mainly consisted of areas of the Travancore princely state. Malappuram district, which came into existence on 16 June 1969, was formed by including areas of Kozhikode and Palakkad districts . Idukki, a district of Kerala that came into existence on Republic Day (26 January 1972 ) , included areas of Kottayam and Ernakulam districts. Wayanad district, which came into existence on Kerala Piravi Day in 1980, was formed by merging parts of Kannur and Kozhikode districts. K.K. Nair is a legislator who made great contributions to the formation of Pathanamthitta district, which came into existence on November 1 , 1982. The areas of Kasaragod district, which came into existence as the fourteenth district on May 24 , 1984 , were previously part of Kannur district.