Jayanthan Sankaran Nampoothiri
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Odieiry Jayanthan Sankaran Nampoothiri was an 18th century Diwan of the Travancore kingdom. Originally from the Zamorin kingdom, he influenced Balarama Varma who became king at the age of 16, and organised the death of the Travancore Diwan of the time, Raja Kesavadas in 1799. Sankaran Nampoothiri was able to become Diwan of Travancore for a brief period, and became known for corruption, who started ordering the Tahsildars of the districts to pay him amounts of money which he determined without any reference to the revenue of the districts. Likewise he ordered Velu Thampi to pay him an amount of Rs. 3000 to which Velu Thampi responded asking for three days time. At the end of the third day Velu Thampi arrived at the capital of Trivandrum and forced the weak Maharajah to banish the Namboodiri Dewan and his associates from the country and instead appoint him as the Dalawa. This was immediately complied to by the frightened Maharajah and Velu Thampi was appointed the Dalawa of Travancore.
