Vijayaraghunatha Sethupathi

Vijayaraghunatha Sethupathi

Vijayaraghunatha Sethupathi (died 1720) was the ruler of the Kingdom of Ramnad from 1710 to 1720. He was son of Raghunatha Kilavan, the founder of the kingdom.

Personal life

According to a 1713 letter written by Christian missionary Martin, Vijayaraghunatha Sethupathi was the second son of Raghunatha Kilavan, the founder of the kingdom. Martin writes

Vaduganatha Deva is master of a good part of Marava. All the kingdom belonged to him by right, for he is the elder; but he gave sovereignty over it to his younger brother, who, he thought had more talent for government than he

Reign

On his deathbed, Raghunatha Kilavan allegedly chose his illegitimate son Bhavani Shankar to succeed him. However, on representation from his people, Kilavan changed his mind and anointed Vijayaraghunatha. Bhavani Shankar accepted the king's decision though he was not completely reconciled.

Vijayaraghunatha was a ruler of considerable ability. The kingdom was on the brink of a famine when he ascended the throne but he handled the situation appreciably well. He set up his base in the fortress of Aranthangi. With the assistance of French engineers he built a fort in Gundar in Kamudhi in Ramanathapuram district.[1] Being a pious Hindu, Vijayaraghunatha frequently visited the temple at Rameswaram and made donations.

Vijayaraghunatha was initially favourable in his attitude towards Christians. He even made lavish donations for the construction of a church in Aranthangi in 1711. However, his attitude changed during a visit to Rameswaran in 1714-15, when his brother-in-law, Tiruvaluvanathan, whom he had appointed to govern the state in his absence, visited the church in Aranthangi and participated in Christian ceremonies. This, combined with tales of alleged atrocities of Christian missionaries, turned Vijayaraghunatha against them. He gave orders to exterminate Christianity from the kingdom and prohibited proselytising.

Vijayaraghunatha's rival, Bhavani Shankar, broke into an open revolt in 1720 and along with Raja of Pudukkottai and the Thanjavur Maratha ruler invaded Aranthangi. While defending the city, Vijayaraghunatha fell victim to plague. His death triggered a civil war in the kingdom at the end of which, the kingdom was partitioned into three and lost most of its power and territory.

References

  1. ↑ Suresh Kumar P S (4 August 2003). "Crumbling Glory". Retrieved 3 November 2012.