Swati Tirunal

Also: Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma, Padmanabha (pen name)

◐ Confidence: medium Last verified: 12 Oct 2026

Period

16 April 1813 to late December 1846 (Wikipedia gives 25, 26 and 27 December in different places)

Language(s)

Sanskrit, Malayalam, Telugu

Biography

Maharaja of Travancore from 1829 to 1846 and a composer in many languages. He signed his compositions Padmanabha, a name of the god of the temple at Thiruvananthapuram.

Notable contributions

Hundreds of compositions in both Carnatic and Hindustani styles are credited to him (more than 400 in Wikipedia, more than 300 kritis in another account), including kritis and varnams. He supported many musicians at his court, among them the Tanjore Quartet and a disciple of Tyagaraja.