God's Own Empire: The Extraordinary Life of Marthanda Varma of Travancore

Marthanda Varma, ruler of the princely state of Travancore (in southern Kerala) from 1729 to 1758 was an extraordinary warrior and statesman. Varma played a pivotal role in expanding the kingdom’s boundaries and fending off the Europeans who coveted his kingdom. His navy defeated the Dutch in the Battle of Colachel in 1750. It was the only instance of an Indian kingdom defeating a European power on the sea.

At the height of his power, Varma handed over the kingdom to Lord Ananthapadmanabha, the reigning deity of the kingdom. In future, he and his heirs would rule over the kingdom as the ‘dasas’ of the deity.

A banker by profession, Raghu Palat has been pursuing his passion for writing since 1982. He has over 45 published books on banking, finance and taxation to his credit and has penned innumerable articles for newspapers and periodicals. Though remaining active in his professional capacity as an independent director on the boards of Union Asset Management Company Private Ltd. and Pritish Nandy Ltd. and heading his own financial consultancy firm, Raghu's fervor for writing continues unabated.

Pushpa Palat has been a writer for four decades having written for the Times of India, Economic Times, Destination Traveller, foreign travel trade newspapers and several online and print periodical and journals. Her writing has covered an eclectic and diverse range of subjects that vary from luxury and lifestyle to self-help and textbooks.