Sethu Lakshmi Bayi
| Sethu Lakshmi Bayi | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maharani of Travancore | |||||||||
Image by Jay Gopal Varma, 1924 | |||||||||
| Senior Maharani of Travancore | |||||||||
| Reign | 15 June 1901 – 22 February 1985 | ||||||||
| Coronation | 21 June 1901 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Bharani Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi | ||||||||
| Successor | Karthika Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi | ||||||||
| Maharani Regent of Travancore | |||||||||
| Regency | 6 September 1924 – 6 November 1931 | ||||||||
| Monarch | Sree Chithira Thirunal | ||||||||
| Junior Maharani of Travancore | |||||||||
| Reign | September 1900 - 15 June 1901 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Bharani Thirunal Parvathi Bayi | ||||||||
| Successor | Sethu Parvathi Bayi | ||||||||
| Born | 19 November 1895 Mavelikkara, British Raj | ||||||||
| Died | 22 February 1985 (aged 89) Bangalore, Karnataka, India | ||||||||
| Spouse | Sri Rama Varma (m. 1906) | ||||||||
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| Dynasty | Venad Swaroopam | ||||||||
| Father | Kilimanoor Kerala Varma Thampuran | ||||||||
| Mother | Ayilyam Nal Mahaprabha | ||||||||
| Religion | Hinduism | ||||||||
Pooradam Thirunal Sethu Lakshmi Bayi (Malayalam: പൂരാടം തിരുനാൾ സേതു ലക്ഷ്മി ബായി; 5 November 1895 – 22 February 1985) was Senior Maharani of Travancore and the Attingal Mootha Thampuram from 1901 to 1985. She served as Maharani Regent of Travancore from 1924 to 1931 during the minority of her nephew, Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma.
Sethu Lakshmi Bayi is mostly known for her progressive reforms during the regency of her nephew, during which she was treated with the full dignity and honours of a monarch, wielding absolute authority. Her major reforms are considered to be the abolishment of the Devadasi system and animal sacrifice, women being granted the right to vote and being able to join the Sri Mulam Popular Assembly, the elecrification of Thiruvananthapuram and the development of Cochin Harbour.