Dharmaraja

Dharmaraja, written by the renowned Malayalam novelist C.V. Raman Pillai, was originally published in 1913. Set in eighteenth century Travancore, and revolving around an imaginary conspiracy to overthrow the rule of Maharaja Ramavarma, who was known as Dharmaraja , it explores in a subtle and powerful manner the idea and ideal of rulership and good governance as well as loyalty to the state. The novel has been celebrated for its brilliantly executed scenes and the delineation of a dramatic variety of characters who are conceived with great fidelity to their natures and presented in language that maintains a notable exactitude in the rendering of various styles of speech. Dharmaraja is arguably the greatest historical novel written in Malayalam, perhaps the greatest novel in that language.