Travancore Cochin State Forces
Lt.Colonel Mohanlal receiving a memento from Uthradom Tirunal Marthanda Varma T he latest news on the renowned Malayalam actor Mohanlal commissioned to the Madras Regiment of the Territorial Army as Lt.Colonel and his visit to the Kowdiar Palace to pay tributes to the erstwhile ruling family of Travancore has evoked considerable interest about the military past of this state. Travancore and Cochin were larger princely states in the south, besides Mysore which maintained independent armed forces. Two Travancore infantry battalions were integrated into Madras regiment after the states merged with the Indian union and were called 9th (Travancore) and 16th (Travancore) battalions of the Madras regiment. Likewise the Cochin battalion became the 17th (Cochin) under MR. Major-General Sri Chithira Tirunal H.H. Maharaja Bala Rama Varma of Travancore, GCSI, GCIE was the Col-in-Chief of Travancore State forces from 1924-1949 and of the Travancore-Cochin State Forces for the period 1949-1954. The