The seat of administration was the town of Ramanathapuram. The Zamindari had its origins in the Kingdom of Ramnad established by Raghunatha Kilavan in the late 17th century. In 1803, the Kingdom was converted to a Zamindari by the British. The male rulers of Ramnathapuram also bore the title of Sethupathi or "protector of the bridge", the bridge here referring to the legendary Rama's Bridge while female rulers bore the title "Nachiyar".