Marthanda Varma, the last king of Venad and the first king of Travancore. was born in 1706 to the younger of the two adopted princesses of 1689. Right from his childhood he had to live constantly in hiding, due to the Pillamar. Several assassination bids were made on his life. In 1728 an assassination attempt was made on the life of his sister and her son, the later Dharma Raja. However it was in 1729, when the Rajah Rama Varma, died that actual war was declared.