Mohiniyattam attained significance under the reign of the ruler Swati Tirunal (1813-1847) of Travancore (today Trivandrum). His royal family, whose members themselves were all gifted artists, used and promoted all forms of art, especially music and dance. Swati Tirunal encouraged artists all over India to come to his court. So he could win Vadivelu of the Tanjore brothers for his court, who was a great Bharatanatyam teacher. This brought significant improvements and renovations for Mohiniyattam. Swati Tirunal created attractive music for Mohiniyattam; writing 20 Varnams, 50 Padams and 5 Tillanas. He also won Irayimman Dampier, a great musician, for his court. In this period Mohiniyattam underwent a significant improvement and refinement, without affecting the fundamental aspects of the art form.