 Sethu Parvathi Bayi was distantly related by birth to the royal house of Travancore in the direct female line.In 1900, following the absence of heirs in the Travancore Royal Family she, along with her elder maternal cousin Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, was adopted by her maternal great-aunt, Senior Maharani Lakshmi Bayi.At the age of five, she became the Junior Maharani of Travancore.