A New Age
This is the tenth part of the series. Click here for Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10.
The twenty-third Maharaja of Mysore, Chamarajendra X Wodeyar died at the young age of thirty-one in the winter of 1894-95. Almost three hundred years earlier, the royal family of Mysore, the Wodeyars had been cursed to not have any kids. Indeed since then, many of the Wodeyar kings had died without any children of their own, but the dynasty continued by adopted children, some from within the family itself, and some from distant relatives and cousins. Chamarajendra X himself was the grandson of his predecessor, Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar, his mother's father. Krishnaraja did not have any male sons.
Chamarajendra had married a distant relative as well. Nanjammanni was the descendant of the Maddur Urs family, the chieftains of Maddur who were the descendants of Chamaraja III, the grandfather of Raja I Wodeyar, who had brought upon the curse on the Wodeyars. When she married Chamarajendra in 1878 she took the title of Vanivilasa Sannidhana, and brought back the bloodline of the founder of the Wodeyar Dynasty, Vijaya Yaduraya Wodeyar, to the royal house. Vanivilasa and Chamarajendra had five children, three daughters and two sons, eldest among them, Krishnaraja, born in 1884. Krishnaraja, at the age of ten, succeeded his father to the Mysore throne as Nalvadi (Fourth) Krishnaraja Wodeyar, with his mother serving as regent.
Within two years, calamity befell the Wodeyars as the Mysore Palace was burnt down in a for during the Dussehra celebrations in 1896. The royal family moved to the Jaganmohan Palace, while the Mysore Palace was renovated, the design being executed by British architect, Henry Irwin. The palace which still stands today is entrancing, richly detailed in the Indo-Saracenic Style, elaborately decorated in its interiors.
Like his father and great-grandfather before him, Nalvadi Krishnaraja was a patron of art and architecture as well as public works. He was an accomplished musician, able to play as many as eight instruments, across the range of percussion, strings and wind. Reaching the age of maturity in 1900, he took on a series of public works. He brought hydroelectric power generation to Shivanasamudra in 1902, built the first dam in Karnataka, the Vani Vilasa Sagara in 1907, and under the able future Bharat Ratna, Sir M. Vishweshwaraiya, built the Krishnaraja Sagara in Mysore. He was a founder of the Benares Hindu University, serving as it's chancellor and also founded many other educational and financial institutions, notable among them, the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, the University of Mysore, the College of Engineering, now UVCE in Bangalore, the State Bank of Mysore and the Karnataka Sahitya Parishad.
Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar died at the age of fifty six in the late summer of 1940. His younger brother had preceded him in death, only a few months earlier. Krishnaraja's successor was his nephew, Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar. Jayachamarajendra, continued the tradition of patronizing the arts, while remaining strongly committed to philanthropy. Many roads and institutions in Karnataka carry his name today. He also presided over the accession of Mysore after India attained freedom in 1947. He served as the Rajpramukh of Mysore and the Governor of Madras. It was also during his reign that the Indian Government abolished the privy purse, thus removing the last links to the monarchy and leaving him only a titular king. The Wodeyars, finally were no longer the Maharajas of Mysore, except in an unofficial title.
His son, Srikantadatta Narasimha Raja Wodeyar succeeded him on his death in 1975, serving as a Member of the Indian Parliament among other roles. Even though the Wodeyars are no longer the real kings of Mysore, many believe that the curse of Alamelamma and Talakadu still hounds them. Srikantadatta did not leave behind any sons on his death in 2013 and was survived to the title of Maharaja of Mysore by his grand-nephew, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wodeyar who currently holds the title. Yaduveer and his wife, Trishika were blessed with a baby boy, Adyaveer born in 2017.
For the concluding part of this series, watch this space.
The twenty-third Maharaja of Mysore, Chamarajendra X Wodeyar died at the young age of thirty-one in the winter of 1894-95. Almost three hundred years earlier, the royal family of Mysore, the Wodeyars had been cursed to not have any kids. Indeed since then, many of the Wodeyar kings had died without any children of their own, but the dynasty continued by adopted children, some from within the family itself, and some from distant relatives and cousins. Chamarajendra X himself was the grandson of his predecessor, Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar, his mother's father. Krishnaraja did not have any male sons.
Chamarajendra had married a distant relative as well. Nanjammanni was the descendant of the Maddur Urs family, the chieftains of Maddur who were the descendants of Chamaraja III, the grandfather of Raja I Wodeyar, who had brought upon the curse on the Wodeyars. When she married Chamarajendra in 1878 she took the title of Vanivilasa Sannidhana, and brought back the bloodline of the founder of the Wodeyar Dynasty, Vijaya Yaduraya Wodeyar, to the royal house. Vanivilasa and Chamarajendra had five children, three daughters and two sons, eldest among them, Krishnaraja, born in 1884. Krishnaraja, at the age of ten, succeeded his father to the Mysore throne as Nalvadi (Fourth) Krishnaraja Wodeyar, with his mother serving as regent.
Within two years, calamity befell the Wodeyars as the Mysore Palace was burnt down in a for during the Dussehra celebrations in 1896. The royal family moved to the Jaganmohan Palace, while the Mysore Palace was renovated, the design being executed by British architect, Henry Irwin. The palace which still stands today is entrancing, richly detailed in the Indo-Saracenic Style, elaborately decorated in its interiors.
Like his father and great-grandfather before him, Nalvadi Krishnaraja was a patron of art and architecture as well as public works. He was an accomplished musician, able to play as many as eight instruments, across the range of percussion, strings and wind. Reaching the age of maturity in 1900, he took on a series of public works. He brought hydroelectric power generation to Shivanasamudra in 1902, built the first dam in Karnataka, the Vani Vilasa Sagara in 1907, and under the able future Bharat Ratna, Sir M. Vishweshwaraiya, built the Krishnaraja Sagara in Mysore. He was a founder of the Benares Hindu University, serving as it's chancellor and also founded many other educational and financial institutions, notable among them, the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, the University of Mysore, the College of Engineering, now UVCE in Bangalore, the State Bank of Mysore and the Karnataka Sahitya Parishad.
Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar died at the age of fifty six in the late summer of 1940. His younger brother had preceded him in death, only a few months earlier. Krishnaraja's successor was his nephew, Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar. Jayachamarajendra, continued the tradition of patronizing the arts, while remaining strongly committed to philanthropy. Many roads and institutions in Karnataka carry his name today. He also presided over the accession of Mysore after India attained freedom in 1947. He served as the Rajpramukh of Mysore and the Governor of Madras. It was also during his reign that the Indian Government abolished the privy purse, thus removing the last links to the monarchy and leaving him only a titular king. The Wodeyars, finally were no longer the Maharajas of Mysore, except in an unofficial title.
His son, Srikantadatta Narasimha Raja Wodeyar succeeded him on his death in 1975, serving as a Member of the Indian Parliament among other roles. Even though the Wodeyars are no longer the real kings of Mysore, many believe that the curse of Alamelamma and Talakadu still hounds them. Srikantadatta did not leave behind any sons on his death in 2013 and was survived to the title of Maharaja of Mysore by his grand-nephew, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wodeyar who currently holds the title. Yaduveer and his wife, Trishika were blessed with a baby boy, Adyaveer born in 2017.
For the concluding part of this series, watch this space.
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