Conclusions
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 Part 11.
In the year 1610, Raja I Wodeyar, the Maharaja of Mysore was cursed by Alamelamma, the widow of the viceroy of Srirangapatna. She had laid a curse on the house of the Wodeyars that no king of Mysore would beget children. The exact words in Kannada were 'may the king of Mysore not beget any children'.
The curse itself could be intended to mean one of four things.
1. That no King of Mysore would have any children, or
2. No King of Mysore would be able to have male children, and hence would not be able to continue his line, or
3. The line of Raja I Wodeyar's and the Wodeyar Dynasty will die out.
4. Now, added to this is another version or interpretation of the curse that only every other generation or every second king would not have any children. One logic for this interpretation remains that as Raja I Wodeyar showed remorse and installed Alamelamma as a deity in the royal palace, the effects of the curse were mitigated to an extent.
The kings of Mysore from Raja I Wodeyar to the present.
The result of examining each of the possibilities follows.
Raja I Wodeyar himself became father to a son, barely two years after the curse. This son was Raja II, who would go on to become king one day. However, after Raja I, the next four kings of Mysore did not have any children to survive them; out of these four, the first two died unmarried. The curse was cast in 1610 and Raja II was born in 1612. The next prince to be born to the Wodeyars was Narasaraja II, the son of Chikka Devaraja, born in the same year that the later became king, 1673. It is possible that this sixty year period in which no princes were born, fortified the perception of the potency of the curse. However, since Chikka Devaraja, only five out of the next fourteen kings have not had children. Out of the five, three did not have any known wives, and two were not even out of their teens when they died. These two kings were Nanjaraja and Chamaraja VIII, who wasted away under the rule of Hyder Ali.
Out of the nineteen kings who have occupied the throne since 1610, eleven kings have had progeny. The earlier paragraph illustrates the condition of those kings who did not have any children. Out of the eleven kings, all except one, Mummadi Krishnaraja, had at least one son. He had only daughters. So the part about the curse having to do with only male children is about as true as it is about having any children.
When it comes to the bloodline of the Wodeyars, the curse stands even less true. Although the male line of Yaduraya Wodeyar has been extinguished in more than one branch, the bloodline has survived through the female line, especially through the Maddur Urs family. Only four out of the nineteen kings of Mysore have not come directly from the Wodeyar line. Out of these four, Chamaraja IX was brought in as a substitute during the reigns of Hyder and Tipu, and two others are his son, Krishnaraja III and great-grandson, Chamaraja X.
Finally, the part about every alternate king of Mysore not being able to beget children is only true since the last four kings. When it comes to male children, it is true for the last six kings. But since, these generations are still fresh in public memory, added to the fact that all of them have ruled after Tipu and the restoration of the Mysore throne, popular imagination holds this to be true that every alternate king will indeed not be able to beget children.
In spite of all of the above observations, the curse is uncanny in its potency. Out of the eighteen kings including Raja I, only six have been succeeded by their own sons. This gives every king a bleak chance of one in three of being succeeded by his son. Of course, the Wodeyars have not been the first dynasty to have a short male lineage. There have been many dynasties and kings who have ruled for less than a couple of hundred years, before the dynasty ended due to lack of heirs. But every time, an heir has been adopted into the Wodeyar royalty, the powerful current of the curse has drawn the heir into it like the raging waters of the Cauvery after the monsoon rains.
What do you think about the curse of Talakadu. Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Thanks for reading.
In the year 1610, Raja I Wodeyar, the Maharaja of Mysore was cursed by Alamelamma, the widow of the viceroy of Srirangapatna. She had laid a curse on the house of the Wodeyars that no king of Mysore would beget children. The exact words in Kannada were 'may the king of Mysore not beget any children'.
The curse itself could be intended to mean one of four things.
1. That no King of Mysore would have any children, or
2. No King of Mysore would be able to have male children, and hence would not be able to continue his line, or
3. The line of Raja I Wodeyar's and the Wodeyar Dynasty will die out.
4. Now, added to this is another version or interpretation of the curse that only every other generation or every second king would not have any children. One logic for this interpretation remains that as Raja I Wodeyar showed remorse and installed Alamelamma as a deity in the royal palace, the effects of the curse were mitigated to an extent.
The kings of Mysore from Raja I Wodeyar to the present.
The result of examining each of the possibilities follows.
Raja I Wodeyar himself became father to a son, barely two years after the curse. This son was Raja II, who would go on to become king one day. However, after Raja I, the next four kings of Mysore did not have any children to survive them; out of these four, the first two died unmarried. The curse was cast in 1610 and Raja II was born in 1612. The next prince to be born to the Wodeyars was Narasaraja II, the son of Chikka Devaraja, born in the same year that the later became king, 1673. It is possible that this sixty year period in which no princes were born, fortified the perception of the potency of the curse. However, since Chikka Devaraja, only five out of the next fourteen kings have not had children. Out of the five, three did not have any known wives, and two were not even out of their teens when they died. These two kings were Nanjaraja and Chamaraja VIII, who wasted away under the rule of Hyder Ali.
Out of the nineteen kings who have occupied the throne since 1610, eleven kings have had progeny. The earlier paragraph illustrates the condition of those kings who did not have any children. Out of the eleven kings, all except one, Mummadi Krishnaraja, had at least one son. He had only daughters. So the part about the curse having to do with only male children is about as true as it is about having any children.
When it comes to the bloodline of the Wodeyars, the curse stands even less true. Although the male line of Yaduraya Wodeyar has been extinguished in more than one branch, the bloodline has survived through the female line, especially through the Maddur Urs family. Only four out of the nineteen kings of Mysore have not come directly from the Wodeyar line. Out of these four, Chamaraja IX was brought in as a substitute during the reigns of Hyder and Tipu, and two others are his son, Krishnaraja III and great-grandson, Chamaraja X.
Finally, the part about every alternate king of Mysore not being able to beget children is only true since the last four kings. When it comes to male children, it is true for the last six kings. But since, these generations are still fresh in public memory, added to the fact that all of them have ruled after Tipu and the restoration of the Mysore throne, popular imagination holds this to be true that every alternate king will indeed not be able to beget children.
In spite of all of the above observations, the curse is uncanny in its potency. Out of the eighteen kings including Raja I, only six have been succeeded by their own sons. This gives every king a bleak chance of one in three of being succeeded by his son. Of course, the Wodeyars have not been the first dynasty to have a short male lineage. There have been many dynasties and kings who have ruled for less than a couple of hundred years, before the dynasty ended due to lack of heirs. But every time, an heir has been adopted into the Wodeyar royalty, the powerful current of the curse has drawn the heir into it like the raging waters of the Cauvery after the monsoon rains.
What do you think about the curse of Talakadu. Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Thanks for reading.
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