MYSORE WODEYAR DYNASTY 1399-1950

  MYSORE WODEYAR DYNASTY 1399-1950

The Wadiyar (alternatively spelt Wodeyer or Odeyer) dynasty was a Hindu dynasty in Indian subcontinent that ruled the Kingdom of Mysore from 1399 to 1950, with a brief interruption in the late 1700s. The kingdom was incorporated into the Dominion of India after its independence from British rule. The Wodiyar dynasty is the only royal family from Mysore and belongs to the Yadav dynasty

Name
In Kannada, the word "Wadiyar" (ಒಡೆಯರ್) means "Lord" or "Lordship." Historical records use the term ″Wodeyar″ when referring to the dynasty's royal family members; the ″W″ is silent. In more modern Kannada transliteration, the variation ″Odeyar″ is also used.


History
The origin of Wodeyars is not clear. Some historions say that they came to Karnataka from the northern territory and on seeing the natural beauty of the place made Mysore their abode.[1] The vadiyarajas then ruled over the area for 600 years.[2] The dynasty was established in 1399 by Yaduraya Wodeyar. He ruled Mysore under the Vijayanagara Empire until 1423. After Yaduraya Wodeyar, the Mysore kingdom was succeeded by the Wadiyar rulers. The kingdom remained fairly small during this early period and was a part of the Vijayanagara Empire. After the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire in 1565, the Kingdom of Mysore became independent and remained so until 1799.

During the reign of Krishnaraja Wadiyar III (1799–1868), the region came under the control of the British Empire. His successors changed the English spelling of their royal name to Wadiyar and took the title of Bahadur. The last two monarchs of the dynasty, Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV and Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, also accepted the British decoration Knight Grand Cross of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.










Expansion
The Vijayanagara Empire disintegrated in 1565. The power vacuum created soon after was exploited by Raja Wadiyar (ruled 1578–1617). He expanded the borders of the Mysore kingdom and in 1610 changed the capital city from Mysore to Srirangapatna; a rare island formed by the river Kaveri, which provided natural protection against military attacks.

Later famous rulers of the dynasty included Kanthirava Narasaraja I (ruled 1638–1659), who expanded the frontiers of the Mysore kingdom to Trichy in Tamil Nadu. The dynasty reached its peak under Chikka Devaraja (ruled 1673–1704), who reformed the administration of the empire by dividing it into 18 departments (called Chavadis) and he also introduced a coherent system of taxation.

From 1760 to 1799, the rule of the dynasty was essentially nominal, with real power in the hands of the dalwai, or commanders-in-chief, Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan, who expanded the kingdom aggressively, but clashed with the British East India Company. After Tipu Sultan was killed by the British in the Battle of Srirangapatna in 1799, the Wadiyars were restored to a reduced kingdom.

British Rule

Gold pagoda of Krishnaraja Wadiyar III (1799–1868). The coin depicts Siva seated, holding his attributes of a trident and a deer, with his consort Parvati seated on his lap. The reverse reads: Sri Krishnaraja
After restoring the Wadiyars to the throne of Mysore, the British shifted the capital back to the city of Mysore from Srirangapatna. The four-year-old boy (Mummudi) Krishna Raja Wadiyar III, son of the last Wadiyar king, Khasa Chamaraja Wadiyar VIII, was anointed as the King of Mysore. Wadiyars were now subsidiaries of the British Raj and had to pay an annual subsidy to the British. However the British took over the administration of the kingdom on a specious plea of non-payment of the subsidy by Mummudi Krishna Raja Wadiyar in 1831, and British-appointed commissioners were then in charge of the kingdom.








British commissioners administered Mysore from 1831–1881. Mark Cubbon (1834–1861) and L. B. Bowring (1861–1870) are among the well-known commissioners of the period.

In 1868, the British Parliament heeded the king's plea and decided to restore the kingdom to his adopted son Chamaraja Wadiyar IX. In 1881, the transfer of power back to the Wadiyars heralded an important phase in the making of modern Mysore. For the first time in India, democratic experiments were introduced by the establishment of a representative assembly. The next king, Nalvadi Krishna Raja Wadiyar, earned great fame as a saintly King-Rajarishi, and his kingdom was hailed as Ramarajya by Mahatma Gandhi as an ideal kingdom comparable to the one ruled by the historical hero Lord Rama.[citation needed]

Under British hegemony, the Wadiyars, freed from security concerns, shifted their attention to the patronage of the fine arts. They made Mysore a cultural center of Karnataka, fostering a number of famous musicians, writers and painters.

The last king of the Wadiyar dynasty was Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, who ruled from 1940 until Indian independence from British rule. In the year 1947, after India attained independence, he ceded his kingdom to the Dominion of India, but continued as the Maharajah until India became a Republic in 1950. He became the Raja Pramukh—a constitutional position—as the head of Mysore State in the Republic of India from 1950–1956. After the reorganization of the Indian states on a linguistic basis, he was appointed Governor of the integrated Mysore State (present Karnataka State) in 1956 and held the post until 1964.

Then he was Governor of Madras state (now Tamil Nadu) for two years. The Indian Constitution continued to recognize him as the Maharajah of Mysore, until 1971, when Mrs. Indira Gandhi, then Prime Minister of India, abolished the titles and Privy Purse of over 560 Maharajahs. The Maharajah died in 1974. His only son, Srikanta Datta Narasimha Raja Wadiyar (1953–2013), was a member of the Indian Parliament for many years.

Curse on Wadiyars
A curse was believed to be cast on the Wadiyars in 1612 by Alamelamma, wife of King Tirumalaraja, who ruled the Vijayanagar Empire. It is believed that when her jewels were being taken under the orders of the Wodeyar ruler, she ran over to a cliff overlooking the Kaveri river and cursed before jumping to death — "Talakadu MaraLagali, Malangi Maduvagali, Mysooru Arasarige Makkalaagadirali" (May Talakadu become a barren land, Malangi turn into a whirlpool and may Mysore kings never beget children). 400 years since, the Wadiyar dynasty never had any children for alternate generations. Hence the adopted child becomes the king. Even till date, most parts of Talakadu (Talakad) lie under sand, and Malangi village in present Mysore district is slowly eroding due to whirlpools.[3][4][5]








The Mysore kingdom, founded by Yaduraya in the year 1399, consisted of only the areas surrounding the present Mysore City. The original fort was supposed to have been at a place known as haDadana — now a small village on the southern side of Chamundi Hill. The Wadiyars, like others at that time, were under the suzerainty of the Vijayanagar Empire. The Viceroy of the Vijayanagar kingdom was headquartered at Srirangapatna. Under Yaduraya, the Wadiyars increased their influence and territory over the next 200 years. Raja Wadiyar, the ninth ruler of the dynasty, was known for his valour and patronage of art and culture. He ruled from 1578 to 1617. In 1610, he conquered the fort of Srirangapatna from Tirumala, then Viceroy of Vijayanagar. Tirumala is said to have retired to Talakad with his two wives. One of them, Alamelamma, was a staunch devotee of Sri Ranganayaki, the consort of Sri Ranganatha, the presiding deity of the famous Adi-Ranga temple in the island fortress of Srirangapatna.

Tirumala suffered from a terminal disease on his back known as the "disease of the kings". The condition of Tirumala deteriorated and he died. Alamelamma had a large amount of precious jewellery, including a fine nose ring studded with a large pearl. As a widow she was no longer permitted jewellery. She donated the jewels to the temple of Sri Ranganayaki. Every Friday and Tuesday Sri Ranaganayaki was decorated with a large pearl-studded nose ring and other precious jewellery, which was put into the safe custody of Alamelamma the rest of the week, since she was known to be a staunch devotee of Sri Ranganayaki.

The temple authorities requested Raja Wadiyar to give them the custody of the jewels, as was the normal practice. The treasury officials informed the king of this fact. Raja Wadiyar thought these jewels were of no value to Alamelamma, as she was now a widow and didnt had children, she would no longer needed them. Raja Wadiyar sent emissaries to Malangi, where Alamelamma was staying, with a request to return the jewels. Only the pearl-studded nose ring was returned by Alamelamma. Raja Wadiyar then sent his army to Talakad to ask her once again and, if she refused, to seize them by force. To escape the wrath of the Mysore army, Alamelamma uttered the legendary curse on Raja Wadiyar and jumped into a whirlpool in the river Kaveri at Talakadu with the rest of the jewels and escaped unscathed. The curse, as passed down in folklore over the last 400 years, is:

“ ತಲಕಾಡು ಮರಳಾಗಲಿ, ಮಾಲಂಗಿ ಮಡುವಾಗಲಿ, ಮೈಸೂರು ದೊರೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಹೋಗಲಿ ”
“ Talakadu maraLagali, Malangi Maduvagali, Mysuru Doregalige Makkallilade Hogali ”
“ May Talakad turn into (a barren expanse of) sand, may Malangi turn into a whirlpool, may the Rajas of Mysore not have children (for all time to come). ”

Hearing of this extreme step taken by Alamelamma, Raja Wadiyar was truly repentant. He wanted to return the jewellery to the temple and not confiscate it for his own use. In his grief he had an idol of Alamelamma made in gold, installed it in the palace, and worshiped it as a deity. A remnant of her hair was preserved in a box. To this day, Alamelamma’s idol can be found inside the Mysore Palace and is worshiped by the royal family. One can see the same huge pearl nose-stud adorning the Goddess Ranganayaki and Alamelamma today.

The Dasara festivities inside the palace end on the evening of Navarathri with a formal pooja to Alamelamma, and the kankana worn by the royal couple is removed thereafter paving the way for the Vijaya Dashami – Sami pooja the next day. For these nine days the royal couple are required to stay inside the precincts of the palace. Another interesting part of the story is that this Alamelamma temple is under the care of the legal heirs of Alamelamma: They live inside the Mysore Palace fort. Strangely, these priests/caretakers appear to be cursed, and they do not beget children and follow the same pattern afflicting the Wodeyars.