Mysore Palace is the traditional seat of the Wadiyar

HH Sri Chamarajendra Wadiyar X

Chamarajendra Wadiyar X with his children

Marriage of H.H Sri Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV and Rana Prathap Kumari of Kathiawar

Maharani Vani Vilasa with grandson Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar

Jayachamrajendra Wadiyar with Elizabeth II

Srikanta Wadiyar, current head of the family

The Wadiyar dynasty was an Indian Hindu dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of Mysore from 1399 to 1947, until the independence of India from British rule and the subsequent unification of the Indian dominion and princely states into the Republic of India. The word is pronounced to start with a vowel sound and not with a consonant. Odeyar in Kannada means the king or the owner.

History[link]

The dynasty was established by Vijaya. Vijaya took on the name and ruled Mysore, then a small town, from 1399 CE to 1423 CE. The Mysore kingdom was ruled by a succession of Wadiyar rulers for the next couple of centuries. However, the kingdom remained fairly small during this early period and was a part of the Vijayanagara Empire. Later, after the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire in 1565, the Kingdom of Mysore became independent and remained so until 1799. The Kingdom of Mysore came under the British during the reign of King Krishnaraja Wadiyar III (1799–1868). His successors changed the English spelling of their royal name to Wadiyar, and took the title of Bahadur. The last two monarchs also accepted the British decoration G.B.E.

Expansion[link]

The Vijayanagara Empire disintegrated in 1565. The power vacuum created soon after was utilized by Raja Wadiyar, who ruled Mysore from 1578 to 1617. He expanded the borders of the Mysore kingdom and also shifted the capital from the city of Mysore in 1610 to Srirangapatna, a rare island formed by the river Cauvery, which provided natural protection against military attacks.

Subsequent famous rulers of the dynasty include 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 widely reformed the administration of the empire by dividing it into 18 departments (called Chavadis) and 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 successive dalwai, or commanders-in-chief, Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan, who expanded the kingdom aggressively, but clashed with the East India Company. After Tipu Sultan was killed when the British stormed Seringapatam in 1799, the Wadiyars were restored to a reduced kingdom.

British Rule[link]

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 annual subsidy to the British. However British took over the administration of the Kingdom on a specious plea of non-payment of subsidy amount from Mummudi Krishna Raja Wadiyar in 1831 and British appointed commissioners were in charge of the Kingdom.

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

But in 1868, the British Parliament upheld the King's plea and decided to restore the Kingdom back to his adopted son Chamaraja Wadiyar IX. In 1881, 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 constitution of the representative assembly. His son Nalvadi Krishna Raja Wadiyar earned great fame as a saintly King-Rajarishi and his Kingdom was hailed as Ramarajya by Mahatma Gandhi; 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 attention to the patronage of the fine arts. Under their patronage, Mysore became a cultural centre of Karnataka, fostering a number of famous musicians, writers and painters.

The last king of the Wadiyar dynasty was Jayachamaraja Wodeyar, who ruled from 1940 until Indian independence from British rule. In the year 1947, after India attained independence, he acceded his Kingdom to the dominion of India, but continued as the Maharaja until India became a Republic in 1950. He became the Raja Pramukh—a constitutional position—as the head of Mysore State within the Republic of India from 1950-1956. After the re-organization of Indian States on linguistic basis, he was appointed as the Governor of the integrated Mysore State (present Karnataka state) in 1956, which post he held until 1964. After that he was Governor of Madras state (now Tamil Nadu) for two years. But the Indian Constitution continued to recognize him as the Maharaja of Mysore until 1971, when Mrs. Indira Gandhi, then Prime Minister of India abolished the titles and Privy Purse of well over 560 Maharajas spread over different parts of India. The Maharaja died in 1974. His only son Srikanta Datta Narasimha Raja Wadiyar (b. 1953) was a member of the Indian Parliament for many years.

Wadiyar Rulers of Mysore[link]

• Yaduraya (1399–1423)
• Hiriya Bettada Chamaraja Wadiyar I (1423–1459)
• Thimmaraja Wadiyar I (1459–1478)
• Hiriya Chamaraja Wadiyar II (1478–1513)
• Hiriya bettada Chamaraja III Wadiyar (1513–1553)
• Thimmaraja Wadiyar II (1553–1572)
• Bola Chamaraja Wadiyar IV (1572–1576)
• Bettada Chamaraja Wadiyar V(1576–1578)^[1]
• Raja Wadiyar I (1578–1617)
• Chamaraja Wadiyar VI (1617–1637).
• Raja Wadiyar II (1637–1638)
• (Ranadhira Kantheerava) Narasaraja Wadiyar I (1638–1659)
• Dodda Devaraja Wadiyar (1659–1673)
• Chikka Devaraja Wadiyar (1673–1704)
• Narasaraja Wodeyar II (1704–1714)
• Dodda Krishnaraja Wodeyar I (1714–1732)
• Chamaraja Wadiyar VII (1732–1734)
• (Immadi) Krishnaraja Wadiyar II (1734–1766)
• Nanajaraja Wadiyar (1766–1770)
• Bettada Chamaraja Wadiyar VIII(1770–1776)
• Khasa Chamaraja Wadiyar IX (1766–1796)
• Krishnaraja Wadiyar III (1799–1868)
• Chamarajendra Wadiyar X (1868–1894)
• Vani Vilas Sannidhana, queen of Chamarajendra Wadiyar X, was Regent from 1894–1902.
• Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV (1894–1940)
• Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar (1940–1950)
  • Rajpramukh of Mysore state, (1950–1956)
  • Governor of Mysore state (present-day Karnataka), (1956–1964)
  • Governor of Madras State (present-day Tamil Nadu), (1964–1966)
  • De-recognized as Maharaja of Mysore by the 26th Amendment to the constitution in 1971.
  • Died on 23-9-1974.
• Srikanta Wadiyar, (b-1953, ascended the throne in 1974- though a private affair)

Curse on Wadiyars[link]

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

Tirumala was afflicted with some deadly disease on his back which was also known as the disease of the Kings. But the condition of Srirangaraya deteriorated and he died. Alamelamma had large amount of precious jewellery. Of them was a fine nose ring studded with a big pearl. As Alamelamma was a widow now, she had no use of these jewels for her anymore. Since she was known to be a staunch devotee of Sri Ranganayaki, every Friday and Tuesday, Sri Ranaganayaki was being decorated with a big pearl studded nose ring and other precious jewelry. These jewels were in the safe custody of Alamelamma otherwise. Temple authorities requested Raja Wadiyar to provide them with the custody of these jewels as was the practice hitherto. Treasury officials informed the king about truth. Raja Wadiyar thought that what is the use of these jewels for Alamelamma as she is a widow now and she no longer needs these jewelry. Raja Wadiyar sent emissaries to malangi where Alamelamma was staying, with a request to return the jewels. Alamelamma returned only the Pearl studded nose ring. Then Raja Wadiyar sent his army to Talakad to request her once again and if she still refuses to get them by force. To escape the wrath of the Mysore Army, Alamelamma uttered the legendary curse on Raja Wadiyar and jumped into the whirlpool in the river Cauvery at Talakadu, with the rest of the jewels and escaped unscathed. The curse goes thus:

The curse which has survived the folklore of last four hundred years is known thus:

Hearing of this extreme step taken by Alamelamma, Raja Wadiyar was truly repentant. All he wanted to do was to return the jewelry to the temple and not confiscate them for his own use. In grief, he had an idol of Alamelamma made in gold, installed it in the Palace and worshiped it as a deity. Some remnants of her hair is also preserved in a box.

Even to this day, Alamelamma’s idol can be found inside the Mysore Palace and is worshipped by the Royal Family. One can see the same huge pearl nose-stud adorning both Goddess Ranganayaki and Alamelamma even today.

Dasara Festivities inside the Palace ends on the evening of Navarathri with a formal pooja to Alamelamma and the Kankana worn by the Royal Couple is removed there after paving way for the Vijaya Dashami – Sami pooja the next day. For these nine days the Royal Couple are bound inside the precincts of the Palace.

Another very interesting part of the story is that this Alamelamma Temple is under the care of the legal heirs of Alamelamma herself and they still stay inside the Mysore Palace fort. Strangely even these priests/caretakers appears to be cursed and even they do not beget children and follow the same pattern afflicting the Wadiyars!

Here is a brief sketch of Raja Wadiyar which is necessary to get a historical perspective:

Raja Wadiyar after shifting to Srirangapatna is credited with starting the famous Dasara Festivities for the first time in 1610. But his only son died (effect of the curse !) just a day before the commencement of Navaratri, but the king after consulting experts has laid down the rule that the celebration of the ceremonies will not be interfered even due to the death of Royal members.

Raja Wadiyar was a devout of Vaishnavaite and he donated the famous bejeweled crown to the Lord Cheluvarayasvami of Melkote, which is celebrated as the Raja Mudi car festival even today. Even this Crown was confiscated by the Karnataka Government from the Royal Family during Emergency!

Legend has it that, Raja Wadiyar having entered the garbha–griha of Cheluvarayasvami Temple on June 20, 1617, became one with the deity (aikya). Even today one can find a Bhakthi Vigraha of the King inside the Temple. Another Bhakthi Vigraha of the King can be found inside the Lakshmi-Narayanasvami Temple inside the Mysore Palace Fort.

Malangi and Talakad are two small towns near T Narasipur on the banks of Cauvery where the river takes a bend. Talakad's temples lie buried in the vast expanse of sand and are dug up and exposed every 12 years. On the other hand, at Malangi, the river is at its deepest. Whether these phenomena started only after Alamelamma's curse in AD 1610 is a matter of conjecture.

What can be stated with certainty is the fact that the curse on the royal family seems to have come true.

After Raja Wadiyar’s death in 1617 to Chikka Devaraja Wadiyar in 1704 (there were four rulers in between), Kingdom was ruled by the surviving progenies of Yaduraya, but none could beget legal heirs! Incidentally Chikka Devaraja Wadiyar is credited with the composition Gita Gopala – an opera in Kannada.

The sole exception was Chikka Devaraja's deaf and dumb son Kantheerava Narasaraja Wadiyar II - also known as mookarasu.

He was succeeded by his son Dodda Krishna Raja Wadiyar who Ruled from 1714 to 1732. With him Yaduraya’s direct lineage came to an end.

What followed was a succession of nominal rulers adopted by the surviving queens to continue the tradition. Traditional Army commanders known as Dalvoy’s virtually Ruled the Kingdom and paved the way for the ascendancy of a foot soldier like Hyder Ali by 1762. After the famous Mysore War IV and the resultant death of Tipu Sultan, the legendary Arthur Wellesley (also Known as Iron Duke) conquered Srirangapatna in 1799. There were five Rulers from 1732 to 1796. In this period a definite pattern emerged wherein none of the natural heir to the throne born to a King (adopted or otherwise) could beget children, whereas one who became a King by virtue of adoption or otherwise was blessed with a legal heir. Even Hyder and Tipu continued with the tradition of having a nominal Wadiyar King on the throne and even the Dasara Celebrations continued as usual.

What follows is recent history:

Mummudi personal life is very fascinating. He was a modern day Krishna in which ever way you look. He survived a Kamsa in Tipu. He fought the Kaurava’s in British and took the war to the British Parliament and got the Kingdom restored to his adopted son. He wrote his Gita in SriTattvanidhi and svara choodamani and other epics. He had his Rukmini and Satyabhama’s (Five pattamahishi’s) and he had his share of Radha’s too (Fifteen gandharva vivahas). Surprisingly he had children from his other wives. He had three sons and many daughters from these minor queens. He had one son- Nanajaraja Bahadur- from a Brahmin lady known as Puttarangamba Devi and even today this lineage survives and is known by the name Bahadur (Nanjaraja Bahadur Choultry is a famous heritage structure in Mysore). But ironically none of the three sons survived him! One of the descendants, a successful American citizen, has recently started B.N. Bahadur Institute of Management under the auspices of Mysore University.

Mummudi adopted Chamaraja Wadiyar X as his legal heir in 1865 and when British refused to accord recognition and restore the Kingdom to him, he took the campaign to the British Parliament where under immense pressure from many Parliamentarians, British Government accepted the adoption and agreed to restore the Kingdom to the adopted son on his coming of age. Thus in 1881 the famous Rendition of power took place and Chamaraja Wadiyar X, ascended the throne. Chamaraja Wadiyar X died in 1894 at Calcutta, leaving behind two minor sons and three daughters. While the elder seven-year-old boy was crowned as Nalvadi (the fourth) Krishnaraja Wadiyar, the Regency was entrusted to his mother, who came to be referred to as Vani Vilas Sannidhana. On turning 18, Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV was invested with full authority personally by the Viceroy, Lord Curzon, in 1902. His brother Kantheerava Narasimharaja Wadiyar was given the title of Yuvaraja. Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV died without children and as his brother had predeceased him, His son, Jaya Chamaraja Wadiyar was crowned in. His only son, Srikanta Datta Narasimha Raja Wadiyar, is now the scion of the Wadiyar family. He has no children.

It is notable that the conditions of the curse, barring the exception noted above, has survived from the year 1610 until today, for almost 400 years spanning 17 Maharajas.

A recent research, which was conducted by the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) in collaboration with the state archaeology department, Karnataka, found a well-developed canal system extending a few kilo metres from Talakad to Cauvery. They analyzed the site through geospatial maps recorded by a satellite using infrared and radar technology. A GPS survey was also done on the site for more accuracy.

See also[link]

• Kingdom of Mysore
• Mysore State
• Karnataka
• Mysore
• Talakad
• Srirangapatna

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Wadiyar

• The Wodeyars of Mysore (1578 A.D. to 1947 A.D.)
• History of Mysore Wodeyars
• Mysore - Imperial City of Karnataka
• [http://www.4dw.net/royalark/India/mysore.htm Genealogy of the Wodeyar Dynasty
• [http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/fr/2006/09/29/stories/2006092902560300.htm] Curse on Wodeyars: Documenting a Legend
• Curse on Wodeyars: ORAL TRADITIONS -Legend and history
• Coins of the Wodeyars

Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar
Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, Scion of Mysore Royal Family
Reign	September 1974 – present
Predecessor	Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar
Spouse	Pramoda Devi
Full name
Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar
House	Wadiyar
Father	Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar
Mother	Tripura Sundari Ammani
Born	(1950-02-20) 20 February 1950 (age 62) Mysore, India.
Religion	Hinduism

Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar Bahadur is the present head of the Wadiyar dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of Mysore between 1399 and 1950.Wadiyar was also a member of Indian Parliament from the Mysore constituency. ^[1]

Biography[link]

Born in 1953, the only son of Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, the last ruling Maharaja of Mysore and his second wife, Maharani Tripura Sundari Ammani Avaru, Srikantha Datta Wadiyar succeeded his father as the head of his dynasty in September 1974.

He was elected as a Member of Parliament representing the Mysore Parliamentary Constituency four times as a candidate of Indian National Congress and has lost twice, once as a BJP candidate and recently as a Congress party candidate. He is married to Maharani Pramoda Devi Avaru, who hails from the famous Bettada Kote Ursu family of the erstwhile princely state of Mysore. The royal couple have Post-graduate degrees from the University of Mysore in Political Science and Hindi respectively and have won gold medals for obtaining First Rank.

The Maharaja also represented Mysore University as a cricket player and was captain of the University team. He served as President of Karnataka State Cricket Association till november 2010.[1]

He is an acknowledged fashion designer and a promoter of Mysore silk sarees under his Royal Silk of Mysore brand name.

Although the Maharaja is the only son of the previous and last ruling Maharaja, and has no sons himself, he has several nephews by his sisters, and it is likely that one of them will be adopted and succeed upon his death. Adoption of heirs from the female line has been done before in the case of Chamaraja Wadiyar X.

Reference[link]

External links[link]

• Official Virtual Tour of Mysore Palace
• Royal Splendour of Mysore

This biography of a member of an Indian royal house is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar Bahadur
Maharaja of Mysore
Reign	1940 - 1950
Born	18 July 1919
Birthplace	Mysore, India
Died	23 September 1974
Place of death	Bangalore
Predecessor	Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV
Successor	Srikanta Wadiyar
Consort	Tripura Sundari Ammani
Offspring	Princess Gayatri Devi Avaru, Princess Meenakshi Devi Avaru,Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar,Princess Kamakshi Devi Avaru, Princess Indrakshi Devi Avaru, Princess Vishalakshi Devi Avaru
Royal House	Wadiyar dynasty
Father	Yuvaraja Kanteerava Narasimharaja Wadiyar
Mother	Yuvarani Kempu Cheluvaja Amanni
Religious beliefs	Hinduism

Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar Bahadur (18 July 1919 – 23 September 1974) was the 25th and the last Maharaja of the princely state of Mysore from 1940 to 1950. He was a noted philosopher, musicologist, political thinker and philanthropist.

Biography[link]

He was the only son of Yuvaraja Kanteerava Narasimharaja Wadiyar and Yuvarani Kempu Cheluvaja Amanni. Wodiyar dynasty is the only Royal Family from Mysore and belong to Lunar Dynasty ( Chandrvanshi Kshatriya Lineage). He graduated from the Maharajas College, Mysore in 1938, earning five awards and gold medals. He was married the same year, on 15 May 1938. He toured Europe during 1939, visiting many associations in London and became acquainted with many artists and scholars. He ascended the throne of the Kingdom of Mysore on 8 September 1940 after the demise of his uncle Maharaja Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar.

He signed the Instrument of Accession with the Dominion of India on the eve of India attaining Independence in August 1947. The princely state of Mysore was merged with the Republic of India on 26 January 1950. He held the position of Rajpramukh of the State of Mysore from 1950–1956. After the integration of the neighboring Kannada-majority parts of the States of Madras and Hyderabad, he became the first Governor of the reorganized or unified State of Mysore, 1956–64 and later was transferred as the Governor of the State of Madras (Tamil Nadu), 1964-66.

At his death, aged 55, on 23 September 1974, he was the last living premier prince of the Indian Empire with a 21-gun salute.

Sports[link]

He was a good horseman and a tennis player who helped Ramanathan Krishnan to participate at Wimbledon. He was also well known for his marksmanship and was highly sought-after by his subjects whenever a rogue elephant or a maneating tiger attacked their immediate surroundings. There are many wildlife trophies attributed to him in the Palace collections. He was responsible for the famous cricketer/off-spin bowler, Mr. E.A.S. Prasanna's visit to West Indies as his father was otherwise reluctant to send him.

Music[link]

He was a connoisseur of both western and Carnatic (South Indian classical) music and an acknowledged authority of Indian Philosophy. He helped the Western world discover the music of a little-known Russian composer Nikolai Medtner (1880–1951), financing the recording of a large number of his compositions and founding the Medtner Society in 1949. Medtner's Third Piano Concerto is dedicated to the Maharaja of Mysore. He became a Licentiate of the Guildhall School of Music, London and honorary Fellow of Trinity College of Music, London, in 1945. Aspirations to become a concert pianist were cut short by the untimely death of both his father the Yuvaraja Kanteerava Narasimharaja Wadiyar in 1939 and his uncle the Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV in 1940, when he succeeded the throne of Mysore.

He was the first president of the Philharmonia Concert Society, London in 1948.^[1] See below copy of the programme sheets of some of the earliest concerts held at Royal Albert Hall on April 13, April 27 & May 11, 1949.

File:Philhormonia3.jpgFile:Philhormonia2.jpg

Walter Legge, who was invited to Mysore by the Maharaja in this regard has stated:

"The visit to Mysore was a fantastic experience. The Maharajah was a young man, not yet thirty. In one of his palaces he had a record library containing every imaginable recordings of serious music, a large range of loud speakers, and several concert grand pianos...."

In the weeks I stayed there, the Maharajah agreed to paying for the recordings of the Medtner piano concertos, an album of his songs, and some of his chamber music; he also agreed to give me a subvention of 10,000 pounds a year for three years to enable me to put the Philharmonia Orchestra and the Philharmonia Concert society on firm basis...."

Mysore Kings (1399-1950)
Under Vijayanagara Empire (1399-1565)
Yaduraya	(1399–1423)
Chamaraja Wadiyar	(1423–1459)
Timmaraja Wadiyar I	(1459–1478)
Chamaraja Wadiyar II	(1478–1513)
Chamaraja Wadiyar III	(1513–1553)
Independent Wadiyar Kings (1565-1761)
Timmaraja II	(1553–1572)
Chamaraja Wadiyar IV	(1572–1576)
Chamaraja Wadiyar V	(1576–1578)
Raja Wadiyar I	(1578–1617)
Chamaraja Wadiyar VI	(1617–1637)
Raja Wadiyar II	(1637–1638)
Narasaraja Wadiyar I	(1638–1659)
Dodda Devaraja Wadiyar	(1659–1673)
Chikka Devaraja Wadiyar	(1673–1704)
Narasaraja Wadiyar II	(1704–1714)
Krishnaraja Wadiyar I	(1714–1732)
Chamaraja Wadiyar VII	(1732–1734)
Under Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan (1761-1799)
Krishnaraja Wadiyar II	(1734–1766)
Nanjaraja Wadiyar	(1766–1772)
Chamaraja Wadiyar VIII	(1772–1776)
Chamaraja Wadiyar IX	(1776–1796)
Under British Rule (1799-1947)
Krishnaraja Wadiyar III	(1799–1868)
Chamarajendra Wadiyar X	(1881–1894)
Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV	(1894–1940)
Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar	(1940–1950)

This largesse proved sufficient to transform Legge's fortunes in 1949. He was able to engage Herbert von Karajan as conductor. The repertory the young Maharajah wished to sponsor like Balakirev's Symphony, Roussel's Fourth Symphony, Busoni's Indian Fantasy etc. This association produced some of most memorable recordings of the post war period.

The Maharaja also enabled Richard Strauss's last wish to be fulfilled by sponsoring an evening at the Royal Albert Hall by London's Philharmonia Orchestra with German conductor Wilhelm Furtwangler in the lead and soprano Kirsten Flagstad singing his Four Last Songs in 1950.

The Maharaja was equally a good critic of music. When asked by Legge to pass judgement on recent additions to the EMI catalogue, his views were as trenchant as they were refreshingly unpredictable. He was thrilled by Karajan's Vienna Philharmonic recording of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony ('as Beethoven wished it to be'), held Furtwangler's recording of the Fourth Symphony in high esteem, and was disappointed by Alceo Galliera's account of the Seventh Symphony, which he would have preferred Karajan to record. Above all, expressed serious doubts about Arturo Toscanini's recordings. 'The speed and energy are those of a demon', he wrote to Legge, 'not an angel or superman as one would ardently hope for'. One of the reasons he so admired Furtwangler's Beethoven was that it was 'such a tonic after Toscanini's highly strung, vicious performances'.

After becoming Maharaja, he was initiated to the Indian Classical Music (carnatic Music) due to the cultural vibrancy which prevailed in the Mysore Court till then. He learnt to play veena under Vid. Venkatagiriappa and mastered the nuances of carnatic music under the tutelage of Veteran Composer and Asthan Vidwan Sri. Vasudevacharya. He was also initiated in to the secrets of Shri Vidya as an upasaka (under assumed name chitprabhananda) by his guru Shilpi Siddalingaswamy. This inspired him to compose as many as 94 carnatic music kruti's under the assumed name of shri vidya. All the compositions are in different raga's and some of them for the first time ever. In the process He also built three temples in Mysore city: Bhuvaneshvari Temple and Gayatri Temple, located inside the Mysore Palace Fort, and Sri Kamakaameshwari Temple, situated on Ramanuja Road, Mysore. All three Temples were sculpted by the maharajs's Guru and famous sculptor, Shilpi Siddalingaswamy.

Many noted Indian musicians received patronage at his court, including Mysore Vasudevacharya, Veena Venkata Giriyappa, B. Devendrappa, V. Doraiswamy Iyengar, T. Chowdiah, Tiger Vardachar, Chennakeshaviah, Titte Krishna Iyengar, S.N.Mariappa, Chintalapalli Ramachandra Rao, R.N.Doreswamy, H.M.Vaidyalinga Bhagavatar.

The patronage and contribution of Wadiyar's to carnatic music was researched in the 1980s by Prof. Mysore Sri V. Ramarathnam, Retired First Principal of the University College of Music and Dance, University of Mysore. The research was conducted under the sponsorship of University Grants Commission, Government of India. Prof. Mysore Sri V. Ramarathnam authored the book "Contribution and Patronage of Wadiyars to Music" that was published Kannada Book Authority, Bangalore.

Literary works[link]

With Queen Elizabeth II

• The Quest for Peace: an Indian Approach, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 1959.
• Dattatreya: The Way & The Goal, Allen & Unwin, London 1957.
• The Gita and Indian Culture, Orient Longmans, Bombay, 1963.
• Religion And Man, Orient Longmans, Bombay, 1965. Based on Prof. Ranade Series Lectures instituted at Karnataka University in 1961.
• Avadhuta: Reason & Reverence, Indian Institute of World Culture, Bangalore, 1958.
• An Aspect Of Indian Aesthetics, University of Madras, 1956.
• Puranas As The Vehicles Of India's Philosophy Of History, Journal Purana, issue #5, 1963.
• Advaita Philosophy, Sringeri Souvenir Volume, 1965, pages 62–64.
• Sri Suresvaracharya, Sringeri Souvenir Volume, Srirangam, 1970, pages 1–8.
• Kundalini Yoga, A review of "Serpent Power" by Sir John Woodroff.
• Note on Ecological Surveys to precede Large Irrigation Projects- Wesley Press, Mysore; 1955
• African Survey-Bangalore Press; 1955
• The Virtuous Way of Life- Mountain Path -July 1964 edition

[2]

He also sponsored the translation of many classics from Sanskrit to Kannada as part of the Jayachamaraja Grantha Ratna Mala, including 35 parts of the Rigveda. These are essentilly Ancient sacred scriptures in Sanskrit till then not available in Kannada language comprehensively. All the books contains original text in Kannada accompanied by Kannada translation in simple language for the benefit of common man. In the history of Kannada literature such a monumental work was never attempted ! As Late H.Gangadhara Shastry - Asthan (court) Astrologer and Dharmadhikari of Mysore Palace - who himself has contributed substantially in the above works -has stated that Maharaja used to study each and everyone of these works and discuss them with the authors. It seems on a festival night ( on shivaratri), he was summonned in the middle of the night and advised him to simplify the use of some difficult Kannada words in one of the books.

The following is a list of books published under this series:

• RugvEda - in 35 parts
• shaMkarAcArya's stOtras - in 2 parts
• mUkapaMcashatI
• kAmakalpa tarustava
• tripurasuMdarI mAnasika pUjA
• gurugItA
• shivagItA
• mahAmasta purashcaraNa vidhiH
• ShoDashI pUjA kalpa
• bhuvanEshvarI pUja kalpa
• rudra mahAnyAsa prayOga
• sUktagaLu

purANagaLu

• dEvI bhAgavata in 5 parts; translated by eDatore caMdrashEKarashAstrI (year 1942-43)
• shiva purANa
• shiva rahasya
• skAMda mahApurANa
• kALikA purANa- in 2 parts: by hAsanada paMDit veMkaTarAv (28-5-44)
• vaRAha purANa
• bhaviShya purANa
• gaNesha purANa
• vAmana purANa
• kaMcI mahAtmye
• viShNu dharmOttara purANa
• brahmAMDa purANa
• nAradIya purANa
• rAma maMtra mahime, (agastya saMhite)
• narasiMha purANa
• sAMba purANa
• saura purANa
• Adi purANa
• kalki purANa
• matsya purANa
• kUrma purANa
• shiva tatva sudhAnidhiH- By vE.bra|| es. sItArAmashAstri (24-6-49)
• hAlAsya mahAtmye
• gArgya saMhitA
• brahma vyevarta purANa
• brahma purANa
• shaMkara saMhite
• padmapurANa
• viShNu purANa in three parts: Translated by paMDita gaMjAM timaNNayya; year 1948; Total pages (492+460+463)

maMtrashAstra -sahasranAma - upaniShat

• parivAsya rahasya
• tripurAtApinyupaniShat''
• lalitAtrishati bhAShya
• tripurA rahasya''
• shrIKAMDa sArArtha bhOdhinI
• sUta saMhitE
• vanadurgOpaniShat
• shAradA sahasranAma
• gaNesha sahasranAma
• dakShiNAmUrti sahasranAma
• shiva pUja paddhati

( while writing the above titles in English transliteration rules as per popular free software http://www.baraha.com/ is used)

Titles[link]

• 1919-11 March 1940: Maharajkumar Sri Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar
• 11 March-3 July 1940: His Highness Yuvaraja Sri Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar Bahadur, Yuvaraja of Mysore
• 3 July 1940-1945: His Highness Maharaja Sri Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar Bahadur, Maharaja of Mysore
• 1945-1946: His Highness Maharaja Sri Sir Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar Bahadur, Maharaja of Mysore, GCSI
• 1946-1948: His Highness Maharaja Sri Sir Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar Bahadur, Maharaja of Mysore, GCB, GCSI
• 1948-1962: Colonel His Highness Maharaja Sri Sir Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar Bahadur, Maharaja of Mysore, GCB, GCSI
• 1962-1974: Major-General His Highness Maharaja Sri Sir Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar Bahadur, Maharaja of Mysore, GCB, GCSI
  • 1950-1956: His Excellency Sri Sir Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, GCB, GCSI, Rajpramukh of the State of Mysore
  • 1956-1962: His Excellency Sri Sir Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, GCB, GCSI, Governor of Mysore State
  • 1962-1964: Major-General His Excellency Sri Sir Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, GCB, GCSI, Governor of Mysore State
  • 1964-1966: Major-General His Excellency Sri Sir Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, GCB, GCSI, Governor of Madras State

Honours[link]

• The British Government honored him with the GCSI in 1945 and GCB in 1946.
• Doctor of Literature from the University of Queensland, Australia[3] [4]
• Doctor of Literature from the Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu.
• Doctor of Law from the Banaras Hindu University
• Doctor of Laws, honoris causa from University of Mysore( 1962).
• Fellow & president of Sangeet Natak Academy, New Delhi, 1966
• First Chairman of the Indian Wild Life Board.
• Founder-president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

Family[link]

Sisters:

• Princess Vijaya Lakshmi Ammani, later Rani Vijaya Devi of Kotda Sangani.
• Princess Sujaya kantha Ammani, later the Thakurani Sahiba of Sanand.
• Princess Jaya Chamunda Ammani Avaru, later H.H. Maharani Sri Jaya Chamunda Ammani Avaru Sahiba, Maharani of Bharatpur.

Wives:

1. H.H. Maharani Sathya Prema Kumari of Charkhari. The wedding was held on May 15, 1938. The marriage failed; the Maharani settled at Jaipur. There were no children by this marriage.

1. H.H. Maharani Tripura Sundari Ammani Avaru. The wedding was held on April 30, 1944. This marriage produced six children.

Both the Maharanis died in 1983 within a span of 15 days.

Children:

1. Princess Gayatri Devi Avaru, (1946–1974), who predeceased her father.
2. Princess Meenakshi Devi Avaru, b.1951.
3. HH Maharaja Sri Srikanta Wadiyar (b. 1953).
4. Princess Kamakshi Devi Avaru, b.1954.
5. Princess Indrakshi Devi Avaru, b.1956.
6. Princess Vishalakshi Devi Avaru, b.1962.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar

• Maharaja of Mysore H.H. Dr.Jaya Chamaraja Wadiyar
• Maharaja of Mysore H.H. Dr.Jaya Chamaraja Wadiyar : V- II
• A Composition in praise of Maharaja H.H. Jaya Chamaraja Wadiyar
• Address to the V.H.P. at its Prayag congress
• Speech as a Freemason
• Article in Frontline magazine on H.H. Jayachamaraja Wodeyar
• Website of the Royal Family of Mysore
• Some News
• Jaya Chamaraja, the last Maharaja
• Richard Strauss's Epitaph
• Vaggeyakara I
• Vaggeyakara II
• / A Historical Anthropology of Mysore from 1799 to the present by Dr. Aya Ikegame

M.S.Subbulakshmi
An EMI record of Subbulakshmi
Background information
Born	(1916-09-16)September 16, 1916 Madurai, Madras Presidency, India
Origin	India
Died	December 11, 2004(2004-12-11) (aged 88) Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Genres	Indian classical music
Occupations	Classical Vocalist
Years active	1930–2004
Labels	HMV

Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi (Tamil: மதுரை சண்முகவடிவு சுப்புலட்சுமி, Madhurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi ^? 16 September 1916 – 11 December 2004), also known as M.S., was a renowned Carnatic vocalist. She was the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor.^[1] She is the first Indian musician to receive the Ramon Magsaysay award, Asia's highest civilian award, in 1974 with the citation reading "Exacting purists acknowledge Srimati M. S. Subbulakshmi as the leading exponent of classical and semi-classical songs in the Karnataka tradition of South India."^[2][3]

Biography[link]

Early years[link]

Subbulakshmi (Kunjamma to her family) was born in Madurai, Madras Presidency, India to veena player Shanmukavadiver Ammal and Subramania Iyer. Her grandmother Akkammal was a violinist.

She started learning Carnatic music at an early age and trained in Carnatic music under the tutelage of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and subsequently in Hindustani music under Pandit Narayanrao Vyas. She also learned Sanskrit and Telugu under Dr. Nedunuri Krishnamurthy.

Her mother, from the devadasi community, was a music exponent and a regular stage performer, and Subbulakshmi grew up in an environment very conducive to musical learning. Her musical interests were also shaped by regular interactions with Karaikudi Sambasiva Iyer, Mazhavarayanendal Subbarama Bhavathar and Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar.^[4] Subbulakshmi gave her first public performance in 1929 when she was 13 years old at the prestigious Madras Music Academy. The performance consisted of singing bhajans (Hindu hymns).^[5] The academy was known for its discriminating selection process, and they broke tradition by inviting a young girl as a key performer. Her performance was described as spellbinding and earned her many admirers and the moniker of musical genius from critics. Soon after her debut performance Subbulakshmi became one the leading Carnatic vocalists.^[6][7]

Move to Madras[link]

In 1936 Subbulakshmi moved to Madras (now Chennai).^[7] She also made her film debut in Sevasadan in 1938,.^[8]

Musical style and performance[link]

M.S. Subbulakshmi (left) with S. Varalakshmi in Sevasadhanam (1938)

Singing career[link]

M.S. Subbulakshmi began her Carnatic classical music training under her mother Shanmugavadivu; and later in Hindustani classical training under Pandit Narayan Rao Vyas. Subbulakshmi first recording was released when she was 10 years old. She gave her first public performance, at the age of eleven, in the 100 pillar hall inside the Rockfort Temple, Tiruchirappalli; with Mysore Chowdiah on the violin and Dakshinamurthy Pillai on the mriganga. ^[9] By the age of 17, Subbulakshmi was giving concerts on her own, including major performances at the Madras Music Academy, a prestigious centre for the study and promotion of Carnatic music. Performance in Carnatic music concerts, was until then, a domain, traditionally reserved for men. She performed a vast variety of devotional musical forms in different languages including Tamil, Kannada, Sanskrit, Panjabi, Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati and Marathi.

When the governor of Madras wanted the famous spiritual leader, Mata Sri Anandamayi Ma, to reside in his residence, Anandamayi Ma replied, "I will stay in the house of Subbulakshmi. She is Meera to me." Within two days, Sadasivam had special quarters built in their garden for Mata to give darshan and arranged for a new well to be dug nearby for fresh drinking water. Every evening thousands of people gathered there.

She traveled to London, New York, Canada, the Far East, and other places as India's cultural ambassador. Her concerts at

• Edinburgh International Festival of Music and Drama in 1963
• Carnegie Hall, New York; the UN General Assembly on UN day in 1966
• Royal Albert Hall, London in 1982
• Festival of India in Moscow in 1987

were significant landmarks in her career.^[10] In 1969 she was accompanied by Indian Railways Advisor SN Venkata Rao to Rameshwaram, where she famously sang several songs in front of each idol in the Rameshwaram temple.

After the death of her husband Kalki Sadasivam in 1997, she stopped all her public performances.

Films[link]

M.S. also acted in a few Tamil films in her youth. Her first movie Sevasadanam was released in 1938. MS Subbulakshmi also played the male role of Narada in "Savitri" (1941) to raise money for launching Kalki, her husband's nationalist Tamil weekly. Her title role of the Rajasthani saint-poetess Meera in the eponymous 1945 film gave her national prominence. This movie was re-made in Hindi in 1947. The movie had M.S Subbulakshmi. sing the famous Meera bhajans, with Dilipkumar Roy as the music director. Later, she quit films and turned wholly to concert music.

Awards and honours[link]

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had this to say about M.S. Subbulakshmi- "Who am I, a mere Prime Minister before a Queen, a Queen of Music". While Lata Mangeshkar called her Tapaswini (the Renunciate), Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan termed her Suswaralakshmi (the goddess of the perfect note), and Kishori Amonkar labeled her the ultimate eighth note or Aathuvaan Sur, which is above the seven notes basic to all music. The great national leader and poet Sarojini Naidu called her "Nightingale of India". Her many famous renditions of bhajans include the chanting of Bhaja Govindam, Vishnu sahasranama (1000 names of Vishnu), Hari Tuma Haro and the Venkateswara Suprabhatam (musical hymns to awaken Lord Balaji early in the morning).

She was widely honored, praised and awarded. Some of the more popular ones include^[11]

• Padma Bhushan in 1954
• Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1956
• Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1968 (literally, Treasure Chest of Music. She was the first woman recipient of the title)
• Ramon Magsaysay award (often considered Asia's Nobel Prize) in 1974
• Padma Vibhushan in 1975
• Kalidas Samman in 1988
• Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration in 1990
• Bharat Ratna in 1998.

She was honored as the court-singer[Asthana Vidhwan] of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.^[12] Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA) has installed a bronze statue of M.S. Subbulakshmi at the Poornakumbham circle in the temple town. It was unveiled by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy on 28 May 2006.^[13]

The famous Kancheepuram Saree shade known as MS Blue was named after her^[14] by the well known Congress party member and philanthropist, Sri Muthu Chettiyar when they met at the residence of Sri R. Aiyadurai and Smt. Thangam Aiyadurai at Lady Desikachari Road, Madras, who were close friends of MS and Sadasivam.

She was bestowed with enormous prize moneys with these awards, she donated most of them to charity. She has given more than 200 charity concerts and raised well over Rs. 10,000,000. She was awarded honorary degree degrees from several Universities.

She was an ardent devotee of Kanchi Mahaswamigal and she rendered his composition Maithreem Bhajatha (O World! Cultivate peace) in her concert at the UN in 1966. Venkatesa Suprabhatam in Gramaphone record of HMV, the royalty from which goes to the Veda Patasala run by the Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam.^[15] She donated many of the royalties on several best sold records to many charity organizations.

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• M.S. Subbulaksmi, the Voice Divine (79 pages) by V. Gangadhar.
• MS - A Life in Music, T. J. S. George. 2004, HarperCollins. ISBN 978-81-7223-527-7
• Gowri Ramnarayan (Dec. 18–31, 2004), "Cover Story: The M.S. phenomenon", Frontline 21 (26), http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2126/stories/20041231006400900.htm 
• MS & Radha - Saga of Steadfast Devotion - by Gowri Ramnarayan - http://www.msstribute.org/

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: M. S. Subbulakshmi

• "Artists: M.S.Subbulakshmi, Nat Geo Music". National Geographic Society. http://worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com/worldmusic/view/page.basic/artist/content.artist/ms_subbulakshmi. 
• Biography at the official site of Ramon Magsaysay award
• M.S. Subbulakshmi at the Internet Movie Database
• Photo of MS, Sadhasivam and Ellis R. Dungan
• M.S. Subbulakshmi: Portraits of a diva - The Hindu

See also[link]

Indian classical music portal

v t e Bharat Ratna laureates Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1954) C. Rajagopalachari (1954) C. V. Raman (1954) Bhagwan Das (1955) Mokshagundam Visvesvarayya (1955) Jawaharlal Nehru (1955) Govind Ballabh Pant (1957) Dhondo Keshav Karve (1958) Bidhan Chandra Roy (1961) Purushottam Das Tandon (1961) Dr. Rajendra Prasad (1962) Dr. Zakir Hussain (1963) Pandurang Vaman Kane (1963) Lal Bahadur Shastri (1966) Indira Gandhi (1971) V. V. Giri (1975) K. Kamaraj (1976) Mother Teresa (1980) Acharya Vinoba Bhave (1983) Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1987) M. G. Ramachandran (1988) B. R. Ambedkar (1990) Nelson Mandela (1990) Rajiv Gandhi (1991) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (1991) Morarji Desai (1991) Abul Kalam Azad (1992) J. R. D. Tata (1992) Satyajit Ray (1992) A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (1997) Gulzarilal Nanda (1997) Aruna Asaf Ali (1997) M. S. Subbulakshmi (1998) Chidambaram Subramaniam (1998) Jayaprakash Narayan (1998) Ravi Shankar (1999) Amartya Sen (1999) Gopinath Bordoloi (1999) Lata Mangeshkar (2001) Bismillah Khan (2001) Bhimsen Joshi (2008)