27 March marks the 154th death anniversary of the erstwhile Mysuru ruler Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar: the man responsible for the cultural growth of the Kingdom of Mysore.
He was himself a writer, having written Kannada books like Sritattvanidhi and Sougandhikaparinaya. He also had a number of writers in his court who together contributed to the development of modern Kannada prose, which had a style different from the Champu style of prose which was followed till then.
Other important writings that emerged during his rule include Mudramanjusha by Kempu Narayana, Kalavati Parinaya by Yadava, and Vachana Kadamabari.
The king was well versed in many languages, including Sanskrit, Kannada, Tamil, English, Telugu, and Urdu. He even played the musical instrument, veena. He was an expert player of board games and is credited to have revived the Ganjifa game. He was also a collector and an inventor of board games.
The Mysore Wodeyar dynasty was the longest and the most contiguous empire to ever rule a significant portion of South India. From 1399 when it was established by Yaduraya Wodeyar till 1947—that is, 548 years of near-unbroken reign, interrupted only for a short spell in the 18th Century by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan.
Krishnaraja Wodeyar III, who was born at Srirangapatna on 14 July, 1794, was the son of Khasa Chamaraja Wodeyar IX (who was born at Arikottara, now Chamarajanagar) and his first wife, Maharani Kempananjammani Avaru.
Maharani Lakshmi Ammani Devi, his adoptive grandmother, played a major role in the education and upbringing of her adopted grandson, Krishnaraja Wodeyar III, and was instrumental in his ascendancy to the Mysore throne.
Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar became a prince at an early age. After discussing with the British Resident, A. H. Cole, the reins of the state were transferred from Dewan Purnaiah to the king. But the king lost the services of his grandmother, who died in 1810, and also of Purnaiah, who died in 1812.
Krishnaraja Wodeyar III attained the age of 16 in early 1810 and hence attained the age of discretion. After discussing with the British Resident, A. H. Cole, the reins of the state were transferred from Dewan Purnaiah to the king. But the king lost the services of his grandmother, who died in 1810, and also of Purnaiah, who died in 1812.
The years that followed witnessed cordial relations between Mysore and the British until things began to sour in the 1820s.
Even though the Governor of Madras, Thomas Munro, determined after a personal investigation in 1825 that there was no substance to the allegations of financial impropriety made by A. H. Cole, the incumbent Resident of Mysore, the civil insurrection (commonly known as Nagar revolt) which broke out towards the end of the decade changed things considerably.
In 1831, close on the heels of the insurrection and citing maladministration, the British took direct control of the princely state.
For the next fifty years, Mysore passed under the rule of successive British Commissioners; Lieutenant-General Mark Cubbon, renowned for his statesmanship, served from 1834 until 1861 and put into place an efficient and successful administrative system which left Mysore a well-developed state.
In a way, the British decision to directly administer Mysore came as a huge boon for Krishnaraja Wodeyar III. Freed from the pains and concerns of administrative matters, he set upon a path that not only transformed Mysore in every positive way imaginable, but bequeathed a legacy that the Karnataka of today continues to enjoy.
If the city of Mysore still boasts of being the cultural capital of Karnataka, majority of the credit for it goes to Krishnaraja Wodeyar III.
Krishnaraja Wodeyar III was a multifaceted, multitalented genius. He was a polyglot, scholar, an accomplished poet, writer, artist, and musician among other things. He has to his credit at least 50 literary works on various subjects.
The nearly-70 year long rule of Krishnaraja Wodeyar III witnessed at least three generations of a galaxy of poets and other literary figures mainly in Kannada and Sanskrit. These litterateurs have stood the test of time, and their writings, plays, and poems are still read and recited in the state.
Devachandra, Venkatarama Shastri, Basavappa Shastri, Aliya Lingaraja, Srinivasa Kavisarvabhouma, Thammaya Kavi, Nanjunda Kavi, Shantaraja Pandita, and Kempu Narayana are some of the more famous names.
Of these, Basavappa Sastri perhaps stands tallest. He is still honoured with the titles of Abhinava Kalidasa (Modern Kalidasa) and Kannada Nataka Pitamaha (Progenitor of Kannada drama). He translated almost all the celebrated works of Kalidasa. Kempu Narayana wrote his celebrataed Mudra Manjusha (the Kannada version of Vishakhadatta’s Mudra Rakshasa), the play based on Chanakya’s life and achievements.
Perhaps one significant administrative decision he took was to transfer the capital city of the Mysore state from Srirangapattana to Mysore city. The original Mysore city had been razed to the ground earlier by Tipu Sultan.
In closing, Krishnaraja Wodeyar III did not distinguish himself as a great administrator but his life and long rule indicates that it is possible to earn immortality by showing a humane side and encouraging refinement and culture like culture, art, and music.
