Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar (18 July 1919 – 23 September 1974) was the 25th
Maharaja of Mysore
The maharaja of Mysore was the king and principal ruler of the southern Indian Kingdom of Mysore and briefly of Mysore State in the Indian Dominion roughly between the mid- to late-1300s and 1950.
In title, the role has been known by differen ...
from 1940 to 1950, who later served as the governor of
Mysore
Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...
and
Madras states.
Early life
Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar was born on 18 July 1919 at
Mysore Palace
The Mysore Palace, also known as Amba Vilas Palace, is a historical palace and a royal residence (house). It is located in Mysore, Karnataka. It used to be the official residence of the Wadiyar dynasty and the seat of the Kingdom of Mysore. Th ...
as the only son and the last child of Yuvaraja
Kanteerava Narasimharaja Wadiyar
Yuvaraja Sri Sir Kanteerava Narasimharaja Wadiyar (5 June 1888 – 11 March 1940), was the heir apparent of the princely state of Mysore from 1895 until his death in 1940.
Biography
Narasimharaja Wodeyar was born at the Mysore Palace, the sec ...
and Yuvarani Kempu Cheluvajamanni. He had three elder sisters, ''viz''., Rani
Vijaya Devi, Sujayakantha Devi, and Jayachamundi Devi.
Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar graduated from
Maharaja's College, Mysore
Maharaja's College, Mysore (1889) is a college affiliated to Mysore University.
History
The college finds its origins in the English-school known as "Maharaja Patashala" established by Maharaja of Mysore, Krishnaraja Wadiyar III in 1833, at t ...
, in 1938, earning five awards and gold medals. He was married the same year, on 15 May 1938, to Maharani Satya Prema Kumari at Mysore Palace. He toured
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
during 1939, visiting many associations in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
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
Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV. He married Maharani Tripura Sundari Ammani on 6 May 1942.
Monarchy
Accession
Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar lost his father Yuvaraja
Kanteerava Narasimharaja Wadiyar
Yuvaraja Sri Sir Kanteerava Narasimharaja Wadiyar (5 June 1888 – 11 March 1940), was the heir apparent of the princely state of Mysore from 1895 until his death in 1940.
Biography
Narasimharaja Wodeyar was born at the Mysore Palace, the sec ...
when he was 21. Five months later, his reigning uncle, Maharaja
Krishnarajendra Wadiyar IV expired, leaving his only nephew to succeed him to reign in what was dubbed one of the most prosperous states in Asia. Jayachamaraja Wadiyar followed democratic methods in his administration and was celebrated by his subjects like his uncle.
Ceding the kingdom
Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar was the first ruler to accede to merge his kingdom with the newly formed tentative
Indian Union after
India's independence
The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947.
The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged from Bengal. ...
in 1947. He signed an
instrument of accession with the Union on the eve of India's attainment of independence on 15 August 1947. The result took three years to materialise owing to the drafting of a
constitution for the country in the meantime.
With the constitution of India into a republic, the Kingdom of Mysore was merged with the
Republic on 26 January 1950. He held the position of
Rajpramukh
Rajpramukh was an administrative title in India which existed from India's independence in 1947 until 1956. Rajpramukhs were the appointed governors of certain Indian provinces and states.
Background
The British Indian Empire, which inclu ...
(governor) of the State of Mysore from 26 January 1950 to 1 November 1956. After the integration of the neighbouring Kannada-majority parts of the States of Madras and Hyderabad, he became the first governor of the reorganised Mysore State, from 1 November 1956 to 4 May 1964 and was the
Governor of the State of Madras from 4 May 1964 to 28 June 1966.
After the state was
absorbed into the
Dominion of India
The Dominion of India, officially the Union of India,* Quote: “The first collective use (of the word "dominion") occurred at the Colonial Conference (April to May 1907) when the title was conferred upon Canada and Australia. New Zealand and N ...
, he was granted a
privy purse
The Privy Purse is the British Sovereign's private income, mostly from the Duchy of Lancaster. This amounted to £20.1 million in net income for the year to 31 March 2018.
Overview
The Duchy is a landed estate of approximately 46,000 acres (200 ...
, certain privileges, and the use of the title ''Maharaja of Mysore'' by the
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...
,
However, all forms of compensation were ended in 1971 by the
26th Amendment to the Constitution of India.
He died at the age of 55 on 23 September 1974, and he was the last living person who had been premier king of a state with a 21-gun salute status in British India.
Contributions
Sports
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 man-eating 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,
E. A. S. Prasanna's visit to West Indies as his father was otherwise reluctant to send him.
Music
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
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
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
Yuvaraja Sri Sir Kanteerava Narasimharaja Wadiyar (5 June 1888 – 11 March 1940), was the heir apparent of the princely state of Mysore from 1895 until his death in 1940.
Biography
Narasimharaja Wodeyar was born at the Mysore Palace, the sec ...
in 1939, and his uncle the Maharaja
Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV
Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV (Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar; 4 June 1884 – 3 August 1940) was the twenty-fourth maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore, from 1902 until his death in 1940. He is popularly called ''Rajarshi'' ( sa, rājarṣi, lit ...
in 1940, when he succeeded to the throne of Mysore.
He was the first president of the
Philharmonia
The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Richard Strauss, ...
Concert Society, London in 1948. See below copy of the programme sheets of some of the earliest concerts held at Royal Albert Hall on 13 April, 27 April – 11 May 1949.
Walter Legge
Harry Walter Legge (1 June 1906 – 22 March 1979) was an English classical music record producer, most especially associated with EMI. His recordings include many sets later regarded as classics and reissued by EMI as "Great Recordings of the ...
, 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...."
![Tripura Sundari Ammani with Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Tripura_Sundari_Ammani_with_Jayachamarajendra_Wadiyar.jpg)
This largesse proved sufficient to transform Legge's fortunes in 1949. He was able to engage
Herbert von Karajan
Herbert von Karajan (; born Heribert Ritter von Karajan; 5 April 1908 – 16 July 1989) was an Austrian conductor. He was principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic for 34 years. During the Nazi era, he debuted at the Salzburg Festival, wit ...
as conductor. The repertory the young Maharajah wished to sponsor were
Balakirev's Symphony,
Roussel's Fourth Symphony,
Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni (1 April 1866 – 27 July 1924) was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor, editor, writer, and teacher. His international career and reputation led him to work closely with many of the leading musicians, artists and literary f ...
's ''
Indian Fantasy
The ''Indian Fantasy'' ('), Op. 44 is a fantasy for piano and orchestra by Ferruccio Busoni. Composed in 1913/14, it was first performed in Berlin in March 1914, with the composer as soloist.Anthony Beaumont, ''Busoni'', (1985), p. 190. The pi ...
'' etc. The association produced some of the 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 Furtwängler
Gustav Heinrich Ernst Martin Wilhelm Furtwängler ( , , ; 25 January 188630 November 1954) was a German conductor and composer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest symphonic and operatic conductors of the 20th century. He was a major ...
in the lead and soprano
Kirsten Flagstad
Kirsten Malfrid Flagstad (12 July 1895 – 7 December 1962) was a Norwegian opera singer, who was the outstanding Wagnerian soprano of her era. Her triumphant debut in New York on 2 February 1935 is one of the legends of opera. Giulio Gatti-Casa ...
singing his ''
Four Last Songs
The ''Four Last Songs'' (german: Vier letzte Lieder, link=no), Op. posth., for soprano and orchestra are – with the exception of the song "Malven" (Mallows), composed later the same year – the final completed works of Richard Strauss. They ...
'' 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
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
's
Fifth Symphony ('as Beethoven wished it to be'), held Furtwängler's recording of the
Fourth Symphony in high esteem, and was disappointed by
Alceo Galliera
Alceo Galliera (3 May 1910 – 21 April 1996) was a distinguished Italian conductor and composer. He was the son of Arnaldo Galliera (1871—1934) who taught in organ class at the Parma Conservatory.
Galliera was born in Milan in 1910 and studie ...
's account of the
Seventh Symphony, which he would have preferred Karajan to record. Above all, he 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 Furtwängler's Beethoven was that it was 'such a tonic after Toscanini's highly strung, vicious performances'.
Writing in the July 1950 edition of "THE GRAMOPHONE" Walter Legge sums Maharajas's monumental contribution to Western Classical Music:
....Many more correspondents have written expressing their admiration for the vision, constructive enterprise and generosity of the young Indian Prince who conceived this plan, and who is making it possible for the music lovers throughout the world to learn, enjoy and study works which but for his knowledge and love of music, would never have been recorded.....
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 into the secrets of
Shri Vidya
Shri Vidya (ISO: '; ; sometimes also spelled Sri Vidya or Shree Vidya) is a Hindu Tantric religious system devoted to the Goddess as Lalitā Tripurasundarī (''Beautiful Goddess of the Three worlds''), Bhuvaneshvari, Maha Lakshmi, etc. A thousa ...
as an
upasaka (under assumed name Chitprabhananda) by his guru Shilpi Siddalingaswamy. This inspired him to compose as many as 94 carnatic music krutis under the assumed name of Shri Vidya. All the compositions are in different ragas 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 maharaja's guru and famous sculptor, Shilpi Siddalingaswamy. His 94 compositions were published by his son-in law Sri. R.Raja Chandra as "Sree Vidyaa Gaana Vaaridhi" in 2010. The book was edited by Sri. S. Krishna Murthy, grandson of Maharaja's Guru Sri. Mysore Vasudevacaharya.
Many noted Indian musicians received patronage at his court, including
Mysore Vasudevachar
Mysore Vasudevacharya (28 May 1865 – 17 May 1961) was an Indian musician and composer of Carnatic music compositions who belonged to the direct line of Thyagaraja's disciples. Vasudevachar's compositions (numbering over 200) were mostly in Telu ...
,
Veena Venkatagiriyappa
Veene Venkatagiriyappa (26 April 1887 – 1951) was a musician and music teacher from Heggadadevanakote in the Mysore district of India.
Venkatagiriyappa's initial musical training was under his uncle Chikka Subba Rao, and he later studied un ...
,
B. Devendrappa,
V. Doraiswamy Iyengar
''V.'' is the debut novel of Thomas Pynchon, published in 1963. It describes the exploits of a discharged U.S. Navy sailor named Benny Profane, his reconnection in New York with a group of pseudo- bohemian artists and hangers-on known as the W ...
,
T. Chowdiah
Tirumakudalu Chowdiah ( kn, ಸಂಗೀತ ರತ್ನ ತಿರುಮಕೂಡಲು ಚೌಡಯ್ಯ) (1895 – 19 January 1967) was a violin maestro from India in the Carnatic classical tradition.
Early years
Chowdiah, was born in ...
,
Tiger Vardachar,
Chennakeshaviah,
Titte Krishna Iyengar,
S. N. Mariappa,
Chintalapalli Ramachandra Rao,
R. N. Doreswamy,
H. M. Vaidyalinga Bhagavatar.
The patronage and contribution of Wadiyars 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.
Famous compositions
Literary works
*''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
Srirangam, is a neighbourhood in the city of Tiruchirappalli in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. A river island, Srirangam is bounded by the Kaveri River on one side and its distributary Kollidam on the other side. Considered as the first among ...
, 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
Ridgeways are a particular type of ancient road that exploits the hard surface of hilltop ridges for use as unpaved, zero-maintenance roads, though they often have the disadvantage of steeper gradients along their courses, and sometimes quite narr ...
'' – July 1964 editio
He also sponsored the translation of many classics from Sanskrit to
Kannada language, Kannada as part of the
Jayachamaraja Grantha Ratna Mala, including 35 parts of the
Rigveda
The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' ( ', from ' "praise" and ' "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts ('' śruti'') known as the Vedas. Only one ...
. These are essentially ancient, sacred scriptures in Sanskrit till then not available in Kannada language comprehensively. All the books contain 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 summoned in the middle of the night and advised him to simplify the use of some difficult Kannada words in one of the books. The digital version of Rigveda samhita that was first published under
Jayachamaraja Grantha Ratna Mala was developed by C S Yogananda at Sriranga Digital Software Technologies during 2009.
During his reign, he also encouraged historical research on modern lines and this finds an echo in the dedication of the encyclopedic work by C. Hayavadana Rao entitled " History of Mysore" in three voluminous works published from 1943–46. Author's words are quite illuminating and worth quoting. Author says:
"Dedicated by gracious permission to His Highness, Sri Jayacahamaraja Wadiyar Bahadur, Maharaja of Mysore- Ruler, Scholar, and patron of Arts and sciences and supporter of every good cause aiming at the moral and material progress of the people – In token of His Highness' deep and abiding interest in the scientific study of History and pursuit of Historical Research along modern lines".
It aptly sums up the personality of the Maharaja. It is matter of regret that the author could not complete the work as originally intended and had to stop at the year 1949 as Maharaja had to accede to the wishes of his people and merge his Kingdom with the Republic of India in 1950.
Fellowships and memberships
* Fellow and president of
Sangeet Natak Academy
Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in English) is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.
History
It was set up by the Indian education ministry on 31 May 1952 and be ...
, New Delhi, 1966.
* First
Chairman of the Indian Wild Life Board.
Family
Sisters:
*Princess Vijaya Lakshmi Ammani, later
Rani Vijaya Devi
Rani Vijaya Devi of Kotda-Sangani (28 August 1922 - 8 December 2005), born Maharajakumari Vijayalakshmi Ammanni, was the eldest daughter of Yuvaraja Kanteerava Narasimha Raja Wadiyar and sister of Maharaja Jaya Chamaraja Wadiyar.
She grew up ...
of
Kotda Sangani.
*Princess Sujaya kantha Ammani, later Thakurani Sahiba of
Sanand
Sanand is a city and a municipality in Ahmedabad district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is a major industrial hub of Western India, host to manufacturing plants of multiple domestic and foreign companies like Tata Motors, Nivea, Nestl ...
.
*Princess Jaya Chamunda Ammani Avaru, later
Maharani Sri Jaya Chamunda Ammani Sahiba,
Maharani of
Bharatpur.
Wives:
#Maharani Sathya Prema Kumari of
jigni. The wedding was held on 15 May 1938. The marriage failed; the Maharani settled at
Jaipur
Jaipur (; Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had a population of 3.1 million, making it the tenth most populous city in the country. Jaipur is also known ...
. There were no children by this marriage.
#Maharani Tripura Sundari Ammani Avaru. The wedding was held on 6th May 1942. This marriage was blessed with six children.
Both the queens died in 1982 within a span of 15 days.
Children:
#Princess
Gayatri Devi
Gayatri Devi (born as Princess Gayatri Devi of Cooch Behar; 23 May 1919 − 29 July 2009) was the third Maharani consort of Jaipur from 1940 to 1949 through her marriage to Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II. Following her husband's signature for th ...
, (1946–1974), who predeceased her father due to cancer.
#Princess Meenakshi Devi, (1951–2015).
#Maharaja Sri
Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar (1953–2013).
#Princess Kamakshi Devi Avaru, b.1954.
#Princess Indrakshi Devi Avaru, b.1956.
#Princess Vishalakshi Devi Avaru, (1962-2018)
Honours
* Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (
GCB) in 1946.
* Knight Grand Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India (
GCSI
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:
# Knight Grand Commander (:Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India, GCSI)
# ...
), 1945.
* ''Doctor of Literature'' from the
University of Queensland
, mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work
, established =
, endowment = A$224.3 million
, budget = A$2.1 billion
, type = Public research university
, chancellor = Peter Varghese
, vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry
, city = B ...
, Australia
* ''Doctor of Literature'' from Annamalai University
, logo = CampusmapofAU.jpg
, image = Annamalai University logo.png
, image_size = 225px
, motto = "With Courage and Faith"
, established =
, type ...
, Tamil Nadu.
* ''Doctor of Law'' from Banaras Hindu University
Banaras Hindu University (BHU) IAST: kāśī hindū viśvavidyālaya IPA: /kaːʃiː hɪnd̪uː ʋɪʃwəʋid̪jaːləj/), is a collegiate, central, and research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and founded in 1916 ...
.
* ''Doctor of Laws'', ''honoris causa'' from the University of Mysore
The University of Mysore is a public state university in Mysore, Karnataka, India. The university was founded during the reign of Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV, the Maharaja of Mysore. The university is recognised by the University Grants Commission ...
, 1962.
*Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
The Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, also known as Akademi Ratna Sadasyata, is an Indian honour for the performing arts presented by Sangeet Natak Academy. It is "the most prestigious and rare honour" conferred by the Academy and is "restricte ...
, 1966.
References
External links
*
*
Speech as a Freemason
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jayachamaraja Wadiyar
Kings of Mysore
Wadiyar dynasty
Hindu monarchs
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India
Indian knights
1919 births
1974 deaths
Maharaja's College, Mysore alumni
Rajpramukhs
20th-century Indian poets
Indian Freemasons
Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship