Kayou Shri Gowri (ಕಾಯೌ ಶ್ರೀ ಗೌರಿ) was the official state anthem of the

Kingdom of Mysore The Kingdom of Mysore was a realm in South India, southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. From 1799 until 1950, it was a princely state, until 1947 in a subsidiary allia ...

, under the rule of the

Wadiyar dynasty The Wadiyar dynasty (formerly spelt Wodeyer or Odeyer, also referred to as the Wadiyars of Mysore), is a late-medieval/ early-modern South Indian Hindu royal family of former kings of Mysore from the Urs clan originally based in Mysore city. ...

. The anthem was composed by Basavappa Shastry (1843-1891), the court poet of the Mysore Court under the rule of Maharaja Chamarajendra Wadiyar X, who reigned between 1868 and 1894.

History

In 1831, the

was taken over by the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

. The king, Chamarajendra Wadiyar X ordered Basavappa Shastry, the court poet, to compose an anthem for the state. A favourite of the Maharaja, the anthem was played when

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...

visited

Bengaluru Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

in 1919 to deliver his speech on the “Message of the Forests.” He had come to the city at the invitation of Albion Bannerjee who was the first counsellor under the Royal Diwan,

M. Kantaraj Urs Sir Maddur Kantharaj Urs (20 September 1870 – 3 October 1923) was an Indian royal, civil servant, and administrator who served as the 20th Diwan of Mysore from 1918 to 1922. Early life and education Kantharaj Urs was born on 20 September ...

. It is believed, Tagore's song “Anondo Loke” was heavily inspired by “Kayou Shri Gowri”. The anthem is still in use today, by the erstwhile royal family of Mysore, led by Maharaja Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar. It is mostly played at the Mysore Palace, when the king attends a festival or procession. It is also used and saluted by the Maharaja during the

Mysore Dasara Mysore Dasara is the ''Nadahabba'' (state festival) of the state of Karnataka in India. It is a 10-day festival, starting with nine nights called Navaratri and the last day being Vijayadashami. The festival is observed on the tenth day in the ...

festival.

Lyrics

Music

The anthem is set in Raga Kalyani (Carnatic) and Yaman (Hindustani). The western chords are in

C major C major (or the key of C) is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor and ...

( Ionian mode). The anthem gained immense popularity and for a while was sung by school children across the state as their morning prayer.

References

{{Reflist Kingdom of Mysore National anthems