Kempananjammanni Devi (1866–1934) was an

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

royal who was the maharani, queen mother, and later regent of the Kingdom of Mysore. She was the wife of Maharaja

Chamarajendra Wadiyar X Chamarajendra Wadiyar X (22 February 1863 – 28 December 1894) was the twenty-third Maharaja of Mysore between 1868 and 1894. Adoption and accession Chamarajendra Wadiyar X was born in the old palace in Mysore on 22 February 1863, as the thi ...

and the mother of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV. She was queen regent between 1895 and 1902–during the minority of Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV. She occupies as significant place in the annals of Mysore's history. Her contributions to the citizenry and her roles as maharani, regent, and queen mother to the young prince Yuvaraja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV, have been commended.

Life

Kempananji was born in the village of Kalale near

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 ...

in 1866. She was married to the crown-prince Yuvaraja

on 26 May 1878. With the marriage, she assumed the

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

honorary suffix ''ammanni'' (for queen) and the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

one ''devi''. In 1881, the Rendition of Mysore Act 1881 was passed carried, restoring the government of the kingdom from

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

back to the natural prince, who was now 18. The kingdom had been restored nearly after 50 years to the Wadiyars since the fall of Tipu in 1799 and the abolishment of monarchy in 1831 by

. In 1884, Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV was born to the royal couple. In quick succession, they also had another son,

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 three daughters.

Vani Vilas Regency

Maharaja Chamarajendra Wadiyar, while on a visit to

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

in 1894, developed

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in some outbreaks more than 10% of those diagnosed with the disease may die. Signs and s ...

and succumbed to sudden death there, thus abruptly cutting short a promising reign that lasted only 13 years. He was just 32 and had already left his mark as an excellent leader. His death suddenly created a government crisis in the kingdom as Prince Krishnarajendra Wadiyar IV was still in minority. The unexpected tragedy was regarded as a great national misfortune throughout

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and was deplored by the British Government as an imperial loss. The royal family plunged into great sorrow and the citizens were said to have felt orphaned. The burden of governing the kingdom fell on Maharani Kempananjammanni. History posed a new challenge to her: a severe bubonic plague struck the capital Mysore city, reducing the population in half. Under such circumstances, she was nominated as queen-regent, a post she held for about eight tough years, from 1895 to 1902, and served the people with great aplomb, dignity, devotion, discipline, and distinction. She earned the respect of one and all for the fabulous way she held forth. The regency was named ''Vani Vilasa Sannidhana'', or regency. She was advised by Diwans Sri C.V. Rangacharlu and later by

Sir K. Seshadri Iyer Sir Kumarapuram Seshadri Iyer (also spelled Aiyar) (1 June 1845 – 13 September 1901), was an Indian advocate who served as the 15th Diwan of Mysore from 1883 to 1901. He was the second longest serving diwan of Mysore after Diwan Purnaiah. He ...

at that time. Sir T. R. A. Thumboo Chetty, a former Chief Justice of Mysore and a senior member of the Regency Privy Council, was also an acting diwan for Iyer. She was also assisted by her brother Sir M. Kantaraj Urs, later diwan, as her private secretary. She helped Mysore recover from slump. Progress in all fields resulted from their efficient administration and blessed the entire citizenry. Generation of electricity from the river

Kaveri The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery, the anglicized name) is one of the major Indian rivers flowing through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri (hill), Karnataka, Brahmagiri range in th ...

, promoting the

Indian Institute of Science The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is a public, deemed, research university for higher education and research in science, engineering, design, and management. It is located in Bengaluru, in the Indian state of Karnataka. The institute was ...

, construction of the Vani Vilas Sagara dam (also known as the Māri-Kanave Valley aqueduct), construction of the new palace, extension of new localities in

, water supply through pipes (Vani Vilas Waterworks), and laying of foundation stone of Victoria Hospital in

Bangalore Bangalore (), List of renamed places in India, officially Bengaluru (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan area, metropolitan population of a ...

were enough testimony. The British Crown decorated her with a CI for her distinguished leadership. Maharani Kempananjamanni was a great believer in women's education; under her patronage, Maharani's College got all due attention. She was a staunch follower of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

, but respected all faiths equally.

Retirement and last days

She retired when Krishnarajendra Wadiyar IV came of age when, on 8 August 1902, the yuvaraja ascended the throne that marked the end of memorable regency and the beginning of what was to become Mysore's ''golden era'', an era that came to be known by the encomium ''ramarajya''. After a brief illness, she died on the midnight of 7 July 1934, in

Legacy

There are many edifices in the city of Mysore with the prefix 'Vani Vilasa': Waterworks (Vani Vilasa Sagara dam), Maternity Hospital, Girls High School and College, Bridge, Ladies Club, and Road, which, to this day, commemorate her memory.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sannidhana, Maharani Kempa Nanjammani Vani Vilasa Indian queens Women of the Kingdom of Mysore Wadiyar dynasty Regents of India Companions of the Order of the Crown of India 19th-century women rulers 1866 births 1934 deaths People of the Kingdom of Mysore People from Mysore district 19th-century Indian women 19th-century Indian people 20th-century Indian women 20th-century Indian people Women from Karnataka Queen mothers