The maharaja of Mysore was the king and principal ruler of the southern Indian Kingdom of Mysore and briefly of

Mysore State Mysore State, colloquially Old Mysore, was a state within the Dominion of India and the later India, Republic of India from 1947 until 1956. The state was formed by renaming the Kingdom of Mysore, and Bangalore replaced Mysore as the state's c ...

in the Indian Dominion roughly between the mid- to late-1300s and 1950. In title, the role has been known by different names over time, from ''poleygar'' (

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 ...

, ''pāLegāra'', for 'chieftain') during the early days of the fiefdom to ''raja'' (

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 ...

and Kannada, king–of especially a small region) during its early days as a kingdom to ''

maharaja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, a ...

'' (Sanskrit and Kannada, reatking–of a formidable kingdom) for the rest of its period. In terms of succession, the successor was either a hereditary inheritor or, in case of no issue, handpicked by the reigning monarch or his privy council. All rulers under the Sanskrit-Kannada titles of ''raja'' or ''maharaja'' were exclusively from the house of Wadiyar. As India gained

Independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

from

British Crown The Crown is the state (polity), state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, British Overseas Territories, overseas territories, Provinces and territorie ...

in 1947, Crown allies, most of which were princely India, ceded 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 ...

by 1950. With that, the title and the role of ''maharaja'' was replaced with that of ''rajpramukh'' and soon

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Formation and abolishment

While becoming more occupied with major fights in the late 1300s, the

Vijayanagara Vijayanagara () was the capital city of the historic Vijayanagara Empire. Located on the banks of the Tungabhadra River, it spread over a large area and included the modern era Group of Monuments at Hampi site in Vijayanagara district, Bell ...

emperor

Harihara II Harihara II (1342–1404 CE) was a emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire from the Sangama Dynasty. He patronised Kannada poet Madhura, a Jaina. An important work on Vedas was completed during his time. He earned the titles ''Vaidikamarga Sthapana ...

started delegating protection of regions on the flanks of the empire to their respective local chieftains. Protection of the regions in and around present-day

Mysore city 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 ...

fell on Yaduraya's shoulders, the Vijayanagara soldier stationed as a chieftain in the region at that time.

Poleygars and rajas

Raja

Chamaraja Wodeyar III Chamaraja Wodeyar III (29 September 1492 – 17 February 1553) was fifth raja of the Kingdom of Mysore and the last one to rule as feudal king under the Vijayanagara Empire. He reigned after his father's demise in 1513 until his death in 1553 ...

, who ruled from 1513 to 1553 over a few villages not far from the Kaveri river, is said to have constructed a small fort and named it ''Mahisuranagara'' (Kannada for buffalo town), from which

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 ...

gets its name. However, earlier references to the region as ''mahishaka'' dating back to mythology and the

Vedic period The Vedic period, or the Vedic age (), is the period in the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age of the history of India when the Vedic literature, including the Vedas (ca. 1300–900 BCE), was composed in the northern Indian subcontinent, betwe ...

exist.

Maharajas

With the fall and decline of the Vijayanagara Empire, Raja Chamaraja Wodeyar III's son and successor Maharaja

Timmaraja Wodeyar II Timmaraja Wodeyar II (? – 1572), was the sixth maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore, who ruled between 7 February 1553 and 1572. He was eldest son of Chamaraja Wodeyar III, the fifth raja of Mysore. On 17 February 1553, he succeeded on the de ...

declared independence and assumed the title ''maharaja'' of Mysore. During the reigns of kings

Kanthirava Narasaraja I Kanthirava Narasaraja Wodeyar I (1615 – 31 July 1659) was the twelfth maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore from 1638 to 1659. Accession The previous ruler, Raja Wodeyar II, Kanthirava Narasaraja Wodeyar's cousin, was poisoned on the orders of hi ...

and Devaraja Wodeyar I, the kingdom saw great territorial expansion. In the latter half of the 18th century, during the

sultanate This article includes a list of successive Islamic states and Muslim dynasties beginning with the time of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (570–632 CE) and the early Muslim conquests that spread Islam outside of the Arabian Peninsula, and continuin ...

of the

Hyder Ali Hyder Ali ( حیدر علی, ''Haidarālī''; 1720 – 7 December 1782) was the Sultan and ''de facto'' ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born as Hyder Ali, he distinguished himself as a soldier, eventually drawing the att ...

- Tipu father-son duo dictating the kingdom in succession, the maharajas went largely unrecognised or merely remained nominal rulers.Bowring, p. 29 After the fall of Tipu, British Crown restored the kingdom to the Wadiyars as maharajas.

Governor

After India's constitution into a republic in 1950, the last ruling Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wadiyar ceded the kingdom into the

republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

. However, like most kings in India at that time, the maharaja and his successors were allowed an annual payment (the

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." Nevertheless, with the 26th Amendment to the Constitution of India, titles and privy purse all ended. With this, the role was replaced with ''Rajpramukh'' of Mysore, later renamed Governor of Mysore (now Governor of Karnataka). The role was thus incorporated into the democratic system, the governor being recommended 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, ...

and appointed by the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Maharajas

The first raja (and poleygar) of Mysore was Yaduraya. The last ruling king was Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wadiyar. The current head of the Wadiyar family is Yaduveera Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar. The reputation of the maharajas of Mysore has varied historically, ending, however with great reputation. Whereas for example Maharaja

was famous as a reckoning force, his nephew's great-great-grandson Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar I was seen as weak and capricious. After the fall of Tipu, all maharajas have earned great adulation. Maharaja

Krishnaraja Wodeyar III Krishnaraja Wadiyar III (14 July 1794 – 27 March 1868) was the twenty-second maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore. Also known as Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, the maharaja belonged to the Wadiyar dynasty and ruled the kingdom for nearly seventy y ...

both actively and monetarily contributed to arts and culture; while Maharaja Chamaraja Wadiyar X spawned democratic practices, 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 ...

is praised for modernising Mysore Kingdom's economy and industries. File:Krishnaraja I.jpg, A miniature art of Krishnaraja Wodeyar I, who despite having married nine wives, never bore an issue and the direct (male) lineage of Yaduraya ended with him File:Mummadi-krishnaraja-wadiyar-granger.jpg, A pencil sketch of Maharaja

. He was a patron of arts and culture who also built numerous temples across the kingdom File:Chamaraja Wodeyar 1863-94.jpg, A monochrome of Maharaja Chamaraja Wadiyar X. He instituted the Mysore Representative Assembly, the first parliamentary setup in British India File:Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar c1903.jpg, A portrait of Maharaja

. The king is hailed the ''maker of Modern Mysore'' File:Jayachandra-maharaja-wadiyar.jpg, A portrait of the last ruling Maharaja of Mysore Jayachamaraja Wadiyar. He later served as the Rajpramukh and Governor of Mysore. File:Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar.JPG, The present head of the Wadiyar dynasty, Yaduveera Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar

Notes

Citations

Sources used

* * * * * {{Citation, last = Stein, first = Burton, author-link=Burton Stein, title = Vijayanagara (The New Cambridge History of India), publisher=Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, year = 1987, isbn=0-521-26693-9

External links

Virtual Tour of Mysore Palace
Kingdom of Mysore . People of the Kingdom of Mysore Mysore Karnataka

Formation and abolishment

Poleygars and rajas

Maharajas

Governor

Maharajas

See also

Notes

Citations

Sources used

External links