Maharaja of Mysore

Maharaja of Mysore
Maharaja of Mysore
	Coat of arms (1893)
Details
Style	His Highness
First monarch	Yaduraya Wodeyar
Last monarch	Jayachamaraja Wodeyar
Formation	1399
Abolition	26 January 1950
Residence	Mysore Palace

Maharaja of Mysore was the principal title of the ruler of the Mysore State during the British Raj in India and earlier of the Kingdom of Mysore. After India's independence in 1947, the ruler lost his kingdom, but he and his successors were allowed an annual payment (the privy purse), certain privileges, and the use of the title "Maharaja of Mysore."^[a]^[1] However, all were ended in 1971 by the 26th Amendment to the Constitution of India.^[2]^[3]^[4]

Although their own histories date the origins of the Wodeyars of Mysore (also "Odeyar", "Udaiyar", "Wodiyar", "Wadiyar", or "Wadiar", and, literally, "chief") to 1399,^[5] records of them go back no earlier than the early 16th century.^[6] These poligars are first mentioned in a Kannada language literary work from the early 16th century.^[6]^[7] A petty chieftain,^[8] Chamaraja (now Chamaraja III), who ruled from 1513 to 1553 over a few villages not far from the Kaveri river,^[5] is said to have constructed a small fort and named it, Mahisuranagara ("Buffalo Town"), from which Mysore gets its name.^[6]^[5]^[9]

Mysore was a feudatory of the Vijayanagara Empire until 1644 and an independent kingdom thereafter until 1760 when Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan became the Sultans of Mysore. Reinstated in 1798 during East India Company rule the Wodeyars agreed to a subsidiary alliance with the Company as suzerain. However, from 1831 and for the next 50 years, the British took direct control of Mysore. Thereafter, until 1947, the Wodeyars ruled a princely state in the British Raj with the British again as their suzerains.

Vassals of the Vijayanagara Empire (1399–1565)[]

Yaduraya Wodeyar (1399–1423)
Hiriya Bettada Chamaraja Wodeyar I (1423–1459)
Timmaraja Wodeyar I (1459–1478)
Hiriya Chamaraja Wodeyar II (1478–1513)
Hiriya Bettada Chamaraja Wodeyar III (1513–1553)

Independent rulers (1565–1761)[]

Timmaraja Wodeyar II (1553–1572)
Bola Chamaraja Wodeyar IV (1572–1576)
Chamaraja Wodeyar V (1576–1578)
Raja Wodeyar I (1578–1617)
Chamaraja Wodeyar VI (1617–1637)
Raja Wodeyar II (1637–1638)
(Ranadhira) Kantheerava Narasaraja Wodeyar I (1638–1659)
Dodda Devaraja Wodeyar (1659–1673)
Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar (1673–1704)
Kantheerava Narasaraja Wodeyar II (1704–1714)
Dodda Krishnaraja Wodeyar I (1714–1732). With him, Yaduraya's direct lineage came to an end. What followed was a succession of nominal rulers adopted by the surviving queens to continue the tradition.
Chamaraja Wodeyar VII (1732–1734)
(Immadi) Krishnaraja Wodeyar II (1734–1766), puppet ruler under Hyder Ali from 1761
(Mummudi) Krishnaraja Wodeyar III (1799–1831) under British Crown, (1831-1868)

Puppet rulers under Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan (1766–1796)[]

Nanjaraja Wodeyar (1766–1772), puppet ruler under Hyder Ali
Bettada Chamaraja Wodeyar VIII (1772–1776), puppet ruler under Hyder Ali
Khasa Chamaraja Wodeyar IX (1776–1796), puppet ruler under Hyder Ali until 1782, then under Tipu Sultan until his deposition in 1796.

Regents of the Sultanate of Mysore (1761–1799)[]

Hyder Ali (1761–1782)
Tipu Sultan (1782–1799)

Under British suzerainty until the abolishment of the monarchy (1799–1950)[]

(Mummudi) Krishnaraja Wodeyar III (1799–1831) under British Crown, (1831-1868)
Chamarajendra Wodeyar X (1868–1894)
H.H. Vani Vilas Sannidhana, queen of Chamaraja Wodeyar IX served as regent from 1894 to 1902
Rajarshi (Nalvadi) Krishna Raja Wodeyar IV (1894–1940)
Jayachamaraja Wodeyar (1940–1950)

Titular maharajas (1950–1971)[]

Jayachamaraja Wodeyar (1950–1971), serving as Rajpramukh of Mysore until 1956, Governor of the State of Mysore until 1964, and Governor of the State of Madras (modern Tamil Nadu) until 1966

Family tree of the Royal Family[]

I. Yaduraya, Polegar of Hadanadu near Nanjanagudi, conquered Mysore and nearby areas (1371–1423; Raja of Mysore: 1399–1423)
- II. Chamaraja I, Raja of Mysore (1408–1459; r. 1423–59)
  - III. Timmaraja I, Raja of Mysore (1433–1478; r. 1459–78)
    - IV. Chamaraja II, Raja of Mysore (1463–1513; r. 1478–1513)
      - V. Chamaraja III, Raja of Mysore (1492–1553; r. 1513–53)
        VI. Timmaraja II, Raja of Mysore (died 1572; r. 1553–72)
        
        Rajkumar Krishnaraja
        VIII. Chamaraja V, Raja of Mysore (r. 1576–78)
        
        Rajkumari Chikka Devira, m. Mallaraja Chikka Wadiyar, younger son of Mallarajaiya Wadiyar of the Kalale Wadiyar branch
        Timmaraja of Kalale (died 1546). m. as his fourth wife, Rajkumari Chikka Depa (see below)
        Sardar Karikala Mallaraja (c. 1541 – 1644)
        Timmaraja (died 1660)
        Kanta Muppina-Kantaiya Urs
        Sardar Doddaiya Urs
        Sardar Virarajaiya Urs
        Sardar Karachuri Nanjarajaiya Urs (c. 1704 – 1773)
        Maharani Devajamma (died 1760). m. 1746, as his first wife, XVIII. Immadi Krishnaraja II, Maharaja of Mysore (1728–1766; r. 1734–66), the son of Chame Urs of the Chikkanahalli branch. He married other wives, including (as his third wife) Maharani Lakshmi Ammani Devi (1742–1810), Regent of Mysore: 25 June 1799 – February 1810, eldest daughter of Sardar Kathi Gopalraj Urs, of the Bettada Kotte family branch, sometime Killedar of Trichnopoly.
        XIX. Nanjaraja, Maharaja of Mysore (1748–1770; r. 1766–70)
        
        XX. Chamaraja VIII, Maharaja of Mysore (1759–1776; r. 1770–76)
        
        XXI. Chamaraja IX, Maharaja of Mysore (1774–1796; r. 1776–96). Son of Sardar Devaraj Urs. of Arikuthara of the Karugahalli family. Interregnum: 1796–99
        XXII. Krishnaraja III, Maharaja of Mysore GCSI (1794–1868; r. 1799–1868)
        Rajkumari Puta Ammanni [Madana Vilasa Puttammanni]. m. Sardar Chikka Krishnaraj Urs (died 1863), son of Sardar Gopalraj Urs, of Bettadakote, brother of H.H. Soubhagyavati Maharani Sri Lakshmi Ammanni Devi Avaru [Maha Mathushri], sometime Maharani Regent of Mysore
        XXIII. Chamaraja X, Maharaja of Mysore GCSI (1863–1894; r. 1868–94) m. Maharani Vani Vilasa Sannidhana Kempananja CI (1866–1934; Regent of Mysore: 30 December 1894 – 8 August 1902).
        XXIV. Krishnaraja IV, Maharaja of Mysore GCSI, GBE (1884–1940; r. 1894–1940)
        
        Yuvaraja Kanthirava Narasimharaja, Yuvaraja of Mysore GCIE (1888–1940)
        XXV. Jayachamaraja, Maharaja of Mysore GCB, GCSI (1919–1974; r. 1940–50; titular Maharaja and family head: 1950–71; head of the Wadiyar family: 1971–74)
        Maharajkumari Gayatri Devi (1946–1974). m. Sardar Kantharaj Basavaraj Ramachandraraj Urs (1936–2011)
        Rajkumari Leela Tripurasundari Devi (b. 1966) m. 26 May 1991, Sri Swarup Anand Gopalaraj Urs (b. 1960), of the Bettadakote branch of the Urs family, a direct, patrilineal descendant of Subrahmanyaraj Urs, Maharaja Chamaraja Wadiyar X's brother
        XXVII. Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja, Maharaja of Mysore (born 24 March 1992; head of the Wadiyar family: 2015–present). Adopted by Pramoda Kumari on 23 February 2015 and anointed on 28 May 2015).
        
        XXVI. Srikanthadatta Narasimharaja (1953–2013; head of the Wadiyar family: 1974–2013). m. Sri Satya Pramoda Devi (b. 1954), great-grand daughter of Gopala Raj Urs, of Bettadakote. He died without issue or naming a successor, leaving the headship of the family vacant from 2013 to 2015.
        
        Maddur Narasa Urs, of the Maddur line of the dynasty
        Maddur Chikka Kantha Urs
        Maddur Krishna Urs
        Maddur Kantha Urs
        Maddur Narasaraj Urs
        Kantharaj Urs
        Narasaraj Kantharaj Urs
        Sir M. Kantharaj Urs KCIE, CSI (1870–1923; Prime Minister of Mysore: 1919–22)
        
        Maharani Vani Vilasa Sannidhana Kempananja CI (1866–1934) Regent of Mysore: 30 December 1894 – 8 August 1902. m. at 26 May 1878, her distant cousin Chamaraja X, Maharaja of Mysore Through her descends the present line of the Wadiyar dynasty. She had issue, four sons and three daughters – see below.
        
        VII. Chamaraja IV, Raja of Mysore (1507–1576; r. 1572–76)
        IX. Raja, Raja of Mysore (1552–1617; r. 1578–1617)
        Yuvaraja Narasaraja (1579–1610)
        X. Chamaraja VI, Raja of Mysore (1608–1637; r. 1617–37)
        
        XI. Raja II, Raja of Mysore (1612–1638; r. 1637–38)
        
        Rajkumar Devaraja (c. 1553 – c. 1656)
        Dodda Devaraja (1622–1669)
        XIV. Chikka Devaraja, Maharaja of Mysore (1645–1704; r. 1673–1704)
        XV. Kanthirava Narasaraja II, Maharaja of Mysore (1672–1714; r. 1704–14)
        XVI. Dodda Krishnaraja, Maharaja of Mysore (1702–1732; r. 1714–32), m. 1716 as his first wife, Maharani Devaja, daughter of Chikka Urs of the Kalale branch. He died without any surviving issue, and thus the direct male line of descent from Raja Yaduraya became extinct. However, his widow adopted an heir from a cadet branch of the family:
        XVII. Chamaraja VII, Maharaja of Mysore (1704–1734; r. 1732–34). Son of Devaraj Urs of Ankanhalli.
        
        XIII. Dodda Devaraja, Raja of Mysore (1627–1673; r. 1659–73)
        
        Rajkumar Bettada Chamaraja (1554–1639)
        XII. Kanthirava Narasaraja I, Raja of Mysore (1615–1659; r. 1638–59)
        
        Rajkumari Chikkadepa, who married her cousin Timmaraja (died 1546) and had issue – see above

Notes[]

^ Under terms accepted when princely states were absorbed into independent India

Citations[]

^ Ramusack 2004, p. 273: "The crucial document was the Instrument of Accession by which rulers ceded to the legislatures of India or Pakistan control over defence, external affairs, and communications. In return for these concessions, the princes were to be guaranteed a privy purse in perpetuity and certain financial and symbolic privileges such as exemption from customs duties, the use of their titles, the right to fly their state flags on their cars, and to have police protection. ... By December 1947 Patel began to pressure the princes into signing Merger Agreements that integrated their states into adjacent British Indian provinces, soon to be called states or new units of erstwhile princely states, most notably Rajasthan, Patiala and East Punjab States Union, and Matsya Union (Alwar, Bharatpur, Dholpur and Karaulli)."
^ "The Constitution (26 Amendment) Act, 1971", indiacode.nic.in, Government of India, 1971, retrieved 9 November 2011
^ Ramusack 2004, p. 278: "Through a constitutional amendment passed in 1971, Indira Gandhi stripped the princes of the titles, privy purses and regal privileges which her father's government had granted."
^ Schmidt, Karl J. (1995). An atlas and survey of South Asian history. M.E. Sharpe. p. 78. ISBN 978-1-56324-334-9. Although the Indian states were alternately requested or forced into union with either India or Pakistan, the real death of princely India came when the Twenty-sixth Amendment Act (1971) abolished the princes' titles, privileges, and privy purses.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Simmons 2019, p. 6.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Stein 1987, p. 82.
^ Manor 1975, p. 33.
^ Ramusack 2004, p. 28.
^ Michell 1995, pp. 17–.

Sources used[]

Manor, James (1975), "Princely Mysore before the Storm: The State-Level Political System of India's Model State, 1920–1936", Modern Asian Studies, 9 (1): 31–58, doi:10.1017/s0026749x00004868, JSTOR 311796
Michell, George (1995), Architecture and Art of Southern India: Vijayanagara and the successor states: 1350–1750, Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-44110-2
Ramusack, Barbara (2004), The Indian Princes and their States (The New Cambridge History of India), Cambridge and London: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-03989-4
Simmons, Caleb (2019), Devotional Sovereignty: Kingship and Religion in India, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-008890-3
Stein, Burton (1987), Vijayanagara (The New Cambridge History of India), Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-26693-9

External links[]

Virtual Tour of Mysore Palace

[1] Under terms accepted when princely states were absorbed into independent India

[FOOTNOTERamusack2004273-2] Ramusack 2004, p. 273: "The crucial document was the Instrument of Accession by which rulers ceded to the legislatures of India or Pakistan control over defence, external affairs, and communications. In return for these concessions, the princes were to be guaranteed a privy purse in perpetuity and certain financial and symbolic privileges such as exemption from customs duties, the use of their titles, the right to fly their state flags on their cars, and to have police protection. ... By December 1947 Patel began to pressure the princes into signing Merger Agreements that integrated their states into adjacent British Indian provinces, soon to be called states or new units of erstwhile princely states, most notably Rajasthan, Patiala and East Punjab States Union, and Matsya Union (Alwar, Bharatpur, Dholpur and Karaulli)."

[3] "The Constitution (26 Amendment) Act, 1971", indiacode.nic.in, Government of India, 1971, retrieved 9 November 2011

[FOOTNOTERamusack2004278-4] Ramusack 2004, p. 278: "Through a constitutional amendment passed in 1971, Indira Gandhi stripped the princes of the titles, privy purses and regal privileges which her father's government had granted."

[5] Schmidt, Karl J. (1995). An atlas and survey of South Asian history. M.E. Sharpe. p. 78. ISBN 978-1-56324-334-9. Although the Indian states were alternately requested or forced into union with either India or Pakistan, the real death of princely India came when the Twenty-sixth Amendment Act (1971) abolished the princes' titles, privileges, and privy purses.

[FOOTNOTESimmons20196-6] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Simmons 2019, p. 6.

[FOOTNOTEStein198782-7] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Stein 1987, p. 82.

[FOOTNOTEManor197533-8] Manor 1975, p. 33.

[FOOTNOTERamusack200428-9] Ramusack 2004, p. 28.

[FOOTNOTEMichell199517–-10] Michell 1995, pp. 17–.

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