Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar
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Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar (18 July 1919 – 23 September 1974), sometimes simply Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, was the twenty-fifth and last ruling
Maharaja of Mysore The maharaja of Mysore was the king and principal ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore and briefly of Mysore State in the Indian Dominion roughly between the mid- to late-1300s and 1950. The maharaja's consort was called the maharani of Mysore. In ...
, reigning from 1940 to 1950, who later served as the governor of Mysore until 1964 and as governor of Madras from 1964 to 1966. Wadiyar ascended the throne upon the sudden demise of his uncle Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV. His reign as King began in 1940 during the onset of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
in
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and concluded with his merging the Kingdom into the
Dominion of India The Dominion of India, officially the Union of India, * * was an independent dominion in the British Commonwealth of Nations existing between 15 August 1947 and 26 January 1950. Until its Indian independence movement, independence, India had be ...
in 1947 but continued as maharaja until India's constitution into a republic in 1950. Kuvempu, his Kannada teacher and the vice-chancellor of Mysore University, remarked upon his ceding the kingdom: "Whereas kings have become so upon assuming thrones, he became a great king by renouncing one". C. Hayavadana Rao, a noted historian, referred to the maharaja in the preface of his unfinished book as a "supporter of every good cause aiming at the moral and material progress of the people".


Early life

Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar was born on 18 July 1919 at Mysore Palace as the only son and the last child of Yuvaraja Kanteerava Narasimharaja Wadiyar and Yuvarani Kempu Cheluvajamanni. He had three elder sisters: Princesses Vijaya Devi, Sujayakantha Devi, and Jayachamundi Devi.Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar graduated from Maharaja's College, Mysore, in 1938, earning five awards and gold medals from Mysore University. He was married the same year, on 15 May 1938, to Maharani Satya Prema Kumari at the Palace. He toured
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
during 1939, visiting many associations in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and became acquainted with many artists and scholars.


Reign


Accession

In March 1940, Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar lost his father Yuvaraja Kanteerava Narasimharaja Wadiyar who was second in line to the throne. Five months later, his reigning uncle,
Maharaja Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent, Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and Medieval India, medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a pri ...
Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV too expired, leaving his only nephew, Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, to succeed him to reign in what was dubbed one of the most prosperous states in Asia. He ascended the throne of the
Kingdom of Mysore The Kingdom of Mysore was a geopolitical realm in southern India founded in around 1399 in the vicinity of the modern-day city of Mysore and prevailed until 1950. The territorial boundaries and the form of government transmuted substantially ...
on 8 September 1940 and was democratic in his administration, celebrated by his subjects as his uncle was. With the accession, he was inducted as a freemason.


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 in 1947. He signed an
instrument of accession The Instrument of Accession was a legal document first introduced by the Government of India Act 1935 and used in 1947 to enable each of the rulers of the princely states under British paramountcy to join one of the new dominions of Dominion ...
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 A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...
on 26 January 1950. After the state was absorbed into the
Dominion of India The Dominion of India, officially the Union of India, * * was an independent dominion in the British Commonwealth of Nations existing between 15 August 1947 and 26 January 1950. Until its Indian independence movement, independence, India had be ...
, he was granted a privy purse, certain privileges, and the use of the title ''Maharaja of Mysore'' by the
Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...
, However, all forms of compensation were ended in 1971 by the 26th Amendment to the Constitution of India. Wadiyar was made the
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 incl ...
of Mysore State in 26 January 1950. After the integration of the neighbouring Kannada-majority parts of the
Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...
and Hyderabad States, the title was changed, and he became the first
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
of the reorganised Mysore State, from 1 November 1956 to 4 May 1964. He was later appointed Governor of Madras from 4 May 1964 to 28 June 1966.


Contributions


Sports

Wadiyar was a good horseman and a tennis player. 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 in and around the city of Mysore. There are many wildlife trophies attributed to him in the
Palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...
Collections. Wadiyar is credited for financially supporting the tennis player Ramanathan Krishnan participate at Wimbledon. The maharaja also encouraged and aided the cricketer E. A. S. Prasanna's visit to the
West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...
as his father was otherwise reluctant to send him.


Literature

Wadiyar was a man of letters: he was an avid reader and writer and an acknowledged authority of
Indian philosophy Indian philosophy consists of philosophical traditions of the Indian subcontinent. The philosophies are often called darśana meaning, "to see" or "looking at." Ānvīkṣikī means “critical inquiry” or “investigation." Unlike darśan ...
. His literary works deal with a range of disciplines including administration, theology, history, civics, philosophy, administrative studies, among others. Wadiyar sponsored the translation of many classics from Sanskrit to
Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
as part of the "Jayachamaraja Grantha Ratna Mala", including 35 parts of the
Rigveda The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' (, , from wikt:ऋच्, ऋच्, "praise" and wikt:वेद, वेद, "knowledge") is an ancient Indian Miscellany, collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canoni ...
. These are essentially ancient, sacred scriptures in Sanskrit which at that time were not available in
Kannada language Kannada () is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, an ...
comprehensively. All the books contain original text in Kannada accompanied by Kannada translation. As the courtier and astrologer Dharmadhikari H. Gangadhara Shastry, who himself contributed substantially in the above works, has stated, the Maharaja used to study each and every one of these works and discuss them with the authors. Wadiyar also encouraged historical research on modern lines; this finds an echo in the dedication of the encyclopaedic work entitled ''History of Mysore'' by C. Hayavadana Rao published in three voluminous works published between 1943 and 1946.


Selected literary works by the maharaja

*''The Quest for Peace: an Indian Approach'',
University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...
, 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 organised at Karnataka University in 1961) *''Avadhuta: Reason & Reverence'', Indian Institute of World Culture, Bangalore, 1958. *''An Aspect of Indian Aesthetics'',
University of Madras The University of Madras is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and most prominent universities in India, incorporated by an ...
, 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, 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''; The Bangalore Press; 1955 * ''The Virtuous Way of Life'' – '' Mountain Path'' – July 1964 edition+23 * ''Aesthetic Philosophy of India '' – To be Published in 2024 by the Maharaja Shri Jayachamaraja Wadiyar Foundation!


Music

Wadiyar was a connoisseur of both
Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
and Carnatic classical music. As well as composing music himself, he also patronised numerous musicians in his court as well as international artists and became involved in acclaimed music organisations.


Western classical music

Wadiyar became a Licentiate of the Guildhall School of Music, London and honorary
Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...
of Trinity College of Music, London, in 1945. Aspirations to become a concert pianist were cut short by the untimely deaths of his father in 1939 and his reigning uncle in 1940, when he had to succeeded to the throne. Wadiyar became the first president of the Philharmonia Concert Society in 1948. During his presidency, he founded the Medtner Society at London in 1948 in honour of the Russian composer Nikolai Medtner. The maharaja also financed the recording of a large number of Medtner's compositions. Medtner dedicated his third piano concerto to the maharaja. Maharaja wrote a personal letter on 20 Oct 1948 in which he said: " I want particularly to let you know what real and genuine pleasure it has given me to listen to your glorious third piano concerto which it is my unique honour of having it dedicated to me. You will allow me to say that I consider your third concerto is possibly the greatest contribution made to the literature of the piano during the last half a century. I say so not because it happens to be dedicated to me, not because many other musicians and great critics have held it to be a work of the highest artistic standard, but because I as a layman have been deeply moved by its great spiritual feeling, its undertone of tragedy and sublimating all our "elan-vital" - like a Promethean will of victory over the darkness of our immediate horizons..." Again on 28 Sept 1951 he wrote to his manager, Capt. Binstead: "Medtner is really a very remarkable man, amazing to the doctors themselves. His determination is as great as his talents. It is really a matter for admiration that Mr. Medtner has been able to finish the two songs, even at the time when he was on the verge of collapse. Really, God will grant him sufficient strength and health to be of immense service to the musical world - of which there is a real and great need at the present moment.." But sadly Medtner succumbed to his illness soon thereafter on 13 Nov 1951 and Maharaja cabled his wife thus: Nicholos great music will be immortal and that his name will live and shine as lustrous star is my firm conviction" ! Walter Legge, who was the record producer in these efforts, 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..." This largesse proved sufficient to transform Legge's fortunes in 1949; he was able to engage Herbert von Karajan as conductor. The repertory the maharajah wished to sponsor were Balakirev's Symphony, Roussel's Fourth Symphony, Busoni's '' Indian Fantasy'', ''etc''. The association produced some of the most memorable recordings of the post-war period. In 1950, Wadiyar sponsored an evening orchestra event at the
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
by the Philharmonia Concert Society with German conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler in the lead and soprano Kirsten Flagstad singing '' Four Last Songs'', fulfilling
Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; ; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer and conductor best known for his Tone poems (Strauss), tone poems and List of operas by Richard Strauss, operas. Considered a leading composer of the late Roman ...
's last wish. The maharaja was an equally good critic of music. When asked by Legge to pass judgement on the 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. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...
'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's account of the Seventh Symphony, which he preferred Karajan had recorded. Above all, he expressed serious doubts about
Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orche ...
'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". In the July 1950 edition of ''Gramophone'', Legge writes: : ... Many more correspondent 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...


Carnatic classic music

After becoming Maharaja, he became increasingly exposed to Carnatic classical music owing to the cultural vibrancy which prevailed in the Mysore court. He learnt to play veena under ''Vid''. Venkatagiriappa; he eventually mastered the nuances of Carnatic music under the tutelage of the veteran composer and courtier ''Vid.'' Vasudevachar. The maharaja composed as many as 94 Carnatic music works under the assumed name ''Shri Vidya''. All his compositions are in different ragas and some of them for the first time ever. He is credited with the creation of the
raga A raga ( ; , ; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. It is central to classical Indian music. Each raga consists of an array of melodic structures with musical motifs; and, fro ...
''Jayasamvardini''. These compositions were published as a book in 2010 by R. Raja Chandra, his son-in-law, as "Sree Vidyaa Gaana Vaaridhi", edited by S. Krishna Murthy, ''Vid.'' Vasudevachar's grandson. During these compositions, Wadiyar 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 sculpted by his guru Siddalingaswamy. Many noted Indian musicians received patronage at his court, including Mysore Vasudevachar, Veena Venkatagiriyappa, B. Devendrappa, V. Doraiswamy Iyengar, T. Chowdiah, Tiger Vardachar, Chennakeshaviah, Titte Krishna Iyengar, S. N. Mariappa, Chintalapalli Ramachandra Rao, R. N. Doreswamy, H. M. Vaidyalinga Bhagavatar. V. Ramarathnam, a veteran musician and scholar, authored the "Contribution and Patronage of Wadiyars to Music", a book that delves deep into the patronage and contribution of Wadiyars to Carnatic music.


Death

Jayachamaraja Wadiyar died at the age of 55 on 23 September 1974 at his Bangalore Palace; he was the last living person who had been the premier king of a state with a 21-gun salute status in British India. He was succeeded by his son Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar as the head of the
Royal Family A royal family is the immediate family of monarchs and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term papal family describes the family of a pope, while th ...
and the ceremonial maharaja of Mysore.


Family

Jayachamaraja Wadiyar married Maharani Sathya Prema Kumari of Jigni province on 15 May 1938. The marriage failed; the maharani returned to and settled at
Jaipur Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...
. They had a daughter who they named Prema. Prema ended up residing in Bangalore, where she married Neelakanta Venkata Krishna Iyer and had 3 children with him. She passed on April 18, 2021. On 6 May 1942, two years into his accession as maharaja, Jayachamaraja Wadiyar married Maharani Tripura Sundari Devi. The couple has six children: Maharajakumari Gayatri Devi (1946–1974), who predeceased her father due to cancer; Rajakumari Meenakshi Devi (b. 1951, d. 2015); Yuvaraja Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar (b. 1953, d. 2013); Rajakumari Kamakshi Devi (b.1954); Rajakumari Indrakshi Devi (b.1956); and Rajakumari Vishalakshi Devi Avaru (b. 1962, d. 2018). Both the queens died in 1982 within a span of 15 days. File:Princelywedding.jpg, A public wedding pamphlet of Prince Jayachamaraja Wadiyar to his first wife Sathya Prema Kumari Devi File:Tripura Sundari Ammani with Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar.jpg, The Maharaja with his queen consort Tripura Sundari Ammani


Honours

* ''Knight Grand Cross'' of the Most Honourable
Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...
( GCB) in 1946 * ''Knight Grand Commander'' of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India ( GCSI), 1945


Fellowships and memberships

* Fellow and president of the National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama, New Delhi, 1966 * First chairman of the Indian Wildlife Board


Honorary doctorates

* ''Doctor of Literature'' from the
University of Queensland The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...
, Australia

* ''Doctor of Literature'' from Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu. * ''Doctor of Law'' from Banaras Hindu University * ''Doctor of Laws'', ''honoris causa'' from the University of Mysore, 1962


Memorials

* Hardinge Circle at Mysore was renamed Jayachamaraja Circle with the maharaja's life-size statue * Jayanagar, Mysore, Jayanagar, Bangalore, and Jayachamaraja Road, Bangalore are named in the maharaja's honour * Jaganmohana Palace at Mysore was renamed Sri Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery in his memory


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