Sir Maddur Kantharaj Urs (20 September 1870 – 3 October 1923) was an Indian royal, civil servant, and administrator who served as the 20th

Dewan of Mysore The dewan of Mysore (sometimes spelled diwan) was the ''de facto'' chief executive officer of the Government of Mysore (now Government of Karnataka), ''ex officio'' chairman of the Dewan's Council (now Cabinet), and the prime minister and roya ...

from 1918 to 1922.Obituary. (1923). The Near East, XXIV(634), 380–380.
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Early life and education

Kantharaj Urs was born on 20 September 1870 to Narasaraja Urs and Kempananjammanni, the Maddur Urs branch of the Kalale

Wadiyar dynasty The Wadiyar dynasty,() also referred to as the Wadiyars of Mysore (also spelt Wodeyer, Odeyer, and Wadeyar), is a Medieval India, late-medieval India, Indian royal family of former Maharaja of Mysore, maharajas of Mysore from the Urs (surname) ...

. His older sister was Maharani Kempananjammanni Devi. He studied at

Madras Christian College Madras Christian College (MCC) is a liberal arts and sciences college in Chennai, India. Founded in 1837, MCC is one of Asia's oldest extant colleges. The college is affiliated to the University of Madras but functions as an autonomous institut ...

from 1892 to 1893 and graduated with distinction. He was the first member of the Ursu community to attain this distinction.

Career

In 1894, Kantharaj Urs was appointed Probationary Assistant Commissioner (Schedule II) in the

Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...

civil service. After the untimely death of his brother-in-law Maharaja Chamaraja Wadiyar X in December 1894, his sister became the Queen Regent of Mysore in 1895. She appointed him her Special Assistant and Private Secretary from 1895 to 1899. In 1918, Urs succeeded Sir M. Vishveshwaraya as the Dewan of Mysore to his nephew Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV.

Personal life

Kantharaj Urs married his niece Princess Jayalakshami Amanni, the eldest daughter of his sister Maharani Kempananjammani Devi. They had one daughter, Rajakumari Lelavathi. Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion at Mysore, now part of the

University of Mysore The University of Mysore is a public state university in Mysore, Karnataka, India. The university was founded during the reign of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV and the premiership of Sir M. Visvesvaraya. The university is recognised by t ...

, was their residence. He died on 3 October 1923.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Urs, M. Kantaraj CSI 1870 births 1923 deaths Madras Christian College alumni Diwans of Mysore Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire Indian knights People from British India