Timmaraja Wodeyar II (reigned 7 February 1533 – 1572), was the sixth

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 ...

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 ...

, who ruled between 7 February 1553 and 1572. He was eldest son of

Chamaraja Wodeyar III Chamaraja Wodeyar III (29 September 1492 – 17 February 1553) was fifth raja 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 My ...

, the fifth raja of Mysore. On 17 February 1553, he succeeded on the death of his father. Thimmaraja Wodeyar II was the first 'maharaja' to rule as absolute monarch and denounce Mysore Kingdom's vassalage to the

Vijayanagara Empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also known as the Karnata Kingdom, was a late medieval Hinduism, Hindu empire that ruled much of southern India. It was established in 1336 by the brothers Harihara I and Bukka Raya I of the Sangama dynasty, belongi ...

Declaration of independence from Vijayanagara

Right in his father's days, Thimmaraja Wodeyar II had learnt the lineage of the royal families in Vijayanagara. Both his father and his brother, including himself, had begun to question the legitimacy of the Tuluva family. Before his father could take a stand against feudalism, he died. However, right after coming to power in 1553, he formally declared independence of the Kingdom of Mysore from the Vijayanagara Empire. In Vijayanagara, though, Rama Raya was in power, trying to hold together the falling pieces of the empire. But, disintegration and insubordination were faster than Rama Raya's consolidation of power. In this political mood, the Bahamani sultans and the Mughal emperors began further invasion of fiefdoms. Thimmaraja Wodeyar II took this opportunity and declared independence, although it wasn't until his brother's time that this came into full swing. He died in 1572 and was succeeded by his brother Chamaraja Wodeyar IV.

Declaration of independence from Vijayanagara

See also