Kingdom of Mysore/Princely
State of Mysore
(Subordinate to Vijayanagara Empire until 1565).
Princely state under the suzerainty of the
British Crown after 1799
1399–1947(Time Period)
Flag Anthem -Kayou Sri Gowri
Kingdom of Mysore, 1784 AD (at its greatest
extent)
Capital Mysore,
Srirangapatna
Language(s)
- Kannada, English
Religion-Hinduism, Islam
Government-Monarchy until 1799, Principality
thereafter
Maharaja
-
1399–1423 (first)-Yaduraya
-
1940–1947 (last)-Jaya Chamaraja Wodeyar
History
-
Established - 1399
- Earliest
records - 1551
-
Disestablished - 1947
The Kingdom of Mysore (1399–1947 AD) was a kingdom of southern
India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of
the modern city of Mysore. The kingdom, which was ruled by the Wodeyar family,
initially served as a vassal state of the Vijayanagara Empire. With the decline
of the Vijayanagara Empire (c.1565), the kingdom became independent. The 17th
century saw a steady expansion of its territory and, under Narasaraja Wodeyar I
and Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar, the kingdom annexed large expanses of what is now
southern Karnataka and parts of Tamil Nadu to become a powerful state in the
southern Deccan.
The kingdom reached the height of its military
power and dominion in the latter half of the 18th century under the de facto
ruler Haider Ali and his son Tipu Sultan. During this time, it came into
conflict with the Marathas, the British and the Nizam of Hyderabad which
culminated in the four Anglo-Mysore wars. Success in the first two Anglo-Mysore
wars was followed by defeat in the third and fourth. Following Tipu's death in
the fourth war of 1799, large parts of his kingdom were annexed by British,
which signalled the end of a period of Mysorean hegemony over southern Deccan.
The British, however, restored the Wodeyars to their throne by way of a
subsidiary alliance and a diminished Mysore was now transformed into a Princely
state. The Wodeyars continued to rule the state until Indian independence in
1947, when Mysore acceded to the Union of India.
Even as a princely state, Mysore came to be
counted among the more modern and urbanized regions of India. This period
(1799–1947) also saw Mysore emerge as one of the important centers of art and
culture in India. The Mysore kings were not only accomplished exponents of the
fine arts and men of letters, they were enthusiastic patrons as well and their
legacies continue to influence music and art even today
Early history
Kingdom of Mysore (1704) during the rule of King
Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar
Sources for the history of the kingdom include
numerous extant lithic and copper plate inscriptions, records from the Mysore
palace and contemporary literary sources in Kannada, Persian and other
languages. According to traditional accounts, the kingdom originated as a small
state based in the modern city of Mysore and was founded by two brothers,
Yaduraya (also known as Vijaya) and Krishnaraya. Their origins are mired in
legend and are still a matter of debate; while some historians posit a northern
origin at Dwaraka, others locate it in Karnataka.[6][7] Yaduraya is said to
have married Chikkadevarasi, the local princess and assumed the feudal title "Wodeyar"
(lit, "Lord"), which the ensuing dynasty retained. The first
unambiguous mention of the Wodeyar family is in 16th century Kannada literature
from the reign of the Vijayanagara king Achyuta Deva Raya (1529–1542); the
earliest available inscription, issued by the Wodeyars themselves, dates to the
rule of the petty chief Timmaraja II in 1551.
|
(1399-1950)
|
|
|
Under Vijayanagara Empire
(1399-1565)
|
|
|
Yaduraya
|
(1399–1423)
|
|
Chamaraja Wadiyar
|
(1423–1459)
|
|
Timmaraja Wadiyar I
|
(1459–1478)
|
|
Chamaraja Wadiyar II
|
(1478–1513)
|
|
Chamaraja Wadiyar III
|
(1513–1553)
|
|
Independent Wadiyar Kings
(1565-1761)
|
|
|
Timmaraja II
|
(1553–1572)
|
|
Chamaraja Wadiyar IV
|
(1572–1576)
|
|
Chamaraja Wadiyar V
|
(1576–1578)
|
|
Raja Wadiyar I
|
(1578–1617)
|
|
Chamaraja Wadiyar VI
|
(1617–1637)
|
|
Raja Wadiyar II
|
(1637–1638)
|
|
(1638–1659)
|
|
|
(1659–1673)
|
|
|
(1673–1704)
|
|
|
(1704–1714)
|
|
|
Krishnaraja Wadiyar I
|
(1714–1732)
|
|
Chamaraja Wadiyar VII
|
(1732–1734)
|
|
Under Haider Ali and Tipu
Sultan
(1761-1799)
|
|
|
(1734–1766)
|
|
|
Nanjaraja Wadiyar
|
(1766–1772)
|
|
Chamaraja Wadiyar VIII
|
(1772–1776)
|
|
Chamaraja Wadiyar IX
|
(1776–1796)
|
|
Under British
Rule
(1799-1947)
|
|
|
(1799–1868)
|
|
|
(1881–1894)
|
|
|
(1894–1940)
|
|
|
(1940–1950)
|
|
There are no records relating to the
administration of the Mysore territory during the Vijayanagara
Empire's reign (1399–1565). Signs of a well organised
and independent administration appear from the time of Raja Wodeyar I who is
believed to have been sympathetic towards peasants (raiyats) who were exempted from any increases in
taxation during his time. The first sign that the kingdom had established
itself in the area was the issuing of gold coins (Kanthirayi phanam) resembling those of the erstwhile Vijayanagara
Empire during Narasaraja Wodeyar's rule.
The rule of Chikka Devaraja saw several reforms
were effected. Internal administration was remodeled to suit the kingdom's
growing needs and became more efficient. A postal system came into being. Far
reaching financial reforms were also introduced. A number of petty taxes were
imposed in place of direct taxes, as a result of which the peasants were
compelled to pay more by way of land tax. The king is said to have taken a
personal interest in the regular collection of revenues the treasury burgeoned
to 90,000,000 Pagoda (a unit of currency) – earning him
the epithet "Nine crore Narayana"
(Navakoti Narayana). In 1700, he sent
an embassy to Aurangazeb's court who bestowed upon him the title Jug Deo Raja and awarded permission
to sit on the ivory throne. Following this, he founded the district offices (Attara Kacheri), the central secretariat
comprising eighteen departments, and his administration was modeled on Mughal
lines.
During Haider Ali's rule, the
kingdom was divided into five provinces (Asofis)
of unequal size, comprising 171 taluks (Paraganas) in total. WhenTipu
Sultan became the de facto ruler, the kingdom, which encompassed 160,000 km2 (61,776 sq mi)
(62,000 mi²), was divided into 37 provinces and a total of 124 taluks (Amil). Each province had a governor (Asof), and one deputy governor. Each taluk
had a headman called Amildar and
a group of villages were in charge of a Patel. The central administration comprised six departments
headed by ministers, each aided by an advisory council of up to four members.
When the princely state came under
direct British rule in 1831, early commissioners Lushington, Briggs and
Morrison were followed by Mark Cubbon, who took charge in 1834. He
made Bangalore the capital
and divided the princely state into four divisions, each under a British
superintendent. The state was further divided into 120 taluks with 85 taluk
courts, with all lower level administration in the Kannada language. The office
of the commissioner had eight departments; revenue, post, police, cavalry,
public works, medical, animal husbandry, judiciary and education. The judiciary
was hierarchical with the commissioners' court at the apex, followed by
the Huzur Adalat, four
superintending courts and eight Sadar
Munsiff courts at the lowest level. Lewin Bowring became the
chief commissioner in 1862 and held the position until 1870. During his tenure,
the property "Registration Act", the "Indian Penal code"
and "Code of Criminal Procedure" came into effect and the judiciary
was separated from the executive branch of the administration.
After rendition, Rangacharlu, a native of Chennai, was made the
Diwan. Under him, the first Representative Assembly of British India, with 144
members, was formed in 1881. He was followed by Sheshadri Iyer in 1883
during whose tenure gold mining at the Kolar Gold Fields began, theShivanasamudra hydroelectric project was
initiated in 1899 (the first such major attempt in India) and electricity and
drinking water (the latter through pipes) was supplied to
Bangalore. Sheshadri Iyer was followed by P.N. Krishna Murthy, who founded
The Secretariat Manual to maintain records and the Co-operative Department in
1905, V.P. Madhava Rao who focussed on conservation of forests and T.
Ananda Rao, who finalised the Kannambadi Dam project.
Sir M. Visveshwarayya, popularly known
as the "Maker of Modern Mysore", holds a key place in the history of
Karnataka. An engineer by education, he became the Diwan in 1909.Under his
tenure, membership of the Mysore Legislative Assembly was increased from 18 to
24, and it was given the power to discuss the state budget. The Mysore
Economic Conference was expanded into three committees; industry and commerce,
education, and agriculture, with publications in English and
Kannada. Important projects commissioned during his time included the
construction of the Kannambadi Dam, the
founding of the Mysore Iron Works
at Bhadravathi, founding of
the Mysore University in 1916,
the University Visvesvaraya
College of Engineering in Bangalore, establishment of the
Mysore state railway department and numerous industries in Mysore. In 1955, he
was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest
civilian honor.
Sir Mirza Ismail took office
as Diwan in 1926 and built on the foundation laid by his predecessor. Amongst
his contributions were the expansion of the Bhadravathi Iron Works, the
founding of a cement and paper factory in Bhadravathi and the
launch of Hindustan
Aeronautics Limited. A man with a penchant for gardens, he
founded the Brindavan Gardens (Krishnaraja
Sagar) and built the Kaveri River high-level
canal to irrigate 120,000 acres (490 km2) in modern Mandya
district.
Economy
Main article: Economy of the Kingdom of Mysore
|
|
|
|
|
Kadambas and Gangas
|
|
Kingdom of Mysore
|
|
|
|
|
|
Source
:- www.nidhi-yoga.blogspot.com
|
The vast majority of the people lived in villages
and agriculture was their main occupation. The economy of the kingdom was based
on agriculture. Grains, pulses, vegetables and flowers were cultivated.
Commercial crops included sugarcane and cotton. The agrarian population
consisted of landlords (gavunda, zamindar, heggadde) who tilled the
land by employing a number of landless labourers, usually paying them in grain.
Minor cultivators were also willing to hire themselves out as labourers if the
need arose. It was due to the availability of these landless labourers
that kings and landlords were able to execute major projects such as palaces,
temples, mosques, anicuts (dams) and tanks. Because land was abundant and
the population relatively sparse, no rent was charged on land ownership. Instead,
landowners paid tax for cultivation, which amounted to up to one-half of all
harvested produce.
Tipu Sultan is credited to have founded state
trading depots in various locations of his kingdom. In addition, he founded
depots in foreign locations such as Karachi, Jeddah and Muscat, where Mysore
products were sold. During Tipu's rule French technology was used for the
first time in carpentry and smithy, Chinese technology
was used for sugar production, and technology from Bengal helped
improve the sericulture industry.State
factories were established in Kanakapura and Taramandelpeth for producing
cannons and gunpowder respectively. The state held the monopoly in the
production of essentials such as sugar, salt, iron, pepper, cardamom, betel
nut, tobacco and sandalwood, as well as the
extraction of incense oil from sandalwood and the mining of silver, gold and
precious stones. Sandalwood was exported to China and the Persian Gulf
countries and sericulture was developed in twenty-one centres within the
kingdom.
This system changed under the British, when tax
payments were made in cash, and were used for the maintenance of the army,
police and other civil and public establishments. A portion of the tax was
transferred to England as the "Indian tribute". Unhappy with the
loss of their traditional revenue system and the problems they faced, peasants
rose in rebellion in many parts of south India. After 1800, the Cornwallis
land reforms came into effect. Reade, Munro, Graham and Thackeray were some
administrators who improved the economic conditions of the masses. However,
the homespun textile industry
suffered during British rule, with the exception of the producers of the finest
cloth and the coarse cloth which was popular with the rural masses. This was
due to the manufacturing mills of Manchester, Liverpool and Scotland being more
than a match for the traditional handweaving industry, especially in spinning
and weaving.
The economic revolution in England and the tariff
policies of the British also caused massive de-industrialization in other
sectors throughout India and Mysore. For example, the gunny bag weaving
business had been a monopoly of the Goniga people, which they lost when the
British began ruling the area. The import of a chemical substitute for
saltpetre (potassium nitrate) affected the Uppar community, the traditional
makers of saltpetre for use in gunpowder. The import of kerosene affected the
Ganiga community which supplied oils. Foreign enamel and crockery industries
had an impact on the native pottery business and mill-made blankets replaced
the country-made blankets called kambli. This
economic fallout led to the formation of community-based social welfare
organisations to help those within the community to cope better with their new
economic situation, including youth hostels for students seeking education and
shelter. However, the British economic policies created a class structure
consisting of a newly established middle class comprising various blue and
white-collared occupational groups, including agents, brokers, lawyers,
teachers, civil servants and physicians. Due to a more flexible caste
hierarchy, the middle class contained a heterogeneous mix of people from
different castes.
Culture
Religion
Temple pond
constructed by King Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar at Shravanabelagola, an important
Jain temple town
19th century
Shweta Varahaswamy temple in the Mysore Palace grounds
The early kings of the Wodeyar dynasty worshipped
the Hindu god Shiva. The later kings, starting from the 17th century, took
to Vaishnavism, the worship of
the Hindu god Vishnu. According to musicologist Meera Rajaram Pranesh,
King Raja Wodeyar I was a devotee of the god Vishnu, King Dodda Devaraja was
honoured with the title "Protector of Brahmins" (Deva Brahmana Paripalaka) for his support to Brahmins, and Maharaja
Krishnaraja III was devoted to the goddess Chamundeshwari (a form of Hindu
goddess Durga). Wilks
("History of Mysore", 1800) wrote about a Jangama(Veerashaiva saint-devotee of Shiva) uprising, related to
excessive taxation, which was put down firmly by Chikka Devaraja. Historian
D.R. Nagaraj claims that four hundred Jangamas were
murdered in the process but clarifies that Veerashiava literature itself is
silent about the issue. Historian Suryanath Kamath claims King Chikka
Devaraja was a Srivaishnava (follower of Sri Vaishnavism, a sect of
Vaishnavism) but was not anti-Veerashaiva. Historian Aiyangar concurs that
some of the kings including the celebrated Narasaraja I and Chikka Devaraja
were Vaishnavas, but suggests this may not have been the case with all Wodeyar
rulers. The rise of the modern day Mysore city as a centre of south Indian
culture has been traced from the period of their
sovereignty.[90] Raja Wodeyar
I initiated the celebration of the Dasara festival in
Mysore, a proud tradition of the erstwhile Vijayanagara royal family.
Jainism, though in decline during the late
medieval period, also enjoyed the patronage of the Mysore kings, who made
munificent endowments to theJain monastic
order at the town of Shravanabelagola. Records
indicate that some Wodeyar kings not only presided over the Mahamastakabhishekaceremony, an
important Jain religious event at Shravanabelagola, but also personally offered
prayers (puja) during the years 1659, 1677, 1800, 1825,
1910, 1925, 1940, and 1953.
The contact between South India and Islam goes back to
the 7th century, when trade between Hindu kingdoms and Islamic caliphates thrived.
These Muslim traders settled on the Malabar Coast and married
local Hindu women, and their descendants came to be known as Mappillas. By the 14th century,
Muslims had become a significant minority in the south, though the advent of
Portuguese missionaries checked their growth. Haider Ali, though a devout
Muslim, did not allow his faith to interfere with the administration of the
predominantly Hindu kingdom. Historians are, however, divided on the intentions
of Haider Ali's son, Tipu Sultan. It has been claimed that Tipu raised Hindus
to prominent positions in his administration, made generous grants to Hindu
temples and brahmins, and generally respected other faiths, and that any
religious conversions that Tipu undertook were as punishment to those who
rebelled against his authority.However, this has been countered by other
historians who claim that Tipu Sultan treated the non-Muslims of Mysore far
better than those of the Malabar, Raichurand Kodagu regions. They
opine that Tipu was responsible for mass conversions of Christians and Hindus
in these regions, either by force or by offering them tax incentives and
revenue benefits to convert.
Society
Main article: Society of the Kingdom of Mysore
The Crawford Hall
on Mysore Universitycampus, houses
the university offices
Mysore painting
depicting the HinduGoddess Lakshmi
Prior to the 18th century, the society of the
kingdom followed age-old and deeply established norms of social interaction between
people. Accounts by contemporaneous travellers indicate the widespread practice
of the Hindu caste system and of animal
sacrifices during the nine day celebrations (calledMahanavami). Later, fundamental changes occurred due to the
struggle between native and foreign powers. Though wars between the Hindu
kingdoms and the Sultanates continued, the battles between native rulers
(including Muslims) and the newly arrived British took centre stage. The
spread of English education, the introduction of the printing press and the
criticism of the prevailing social system by Christian missionaries helped make
the society more open and flexible. The rise of modern nationalism throughout India
also had its impact on Mysore.
With the advent of British power, English
education gained prominence in addition to traditional education in local
languages. These changes were orchestrated by Lord Elphinstone, the governor of
the Madras Presidency. His plan became
the constitution of the central collegiate institution or University Board in
1841. Accordingly, a high school department of the university was
established. For imparting education in the interior regions, schools were
raised in principal towns which eventually were elevated to college level, with
each college becoming central to many local schools (zillaschools). The earliest English-medium schools appeared in
1833 in Mysore and spread across the region. In 1858, the department of
education was founded in Mysore and by 1881, there were an estimated 2,087
English-medium schools in the state of Mysore. Higher education became
available with the formation of Bangalore Central
College in Bangalore (1870), Maharaja's
College (1879), Maharani's College (1901) and
the Mysore University (1916) in
Mysore and the St. Agnes College in Mangalore (1921).
Social reforms aimed at removing practices such
as sati and social
discrimination based upon untouchability, as well as
demands for the emancipation of the lower classes, swept across India and
influenced Mysore territory. In 1894, the kingdom passed laws to abolish
the marriage of girls below the age of eight. Remarriage of widowed women and marriage
of destitute women was encouraged, and in 1923, some women were granted the
permission to exercise their franchise in elections. There were,
however, uprisings against British authority in the Mysore territory, notably
theKodagu uprising in
1835 (after the British dethroned the local ruler Chikkaviraraja) and the Kanara uprising of
1837. The era of printing heralded by Christian missionaries,
notably 36Hermann Mögling, resulted in the
founding of printing presses across the kingdom. The publication of ancient and
contemporary Kannada books (such as the Pampa Bharata and the Jaimini Bharata), a Kannada-language
Bible, a bilingual dictionary and a Kannada newspaper called Kannada Samachara began in the
early 19th century. Aluru Venkata Rao published a
consolidated Kannada history glorifying the achievements of Kannadigas in his
book Karnataka Gatha Vaibhava.
Classical English and Sanskrit drama, and
native Yakshagana musical theater influenced
the Kannada stage and produced famous dramatists like Gubbi Veeranna. The public
began to enjoy Carnatic music through its
broadcast via public address systems set up on the palace grounds. Mysore paintings, which were
inspired by the Bengal Renaissance, were created by
artists such as Sundarayya, Ala Singarayya, and B. Venkatappa.
Literature
Main articles: Kannada literature in the Kingdom of Mysore and Modern Kannada literature
Opening page of
the musical treatiseSritattvanidhi proclaiming Krishnaraja
Wodeyar III as the author
The era of the Kingdom of Mysore is considered an
important age in the development of Kannada literature. Not only was the
Mysore court adorned by famous Brahmin and Veerashaiva writers and
composers,the kings themselves were accomplished in the fine arts,While
conventional literature in philosophy and religion remained popular, writings
in new genres such as chronicle, biography, history, encyclopedia, novel,
drama, and musical treatise became popular. A native form of folk
literature with dramatic representation called Yakshagana gained
popularity. A remarkable development of the later period was the influence
of English literature and
classical Sanskrit literature on Kannada.
Govinda Vaidya, a native of Srirangapatna, wrote Kanthirava Narasaraja Vijaya, a eulogy
of his patron King Narasaraja I. Written in sangatya metre (a composition meant to be rendered to the
accompaniment of a musical instrument), the book describes the king's court,
popular music and the types of musical compositions of the age in twenty-six
chapters.King Chikka Devaraja was the earliest composer of the dynasty.To him
is ascribed the famous treatise on music called Geetha Gopala. Though inspired by Jayadeva's Sanskrit writing Geetha Govinda, it had an originality of
its own and was written in saptapadi metre. Contemporary
poets who left their mark on the entire Kannada-speaking region include
the brahmin poet Lakshmisa and the itinerant Veerashaivapoet Sarvajna. Female poets also
played a role in literary developments, with Cheluvambe (the queen of
Krishnaraja Wodeyar I), Helavanakatte Giriyamma, Sri Rangamma (1685) and Sanchi Honnamma (Hadibadeya Dharma, late 17th century)
writing notable works.
A polyglot, King Narasaraja II authored fourteen
Yakshaganas in various languages, though all are written in Kannada
script. Maharaja Krishnaraja III was a prolific writer in Kannada for
which he earned the honorific Abhinava
Bhoja (a comparison to the medieval King Bhoja). Over forty
writings are attributed to him, of which the musical treatise Sri Tatwanidhi and a
poetical romance called Saugandika
Parinaya written in two versions, a sangatya and a drama, are most well known. Under the
patronage of the Maharaja, Kannada literature began its slow and gradual change
towards modernity. Kempu Narayana's Mudramanjusha ("The
Seal Casket", 1823) is the earliest work that has touches of modern
prose. However, the turning point came with the historically
important Adbhuta Ramayana (1895)
and Ramaswamedham (1898) by
Muddanna, whom the Kannada scholar Narasimha Murthy considers "a Janus like
figure" of modern Kannada literature. Muddanna has deftly handled an
ancient epic from an entirely modern viewpoint.
Basavappa Shastry, a native of Mysore and a
luminary in the court of Maharaja Krishnaraja III and Maharaja Chamaraja IX, is
known as the "Father of Kannada theatre" (Kannada Nataka Pitamaha). He authored dramas in Kannada and
translated William Shakespeare's
"Othello" to Shurasena
Charite. His well-known translations from Sanskrit to Kannada are many and
includeKalidasa, Abhignyana Shakuntala.
Music
Main article: Musicians of the Kingdom of Mysore
Legendary Vainikas – Veene
Subbanna and Veene Sheshanna (photographed
in 1902)
Under Maharaja Krishnaraja III and his successors
– Chamaraja IX, Krishnaraja IV and the last ruler, Jayachamaraja, the Mysore
court came to be the largest and most renowned patron of music. While the
Tanjore and Travancore courts also extended great patronage and emphasised
preservation of the art, the unique combination of royal patronage of
individual musicians, founding of music schools to kindle public interest and a
patronage of European music publishers and producers set Mysore
apart. Maharaja Krishnaraja III, himself a musician and musicologist of
merit, composed a number of javalis (light
lyrics) and devotional songs in Kannada under the title Anubhava pancharatna. His compositions
bear the nom de plume (mudra) "Chamundi'" or
'"Chamundeshwari'", in honour of the Wodeyar family deity.His
successor Chamaraja IX founded the Oriental Library in 1891 to house music
books and also commissioned phonograph recordings of several musicians for the
palace library.
Under Krishnaraja IV, art received further
patronage. A distinct school of music which gave importance to raga and bhava evolved.The Royal School of Music
founded at the palace helped institutionalise teaching of the art. Carnatic
compositions were printed and the European staff notation came to be employed
by royal musicians. Western music was also encouraged – Margaret Cousins' piano
concerto with the Palace Orchestra marked the celebrations of Beethoven's
centenary in Bangalore. Maharaja Jayachamaraja, also a renowned composer
of Carnatic kritis (a musical
composition), sponsored a series of recordings of Russian composer Nikolas
Medtner and others. The court ensured that Carnatic music also kept up
with the times. Gramophone recordings of the palace
band were made and sold commercially. Attention was paid to
"technology of the concert". Lavish sums were spent on acquiring
various instruments including the unconventional horn violin, theremin and calliaphone, a mechanical
music player.
The Mysore court was home to several renowned
experts (vidwan) of the
time. Veena Sheshanna, a court musician
during the rule of Maharaja Chamaraja IX, is considered one of the
greatest exponents of the veena. His
achievements in classical music won Mysore a premier place in the art of
instrumental Carnatic music and he was given the honorific Vainika Shikhamani by Maharaja
Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV. Mysore Vasudevacharya was a noted
musician and composer in Sanskrit and Telugu from Mysore. He holds the
unique distinction of being patronised by four generations of Mysore kings and
rulers and for being court musician to three of them.H.L. Muthiah Bhagavatar was another
musician-composer who adorned the Mysore court.Considered one of the most
important composers of the post-Tyagaraja period, he
is credited with about 400 compositions in Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil
under the pen name "Harikesha". Among violinists, T. Chowdiah emerged as
one of the most accomplished exponents of the time. He is known to have
mastered the seven-stringed violin.Chowdiah was appointed court musician by
Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV in 1939 and received such titles as
"Sangeeta Ratna" and "Sangeeta Kalanidhi". He is credited
with compositions in Kannada, Telugu and Sanskrit under the pen name
"Trimakuta".
Architecture
The Gopura (tower) of
theChamundeshwari Temple on
theChamundi Hills. The temple is
dedicated to Mysore's patron deity.
The architectural style of courtly and royal
structures in the kingdom underwent profound changes during British rule – a
mingling of European traditions with native elements. The Hindu temples in the
kingdom were built in typical South Indian Dravidian style – a modest
version of the Vijayanagara building idiom.When in power, Tipu Sultan
constructed a palace and a mosque in Srirangapatna, his capital. However, it is
the city of Mysore that is best known for its royal palaces, earning it the
nickname "City of Palaces". The city's main palace, the Mysore Palace, is also known as
the Amba Vilas Palace. The original complex was destroyed by fire and a new
palace was commissioned by the Queen-Regent and designed by the English
architect Henry Irwin in 1897. The overall design is a combination of
Hindu, Islamic, Indo-Saracenic and Moorish styles, which
for the first time in India, used cast iron columns and roof frames. The
striking feature of the exterior is the granite columns that support cusped
arches on the portico, a tall tower whose finial is a gilded dome with an
umbrella (chattri) on it, and groups
of other domes around it.The interior is richly decorated with marbled walls
and a teakwood ceiling on which are sculptures of Hindu deities. The Durbar hall leads to
an inner private hall through silver doors. This opulent room has floor planels
that are inlaid with semi-precious stones, and a stained glass roof supported
centrally by columns and arches. The marriage hall (Kalyana mantapa) in the palace complex is noted for its stained
glass octogonal dome with peacock motifs.
The Jaganmohan
Palace at Mysore – now an art gallery which is
home to some ofRaja Ravi Varma's masterpieces
Tipu
Sultan's tomb atSrirangapatna
Lalitha
Mahal at Mysore –
now a five-star hotel, plays host to
visiting dignitaries andVIPs
The Lalitha Mahal Palace was
built in 1921 by E.W. Fritchley under the commission of Maharaja Krishnaraja
IV. The architectural style is called "Renaissance" and exhibits
concepts from English manor houses and Italian
palazzos. The central dome is believed to be modelled on St. Paul's
Cathedral in London. Other important features are the
Italian marble staircase, the polished wooden flooring in the banquet and dance
halls, and the Belgian cut glass lamps.[ The Jaganmohan Palace was
commissioned in 1861 and was completed in 1910. The three-storeyed building
with attractive domes, finials and cupolas was the venue
of many a royal celebration. It is now called the Chamarajendra Art Gallery and
houses a rich collection of artifacts.
The Mysore University campus, also
called "Manasa Gangotri", is home to several architecturally
interesting buildings. Some of them are in European style and were completed in
late 19th century. They include the Jayalakshmi Vilas mansion, the
Crawford Hall, the Oriental Research Institute (built between 1887 and 1891)
with its Ionic and Corinthian columns, and the district offices (Athara Kutchery, 1887). The Athara
Kutchery, which initially served as the office of the British commissioner, has
an octagonal dome and a finial that adds to its beauty. The maharaja's
summer palace, built in 1880, is called the Lokaranjan Mahal, and initially
served as a school for royalty. The Rajendra Vilas Palace, built
in the Indo-British style atop the Chamundi Hill, was commissioned
in 1922 and completed in 1938 by Maharaja Krishnaraja IV. Other royal
mansions built by the Mysore rulers were the Chittaranjan Mahal in Mysore and
the Bangalore Palace in Bangalore,
a structure built on the lines of England's Windsor Castle. The Central
Food Technical Research Institute (Cheluvamba Mansion), built in baroque European
renaissance style, was once the residence of princess Cheluvambaamani Avaru, a
sister of Maharaja Krishnaraja IV. Its extensive pilaster work and mosaic
flooring are noteworthy.
Most famous among the many temples built by the
Wodeyars is the Chamundeshwari Temple atop the Chamundi Hill. The earliest
structure here was consecrated in the 12th century and was later patronised by
the Mysore rulers. Maharaja Krishnaraja III added a Dravidian-style gopuram in 1827. The
temple has silver-plated doors with images of deities. Other images include
those of the Hindu god Ganesha and of
Maharaja Krishnaraja III with his three queens.Surrounding the main palace in
Mysore and inside the fort are five temples, built in various periods. The
Prasanna Krishnaswamy Temple (1829), the Lakshmiramana Swamy Temple whose
earliest structures date to 1499, the Trinesvara Swamy Temple (late 16th
century), the Shweta Varaha Swamy Temple built by Purnaiah with a touch of
Hoysala style of architecture, the Prasanna Venkataramana Swami Temple (1836)
notable for 12 murals of the Wodeyar rulers. Well-known temples outside
Mysore city are the yali ("mythical
beast") pillared Venkataramana Temple built in the late 17th century in
the Bangalore fort, and the Ranganatha temple in Srirangapatna.
Tipu Sultan built a wooden colonnaded palace
called the Dariya Daulat Palace (lit,
"garden of the wealth of the sea") in Srirangapatna in 1784. Built in
the Indo-Saracenic style, the palace is known for its intricate woodwork
consisting of ornamental arches, striped columns and floral designs, and
paintings. The west wall of the palace is covered with murals depicting Tipu
Sultan's victory over Colonel Baillie's army at Pollilur, near Kanchipuram in 1780. One
mural shows Tipu enjoying the fragrance of a bouquet of flowers while the
battle is in progress. In that painting, the French soldiers' moustaches distinguish
them from the cleanshaven British soldiers. Also in Srirangapatna is the
Gumbaz mausoleum, built by Tipu
Sultan in 1784. It houses the graves of Tipu and Haider Ali. The granite base
is capped with a dome built of brick and pilaster.
Military technology
The first iron-cased and metal-cylinder rocket artillery were
developed by Tipu Sultan, a Muslim ruler of
the Kingdom of Mysore, and his father Hyder Ali, in the 1780s. He
successfully used these metal-cylinder rockets against the
larger forces of the British East
India Company during the Anglo-Mysore Wars. The Mysore rockets of
this period were much more advanced than what the British had seen, chiefly
because of the use of iron tubes for holding the propellant; this enabled
higher thrust and longer range for the missile (up to 2 km (1 mi)
range). After Tipu's eventual defeat in the Fourth
Anglo-Mysore War and the capture of the Mysore iron
rockets, they were influential in British rocket development, inspiring
the Congreve rocket, which was soon
put into use in the Napoleonic Wars.
"Hyder Ali, prince of Mysore, developed war
rockets with an important change: the use of metal cylinders to contain
the combustion powder.
Although the hammered soft iron he used was crude, the bursting strength of the
container of black powder was much higher than the earlier paper construction.
Thus a greater internal pressure was possible, with a resultant greater thrust
of the propulsive jet. The rocket body was lashed with leather thongs to a long
bamboo stick. Range was perhaps up to three-quarters of a mile (more than a
kilometre). Although individually these rockets were not accurate, dispersion
error became less important when large numbers were fired rapidly in mass
attacks. They were particularly effective against cavalry and were hurled into
the air, after lighting, or skimmed along the hard dry ground. Hyder Ali's
son, Tippu Sultan, continued to
develop and expand the use of rocket weapons, reportedly increasing the number
of rocket troops from 1,200 to a corps of 5,000. In battles at Seringapatam in 1792 and
1799 these rockets were used with considerable effect against the British.
Source :- www.nidhi-yoga.blogspot.com
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete