Wodeyar
From open-encyclopedia.com - the free encyclopedia.
The Wodeyar dynasty was an Indian royal dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of Mysore from 1399 to 1947, until the independence of India from British rule and the subsequent unification of British dominions and princely states into the Republic of India.
| Contents |
Early History
The dynasty was established by Vijaya, who came to Mysore from Dvaraka in Gujarat, India. Vijaya took on the name Dēva Rāya and ruled Mysore, then a small town, from 1399 to 1423.
The Mysore kingdom was ruled by a succession of rulers of the Wodeyar dynasty for the next couple of centuries. However, the kingdom remained fairly small during this period and was not independent, being a subsidiary of the Vijayanagara empire.
Expansion
The Vijayanagara Empire disintegrated in 1565. The power vacuum created soon after was utilized by Rāja Wodeyar, who ruled Mysore from 1578 to 1617. He expanded the borders of the Mysore kingdom and also shifted the capital from the city of Mysore to Srīrangapatna, a rare island in the middle of the Kāvēri river, which provided natural protection against military attacks.
Subsequent famous rulers of the dynasty include Ranadhīra Kanthīrava Narasarāja Wodeyar (ruled 1638-1659) who expanded the frontiers of the Mysore Kingdom to Trichy in Tamil Nadu. The dynasty reached its peak under Chikka Devarāja Wodeyar (ruled 1673-1704), who widely reformed the administration of the empire by dividing it into 18 departments (called chāvadis) and also introduced a coherent system of taxation.
Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan
The rule of the Wodeyar dynasty was disrupted during the 18th century by the ascent of Hyder Ali and his son, Tipu Sultan. Hyder Ali was an ordinary soldier who rose through the ranks to become the head of the army. He virtually took control of the Mysore Kingdom, the Wodeyars being sidelined to mere figureheads. Hyder Ali, however, never officially ascended the throne himself, believing in a religious maxim to not betray his king. His son, Tipu Sultan, also known as Sher-E-Mysore (The Tiger of Mysore), ascended the throne himself and ruled from 1782 until he died fighting the British in 1799.
Under British Rule
The British re-installed the Wodeyars into the throne of Mysore and shifted the capital back to the city of Mysore from Srīrangapatna. However, the Wodeyars were now subsidiaries of the British Raj and had severely limited control over the kingdom and its administration.
The Wodeyars, freed from security concerns, shifted attention to the patronage of the fine arts. Under their patronage, Mysore became a cultural center of Karnataka, fostering a number of famous musicians, writers and painters like Raja Ravi Varma. The last king of the Wodeyar dynasty was Jayachāmarāja Wodeyar, who ruled from 1940 until the independence of India from British rule.
Wodeyar Rulers of Mysore
- Yaduraya (1399 - 1423)
- Hiriya Bettada Chamaraja Wodeyar (1423 - 1459)
- Thimmaraja Wodeyar (1459 - 1479)
- Hiriya Chamaraja Wodeyar (1479 - 1513 AD)
- Hiriya bettada Chamaraja II Wodeyar (1513 - 1553)
- Bola Chamaraja Wodeyar (1572 - 1576)
- Bettada Chamaraja Wodeyar III (1576 - 1578)
- Raja Wodeyar (1578 - 1617)
- Chamaraja Wodeyar (1617 - 1637).
- Raja II Wodeyar (1637 - 1638)
- Sri Ranadhira Kantirava Narasaraja Wodeyar (1638 - 1659)
- Dodda Devaraja Wodeyar (1659 - 1673)
- Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar (1673 - 1704)
- Kanteerava Narasaraja Wodeyar (1704 - 1714)
- Dodda Krishnaraja Wodeyar (1732 - 1734)
- Krishnaraja II Wodeyar (1734 - 1766)
- Bettada Chamaraja Wodeyar (1770 - 1776)
- Khasa Chamaraja Wodeyar (1766 - 1796)
- Krishnaraja III Wodeyar (1799 - 1868)
- Chamaraja III Wodeyar (1868 - 1895)
- Chamaraja IV Wodeyar (1895 - 1940)
- Jayachamaraja Wodeyar (1940 - 1947)
- Rajpramukh of Mysore state, (1947 - 1956)
- Governor of Mysore state, (1956 - 1964)
See Also
External Links
Mysore - Imperial City of Karnataka
fr:Odeyâr
