Mysore emerged as one of the biggest centers of art and culture in the Indian subcontinent during the period between 1799 and 1947. The contributions of Mysore Kings are immense who had a good taste for fine arts and were enthusiastic patrons of the legacies including music and art. It is because of their contributions that the legacy of all the various art forms still continues.
Administrative Skills Of Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar
Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar possessed excellent administrative skills and took a personal interest in the regular collection of revenues for the treasury. He collected 90,000,000 Pagoda (a currency unit) at one time giving him the title of Nava Koti Narayana. Chikkadeveraja also developed Sharavanbelagola pond and district offices with eighteen departments in the central secretariat.
2. Powerful Navies Developed By Haider Ali
Haider Ali is the father of ever-so-famous King of Mysore, Tipu Sultan. It was during the reign of Haider Ali that India emerged as the major power and one of the most powerful navies in the subcontinent. It was the Mysore Navy that protected the ships of merchants in the Arabian Sea.
3. Haider Ali & Tipu Sultan Introduced Use Of Rockets
Historical facts reveal that it was during the reign of Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan that India started using rockets in warfare for the first time. The rockets helped the Mysore Army defeat the Britishers in the Battle of Pollilur.
4. Father-Son Duo Gift Of Gardens
The father-son duo of Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan also are the reason Bengaluru is now called the Garden City of India. They developed a beautiful entity, the Lalbagh Botanical Gardens, one of the most beautiful gardens in India in Bengaluru.
5. Cultural Growth Of Mysore State
After the death of Tipu Sultan in 1799 and annexation of the Mysore Kingdom between the Nizam and Madras Presidency, Krishnaraja III became the king. Mummadi Krishnaraja was a writer himself and created several Kannada books like Saugandhikaparinaya and Sritattvanidhi. A patron of scholars and artisans, Krishnaraja himself created 50 works in Kannada and Sanskrit.
6. Krishnaraja’s Contribution In Development Of Literary Works
Apart from being a writer himself, Krishnaraja also encouraged various other forms of literature including Yakshagana. He is responsible for the growth and survival of Yakshagana form of Literature. He supported and encouraged the famous Yakshagana writer, Parti Subba from South Canara. Other writers who flourished during his era include Devachandra, Venkatarama Shastri, Aliya Lingaraja, Basavappa Shastri, Kempu Narayana, Thammaya Kavi, Srinivasa Kavisarvabhouma, Nanjunda Kavi, and Shantaraja Pandita.
7. Chamarajendra Wodeyar’s Indelible Mark
Chamarajendra Wodeyar succeeded Krishnaraja and left a major mark on the Kingdom of Mysore by instituting the Representative Assembly of Mysore state in the year 1881. Thus, he was the first ruler to introduce a democratic, modern legislative institution for the first time in princely India.
8. Chamarajendra Wodeyar And Swami Vivekananda Connection
It seems that Charmarajendra Wodeyar was a visionary king because it was due to his efforts that the world could discover Swami Vivekananda through his famous ‘Brothers and Sisters’ speech. Charmarajendra sponsored the entire journey of Swamiji during which he delivered the famous World Parliament of Religions in Chicago speech in 1865.
9. Remarkable Contribution In Education
Charmarajendra Wodeyar is one of the few kings who promoted women’s education by founding the Kannada Bashojjivini School. He also instituted several industrial schools and conducted the annual Dasara Industrial Exhibition.
It is said that in the 1900s, the then Maharaja Of Mysore, Nalwadi Krishna Raja Wodeyar gave 380 acres of land to Jamshedpurji Tata to build a research center. It is none other than today’s Indian Institute of Science of Bengaluru. Another key thing to note here is that the institute was built under the supervision of Sir M. Visvesvaraya.
10. Financing Poor Farmers
Charmarajendra Wodeyar founded the Agricultural Banks with the view to financing farmers. He also started life insurance schemes for government employees. Of course, as known, KRS Dam which was built under the supervision of Sir M V is one of the greatest contributions of Mysore Kings to Karnataka.
So, these are some of the major contributions of Mysore Kings. If we go deep into the history then there’s more and more to it.
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