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Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV
Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV, portrait by K. Keshavayya (c. 1906)
24th Maharaja of Mysore
Reign	1902 – 3 August 1940
Coronation	1 February 1895, Mysore Palace
Predecessor	Chamarajendra Wadiyar X
Successor	Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar
Born	(1884-06-04)4 June 1884 Mysore Palace, Mysore, Kingdom of Mysore (present-day Karnataka, India)
Died	3 August 1940(1940-08-03) (aged 56) Bangalore Palace, Bangalore, Kingdom of Mysore (present-day Karnataka, India)
Spouse	Soubhagyavati Maharani Lakshmivilas Sannidhana Sri Pratapa Kumaribai Devi Ammani Avaru
Names Rajarshi Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar Bahadur
House	Wadiyar dynasty
Father	Chamarajendra Wadiyar X
Mother	Kempananjammani Devi
Religion	Hinduism

Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV (4 June 1884 – 3 August 1940) was the twenty-fourth Maharaja of Mysore, reigning from 1902 until his death in 1940.

Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV is popularly deemed a rajarshi, or 'saintly king', a moniker with which Mahatma Gandhi revered the king in 1925 for his administrative reforms and achievements. He was a philosopher king, seen by Paul Brunton as living the ideal expressed in Plato's Republic. Herbert Samuel compared him to Emperor Ashoka. Acknowledging the maharaja's noble and efficient kingship, John Sankey declared in 1930 at the first Round Table Conference in London, "Mysore is the best administered state in the world". He is often regarded as the "father of modern Mysore" and his reign the "golden age of Mysore". Madan Mohan Malaviya described the maharaja as "dharmic" (virtuous in conduct). John Gunther, the American author, heaped praise on the king. In an obituary, The Times called him "a ruling prince second to none in esteem and affection inspired by both his impressive administration and his attractive personality".

At the time of his death, Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV was one of the world's wealthiest men, with a personal fortune estimated in 1940 to be worth US$400 million, equivalent to $7 billion in 2018 prices.

Early years

Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV was born on 4 June 1884 in Mysore Palace as the son of Maharaja Chamarajendra Wadiyar X and Maharani Kempananjammanni Devi. After the sudden death of his father in Calcutta in 1894, the widowed queen mother Kempananjammanni Devi ruled the state as regent from 1895 to 1902, until Krishnaraja Wadiyar reached the age of majority on 8 August 1902. Upon accession to the throne, he became the fourth king of Mysore by the name, hence known in the vernacular language Kannada as Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar (the qualifying prefix nālvaḍi means "the fourth").

The maharaja had his early education and training at Lokaranjan Palace in Mysore under the direction of P. Raghavendra Rao. In addition to Western studies, he was instructed in Kannada and Sanskrit. He was taught horse-riding and Indian and Western classical music. His early administrative training was imparted by Sir Stuart Fraser of the Bombay Civil Service. The study of the principles of jurisprudence and methods of revenue administration was supplemented by extensive tours of the state during which he gained immense knowledge of the nature of the country which he was later to govern.

Reign

Accession

Shortly after the death of his father Maharaja Chamarajendra Wadiyar X on 28 December 1894, Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, still a boy of eleven, ascended the throne on 1 February 1895. His mother Maharani Kemparajammanni Devi ruled as queen regent until Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV took over on 8 February 1902. The yuvaraja was invested as the Maharaja of Mysore, with full ruling powers, by George Curzon, the Governor-General of India, on 8 August 1902 at a ceremony at Jaganmohana Palace.

Government

Mysore became the first Indian state to have a representative assembly, Mysore Representative Assembly, a democratic forum in 1881. During the maharaja's reign, the assembly was enlarged and became bicameral in 1907 with the creation of the Mysore Legislative Council, a house of elders which introduced much new legislation for the state.

This article is part of a series about the Kingdom of Mysore
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During the maharaja's reign, the Kingdom of Mysore witnessed development in a range of fields. Mysore became the first Indian state to generate hydroelectric power in Asia, and Bangalore was the first Asian city to have street lights, first lit on 5 August 1905. Princes from other sections of India were sent to Mysore for administrative training.

Reforms

The maharaja worked towards alleviating poverty and improving rural reconstruction, public health, industry and economic regeneration, education and the fine arts. He abolished child marriage (for girls below the age 8), gave special importance for girls' education, and offered scholarship for widowed women.

At a time when support for domestic products was pivotal for India's self-reliance and eventual independence from British India, the maharaja encouraged spinning at scale, for which Gandhi greatly praised him.

Education and arts

Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV set up numerous educational infrastructures and institutions. Krishnaraja Wadiyar was the first chancellor of Banaras Hindu University (whose co-founder he also was) and the University of Mysore (whose founder he was). The latter was the first university chartered by an Indian province. The Indian Institute of Science at Bangalore, which was initiated during his mother's tenure as regent, functionally started during his reign in 1911 with a gift of 371 acres (1.5 km) of land and a donation of funds.

The maharaja was a patron of Indian music, both Carnatic and Hindustani, and Western classical music. He was an accomplished musician and, like his predecessors, patronised fine arts. The maharaja was a connoisseur of Carnatic and Hindustani music himself. He played eight musical instruments: flute, violin, saxophone, piano, mridangam, nadaswara, sitar, and veena. Members of the Agra Gharana, including Nattan Khan and Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan, were guests of the maharajah at Mysore, as were Abdul Karim Khan and Gauhar Jan. Barkatullah Khan was a palace musician from 1919 until his death in 1940.

Asthana Vidwan Kadagathur Seshacharya has written various works and is famous for his contributions towards Sanskrit and Kannada literature. The maharaja also composed many poems in Kannada himself.

Contributions

Personal life

Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV was wedded on 6 June 1900 at Jaganmohan Palace to Maharani Pratapa Kumari Devi of Kathiawar, the youngest daughter of Rana Bane Singh of Vana, Kathiawar (present-day Gujarat State). The couple had no children. He died of heart attack on 3 August 1940. His nephew Jayachamaraja Wadiyar succeeded him as Maharaja.

Honours

• King George VI Coronation Medal, 1937
• King George V Silver Jubilee Medal, 1935
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE), 1917
• Bailiff Grand Cross of the Order of St John (GCStJ), 1911
• Delhi Durbar Gold Medal, 1911
• Knight Grand Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India (GCSI), 1907
• Delhi Durbar Gold Medal, 1903

Honorary doctorates

• Honorary Doctorate, University of Mysore, (posthumously in 2011)
• Honorary Doctorate, Banaras Hindu University (at its 21st convocation held on 28 December 1937)

Memorials

• K.R.S. Dam, Mysore; K.R. Circle, Mysore; K.R. Nagara, Mysore
• K.R. Market, Bangalore; K.R. Puram, Bangalore
• K.R. Pete, Mandya

References

1. ^ "The Rajarshi of Mysore". Bangalore Mirror. 6 June 2009. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
2. Puttaswamaiah, K., 1980. Economic development of Karnataka. A treatise in continuity and change. New Delhi: Oxford & IBH, p. 3
3. "Notebooks of Paul Brunton, Category 15: The Orient", Chapter 2, p.453
4. Author (26 September 2018). "Protect heritage Krishnaraja Boulevard with iron grills". Star of Mysore. Retrieved 1 July 2024. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
5. "Mysore State – Connect with IISc". Retrieved 1 July 2024.
6. "[Group portrait of] the Maharaja [of Mysore] & his brothers and sisters". British Library. Archived from the original on 25 October 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2007.
7. "Times' Tribute To Mysore Ruler". Morning Tribune. 6 August 1940. p. 2. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
8. Current Biography 1940, p833
9. T O, Aswathy (4 June 2020). "Remembering Maharaja Krishna Raja Wadiyar, the iconic Mysuru ruler on his 136th birth anniversary". International Business Times India. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
10. Jois, Rama (2004) . Legal and Constitutional History of India: Ancient Legal, Judicial and Constitutional System. Delhi: Universal Law Publishing. p. 597. ISBN 978-81-7534-206-4.
11. "The Maharajah of Mysore". The Times. No. 36843. London. 11 August 1902. p. 15.
12. Navajivan, 8 February 1925: "His Highness the Maharaja of Mysore has taken up spinning. This news cannot but gladden the hearts of those who look upon it as sacred duty ... I congratulate the Maharaja and hope that he will not give up till the end of his life this activity which he has taken up, It will do immense good to him and his subjects."
13. "The Mysore duo Krishnaraja Wodeya IV & M. Visvesvaraya". India Today. Archived from the original on 24 October 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2007.
14. Pranesh (2003), p. 162
15. ^ Raj, Nirmal (March 2015). "Distribution of Social Justice by Rajashri Krishnaraj Wodeyar IV" (PDF). EPRA International Journal of Economic and Business Review. ISSN 2349-0187. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 June 2017.
16. "Bangalore Press website".
17. "Yuvaraja College". Archived from the original on 31 May 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
18. ^ "Hand Book of Karnataka" (PDF).
19. "Mysore Sandal Soap". Archived from the original on 21 January 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
20. "MSCWM website".
21. "Millers report". 18 June 2015.
22. "About". Archived from the original on 16 July 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
23. "NIMHANS".
24. "Marakonahalli Dam". 31 August 2013.
25. "Mysore Sugar Co". Archived from the original on 14 July 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
26. "RRI website".
27. "MPM website".
28. "Maharani's College website".
29. Mellegatti, Pramod (9 June 2003). "Hirebhaskara Dam surfaces as Sharavathy recedes". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2003.

Further reading

• Speeches (1902–1920). Bangalore: Government Press. 1921 – via Internet Archive.
• Wadiyar IV, Krishnaraja (2010). "The Underdog as Scientist". In Narendar, Pani; Sindhu, Radhakrishna; Kishor G, Bhat (eds.). Bengaluru, Bangalore, Bengaluru: Imaginations and Their Times. SAGE Publishing India. ISBN 978-93-86042-57-6.
• Swamy, G. L. (1942). Mysore State – via Internet Archive.
• Ward, Geoffrey C. (1983). The Maharajas. Stonehenge. ISBN 0-86706-022-0.
• Royaloo Chetty, T. (1909). A Brief Sketch of the Life of T. R. A. Thumboo Chetty, C.I.E, Formerly Chief Judge and Officiating Dewan of Mysore. Hoe & Co.Madras.

Books

• Ikegame, Aya (2013). Princely India Re-imagined: A Historical Anthropology of Mysore from 1799 to the Present. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-55449-7.

Articles

• Sayeed, Vikhar Ahmed (6 July 2014). "The spread of education". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X.
• Moona, Suresh (19 December 2019). "The royal role". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X.
• Satya, Gouri (27 April 2012). "Lord Curzon's prophetic words on Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV". Deccan Herald.
• Satya, Gouri (24 August 2019). "What make Mysuru's heritage..." Deccan Herald.
• Prasad, Narendra (7 August 2017). "A royal who worked alongside the public". Deccan Herald.

External links

• 1884 births
• 1940 deaths
• Kings of Mysore
• Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India
• Indian Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
• Bailiffs Grand Cross of the Order of St John
• Wadiyar dynasty
• Kannada people
• 20th-century Indian royalty