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| ===Society=== | ===Society=== | ||
| ===Literature=== | ===Literature=== | ||
| {{See also|Mysore Kingdom literature}} | |||
| The reign of the Mysore kingdom is considered a golden age in Kannada literature, especially in the field of musical treatises, compositions and drama. Not only were their courts adorned by famous writers and composers, many of the kings themselves were accomplished in the fine arts and have made important contributions.<ref name="kan1">Pranesh (2003), preface chapter p(i)</ref> During this period, though traditional literature in philosophy and religion etc., continued to be popular, a wave of writings in such new topics as chronicles (''vamshavali''), biographies, history, encyclopedia, novel, drama, treatises on music amd musical compositions became popular.<ref name="kan2">Narasimhacharya (1988), p23-26</ref> A unique and native form of poetic literature with dramatic representation called ] gained popularity in the 18th century.<ref name="kan3">Narasimhacharya (1988), p25</ref><ref name="kan4">Kamath (2001), p281</ref> A remarkable development of the later period was the influence of ] and classical ] on ].<ref name="kan8">Kamath (2001), p280</ref> | |||
| In the court of King Narasaraja Wodeyar I, Govinda Vaidya, a native of ] (in modern Mandya district) wrote a book called ''Kanteerava Narasaraja Vijaya'' in sangatya metre and melodeous Kannada describing the life style, the kings court, popular music and types of musical compositions of that time in twenty six chapters (''sandhis'').<ref name="kan13">Pranesh (2003), p11</ref> The reign of King Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar produced prolific writers among who the king himself was an accomplished scholar in Kannada and a musician. He is known to be the earliest composer of the dynasty and had the title ''Sahitya Vidyanikasha Prastharam''.<ref name="chikka">Pranesh (2003), p20</ref> To him is ascribed the famous treatise on music in Kannada called ''Geetha Gopala'' which, though inspired by Jayadeva's Sanskrit writing ''Geetha Govinda'', had an originality of its own and was written in saptapadi metre (seven liners). This is the first writing that attempted to propagate ] faith in Kannada language.<ref name="sapta">Pranesh (2003), p21</ref> Some famous names in Kannada literature during the 17th century were the ] poet Lakshmisa, ] grammarian Bhattakalanka and ] poet ]. | |||
| The rule of Kanteerava Narasaraja Wodeyar II (1673-1714) may be considered the age of ] compositions. A polyglot, the king was proficient in Kannada, Sanskrit, Telugu, Tamil and Prakrit. He authored fourteen Yakshaganas in various languages, though all are written in Kannada script.<ref name="wod">Pranesh (2003), p37-38</ref> In the 19th century, King Krishnaraja Wodeyar III (1799-1868) is called the "Morning star of renaissance in Karnataka". He gave munificient grants to scholars of all kinds while being a prolific writer in Kannada himself. Over forty noteable writings are attributed to him of which a poetical romance called ''Saugandhika Parinaya'' is popular. There are two versions of this, one is the sangatya and the other a drama.<ref name="sou">Narasimhacharya (1988), p26</ref> In this writing, the author imaginatively narrates the story of sage ] who curses Devendra (Hindu god ]) to be born as Sucharitra, the son of Sugandharaya, the king of Ratnapuri. Devendra's wife Shachidevi takes birth as Sougandhika and marries Sucharitra.<ref name="indra">Pranesh (2003), p55</ref> Krishnaraja Wodeyar III also wrote three important treatises namely ''Sri Tatwanidhi'' (on music with iconography), ''Swara Chudamani'' on music and ''Sara Sangraha Bharata'' on dance.<ref name="swara">Pranesh (2003), p55</ref> | |||
| A luminary in the court of King Krishnaraja Wodeyar III and Chamaraja Wodeya IX (1868-1901) was Basavappa Shastry, a native of Mysore. Known as ''Kannada Nataka Pitamaha'', Shastri composed the first state anthem of Mysore kingdom called ''Kayou Sri Gowri'' for the coronation of Chamaraja Wodeyar IX.<ref name="gowri">Pranesh (2003), p81</ref> Because of his proficiency in Kannada and Sanskrit, his knowledge of the fine arts, especially drama, he was appointed the head of Chamaraja Nataka Sabha (a drama college) in 1882. Basavappa Shastry authored many dramas in Kannada and translated ]'s "Othello" to its Kannada version called ''Shurasena Charite'' with the help of D.C. Subba Rao. His translations from Sanskrit to Kannada are many and include ''Kalidasa'', ''Abhignyana Shakuntala'', ''Vikramorvasheeya'', ''Malavikagnimitra'', ''Uttara Rama Charite'', ''Chanda Koushika Nataka'', ''Malathi Madhava'' and ''Ratnavali''.<ref name="basava">Pranesh (2003), p82</ref> | |||
| ===Music=== | ===Music=== | ||
| ===Architecture=== | ===Architecture=== | ||
Revision as of 20:53, 16 September 2007
The Kingdom of Mysore (Kannada ಮೈಸೂರು ಸಂಸ್ಥಾನ ) (1399 - 1947 CE) was a kingdom of southern India and was founded in AD 1399 by Yaduraya. The Wodeyar dynasty, as they are known, ruled the Southern Karnataka region until Indian independence in 1947 when the kingdom was merged with the Union of India.
History
Template:Mysore Kings Infobox The history of Mysore kingdom has been studied with the help of a large number of inscriptions, written records in the Mysore palace and contemporary literary sources in Kannada such as Kanteerava Narasaraja Vijayama, Chikkadavaraja Vamshavali and others. Several legends exist regarding the origin of the kingdom and its founders. According to one legend, when the city of Dwaraka (in modern Gujarat state) was drowned in the ocean, the Hindu God Krishna requested Parvati (consort of hindu God Shiva) to protect his descendents and make them the rulers of southern region of Yadushaila (modern Melkote in Mandya district, Karnataka state). As per his wishes, Parvati brought Krishna's descendents to the Chamundi hills and made them rulers.
It is well accepted that the kingdom originated as a small state based in the city of Mysore, and was established by two brothers, Yaduraya (also known as Vijaya) and Krishnaraya. However the origins of the brothers are contested by historians, some of who claim a northern origin at Dwaraka and others a local southern origin. The earliest mention of their origin in the city of Dwaraka and their journey down to the Mysore region is found only from the writings of Govinda Vaidya (17th century), the court poet of Narasaraja Wodeyar (also known as Ranadheera Kanteerava) and was later repeated in the writings of Tirumalarya, the court poet of Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar. According to their writings, around the time the two brothers arrived at Mysore in 1399, the incumbent King Chamaraja died leaving behind his queen Devajammanni and princess Chikkadevarasi but no male heir to the throne. Yaduraya killed Maranayaka, the commander who tried to assert his power over the kingdom and the royal family. Yaduraya married princess Chikkadevarasi and was coronated as "Wodeyar", a name that remained as their dynastic name.
This theory has however been rejected by other historians who opine that it is too far fetched to believe that two brothers from a far of place such as Dwaraka could arrive at a new kingdom and start ruling as kings. They claim that the founders of the kingdom were descendents of the Tonnur Hoysalas who belonged to the lunar race (Chandra Vamsha). According to this theory, when the Hoysala empire succumbed to the Mogul invasion in 1327 and Halebidu was sacked, the Hoysala family withdrew to the Tonnur region (or Tondanur near Melkote in modern Mandya district, Karnataka state) and continued to rule from there as petty chiefs under the overlordship of the Vijayanagara Empire. It is claimed that Yaduraya, the chief at Melkote, rescued the queen of Mysore by killing the commander Maranayaka, married princess Chikkadevarasi and started the Wodeyar dynasty.
The kings who followed Yaduraya were subordinates to the Vijayanagara Empire until the decline of the latter in 1565 when Raja Wodeyar I, the first soveriegn king of the family asserted his independence. A staunch Vaishnava (a Hindu sect) by faith, Raja Wodeyar initiated the celebration of the Dasara festival in Mysore, a tradition that had been a proud custom of the erstwhile Vijayanagara royal familiy. The beginnings of the development of fine arts in Mysore and its rise as a centre of south Indian culture has been traced to Raja Wodeyar I. Raja Wodeyar I was followed by Chamaraja Wodeyar V and Raja Wodeyar II. In 1637, the celebrated Narasaraja Wodeyar, also known as Ranadheera Kanteerava Narasaraja Wodeyar came to power. He was known for his valor on battlefield, his physical strength and his interest in the fine arts.
The Kannada writing in champu (mixed prose-verse) Kanteerava Narasaraja Vijayam by his court poete Govinda Vaidya gives a detailed account of the kingdom and favorably compares the king to the Hindu God Narasimha. The diminished Vijayanagara Empire that ruled from Vellore had completely vanished by this time and the Mysore kingdom experienced unprecedented expansion, covering large areas of modern southern Karnataka up to the Satyamangalam region, bordering modern Tamil Nadu. Even the invading armies of Bijapur under the leadership of formidable Ranadullah Khan had been replused. Narasaraja Wodeya, who was known for his wrestling skills once proceeded incognito to Tiruchinapalli and accepted the challenge of a fearsome and hitherto undefeated wrestler. Narasaraja Wodeyar defeated the wrestler and left quitely without accepting any gifts from the local ruler, but left behind a note that read "someone from Mysore has defeated the wrestler".
The next famous king of the dynasty was Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar, who further expanded the kingdom to stretch between Chikkamagaluru in the north and Salem (in modern Tamil Nadu) in the south, prompting claims that he was the most important of the early rulers of Mysore. Evidence indicates the even Maratha emperor Shivaji did not stop to fight a pitched battle with Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar during the 1677 siege of Srirangapattana. Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar's success against the Marathas of Jinji, the combined armies of Maratha Sambhaji, Keladi and Golkonda at Banavara in 1682 is considered noteworthy, though controversy exists regarding his success against the Moguls. Some Mogul records indicate that Mysore kingdom had to accept feudatory status to the Moguls when they invaded the Bangalore territory. However, Mysore palace records claim that Cikka Devaraja Wodeyar defeated the Mogul commander Khasim Khan and raised the Mysore flag at Bangalore on July 10th, 1687. Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar was not only an able leader and administrator, skills for which he earned the title Apratima Veera but also an accomplished musician with the Veena and a writer in Kannada language for which he held the title Sahitya Vidyanikasha Prastharam.
The six decades following the death of Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar saw the decline of Mysore kingdom, with local beurocrats, powerful noblemen (Dalavoy) taking the administration into their own hands. Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar was followed by Narasaraja Wodeyar II, a king who remained silent through out his rule sparking a controversy among historians whether the king was dumb or preferred to perform his duties in sign language and in written communication with his ministers. Either way the kings silence did not seem to come in the way of his duties. Narasaraja Wodeyar II is credited to being proficient writer in several languages and his poetic dramas called Yakshaganas are well known. He was followed by Krishnaraja Wodeyar I and Krishnaraja Wodeyar II, kings in title only as the administration was taken over by the powerful Kalale brothers, Dalavoy Nanjarajaiah and Sarvadhikari Devarajaiah (prime minister). During the later part of the rule of Krishnaraja Wodeyar II, Haider Ali, an iconic figure rose to prominence from the ranks of a army captian. A captain in he army of Nanajrajaiah (the defacto king), Haider Ali became famous following his victory against the Marathas at Bangalore in 1758, resulting in the annexation of the territory into the Mysore Kingdom. In honor of his achievements, the king bestowed upon him the title "Nawab Haider Ali Khan Bahadur".
Haider Ali, though an illiterate, earned an important place in the history of Karnataka by virtue of his fighting skills and administrative acumen. By 1761, the Maratha menace had diminished with their total defeat in the battle of Panipat. This prompted Haider Ali to capture the Keladi kingdom in 1763 and push north of the Tungabhadra river. He defeated the rulers of Bilgi (modern Bagalkot district), Baidanur (modern Shivamogga district) and Gutti (in modern Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh) and extended the Mysore kingdom up to modern Dharwad district. When King Krishnaraja Wodeyar II died, crown prince Nanjaraja Wodeyar became king, but only in title as Haider retained full control of the administration and army. An alliance against Mysore kingdom had been formed between the Marathas, the Nizam of Hyderabad and the British Raj, culminating in the first Anglo-Mysore war in 1767. The war was a victory for Haider Ali and a rout for the British who were driven to the outskirts of Madras (modern Chennai). King Nanjaraja Wodeyar died in 1772 and Chamaraja Wodeyar VII becme the titular king. By 1779, Haider Ali had extended the kingdom from Dharwad and Bellary in the north and included parts of Tamil Nadu amd Kerela in the south. It is estimated that the Mysore Kingdom was about 80,000 square miles in area. Sensing increased hostilities with the British, Haider Ali befriended the French and by 1780 made alliances with the Marathas and the Nizam. But in a crucial war in Tamil Nadu, when a Mysore victory looked imminent, Haider Ali's partners betrayed him and he died fighting the British in 1782. Haider Ali's son Tipu Sultan, also known as "Tiger of Mysore", who had won many battles for the Mysore kingdom in the second Anglo-Mysore war continued hostilities against the British.
Tipu Sultan defeated the British in an important battle at Wandiwash in 1783 but lost some regions in coastal Karnataka. Hostilities against the Marathas resulted in the loss of Kittur, Nargund and Badami territories. Tipu's attack on the kingdom of Travancore, a British feudatory resulted in the third Anglo-Mysore war. By 1792, The British besieged Srirangapattna and Tipu lost half his territories and had to surrender two of his sons as hostages. A humiliated Tipu formed an alliance with the French, the Amir of Afghanistan and Sultanate of Turkey while the British were in alliance with the Marathas and Nizam of Hyderabad. Tipu died fighting in the fourth Anglo-Mysore war in 1799, and large areas of Mysore Kingdom beyond the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats were taken away from the kingdom. The remaining territory comprising modern southern Karnataka was formed into a princely state and the five year old scion of the Wodeyar family (and son of King Chamaraja Wodeyar VIII), Krishnaraja Wodeyar III was installed on the throne. Because the king was still a minor, the administration was handed over to minister (Divan) Purniah. Mysore paid an annual tribute to the British Raj and a subsidy for maintaining a standing British army at Mysore. Purniah for his part, played the role of a progressive and innovative administrator, earning him priase from his British overlords.
Following the 16th birthday of the boy king, Purniah retired in 1811 and the King now administered the kingdom. In 1831, dissatisfied with the economy of the princely state and citing mal-administration, the British took direct and full control of the Mysore kingdom. King Krishnaraja Wodeyar III spend most of his time encouraging the fine arts resulting in the development of carnatic music, especially the instrumental form and a rich period in the history of Kannada literature in Mysore. For his own contribution to these arts, the king was given the tile Abhinava Bhoja. The famous Jagan Mohan palace was constructed by him. The next king, Chamaraja Wodeyar IX was educated in the British education system and took over the Mysore administration in 1881. His court was graced by some of the most famous carnatic musicians of the time, many of them were his court musicians and natives to the Mysore region. The king himself was well versed in carnatic and western music. His successor King Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV was well educated in English, Science, Kannada and Sanskrit and like his predecessors, gave avid patronage to the development of fine arts while he himself was a noted player of many musical instruments, both Indian and Western. Jayachamaraja Wodeyar, the last king of Mysore was a noted writer in Kannada and English and is known to have written the classics Dattatreya - The way and the Goal and Gita and the Indian culture in English and the Dharma mattu manava in Kannada. The Kingdom of Mysore joined the Indian union following the instrument of accession on August 9, 1947. With the merger of Mysore with the Union of India, the reign of the Wodeyars came to an end. The kingdom initially became a separate state within the Union of India and in 1956, the Kannada-speaking areas belonging hitherto to the neighbouring provinces of Madras, Bombay and Hyderabad were merged with Mysore to create a Kannada-speaking state that retained the former name. The name of the state was changed to Karnataka in 1973.
Administration
Economy
Culture
Religion
Society
Literature
See also: Mysore Kingdom literatureThe reign of the Mysore kingdom is considered a golden age in Kannada literature, especially in the field of musical treatises, compositions and drama. Not only were their courts adorned by famous writers and composers, many of the kings themselves were accomplished in the fine arts and have made important contributions. During this period, though traditional literature in philosophy and religion etc., continued to be popular, a wave of writings in such new topics as chronicles (vamshavali), biographies, history, encyclopedia, novel, drama, treatises on music amd musical compositions became popular. A unique and native form of poetic literature with dramatic representation called Yakshagana gained popularity in the 18th century. A remarkable development of the later period was the influence of English literature and classical Sanskrit literature on Kannada literature.
In the court of King Narasaraja Wodeyar I, Govinda Vaidya, a native of Srirangapatna (in modern Mandya district) wrote a book called Kanteerava Narasaraja Vijaya in sangatya metre and melodeous Kannada describing the life style, the kings court, popular music and types of musical compositions of that time in twenty six chapters (sandhis). The reign of King Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar produced prolific writers among who the king himself was an accomplished scholar in Kannada and a musician. He is known to be the earliest composer of the dynasty and had the title Sahitya Vidyanikasha Prastharam. To him is ascribed the famous treatise on music in Kannada called Geetha Gopala which, though inspired by Jayadeva's Sanskrit writing Geetha Govinda, had an originality of its own and was written in saptapadi metre (seven liners). This is the first writing that attempted to propagate Vaishnava faith in Kannada language. Some famous names in Kannada literature during the 17th century were the Brahmin poet Lakshmisa, Jain grammarian Bhattakalanka and Virashaiva poet Sarvajna.
The rule of Kanteerava Narasaraja Wodeyar II (1673-1714) may be considered the age of Yakshagana compositions. A polyglot, the king was proficient in Kannada, Sanskrit, Telugu, Tamil and Prakrit. He authored fourteen Yakshaganas in various languages, though all are written in Kannada script. In the 19th century, King Krishnaraja Wodeyar III (1799-1868) is called the "Morning star of renaissance in Karnataka". He gave munificient grants to scholars of all kinds while being a prolific writer in Kannada himself. Over forty noteable writings are attributed to him of which a poetical romance called Saugandhika Parinaya is popular. There are two versions of this, one is the sangatya and the other a drama. In this writing, the author imaginatively narrates the story of sage Durvasa who curses Devendra (Hindu god Indra) to be born as Sucharitra, the son of Sugandharaya, the king of Ratnapuri. Devendra's wife Shachidevi takes birth as Sougandhika and marries Sucharitra. Krishnaraja Wodeyar III also wrote three important treatises namely Sri Tatwanidhi (on music with iconography), Swara Chudamani on music and Sara Sangraha Bharata on dance.
A luminary in the court of King Krishnaraja Wodeyar III and Chamaraja Wodeya IX (1868-1901) was Basavappa Shastry, a native of Mysore. Known as Kannada Nataka Pitamaha, Shastri composed the first state anthem of Mysore kingdom called Kayou Sri Gowri for the coronation of Chamaraja Wodeyar IX. Because of his proficiency in Kannada and Sanskrit, his knowledge of the fine arts, especially drama, he was appointed the head of Chamaraja Nataka Sabha (a drama college) in 1882. Basavappa Shastry authored many dramas in Kannada and translated Shakespere's "Othello" to its Kannada version called Shurasena Charite with the help of D.C. Subba Rao. His translations from Sanskrit to Kannada are many and include Kalidasa, Abhignyana Shakuntala, Vikramorvasheeya, Malavikagnimitra, Uttara Rama Charite, Chanda Koushika Nataka, Malathi Madhava and Ratnavali.
Music
Architecture
Language
Notes
- Kamath (2001), p227
- Pranesh (2003), p1
- ^ Pranesh (2003), p2
- Kamath (2001), p226
- Pranesh (2003), p3
- Shama Rao in Kamath (2001), p227
- Pranesh (2003), p4
- Kamath (2001), p227
- Pranesh (2003), p10
- Kamath (2001), p228
- Sethu Madhava Rao in Kamath (2001), p229
- Pranesh (2003), p19
- Pranesh (2003), p19
- Kamath (2001), p230
- Pranesh (2003), p20
- Pranesh (2003), p36-37
- Kamath (2001), p230
- Pranesh (2003), p37
- Pranesh (2003), p44
- Kamath (2001), p230
- Kamath (2001), p230
- Shama Rao in Kamath (2001), p233
- Kamath (2001), p232
- Kamath (2001), p232
- Kamath (2001), p232
- Kamath (2001), p232
- Kamath (2001), p233
- Kamath (2001), p234
- Kamath (2001), p249
- A wise and benevolent promoter of industry and opulence- Gen Wellesley in Kamath (2001), p249
- Kamath (2001), p250
- Kamath (2001), p250
- Pranesh (2003), p53
- Pranesh (2003), p92
- Pranesh (2003), p162
- Pranesh (2003), p225
- Pranesh (2003), preface chapter p(i)
- Narasimhacharya (1988), p23-26
- Narasimhacharya (1988), p25
- Kamath (2001), p281
- Kamath (2001), p280
- Pranesh (2003), p11
- Pranesh (2003), p20
- Pranesh (2003), p21
- Pranesh (2003), p37-38
- Narasimhacharya (1988), p26
- Pranesh (2003), p55
- Pranesh (2003), p55
- Pranesh (2003), p81
- Pranesh (2003), p82
References
- Suryanath U. Kamat, A Concise history of Karnataka from pre-historic times to the present, Jupiter books, MCC, Bangalore, 2001 (Reprinted 2002) OCLC: 7796041
- Pranesh, Meera Rajaram (2003), Musical Composers during Wodeyar Dynasty (1638-1947 A.D.), Vee Emm Publications, Bangalore