11th September 1893 was the day when one man single handedly changed the entire perspective about how the Western world viewed India. All it took for him was just one sentence. That one sentence got him a standing ovation which lasted for about two minutes. That one sentence was “Sisters and brothers of America!” The occasion was the World’s Parliament of Religions held in 1893 in the city of Chicago and the man was none other than Swami Vivekananda.
But who sponsored the journey of Swami Vivekananda to Chicago? There were many sources who did and one among them was the 23rd Maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore, Sri Sir Chamarajendra Wadiyar X. In pre-independent India, there were many princely states. The rulers of many princely states were often focused on accumulating wealth and did little for their citizens. But the Kingdom of Mysore was an exception and was not just one of the best governed states in India, but in the entire world.
Chamarajendra Wadiyar was a visionary and is considered to be among the greatest kings to have ruled the Kingdom of Mysore along with his successors Krishnaraja Wadiyar-IV and Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar. Born on 22 February 1863, he was adopted by his grandfather Krishnaraja Wadiyar-III, who named him as his successor. Chamarajendra ascended the throne in 1868 at the tender age of 5. He was groomed by the British, who had held the direct control of Mysore since 1831. In 1881, the British handed over the control of the kingdom to Chamarajendra. Mysore was now back in the hands of the Wadiyars and Chamarajendra became the absolute monarch at the age of 18.
His first act as the absolute monarch was to create a representative assembly in Mysore, which was the first democratic legislation in pre-independent India. The fortunes of the empire were about to change and a big step happened in 1883 when Sir K Seshadri Iyer was appointed as the Dewan of Mysore. Seshadri Iyer went on to become the longest serving Dewan in the history of Mysore and held the position for 18 years.
The combination of Seshadri Iyer and Chamarajendra Wadiyar really turned out to be a brilliant one. The two were responsible for a great many things as follows.
Maharaja’s College in Mysore was established in 1889 and even today, it is one of the most famous colleges in Karnataka and its alumni include the likes of Kuvempu, SM Krishna, SL Bhyrappa, RK Lakshman, RK Narayan, and many others.
The Oriental Research Institute began in 1891 as a library. The institute deals with ancient manuscripts in Sanskrit, Kannada, Tulu, Malayalam, and various other languages. It has a wide range of manuscripts including Kautilya’s Arthashastra. Today, it has more than 30,000 manuscripts.
Mysore Zoo was created in 1892 on the fields of the Maharaja’s summer palace. Originally called as Palace Zoo, it is now known as Chamarajendra Zoological Garden, named after its founder.
Chamarajapet was established in 1892 and it was the first planned locality of old Bengaluru or pete Bengaluru. Recently, the residents of the locality celebrated 125 years of one of the most iconic localities in the city of Bengaluru.
The iconic Lalbagh Glass House was constructed in 1889 in the botanical garden.
The Maharaja was a great patron of arts and music. He himself was an exponent of Carnatic music and himself composed a few kritis and javalis. The great king would have probably done a lot more had it not been for his untimely demise in 1894. He was just 31 years old when he passed away. He was succeeded by his son Krishnaraja Wadiyar-IV, who followed into his father’s footsteps and brought even more glory to the kingdom.
Seshadri Iyer however continued his great work and was responsible for the setting up of Kolar Gold Mines and subsequently the hydel power station at Shivanasamudra in 1902, because of which Bengaluru became one of the earliest cities in Asia to be supplied with electricity. In 1898, a bout of plague devastated the city of Bengaluru. Seshadri Iyer took immediate action which resulted in a very swift recovery. He established the Victoria Hospital in 1900 and took steps to decongest the city. For his efforts in developing the city, he is known as the Maker of Modern Bengaluru.
Chamarajendra Wadiyar and Seshadri Iyer were great individuals who made what Mysuru and Bengaluru are today. Their contributions will never be forgotten and their legacy is evident from the priceless buildings and projects that were undertaken by them and are still in use, even to this date.