The Unspoken Heroes of Dasara

Prelude:

Mysuru, I always thought that the name meant Mahishasura Mardini Ooru – the Ooru (city) where the asura (demon) Mahisha was slain by Goddess Chamundeshwari. The triumph of good over evil is always an endearing phrase and that the city derived its name from the Goddess whose temple stands majestically on top of the hill is far more appealing than being referred to as Mahishasurana Ooru- Mysuru- that is the city of the demon Mahisha.

Mysore is an anglicised version of Mahishuru which means the abode of Mahisha. Mahishasura is a Sanskrit word composed of Mahisha meaning “buffalo” and asura meaning “demon”. I realise that we have become as thick skinned as buffalo/s and as demonic as Mahisha who rides on it. Mind you we have never stopped worshipping Chamundeshwari- either on top of the hill (on all days) or during the world famous Dasara festivities.

Goddess Chamundeshwari on Howdah

I think that we are demonic and thick skinned as our ignorance has not been slain. We are ignorant of the facts and people who have been responsible for many of the things and facts that has made possible Mysuru Dasara, which we are so proud of.

History pays obeisance to Raja Wadiyar I who started Dasara celebrations in 1610, Krishna Raja Wadiyar III and IV are also given credit and why not? It was Krishnaraja Wadiyar III who resumed the rule of Mysore by the Wadiyar lineage after a gap of nearly forty years and shifted the capital from Serirangapatna to Mysuru.

Special Durbar began during the reign of Krishna Raj Wadiyar III, re-building of the Mysuru Palace which is the epicenter of attraction at all times and especially during Dasara and the beginning of the gun -salute was during Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV. What is interesting is that both the Wadiyar’s, Mummudi (Krishna Raja Wadiyar III) and Nalwadi (Krishna Raja Wadyiar IV) were five and ten years old when they ascended the throne and achieved remarkable milestones.

Obviously, there were other forces that were responsible for the extraordinary good deeds. The credit is given to the Diwan’s of Mysore- Diwan Purnaiah, Diwan Sheshadri Iyer to mention just a few. There is no denying their huge contributions and extraordinary skills in administering the State.

However, the other forces, the unseen ones which made Dasara possible are not given their due. These are, as always, the women in their lives- the grandmother of Mummudi, Lakshmiammanni Devi and the mother of Nalwadi, Kemmpannanjammanni Devi. It seems only right that we pay tribute to these two extraordinary women during Dasara and pray to Ma Durga ‘to awaken and strengthen our intellect, the discriminating faculty of man’ and destroy our ignorance.

Ma Durga:

Yaa Devi Sarva-Bhutessu Buddhi-Ruupenna Samsthitaa |
Namas-Tasyai Namas-Tasyai Namas-Tasyai Namo Namah ||

Salutations to the Devi residing in all beings in the form of intelligence (buddhi) (hymn from Rigveda).

Now for some details: 

Turn the pages of history and you will find some amazing facts about both the queens. They share certain similarities, though their settings were a century apart.

Lakshmiammanidevi was the Regent of Mysore between 1799 and 1810, a post that was thrust on her. Her husband Krishna Raja Wadiyar II (Immadi) died in the year 1766. From then till 1796, Nanjaraja Wadiyar (1766-1770), Chamaraja Wadiyar VIII (1770-1776) and Chamaraja Wadiyar IX (1776-1796) were the designated Raja’s but Hyder Ali and Tippu Sultan Ruled. Chamaraja Wadiyar IX’s son was Mummudi and Lakshmiammanidevi adopted him. She was 57 years of age and Mummudi was five years old when she became the Regent.

Kempananjammanni Devi was made the queen regent between 1895 and 1902 after the untimely death of her husband Chamarajendra Wadiyar X. She was 28 years of age, and her son Nalwadi was ten years old.  

Both held on to their posts and took up their responsibilities-a role that was thrust on them -for almost  the same number of years, Lakshmiammani Devi for eleven and Kempananjammani Devi -close to eight years- with grit and determination. Being women of substance, they did not end up just “holding the fort” but did commendable work that should be recorded in golden letters in the annals of Indian history. 

Lakshmiammani Devi (1742- 1810)

Born in 1742 as the daughter of Kathi Gopalraj Urs of the Mysore Royal Clan, Lakshmiammani Devi married KWII in 1759. Some pages of history speak about Devajammani, the mother-in-law who chose the bride, without knowing that she would be the savior of the Royal dynasty and the husband-who died within seven years of marriage- both beseeching a promise from Lakshmiammani Devi to restore the Royal power that was lost. They asked her as she had a strong mind and capable intellect.

Without kingdom and with a family to maintain and worse still a powerful usurper in the shape and form of Hyder Ali, Lakshmiammani Devi fought – not with a sword but with various strategies- to ensure that the last kingdom was restored to her family, the family of the Wadiyars. Her strategies were very many, briefly it included trying to strike alliances with other warrior groups/kings- she reached out to the Marathas to get military aid, twice, and when that did not work out due to various reasons, she made repeated efforts to engage with The East India Company Governors.

First it was Lord Piggot whose help was sought and at his suggestion, she places Tirumala Rao as her representative in Madras. For this, she offered him the Dewanship of the state and an annual salary of ten per cent of the State’s revenue, to be given after the completion of the job. Now, if that was not a tempting, powerful incentive, what is? She certainly knew how to pay for services and did not baulk at a price – to ensure she reached her goal.

Lord Piggot died and so she approached Lord Macartney, the new Governor and it is with him she entered a formal treaty on October 28, 1782.  This treaty is of great interest as she committed to reimbursement of the military expenditure of the war.  The treaty spelt out giving a sum of Rs 30 lakhs and in instalments, the first one to be given after the troops were driven out of certain territories, next after taking possession of certain forts etc.  The treaty was based on performance, which is even today considered a fair and win-win business strategy.

The treaty also specified that the East India Company, after winning the war, should not interfere in the management of the State as also the management of various officers who would be appointed by the Wadiyar’s. It further laid down conditions that the jewels, treasures, elephants, horses, military stores and effects of every kind that Hyder Ali and his officers might have been taken/looted should be given back to her/ Rana (the king of her dynasty). At the end of it all, the important aspect is one where she says that her successors should take full possession of all the territories that rightfully belonged to them (the Wadiyars) and that too for ever and ever and this should be signed by the headquarters of the company that was based in England (and not any representative staying in India).

With Hyder Ali’s death and Tippu taking over, the British Army’s invasion, as agreed in the treaty- to defeat the Sultan -did take place but were circumvented and Lord Macarteny made peace with Tippu. Tippu, when he suspected the Maharani’s hand in the invasion apparently asked her what part she had played in the invasion. She denied having any role, knowing that there would be much harm to her people if she had told him the truth.  She decided that subterfuge was the better part of valor.

Later, General William Meadow, the Governor of Madras was reminded of the treaty drawn earlier. Meadows and Cornwallis directed siege on Seringapatanam, Tippu’s adda but peace was made again.  William Meadows writes to her in May 1790, he confirms her offer to pay the cost of the war and also says that he is happy to note that she would pay the prize- money to the troops. This letter is in response to her wanting to open discussions about the distribution of territories.

Tippu sought help of the French and Lakshmiammani Devi got wind of this and reached it to the ears of the British who were enraged. They took help of other Kings, dethroned and later killed Tippu (1799). Finally, the kingdom was restored to the Wadiyarw and five-year old Krishnaraja Wadiyar III was installed on the throne on 30th June 1799.

Lakshmiammani Devi’s single-minded efforts to get back the Kingdom was fulfilled after many years of relentless fighting. A war was fought without using the weapons. Her sharp intellect (buddhi) and innate strength (shakthi)- qualities (gunas) that we attribute to the Goddess, came to the fore. Undaunted by frequent failures of negotiations, with perseverance, grit and courage she restored the family their rightful place.

It was during Mummudis time that the capital was changed from Seringapatam to Mysore and the Navaratri festivities began to be performed with greater magnificence in the new capital. The special durbar was introduced for the Europeans became customary after the Rendition Act in 1881 and direct participation by the common masses began.

Mummudi turned 16 in the year 1810 and sadly in the same year she died. She was sixty-eight years of age.  From 1766 to 1810 for for 44 years, she was the queen mother and the one who regained the throne of the Wadiyars. A remarkable woman indeed, without whom the history of Mysuru would have been very different.

Kempananjammani Devi

Kempananjammanni Devi was born in the village of Kalale near Mysore in 1866.

Kempananjammani was 28 years of age when she lost her husband Chamarajendra Wadiyar X. His sudden death (28th December 1894) at a young age of 31 due to Diptheria, in an alien land (Calcutta), left her bereft and shaken to the core. In one of the references “Splendors of Royal Mysore: the Untold Story of the Wadiyars” by Vikram Sampath there is recounting of an ‘inconsolable lady who almost went hysterical with grief, falling unconscious' at the site of her husband’s dead body. 

After two days, on December 30th 1894, succession rights were bestowed on Nalwadi, Kempananjammani Devi’s eldest son who was ten years old. Kempanajammani Devi was made the Regent and K Seshadri Iyer, the Diwan. The latter was told to “ask for and follow the advice of the Regent on all matters of importance,” and “so far as it is practicable and desirable, consult the wishes of Her Highness the Maharani Vani Vilasa Sannidhana.” The British Government conferred the privilege of a salute of 19 guns and the title of Maharani Vani Vilasa Sannidhana on Kempananjammanni Devi when she was conferred the title of CI (1895). This is recorded in the Palace Administrative Report (1868-1918) available at the Regional Archives, Mysuru. The 21 round gun salutes, that are given even today, it is the highest privilege that has been conferred on any state head.  

Vani Vilas Sannidhana, when compelled and cornered, rose to the occasion and took over the reins with aplomb. One of the first things she did was to appoint a council of three members to assist the Diwan. Thumbo Chetty, a judge and one of the council members praises her, in one of the references that I came across, that ‘she was intelligent, informed, and an involved ruler’. He goes on to praise her boldness, capacity for business, ability to find easy solutions to difficult problems, fair knowledge of things and amiable character. Above all, he says, she was anxious to promote the highest and the best interests of the country setting aside personal sorrow and loss.  A glowing tribute to a woman – a regent queen who stood the test of critical time’s especially at a time when women’s participation in administration were few and far between.

Night view of the the palace during Dasara.

The Palace was rebuilt after it was burnt down on 28 February 1897. The rebuilding process started in October 1897 and was completed in 1912. They say that Vani Vilas Sannidhana commissioned the architect, Henry Irwin. I tried searching but have not been able to find any document which has her signature affixed relating to this. 

In the year 1902, she took a back seat as her son had become 18 years of age. They say that her son Nalawadi would consult her on official matters even later. Nalwadi’s contribution has been marked as a golden era and some have praised Vani Vilasa Sannidhana for raising a son such as this- the one who has been called the Rajarishi (Royal Sage). Certainly, the mother’s role cannot be denied- especially the one who was ‘walk- the- talk.

The Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon paid tribute to her at the end of the Regency, saying that she had set an example of “public and domestic virtue”. A European has praised her to be a noble lady whose name will go down in history among the best and greatest women India has known. Without doubt, she has played a more important role than she has been credited for by us. 

Vani Vilasa
Sannidhana

From the Rendition Act of 1881 till the end of her Regency in 1902, spending on education had increased four-fold, spending on public works had more than doubled, spending on healthcare had tripled, and state income and expenditure had almost doubled, according to Josyer’s whose book on History of Mysore and the Yadava Dynasty, I found to be a very useful reference material. Her focus on girl education- opening of colleges for girls (Maharani’s), opening of hospital (Bangalore Victoria Hospital), Water Works in Mysore etc etc and such initiatives are very many. After a brief illness, she died on the midnight of 7 July 1934. She was 68 years old.

Epilogue:

There are more lines to the hymn Yaa Devi Sarva Bhutessu- Shaanthi (peace) Sharadha (faith), Lakshmi (good fortune), Vritti (activity), Daya (kindness), Maatru (mother) and many more. We pay salutations to the Devi who has these Gunas (virtues).  Both the Maharani’s exhibited and brought in the above aspects in themselves as also in the state/ others.  A true and befitting way of worshipping the presiding deity of Mysuru- Goddess Chamundeshwari.

Should we not remember the two queens during Dasara – I asked a few friends who are aware of the nitty-gritties of Mysuru history. They said yes of course and even suggested that Mahila Dasara- - a part of the Nadda Habba celebrations, that Karnataka Government has been celebrating, should be named after them!

I find this attitude digressing. It is like saying that President Droupadi Murmu should aid women-oriented works because she is a woman, forgetting that she is the premier of the country and her roles are vast and far reaching! Given such mental conditioning that is around us, I am unable to say how best the two queens could be remembered during Dasara. But then can we see this as a starting point?. 

Let us pray to Ma Durga such that soon enough people will talk about the queens ‘contributions, take pride and offer tributes more worthy of them. Maybe we could start a feedback, conversation on this in this forum? I do hope that Ma Durga is able to hear our prayers amidst the din of Dasara celebrations. 

(Note: photographs are either contributed by friends/ taken from the public domain).