Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar

{{short description|Indian politician and Maharaja of Mysore (1953–2013)}}

{{Infobox royalty

| name = Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar

| image = Srikanta Wadiyar of Mysore.jpg

| alt = Wadiyar sitting on the Mysore throne during a private Dasara ceremony.

| succession = 26th Head of the Wadiyar dynasty

| reign = 10 September 1974 – 10 December 2013

| birth_date = {{birth date|1953|2|20|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Mysore, Mysore State, India
(present-day Mysuru, Karnataka)

| death_date = {{death date and age|2013|12|10|1953|2|20|df=yes}}

| death_place = Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

| reign-type = Tenure

| predecessor = Jayachamaraja Wadiyar

| successor = Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar

| spouse = Pramoda Devi

| issue = Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar (adopted after his death by his widow)

| dynasty = Wadiyar

| father = Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar

| mother = Tripura Sundari Ammani

| signature = Srikanta Dutta Wodeyar.svg

| module = {{Infobox officeholder|embed=yes

| office = Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha

| term = 6 October 1999 – 22 May 2004

| predecessor = C. H. Vijayashankar

| successor = C. H. Vijayashankar

| constituency = Mysore, Karnataka

| term1 = 15 May 1996 – 10 March 1998

| predecessor1 = Chandraprabha Urs

| successor1 = C. H. Vijayashankar

| constituency1= Mysore, Karnataka

| term2 = 31 December 1984 – 20 June 1991

| predecessor2 = M. Rajasekara Murthy

| successor2 = Chandraprabha Urs

| constituency2= Mysore, Karnataka

| residence = {{ubl|Mysore Palace|2, South Avenue, New Delhi}}

| party = Indian National Congress (1984–1991; 1996–2013)

| otherparty = Bharatiya Janata Party (1991–1996)

| occupation = {{hlist|Fashion designer|politician}}

}}}}

Srikanthadattā Narasimharājā Wadiyar (20 February 1953 – 10 December 2013) was an Indian royal scion, politician, and fashion designer, who served as Member of Parliament from Mysore. He was the son of Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, the last king of Mysore.

As a fashion designer, Wadiyar promoted the sale of Mysore silk saris under his brand Royal Silk of Mysore. In the second half of the 20th century, the southern Indian silk industry was revived, and Mysore State became a top silk producer in India under his great-uncle Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV's reign. After his demise, he was succeeded by his grandnephew Yaduveer Wadiyar as the head of the Wadiyar dynasty.

Early life

Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar was born on 20 February 1953 as the only son of Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar and his second wife Maharani Tripura Sundari Devi. He had five sisters: Princesses Gayatri Devi, Meenakshi Devi, Kamakshi Devi, Indrakshi Devi, and, the youngest Vishalakshi Devi.{{cite news |last=Devi |first=Meenakshi |date=17 June 2007 |title=My daddy, His Highness, the Maharaja of Mysore |newspaper=Deccan Herald |url=http://churumuri.wordpress.com/2007/06/17/my-daddy-his-highness-the-maharaja-of-mysore/ |url-status=live |accessdate=15 January 2014 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140210012946/http://churumuri.wordpress.com/2007/06/17/my-daddy-his-highness-the-maharaja-of-mysore/ |archivedate=10 February 2014}}

Wadiyar succeeded his father as the head of the Wadiyar dynasty after his father's death on 9 September 1974 and continued the traditional customs of the royal family including Mysore Dasara from 1974 until his own demise on 10 December 2013. He was succeeded by Prince Yaduveer Wadiyar.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/I-am-eager-to-find-an-heir-at-the-earliest-Pramoda-Devi-Wadiyar/articleshow/42696509.cms

= Education =

File:Srikanta Dutta Narasimharaja Wodeyar with Prof S. Naganath.jpg Wadiyar studied at the private Palace Royal School and completed his secondary school education in 1967. He took horse-riding lessons from the Government Riding School, Mysore.{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}} Wadiyar had a British and an Anglo-Indian nanny who groomed him. A Mr. Watsa was a mentor to him during his formative years.

He joined Maharaja's College, Mysore, in 1968 to pursue his one-year pre-university course and later earned a degree in Bachelor of Arts in 1972, pursuing it from 1969 to 1972, majoring in the English literature and political science.{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}} Wadiyar's minor subject was sociology. His second language was Kannada, tutored by Prof. K. Venkataramappa. He did his master's degree in political science at Manasa Gangotri, University of Mysore, from 1972 to 1974. He studied a course in law as an open-university student.{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}}

Wadiyar also studied Western classical music and Carnatic classical music. In his youth, he had studied the Vedas as well.{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}} He was awarded a gold medal for securing the first rank in Master of Arts in Political Science.

Throughout his college career, Wadiyar was a cricketer, like many Indian kings and princes, and had a collection of cricket bats signed by international test cricket players.{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}} Wadiyar's love of cricket led him to captain his university's team and later prompted his involvement in leading the Karnataka State Cricket Association as its president.{{cite web |last=Cricket Academy |first=Karnataka State |title=KSCA |url=http://ksca.co.in/ksca-profile |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213012301/http://www.ksca.co.in/ksca-profile |archivedate=13 December 2013 |accessdate=10 December 2013 |work=Profile |publisher=ksca.co.in}}

Political career

Wadiyar was a longtime member of the Indian National Congress (INC) party. He participated six times in elections for Member of Parliament representing Mysore. He won four time as a member of the INC, and lost twice; once as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate and once as an INC candidate.

In 1984, Wadiyar first stood for Lok Sabha elections on an Indian National Congress ticket and defeated the independent candidate K. P. Shantamurthy. He joined the BJP in 1991, but lost the elections badly to Chandraprabha Urs of the INC. He moved back to the INC, and won Lok Sabha elections in 1996 and 1999, but lost the 2004 elections.{{cite news

| last1 = Sampath

| first1 = Vikram

| title = A people's prince

| url = http://www.deccanherald.com/content/374958/a-peoples-prince.html

| accessdate = 20 January 2015

| issue = Bangalore

| work = Deccan Herald

| date = 17 December 2013

| url-status = live

| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20150120094013/http://www.deccanherald.com/content/374958/a-peoples-prince.html

| archivedate = 20 January 2015

}}

Personal life

File:Srikanta Dutta Wadiyar's Wedding.jpg

Wadiyar was married to Pramoda Devi from the Bettada Kote Urs branch. She is a post-graduate in Hindi.{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}} The couple had no children.{{cite news |last=Aiyappa |first=Manu |date=14 December 2013 |title=Rs 40k cr at stake in legal battle for Palace Grounds |newspaper=The Times of India |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-12-14/bangalore/45189269_1_scion-marriage-hall-legal-battle |url-status=dead |accessdate=15 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131218220106/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-12-14/bangalore/45189269_1_scion-marriage-hall-legal-battle |archive-date=18 December 2013}}

He celebrated the royal tradition of Mysore Dasara by performing all the rituals which were conducted by his forefathers—the rulers of the Kingdom of Mysore. He conducted a khasagi (special) durbar during the Dasara festivities, where he ascended the golden throne at the Amba Vilas Hall of the Mysore Palace.{{cite web |date=17 October 2012 |title=Grand celebration of tradition |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/Grand-celebration-of-tradition/article12560998.ece |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708182225/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/Grand-celebration-of-tradition/article12560998.ece |archivedate=8 July 2018 |work=The Hindu}}{{cite web |title=Private Durbar held by Scion of Mysore royal family – enarada.com |url=http://enarada.com/?p=11050 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219024113/http://enarada.com/?p=11050 |archivedate=19 December 2014 |website=enarada.com}} Although he never had any legal or official title related to his role as head of the royal family, people referred to him with respect and endearment as 'Maharaja'.

= Religious beliefs =

Wadiyar said in an interview that he was an atheist for a brief period. He then resumed his Hindu theistic principles.[https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/srikantadatta-wadiyar-passes-away/article5444067.ece/amp/ Srikantadatta Wadiyar passes away] The Hindu. Retrieved 30 August 2021

Death

On 10 December 2013, Wadiyar died from cardiac arrest aged 60 at Vikram Hospital, Bangalore.{{cite news

| title = Wadiyar no more

| url = http://www.deccanherald.com/content/373820/wadiyar-no-more.html

| accessdate = 15 January 2014

| newspaper = Deccan Herald

| date = 20 December 2013

| url-status = live

| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140116120320/http://www.deccanherald.com/content/373820/wadiyar-no-more.html

| archivedate = 16 January 2014

}}{{cite web

| title = Newly elected KSCA president Srikantadatta Wodeyar passes away

| url = http://news.oneindia.in/bangalore/newly-elected-ksca-president-srikantadatta-wodeyar-dies-1356534.html

| accessdate = 10 December 2013

| url-status = live

| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20131214103918/http://news.oneindia.in/bangalore/newly-elected-ksca-president-srikantadatta-wodeyar-dies-1356534.html

| archivedate = 14 December 2013

}} He was cremated with full state honours at Madhu Vana, the burial ground of the royal family, at Mysore. On the day of his demise, the city of Mysore shut its business voluntarily in respect. The presiding chief minister Siddaramaiah declared a two-day mourning ceremony and a state government holiday. In addition, lightings of Mysore Palace were suspended for thirteen days as a symbol of grief.{{cite news

| url = http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/mysores-last-royal-cremated-with-state-honours/article5448064.ece?homepage=true

| location = Chennai, India

| work = The Hindu

| title = Srikantadatta Wadiyar cremated

| date = 11 December 2013

}} He was survived and mourned by his wife Pramoda Devi.{{cite web |date=10 December 2013 |title=ಮೈಸೂರು ಮಹಾರಾಜ ಶ್ರೀಕಂಠದತ್ತ ಒಡೆಯರ್ ವಿಧಿವಶ |url=http://kannada.oneindia.in/news/mysore/scion-royal-family-srikanta-datta-narasimharaja-Wadiyar-no-more-080057.html}}{{cite news |date=10 December 2013 |title=Srikantadatta Wadiyar dies of cardiac arrest |work=The Hindu |location=Chennai, India |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/srikantadatta-wadiyar-dies-of-cardiac-arrest/article5444067.ece |url-status=live |accessdate=10 December 2013 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211212734/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/srikantadatta-wadiyar-dies-of-cardiac-arrest/article5444067.ece |archivedate=11 December 2013 |df=dmy-all}}

Wadiyar died without an heir; during the royal Dasara celebrations of 2014, his nephew Chaduranga Kantharaj Urs performed the rituals{{cite web |date=26 September 2014 |title=Royal Sword takes king's place at Khas Durbar |url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/432803/royal-sword-takes-kings-place.html |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011073607/http://www.deccanherald.com/content/432803/royal-sword-takes-kings-place.html |archivedate=11 October 2017 |website=Deccan Herald}} while the "khasagi" (private) durbar was conducted by placing the "pattada katti" (royal sword) on the throne.{{cite web |title=Durbar goes on without maharaja |url=http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Durbar-goes-on-without-maharaja/articleshow/43451031.cms |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222025911/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Durbar-goes-on-without-maharaja/articleshow/43451031.cms |archivedate=22 December 2017 |website=The Times of India}}{{cite web |title=Thebangaloretimes.com |url=http://www.thebangaloretimes.com/news/royal-durbar-and-its-dasara-celebrations |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529090041/http://www.thebangaloretimes.com/news/royal-durbar-and-its-dasara-celebrations |archivedate=29 May 2015 |website=thebangaloretimes.com}}{{cite web |last=Mangalore |first=Mangalore Today |title=Royal Sword takes king's place at Khas Durbar |url=http://www.mangaloretoday.com/headlines/Royal-Sword-takes-king-rsquo-s-place-at-Khas-Durbar.html |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140927114023/http://mangaloretoday.com/headlines/Royal-Sword-takes-king-rsquo-s-place-at-Khas-Durbar.html |archivedate=27 September 2014 |website=mangaloretoday.com}}

On 23 February 2015, Pramoda Devi Wadiyar adopted Yaduveer Wadiyar as her son, making him the new head of the dynasty and posthumously Wadiyar's adoptive son. She conducted his anointment ceremony, thereby delegating him to conduct and continue the royal family customs and traditions.

Legacy

The Karnataka State Cricket Association, of which Wadiyar was elected president just a few days before his death,{{cite web

| url = http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/story/699023.html

| title = Newly-elected KSCA president Wadiyar dies

| url-status = live

| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141226014505/http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/story/699023.html

| archivedate = 26 December 2014

}} named the Karnataka Premier League tournament after him.{{cite web

| url = http://www.deccanherald.com/content/420481/kpl-set-take-off-again.html

| title = KPL set to take off again

| website = Deccan Herald

| date = 18 July 2014

| url-status = live

| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141129011428/http://www.deccanherald.com/content/420481/kpl-set-take-off-again.html

| archivedate = 29 November 2014

}} The University of Mysore renamed the Gangotri Glades Cricket Ground, earlier known as the University Platinum Jubilee Cricket Stadium, in Srikantadatta Wadiyar's memory.{{cite journal

| url = http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-379821431.html

| title = Gangotri Glades to Be Named after Srikanta Datta Wadiyar: Sand Sculpture of Wadiyar to Be One of the Attractions during Kpl

| date = 25 August 2014

| url-status = live

| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20150329042525/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-379821431.html

| archivedate = 29 March 2015

}} A sand sculpture of Srikantadatta Wadiyar was etched. A wax sculpture of his like was also created by wax-sculptor Shreeji Bhaskaran.{{cite web

| url = https://www.deccanchronicle.com/140915/nation-current-affairs/article/srikantadatta-narasimharaja-wadiyar-wax-pramoda-devi-unveil

| title = Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar in wax: Pramoda Devi to unveil statue

| date = 15 September 2014

| url-status = live

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140915211203/http://www.deccanchronicle.com/140915/nation-current-affairs/article/srikantadatta-narasimharaja-wadiyar-wax-pramoda-devi-unveil

| archive-date = 15 September 2014

}}

In 2014, India Posts issued a special cover depicting the private durbar of Srikantadatta Wadiyar.{{cite web

| url = http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/special-cover-on-royal-durbar/article6444027.ece

| title = Special cover on royal durbar

| first1 = Laiqh a

| last1 = Khan| date = 25 September 2014

| work = The Hindu

| url-status = live

| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20180708182226/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/special-cover-on-royal-durbar/article6444027.ece

| archivedate = 8 July 2018

}}{{cite web

| url = http://www.indianstampghar.com/2014/10/special-cover-royal-darbar-of-srikanatadatta-narasimharaja-wadiyar-at-amba-vilas-mysore-palace-1953-2013-by-india-post/

| title = Special Cover – Royal Darbar of Srikanatadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar at Amba Vilas (Mysore Palace) 1953-2013 – by India Post {{pipe}} Covers {{pipe}} Indian Stamp Ghar

| accessdate = 15 November 2014

| url-status = usurped

| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304023207/http://www.indianstampghar.com/2014/10/special-cover-royal-darbar-of-srikanatadatta-narasimharaja-wadiyar-at-amba-vilas-mysore-palace-1953-2013-by-india-post/

| archivedate = 4 March 2016

}}