Following the death of royal scion Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, his wife Pramoda Devi Wadiyar had to play the key role.
She had to hurry back from Bangalore to the Palace and make the arrangements for the funeral, which she handled with ease, thanks to the support extended by her friends and the district administration.
Pramoda Devi is said to have taken a detour from Maddur and Channapatna to reach the Palace in Mysore at 1.30 am, much ahead of the procession carrying the hearse. She then closeted herself with her closed ones, comprising her sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews and also the prominent members of the Palace staff, to decide on the next course of action.
It was eventually decided in the meeting that Chaduranga Kantharaja Urs will perform the last rites of Wadiyar, as he is also the eldest among the five nephews in the family.
Initially, it had been decided that the hearse will be brought from Bangalore to Mysore with a pilot vehicle to ensure zero traffic. However, Housing Minister M H Ambareesh intervened and convinced the royal family about allowing the people to pay their last respects enroute Mysore. Even after reaching Mysore, Ambareesh had a detailed discussion with Police Commissioner M A Saleem to make suitable arrangements for the people to pay their last respects.
Police Commissioner M A Saleem said all security arrangements were made as per the directions of the Palace authorities
First ceremony
As is the tradition, ‘Haalu Thuppa’ (the death related ritual observed on third day of a person’s death where milk and ghee is offered at the place of burial or cremation) is scheduled on Thursday at 10 am. A host of other rituals too have been lined up for the next 16 days till ‘thithi’, the death related final ritual is observed. On the day, there will be mass feeding of religious heads and relatives.