Dazzling ceremony marks adoption

Yaduveer Gopal Raj Urs was adopted by Pramodadevi Wadiyar as her son as per Hindu customs and tradition, at a ceremony at the Kalyana Mantapa of the Amba Vilas Palace here on Monday.

He was subsequently renamed Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar. The coronation ceremony is due to be held in a couple of months ahead of Dasara.
Tripurasundari Devi and Swarup Anand Gopal Raj Urs, parents of Yaduveer, gave their son in adoption to Pramodadevi, at 1.40 pm during Mithuna Lagna, amid rendition of ‘Gattimela’ by a troupe of ‘Nadaswara’ artistes. Yaduveer later sat on the lap of Pramodadevi as part of the rituals.

Following the death of Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, the scion of the erstwhile royal family, on December 10, 2013, his wife Pramodadevi - who is issueless - adopted 22-year-old Yaduveer as successor, continuing with the family tradition. Yaduveer is the grandson of Gayatri Devi, the elder sister of Srikantadatta Wadiyar and mother of Tripurasundari Devi.

Earlier in the day, the rituals began with the bringing of the deity to the palace from the Kodi Someshwara temple attached to the palace fort, outside the Jayamarthanda Gate. The caparisoned elephants and camels of the Wadiyars were taken out in a procession, along with the ‘nishaane’ (insignia) elephant of the royal family and cultural troupes to the temple. From there, five ‘kalashas’ were brought.

This was followed by Ganapathi homa, punyaha, naandi puja, stambha muhurtha, navagraha homa, dattu sweekara homa, namakarana and pada puja to seer Vageesha Brahmatantra Swatantra of Parakala Mutt.

The priests, led by Janardhana Iyengar, dharmadhikari of the palace, and main priest Kumaraswamy, supervised the rituals.

VIPs galore

Home Minister K J George, Housing Minister M H Ambareesh, also a close friend of the Wadiyars, and former union minister C K Jaffer Sharief, were prominent among those who witnessed the ceremony.