Experts differ with Dasara portal on origin of city's name

Experts have taken exception to the way in which the Mysuru Dasara website explains about how the city got its name.

The website explains, “The antiquity of Mysuru dates back to the days of the Mahabharata. Tradition identifies the place as the abode of Mahishasura whom Chamundesvari killed and the name Mysuru is associated with it. ‘Mahavamsa’ and ‘Deepavamsa’, the two Buddhist texts, allude to the despatch of Buddhist missionary Mahadeva by the Mauryan emperor Asoka to Mahishamandala to propagate Buddhist Dharma. Inscriptions speak of Mahishapura, Mahisurapura and Mahishasurapura.

Erumainad of Tamil classics is also identified as Mysuru and an inscription dated 862 AD from Kadalur in Mandya taluk refers to the place as Maysooru. In the 10th century, the city was called Mysuru Nadu of 70 villages. After 1499, this town was clearly mentioned as Mysuru”. (See screenshot of the webpage)

However, the official gazette of the state government, edited by historian Suryanatha U Kamath states, “It is difficult to identify Mahishamandala mentioned in ‘Deepavamsa’ of Ashok era with Mysore (earlier name), as Mahishmathi in Madhya Pradesh is also identified with the place.”

It further states, “The earliest reference to Mysore is in a copper plate inscription dated 862 AD from Kadaluru in Mandya taluk, where the place is mentioned as ‘Maysooru’. Later Maisunad or Maisurnad is mentioned in inscriptions of 11th and 12th centuries.

Etymologically, the place can be associated with Mayu, an antelope, than Mahisa, the buffalo.” (See pages of the Mysuru gazette)

Associate professor, ancient history, Shalva Pille Iyengar says, in ancient times the region was called Maisu Nadu. “During the rule of Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana, in 1127, there are inscriptions that indicate donations to Mahabalathirtha, which later became famous as Chamundi Hill. Even during the rule of Veeraballala, it was Maisu Nadu. After 1600, it was called Marbala Betta. After the capital was shifted to the city in 1799, during the rule of Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, it came under the influence of Sanskrit and became Mahishurapura, meaning the town of world renowned warriors (mahi is earth, shura is a courageous warrior, and pura town),” he said.

Iyengar said, “There is no evidence in the puranas to prove that Goddess Chamundeshwari killed the demon Mahishasura here. In ancient Tamil literature, it is mentioned as ‘Ermai Nadu’, meaning an high altitude area. In Tamil even ‘Erumai’ is a she buffalo and not a bull buffalo,” he points out.
DH News Service