JOIN USAcclaimed as ‘Rajarishi’ by none other than Mahatma Gandhiji, the king was responsible for the overall growth of Mysore. If the present Mysore City has got a tag of ‘Heritage City’ and boasts of good infrastructure, it was mainly because of Nalvadi Krishna Raja Wadiyar’s efforts. His reign has been described as the ‘golden period’ in the history of Mysore.
Krishna Raja Wadiyar was born on June 4, 1884 in Mysore. He took over the reigns on February 8, 1902 and was crowned as the Maharaja of Mysore on August 8, 1902 and ruled till July 31, 1940. He had Sir M Visvesvaraya as his Diwan, who helped him transform Mysore, as one of the most progressive states of the time.
During Krishna Raja Wadiyar’s rule, the Legislative Council was created. Also, Mysore became the first Indian state to generate hydro-electric power in Asia, and Bangalore was the first Asian City to have streetlights, which were first lit on August 5, 1905. The Krishna Raja Sagar Reservoir was one of his major contributions.
Noted historian Prof P V Nanjaraje Urs told Deccan Herald that most officials are ignorant of Wadiyar. During S M Krishna’s tenure as chief minister, Krishna Raja’s birth anniversary was celebrated at Town Hall in Bangalore. After that, all the successive governments failed to continue the tradition. Even the Mysore City Corporation forgot the king, who had strived for the welfare of the people.
However, the Ursu Mandali has been celebrating the birth anniversaries of all the kings who ruled the princely State of Mysore every year, he added. He said, the State government did not celebrate the birth centenary also. However, for the first time, Mayor Purushottam is holding a function at the Town Hall on Thursday.