<p>Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s recent use of singular reference to the maharajas of Mysuru, including Nalvadi Krishna Raja Wadiyar, has not gone down well with a section of the Mysureans.<br /><br />Recently, Siddaramaiah had flared up at the mention of the Wadiyar kings and spoke impatiently with a delegation of corporators and shopkeepers of the Devaraja Market, lead by mayor M J Ravikumar. An ignorant Ravikumar had mentioned to the CM that the shops were given to the traders by Nalvadi Krishna Raja Wadiyar and now, the shopkeepers will become helpless, if they are evicted on the pretext of reconstruction of the Devaraja Market building, a portion of which had collapsed last year (August 29, 2016).<br /><br />However, it has to be noted that Devaraja Market building had been constructed by Chamaraja Wadiyar X in 1900 in memory of his second son Devaraja, who died as a just one-year-old baby. He was the younger brother of Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar. The site, on which the heritage building now stands, was a marketplace since time immemorial and the building only gave trade a new dimension.<br /><br />Mysuru, a non-descript principality in the 14th century, spread over 100 acres of land, now the premises of the Mysuru Palace, grew into a full-fledged town only after Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar built extensions outside the Mysuru fort. In the later stages, even villages around the Mysuru fort came into Mysuru fold to evolve into what it looks like today.<br /><br />Since the death of Chamaraja, the then chieftain, and the founding of the Yadu dynasty by Yadu Raya and Krishna Raya in 1399, up to 1610, when Raja Wadiyar annexed Srirangapatna, a bigger town than Mysuru then, Mysuru was confined to the Fort and the surrounding couple of kilometre radius around it. Even though Srirangapatna became the capital since 1610, fortunately, the state was called Mysuru. So, even though Mysuru remained a neglected small town, its name became famous.<br /><br />After the coronation of Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, the capital shifted back to Mysuru as Srirangapatna was demolished in the Fourth Mysore War. Thus, the emergence of Mysuru as a heritage, cultural, academic and beautiful city is largely attributed to the Wadiyar kings after Mummadi. They are Chamaraja Wadiyar X, Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar and Jayachamaraja Wadiyar.<br /><br />Now, the use of singular reference by the CM and his attitude towards the contributions of the Wadiyar kings has hurt the feelings of a section of the Mysureans.<br /><br />Mysuru is now a cosmopolitan city and most of the residents are natives of neither the city nor the region. But a section of native Mysureans have expressed their displeasure at the CM’s remarks.<br /><br />The issue has also taken a political twist with the members of the Yuva Morcha of the BJP staging a protest demonstration against the CM’s remarks, on Saturday. The video clippings of the CM speaking to the mayor and other representatives has gone viral on the social media. The CM states that it was an obligation for ‘them’ to do whatever they have done as it was after all people’s money.<br /><br />Earlier, MP Pratap Simha had taken exception to Siddaramaiah’s statements. Pointing out that Siddaramaiah is printing his portrait on the bags of rice and packets of other provisions sold in the fair price shops, Simha has questioned if the money spent on these items were the CM’s own earnings, or his twitter handle.<br /><br />Yaduveer reacts<br />However, scion of the erstwhile royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar declined to comment on the CM’s statements. He said, he was too small before the CM to comment.<br /><br />“But, it has to be noted that a section of people revere Nalvadi as God. The bonding is purely emotional. The CM should have considered the emotions of such people, before making such statements,” he said.<br /><br />Ashwathanarayana Raja Urs, a community leader, said, that the leaders of the state, especially those who belong to Mysuru, take liberty to speak negatively about the Wadiyar kings as they belong to the Arasu community, which is not a vote-bank caste.<br /><br />It has to be recalled that Siddaramaiah had tried to equate himself with Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar in a thinly attended public function on October 7, 2016, in Mysuru.</p>
<p>Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s recent use of singular reference to the maharajas of Mysuru, including Nalvadi Krishna Raja Wadiyar, has not gone down well with a section of the Mysureans.<br /><br />Recently, Siddaramaiah had flared up at the mention of the Wadiyar kings and spoke impatiently with a delegation of corporators and shopkeepers of the Devaraja Market, lead by mayor M J Ravikumar. An ignorant Ravikumar had mentioned to the CM that the shops were given to the traders by Nalvadi Krishna Raja Wadiyar and now, the shopkeepers will become helpless, if they are evicted on the pretext of reconstruction of the Devaraja Market building, a portion of which had collapsed last year (August 29, 2016).<br /><br />However, it has to be noted that Devaraja Market building had been constructed by Chamaraja Wadiyar X in 1900 in memory of his second son Devaraja, who died as a just one-year-old baby. He was the younger brother of Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar. The site, on which the heritage building now stands, was a marketplace since time immemorial and the building only gave trade a new dimension.<br /><br />Mysuru, a non-descript principality in the 14th century, spread over 100 acres of land, now the premises of the Mysuru Palace, grew into a full-fledged town only after Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar built extensions outside the Mysuru fort. In the later stages, even villages around the Mysuru fort came into Mysuru fold to evolve into what it looks like today.<br /><br />Since the death of Chamaraja, the then chieftain, and the founding of the Yadu dynasty by Yadu Raya and Krishna Raya in 1399, up to 1610, when Raja Wadiyar annexed Srirangapatna, a bigger town than Mysuru then, Mysuru was confined to the Fort and the surrounding couple of kilometre radius around it. Even though Srirangapatna became the capital since 1610, fortunately, the state was called Mysuru. So, even though Mysuru remained a neglected small town, its name became famous.<br /><br />After the coronation of Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, the capital shifted back to Mysuru as Srirangapatna was demolished in the Fourth Mysore War. Thus, the emergence of Mysuru as a heritage, cultural, academic and beautiful city is largely attributed to the Wadiyar kings after Mummadi. They are Chamaraja Wadiyar X, Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar and Jayachamaraja Wadiyar.<br /><br />Now, the use of singular reference by the CM and his attitude towards the contributions of the Wadiyar kings has hurt the feelings of a section of the Mysureans.<br /><br />Mysuru is now a cosmopolitan city and most of the residents are natives of neither the city nor the region. But a section of native Mysureans have expressed their displeasure at the CM’s remarks.<br /><br />The issue has also taken a political twist with the members of the Yuva Morcha of the BJP staging a protest demonstration against the CM’s remarks, on Saturday. The video clippings of the CM speaking to the mayor and other representatives has gone viral on the social media. The CM states that it was an obligation for ‘them’ to do whatever they have done as it was after all people’s money.<br /><br />Earlier, MP Pratap Simha had taken exception to Siddaramaiah’s statements. Pointing out that Siddaramaiah is printing his portrait on the bags of rice and packets of other provisions sold in the fair price shops, Simha has questioned if the money spent on these items were the CM’s own earnings, or his twitter handle.<br /><br />Yaduveer reacts<br />However, scion of the erstwhile royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar declined to comment on the CM’s statements. He said, he was too small before the CM to comment.<br /><br />“But, it has to be noted that a section of people revere Nalvadi as God. The bonding is purely emotional. The CM should have considered the emotions of such people, before making such statements,” he said.<br /><br />Ashwathanarayana Raja Urs, a community leader, said, that the leaders of the state, especially those who belong to Mysuru, take liberty to speak negatively about the Wadiyar kings as they belong to the Arasu community, which is not a vote-bank caste.<br /><br />It has to be recalled that Siddaramaiah had tried to equate himself with Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar in a thinly attended public function on October 7, 2016, in Mysuru.</p>
