A yoga pulse point

International Yoga Day put Mysuru in the limelight. Although the city is a top tourist destination, its contributions and patronage to yoga are not that well known.

The city has been an important contributor right from the days of the Wadiyar kings. A book by historian and author Norman E Sjoman delineates this contribution. Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, who had a great influence on the evolution of modern yoga, was patronised by the Wadiyar kings. Krishnamacharya started teaching yoga in the city during his patronage and his teachings were popularised by his student BKS Iyengar.

“Krishnamacharya passed on the knowledge of yoga to his disciples BKS Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois. They eventually took the Mysuru style of ‘faster and more cardiovascular exercise’ to the international stage,” says Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja (YKC) Wadiyar, a member of the royal family and the custodian of the Mysuru Palace.

Emphasising Mysuru’s connection to yoga, YKC Wadiyar says, “Mysuru is a centre for Yoga in India. In modern times, it is the Mysuru yoga tradition that is practised the world over.”

The history of yoga over the past few centuries is inseparable from that of Mysuru, according to K Raghavendra Pai, a member of the yoga certification board of Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga.

YKC Wadiyar also explains how Maharaja Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar had documented many asanas.

The stalwarts

BKS Iyengar was one of the foremost yoga teachers in the world. He founded the ‘Iyengar Yoga’ school and wrote many books on its practices and philosophy. Born in Bellur village in Kolar district, Iyengar suffered malaria, typhoid and tuberculosis as a child.

His journey with yoga began at the age of 16 in Mysuru, where he was taught by T Krishnamacharya, his brother-in-law. Some other legendary disciples of Krishnamacharya include K Pattabhi Jois, Deshikachar and Indra Devi.

Krishnamacharya’s journey with the palace and yoga began much earlier — in the 1930s. He was appointed to teach yoga to the members and relatives of the royal family.

Maharaja Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar invited T Krishnamacharya, a native of Chennai (erstwhile Madras), to Mysuru during his visit to Varanasi. Krishnamacharya had settled down in Varanasi, after his advanced training in yoga, there.

Through the patronage of Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, Krishnamacharya opened a ‘yogasala’ (yoga school) which functioned until 1950.

Krishnamacharya also taught in the traditional Sanskrit College in Mysuru. He worked intensively on the promotion of yoga.

Sjoman’s book recounts the regular exercise routine of royals like the crown prince Krishnaraja Wadiyar as a child. Another account of his routine can be found in ‘Maisoru Maisiri’, a biography of Krishnaraja Wadiyar.

The book contains a description of asanas done before Krishnamacharya’s time. Unfortunately, there are no details or records of his learning under Krishnamacharya. In fact, there are no Palace records earlier than 1897, of patronage or practice of yoga because of the fire of February 28, 1897, when large portions of the old palace, were destroyed.

Sriranga of Astanga Yoga Vignana Mandira in Lakshmipuram also contributed a lot to the development and propagation of Mysuru Yoga tradition.

Promotion

The palace archive records show that Krishnaraja Wadiyar supported the promotion of yoga and sent Krishnamacharya around the country regularly, to give lectures and demonstrations.

Krishnaraja Wadiyar provided funds for the publication of Krishnamacharya’s book and also for filming BKS Iyenger in Pune. Iyengar was eventually deputed by the Maharaja to teach in Pune.

Yoga also became a part of the famous Mysuru Dasara, with the inclusion of ‘Yoga Dasara’ in 2010. The next year, in 2011, it was inaugurated by BKS Iyengar.

During the same period, Karnataka State Open University (KSOU) introduced a one-year diploma in Yoga Teacher Training and also a postgraduate (PG) diploma.

The Government Nature Cure and Yoga College in Mysuru offers BSc and MSc courses in Yoga. JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research and Karnataka State Dr Gangubhai Hangal Music and Performing Arts University offer similar courses.

Besides, a special song on yoga was composed by Mysore M Manjunath, a renowned violinist based in Mysuru. It was launched during the International Yoga Day celebrations of 2019.

Pai emphasises that Mysuru was synonymous with yoga. Foreigners flock to Mysuru to learn yoga here. “As per a survey of an American agency in 2003, Varanasi and Mysuru were shortlisted as the world yoga capitals. Over 150 private yoga training centres in Mysuru cater to over 15,000 foreigners every year. This is Yoga tourism,” he said.