Maharaja of Mysore
The maharaja of Mysore was the king and principal ruler of the southern Indian Kingdom of Mysore and briefly of Mysore State in the Indian Dominion roughly between the mid- to late-1300s and 1950. The maharaja's consort was called the maharani of Mysore.
Maharaja of Mysore
In title, the role has been known by different names over time, from poleygar (Kannada, pāLegāra, for 'chieftain'[1][2]) during the early days of the fiefdom to raja (Sanskrit and Kannada, king–of especially a small region) during its early days as a kingdom to maharaja (Sanskrit and Kannada, [great] king–of a formidable kingdom[3]) for the rest of its period. In terms of succession, the successor was either a hereditary inheritor or, in case of no issue, handpicked by the reigning monarch or his privy council. All rulers under the Sanskrit-Kannada titles of raja or maharaja were exclusively from the house of Wadiyar.
As India gained independence from British Crown in 1947, Crown allies, most of which were princely India, ceded into the Dominion of India by 1950. With that, the title and the role of maharaja was replaced with that of rajpramukh and soon governor.
A miniature art of Krishnaraja Wodeyar I, who despite having married nine wives, never bore an issue and the direct (male) lineage of Yaduraya ended with him
A pencil sketch of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar III. He was a patron of arts and culture who also built numerous temples across the kingdom
A monochrome of Maharaja Chamaraja Wadiyar X. He instituted the Mysore Representative Assembly, the first parliamentary setup in British India
A portrait of the last ruling Maharaja of Mysore Jayachamaraja Wadiyar. He later served as the Rajpramukh and Governor of Mysore.
The first raja (and poleygar) of Mysore was Yaduraya. The last ruling king was Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wadiyar. The current head of the Wadiyar family is Yaduveera Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar. The reputation of the maharajas of Mysore has varied historically, ending, however with great reputation. Whereas for example Maharaja Kanthirava Narasaraja I was famous as a reckoning force,[19][20] his nephew's great-great-grandson Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar I was seen as weak and capricious.[21] After the fall of Tipu, all maharajas have earned great adulation. Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar III both actively and monetarily contributed to arts and culture;[22][23][24] while Maharaja Chamaraja Wadiyar X spawned democratic practices,[25] Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV is praised for modernising Mysore Kingdom's economy and industries.