by Pushpa Vikram
Apart from the grand Vijayadashami Day procession, royal rituals and people’s participation in the festivities, Dasara is a time to recollect the contributions made by the erstwhile kings. While paeans are sung every year hailing the contributions of the Maharajas, very rarely, the sacrifice of the Maharanis are recollected or remembered.
Realising this, the Mysuru Zilla Panchayat has, this year, planned a tableau exclusively dedicated to the Maharanis of Mysore who have selflessly worked for the kingdom and have made sacrifices like selling their jewellery for the welfare of the people.
The tableau has been conceptualised and named ‘Mysurige Maharaniyara Koduge’ when translated in English means the contribution of Maharanis to Mysore. It will be a pictorial representation of the contributions of Maharanis Doddammanni, Lingarajammanni, Devajammanni, Lakshmammanni and Kempananjammanni (Vani Vilasa Sannidhana).
The tableau, one among the 41 tableaux that will be a part of the Dasara procession on Oct.11, is being designed by artists from all parts of the State.
Maharani Doddammanni: In the year 1660 the then King Ranadheera Narasaraja Wadiyar inspired by Maharani Doddammanni built the Bangaradoddi Dam for River Cauvery near Srirangapatna. This turned out to be the first dam built by Kannadigas across Cauvery.
Maharani Lakshmammanni: The kingdom of Mysore saw its low when Haider Ali, a common soldier in the Mysore army, usurped the throne in 1761. He and his son Tipu Sultan kept Maharani Lakshmammanni under imprisonment. Despite being in jail, Maharani Lakshmammanni was able to connect with the then ruling British and was able to give back the kingdom to the Yadu dynasty. Maharani Lakshmammanni’s negotiations with the British proved to be Tipu’s ultimate nemesis. He died fighting on May 4, 1799 at Srirangapatna. Between 1803 and 1804, Mysuru kingdom had to face the outbreak of deadly plague. Though the rulers took effective steps to control the disease, people were not ready for vaccination. Maharani Lakshmammanni had to convince the people and she told the doctors to vaccinate her first. This act by the Maharani earned her laurels from the British and the incident has also been mentioned in the gazette.
Maharani Lingarajammanni and Devajammanni: The Maharanis of Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, Lingarajammanni and Devajammanni built two lakes in the eastern side of Mysore – Devambudhi Lake – and the western side of the city – Lingambudhi Lake. They also constructed many temples.
Kempananjammanni (Vani Vilasa Sannidhana): Among the Maharanis of Mysore kingdom, Vani Vilasa Sannidhana is the most remembered queen. She was the mother of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar (then a mere teenager) and she ruled the kingdom in the capacity of ‘Rajamathe’.
Vani Vilasa Sannidhana started separate schools for girls, planned the hydro electric station at Shivanasamudra, drinking water and UGD lines for Mysuru city and built Mari Kanive, a dam popularly known as Vani Vilasa Sagara in Chitradurga. This was the biggest reservoir in India at the time of completion. Under Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar (called Rajarishi among kings by Mahatma Gandhi), Mysore witnessed tremendous economic, social and cultural progress. Mysore State had many firsts to its credit and was hailed as the Model State.
The Krishna Raja Sagar or the KRS Dam, completed in 1931, was then the biggest reservoir in Asia. As the estimate for its construction exceeded the State budgets, Nalwadi and his mother Vani Vilasa Sannidhana sold costly diamonds, ornaments, gold and silver plates of the royal family to provide seed capital for the project.
In designing and displaying this exclusive tableau, the ZP hopes to showcase the role played by the Maharanis for the welfare of the people.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Features Articles / October 07th, 2016