Wodeyar will marry Rajasthan princess Trishika Kumari this year.
By Dileep Thekkethil
BENGALURU: Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wodeyar, the US-educated adopted son of Pramoda Devi Wodeyar, was crowned as the head of the historic royal family of Mysore in a traditional ceremony.
The coronation ceremony of the new heir to the Mysore royal family took place at Kalyana Mantap in Amba Vilas Palace in Mysore, Karnataka, amidst verdict chanting and slogans praising the Mysore dynasty and its new King.
The 23-year-old Yaduveer is the 27th king of the Wodeyar dynasty. He will have to wait till the next Dasara to ascend the golden throne and will preside over the ‘khasa (private) durbar’, which is the tradition of the bygone era.
Yaduveer finish his undergraduate education, with majors in economics and English, from Boston University. He is the grandson of Princess Gayatri Devi, the eldest daughter of late Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar.
The formal adoption of Yaduveer Gopal Raj by Pramoda Devi Wodeyar, wife of late Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wodeyar and the last descendent of the Wodeyar dynasty took place in February and he was renamed Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wodeyar.
The coronation event was attended by Trishika Kumari, fiancé of Yaduveer, who belongs to the royal family of Rajasthan. Their wedding is expected to happen sometime by the end of the year.
Yaduveer said after the ceremony that with the support of the people of Mysore, “I will try my best to continue the royal family traditions”.
The last crowning in the royal family of Mysore happened 41 years ago when Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wodeyar at the age of 21 became the nominal hire.
The people of Mysore still have great respect for the Wodeyar dynasty which ruled the regions surrounding the current state of Karnataka from 1399 to 1947. The contributions of the dynasty include the construction of KRS dam across river Cauvery and establishment of industries and educational institutions.