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(SOURCE: The Indian EXPRESS)
Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wodeyar,
scion of the erstwhile Mysore royal
family and the last descendant of the
Wodeyar dynasty, died of severe cardiac
arrest at a private hospital here today.
Sixty-year old Wodeyar, who had been
ailing in recent months, was brought to
a private hospital in an unconscious
state and doctors' attempts to resusitate
him failed, a senior hospital official
said.
"He was brought around 2 pm. For one
and a half hours Dr Ranaganth Naik and
four others tried to revive him. But by
3.30 pm. he was declared dead," Dr
Madan Kumar, Administrator, Vikram
Hospital, said.
The mortal remains of Wodeyar would
be cremated at Mysore tomorrow, Home
Minister K J George told reporters
outside the hospital, adding, the state
government has declared a two-day
state mourning.
Wodeyar, the only son of
Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar, the last
ruling Maharaja of Mysore, and his
second wife, Maharani Tripura Sundari
Ammani Avaru, succeeded his father as
the head of his dynasty in September
1974.
He had remained the titular head of the
erstwhile royalty during the famous
Dasara festivities after succeeding as
heir to his father in 1974 that left him
with a palace but without a kingdom.
Married to a distant cousin, Pramoda
Devi, the couple have no children.
Wodeyar wore many hats. He had
served as Lok Sabha member for four
terms representing Mysore constituency
from Congress and lost once as BJP
nominee and the other time as Congress
candidate.
Passionate about cricket, he was only
recently elected as President of
Karnataka State Cricket Association in a
hotly contested election that saw the
combine led by him trounce candidates
of the group backed by Srinath and Anil
Kumble.
Wodeyar was also a Fashion Designer
and promoted Mysore Silk Sarees under
his brand name called Royal Silk of
Mysore. He was also a hotelier, art
collector and investor.
The Wodeyar dynasty ruled the
Kingdom of Mysore from 1399 to 1947.
The last king of the dynasty was
Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar, who ruled
from 1940 until Indian independence in
1947 when he acceded his Kingdom to
the dominion of India, but continued as
the Maharaja until India became a
Republic in 1950.
For Mysoreans, Srikantadatta
Narasimharaja Wodeyar had remained
a Maharaja and they believed that
though he lived like a royal, he did not
think like one.
"I live like a maharaja without
technically or legally being one,”
Wodeyar, arguably one of the richest
scions of a royal family in the country,
had said in an interview.
(SOURCE: The Indian EXPRESS)
(SOURCE: The Indian EXPRESS)
Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wodeyar,
scion of the erstwhile Mysore royal
family and the last descendant of the
Wodeyar dynasty, died of severe cardiac
arrest at a private hospital here today.
Sixty-year old Wodeyar, who had been
ailing in recent months, was brought to
a private hospital in an unconscious
state and doctors' attempts to resusitate
him failed, a senior hospital official
said.
"He was brought around 2 pm. For one
and a half hours Dr Ranaganth Naik and
four others tried to revive him. But by
3.30 pm. he was declared dead," Dr
Madan Kumar, Administrator, Vikram
Hospital, said.
The mortal remains of Wodeyar would
be cremated at Mysore tomorrow, Home
Minister K J George told reporters
outside the hospital, adding, the state
government has declared a two-day
state mourning.
Wodeyar, the only son of
Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar, the last
ruling Maharaja of Mysore, and his
second wife, Maharani Tripura Sundari
Ammani Avaru, succeeded his father as
the head of his dynasty in September
1974.
He had remained the titular head of the
erstwhile royalty during the famous
Dasara festivities after succeeding as
heir to his father in 1974 that left him
with a palace but without a kingdom.
Married to a distant cousin, Pramoda
Devi, the couple have no children.
Wodeyar wore many hats. He had
served as Lok Sabha member for four
terms representing Mysore constituency
from Congress and lost once as BJP
nominee and the other time as Congress
candidate.
Passionate about cricket, he was only
recently elected as President of
Karnataka State Cricket Association in a
hotly contested election that saw the
combine led by him trounce candidates
of the group backed by Srinath and Anil
Kumble.
Wodeyar was also a Fashion Designer
and promoted Mysore Silk Sarees under
his brand name called Royal Silk of
Mysore. He was also a hotelier, art
collector and investor.
The Wodeyar dynasty ruled the
Kingdom of Mysore from 1399 to 1947.
The last king of the dynasty was
Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar, who ruled
from 1940 until Indian independence in
1947 when he acceded his Kingdom to
the dominion of India, but continued as
the Maharaja until India became a
Republic in 1950.
For Mysoreans, Srikantadatta
Narasimharaja Wodeyar had remained
a Maharaja and they believed that
though he lived like a royal, he did not
think like one.
"I live like a maharaja without
technically or legally being one,”
Wodeyar, arguably one of the richest
scions of a royal family in the country,
had said in an interview.
(SOURCE: The Indian EXPRESS)
