The bride looks like a little girl. The king was/is so well regarded in Mysore. Even now, the older generation prefer the old Mysore to the post-1947 one.

You are right Arun. Maharaja Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar was described as the 'Saint-King' (Raja Rishi) of Mysore. Mahatma Gandhi paid tributes to him and his administration. The wedding took place at Jaganmohan Palace, as the old Palace had burnt down and the new (the present one) was under construction. Luckily, Jaganmohana Palace stands more or less in the same way as it was in those days.

Very Naice ...to hare this photo

This front wing, the Wedding Hall, was specially built for the wedding. Now it is an auditorium, where programmes are conducted almost every day.

See for wedding Invitation in kannada: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=462553377196&set=a.462217567196.262648.718682196#!/photo.php?fbid=462217657196&set=a.462217567196.262648.718682196&pid=6380453&id=718682196

@Arun Simha : Maharaja was 16 year old and Maharani just 11 years !

It was a twin wedding in Palace. Princess Cheluvajammanni married Sirdar Lakshmi Kanth Raj Urs on June 4, 1900 and Maharaja Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV married youngest Daughter of Jhala Rana Vinay Singhji of Vana, Kum. Pratap Kumari ( Maharani Pratap Kumari of Lakshmi Vilas Sannidhana) on June 6, 1900.

Raja Chandra : Thank you for the rare glimpse of the wedding invitation ! But was surprised to see an Urdu inscription on the top. Could you entlighten us about it..

Good Observation Sir ! It needs an elaborate answer ! I will strive to answer the question as best as i can ! Please bear with me for a while! Thanks

Sure Sir...take our time.

I want to know too, why an Urdu inscription?

Typo : Sure Sir...take 'your' time.

See http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=268036&id=718682196&saved#!/album.php?aid=268036&id=718682196 A very Interesting observation! But if you analyze the three Royal wedding invites that are on display, it reveals much more ! First among them is the Invitations of Maharaja Chamaraja Wadiyar‘s wedding. This contains only the Urdu monogram (Royal Seal) which naturally aroused some curiosity. The next one is that of wedding invitation of Maharaja Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV. Here one can notice on the top center of the border, the now familiar Mysore Royal insignia depicting the Double Eagle (Gandu Bherunda) in the center flanked on either side by the mythical YALI standing upright on their hind legs. Below you can find the Royal motto: satyamEvOdvarAmyahaM - meaning Truth alone I uphold. As a crest you can find a walking Lion holding a buffalo’s head as prey. Lion as you know is the vehicle of Goddess Chamundeswari the titular deity of the Mysore Royal family who destroyed the Minotaur (Mahishasur the demon who had assumed the form of buffalo) which gives the name to the city and the name of the erstwhile kingdom. But still the Urdu monogram is holding the pride of place. But dwelling a little more, I found that even the Invitation to the Crowning ceremony of Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV held on 1-2- 1895 shows only the Urdu monogram. For the first time the wedding invitation of Princess Krishnajammanni – second princess, to Lt. Col. Des Raj Urs on 20-4-1896 depicts the Mysore Royal insignia described above. Thus the credit of creating the popular and historic Mysore Royal insignia should go to Maharani Vani Vilas Sannidhana who was the Regent of Mysore from 1895-1902. ( Above mentioned two invitations are not displayed here). The third invitation on display is that of Yuvaraja Kumar (as he then was) Sri. Jaya Chamaraja Wadiyar’s wedding held on 15-5-1938. Here we find the Urdu Monogram making a final exit from the scene. Instead you find a new six line monogram in Sanskrit prose describing Maharaja Krishna Raja Wadiyar’s rule. Further study revealed that this was used for the first time in the Upanayanam invitation (sacred thread ceremony) of Yuvaraja Kumar Sri. Jaya Chamaraja Wadiyar on 23-5-1930. ( Not on display here) During the reign of Maharaja Sri. Jaya Chamaraja Wadiayr the Royal seal was further modified to a simple four line Sanskrit prose describing his rule as shown in the link above. In the next post I will dwell on the origin of the urdu Monogram !

Popular folklore about Our Beta world City of Bangalore narrates that once out on a hunt, Yelahanka nada Prabhu, Kempe Gowda –I saw the strange sght of a hare chasing a Dog! This convinced Kempe Gowda to believe the place as Gandu Bhumi - Manly/Heroic Land and raised a mud fort there and founded Bangaluru in 1537. His successors expanded their domain by the conquest of Magadi and Savanadurga . But the fall of Vijayanagar in 1564 in the battle of Talikota had distarous consequences on its suzerains’. Around 1637-38, Adil Shah Dynasty of Bijapur sent an expedition under the command of Ranadulla Khan ( Rustum-i-Zaman). Shahji Bhonsle, father of Shivaji Maharaj, was Second in command. During this expedition Bijapur army attacked Immadi Kempe Gowda and conquered Bangalore thus forcing him to retreat to Magadi. Bangalore was placed under the charge of Shahji Bhonsle as a Jhagir. Ranadulla Khan continued his expedition down south till he was repulsed by Ranadhira Kanteerva Narasraja Wodeyar at Sriranagapatna. This was the beginning of Maratha Rule of nearly 150 years in Bangalore. Shahji’s estate over the years comprised of Bangalore, Hoskote, Ballarpur, Sidlagatta and Kolar. After the death of Shahji in 1664, he was succeeded by his son Venkoji aka Ekoji. With the conquest of Tanjore in 1675, he shifted his residence to his new Capital and discontinued his allegiance to Bijapur. Around this time, Mysore under Chikka Deva Raja Wodeyar (1673-1704) was growing in strength and influence. Venkoji found it exceedingly difficult to hold on to his paternal Jahgir of Bangalore from the distant Tanjore. He accordingly proposed to sell it to Chikka Devaraja for Three Lakh Rupees. After concluding the transaction with his Vakils, When Chikka Devaraja was about to take possession of Bangalore, Khasim Khan - Mughal General of Aurnagzib advanced and hoisted the imperial flag over Bangalore fort on July 10, 1687. But Chikka Devaraja is said to have battled his way and conquered Bangalore on July 14. Though there are some different accounts on this episode, it is suffice to say in the end Bangalore became part of Mysore Kingdom and forced Khasim Kahn to retire to Sira. Chikka Devaraja erected a new and Bigger oval fort and also built the extant Temple of Venkataramanaswamy and Bangalore became an important Trade Centre. But around 1699, to safeguard the Kingdom against a possible invasion by Mughals and to increase his reputation and status, Chikka Devaraja sent an Embassy to Aurngazib then holding court at Ahmadnagar. It is said Aurnagzib greatly pleased by the amicable disposition and his conquests against Mahrattas, conferred him the title – Raja Jagadev. He also gave a seal engraved in Persian characters, with the words “Raja Chikkadevaraj –Muhammad- Shayi” and various other insignia. He sent him costly presents with a friendly letter recognizing Chikka Devaraja’s right to hold Durbar seated on the “celebrated throne of the Pandavas”. The Embassy returned in 1700 and the event was celebrated in the capital city of Sriranagapatna with great rejoice. The re-organization of the Government departments in to 18 Chavadis (later rechristened by Hyder as Attahra Cutcheri) is said to be an offshoot of this embassy and the experiences gained during their stay in Ahmadnagar. The Royal Seal with Persian inscription mentioned above is said to have been lost around 1748 and Ahmed Shah Bahadur is seems to have issued a fresh Royal seal to Immadi Krishna Raja Wodeyar in 1749. Though it appears very quirky, this continued to be the Royal Seal after 1799, when British restored the Kingdom to Mummadi Krishna Raja Wadiayr.! I hope some one among our vast friends here will be able to decipher the inscription and confirm the above narrative.

This site is really fabulous. I am going to print some of the pictures and frame them.

Raja Chandra : As always....thank you Sir for your detailed and brilliant post.

I hope Asad Ahmed or Digvijay Singh would help decipher the Urdu inscription mentioned in the above comment by Raja Chandra.

@Subbiah :Well, it reads as.... Ahmed Sha(h)i 1162 Hijri Raja Hakad Loraaj 20. @ Raja: My apologies, hukum you had asked me earlier about what the script read on this coin but i forgot to reply as I was travelling and was on vacation. Urdu on a Mysore coin and invitation though may appear strange to many but we must be mindful of the fact that Urdu actually blossomed in the Deccan and it was much later that it was adopted by the Persian-loving north.Maybe it can be attributed to the Maratha conquest of Banglore and the adjoining territories.That it later vanished from the later invitation ( marriage of Maharajkumar Jaichamaraja Wodeyar to the princess of Charkhari in 1938) is intriguing. The relatives of princess Pratap Kumari of Vana (Gujarat) still stay in Banglore. This write-up about Banglore was a delight to read and also how the name Banglore came about I was aware about Mysore being named after Mahishasurmardini though.

Thank you Digvijay ! .....though it continues to intrigue me.

Thanks Digvijay for confirming my narrative in this regard. I suppose 1162 Hijri corresponds to 1748-49 as assumed by me.

@Digvijay: The relatives of princess Pratap Kumari of Vana (Gujarat) still stay in Bangalore..... Maharani Pratap Kumari's brother Rana Lakshman Singh shifted his residence to Mysore was a noble of the court. Rana Terrace was a well known Heritage property in Mysore. Rana's grand children and family still live in Mysore. @Urdu on a Mysore coin and invitation though may appear strange... It was not on a coin. It was the Royal seal ( Raja Mudra). It means all Royal communication ( including Wedding invitation) would have the same seal affixed. It is a symbol of his sovereignty. Even today during Dasara, when the Maharaja proceeds to ascend the throne. Senior Sardar's who follow him carry tow things - The Royal Sword and Royal Seal. Once the Maharaja is seated on the throne both are kept on the throne on his right side. Again when is about to conclude the darabar, both are taken out . I agree with RBSI that it is not only intriguing but strange that the above Royal Seal continued to be used post 1799 too. It appears as though young Yuvaraja Kumar Sri. Jaya Chamaraja Wadiyar was instrumental in bringing a much needed change during his upanayanam ! Even during the wedding of Raja Kumari Leelavathi in 1926 (daughter of princess Princess Jayalakshammanni & Dewan Sir. M.Kantha raja Urs) the old Royal Seal was used.

Part of the Vana family stay in Banglore too.My sister's sister-in-law (husband''s sister) is married in the Vana family so I know.Sister was married in Lodhika (Gujarat) .Vana and Charkhari with mysore were two north-south alliances at a time when we were very different people with very differnt cultures. Now of course whole of india is more homogenised. Another generation and the differenes will become all the more diluted. I find the royal seal intriguing as well. it does not really add up, as to why was it in usage at all ? It most certainly cannot be a legacy/baggage from Tipu Sultan or Haider Ali? In north all this was de-rigour because Persian and later Urdu held sway on all kingdoms but in Mysore ? Many thanks for sharing the valuable info about the dowager queen regent who was instrumental in bringing about change in so short a period. Pray where is this canopy/gazebo in the Jaganmohan palace I do not remember it at all.Another distinguishing feature is their late highnesses sitting togather in the durbar hall because this does not appear to be a marriage mandap as there is no sign of the holy fire or of a Rajpurohit.Apparently this is a rare photo of their highnesses holding court togather after their recently concluded marriage.Distinguishing because in comparison at that time the lives of all maharanis and begums in the north were restricted by purdah !

To convert from a Christian (Gregarion calendar) date to a Muslim date (Hijri samvat) you may use this formula where G is the Gregarion date and H is the Hijra date : H = G - 622 + [G -622) divided by 32] Use this and you will find 1990 A.D. began in the year Muslim year A.H. 1410 To convert from a Muslim date to a Christian date , here's the formula: G= H + 622 -[ H divided by 33) This means that the Muslim year 1421 A.H.began in 1999 A.D. (1421 + 622) - (1421 divided by 33) = 1999

Thank you for this captivating discussion !

It is said when KRS project was under planning, Maharaja took a long time to decide and SirMV was miffed and was not taking much interest in his work !So one day Maharaja called him to Mysore and asked him not to sulk and the project was approved. But there was financial crunch and on the advice of his mother, Maharaja is said to have sold a lot of family heirlooms and jewels in Bombay to solve the problem . I suppose Silver canopy like the above and many more must have been put on the block ! Vana family male descendants are in Mysore but others have branched out to Bangalore and elsewhere like Dharampur, Chamba, Dholpur....... As for as Hijri, Tipu invented his own calender known as Mauladi era, so the seal cannot be a throw back to his times!

many thanks but pls throw some light on the KRS project . Did it reach fruition ?And who was Sir MV? Request you to share something about Sir Mirza Ismail also who was another link between Mysore and Jaipur. Tipu inventing his own calender is also interesting and a new piece of information to me.

Oh! Sorry, every Mysorean understands this but forgot i need to have global perspective here! KRS is what is popularly known as Brindavan Gardens. KRS means Krishna Raja Sagar. It is a dam across River Cauvery with this an otherwise arid Mandya District became a Sugar Bowl and prosperous district. Primary purpose was also to help generation of power all thro' the year at the country's first Hydro Electric plant at Shivanasamudra. Sir MV, is Bharata Ratna Sir M. Visvswaraiah- the eminent Engineer statesman who also served as Dewan of Mysore before he ultimately resigned in 1919 due to his differences over the Backward class reservation in Government jobs recommended by Miller's Committee. In the end it was left Dewan Sir M. Kantha Raj Urs- maternal uncle of the Maharaja to implement country's first social engineering scheme.

andy iz always impressed wid raja n diggy storehouses of knowledge

The photograph is interesting but the discussion which is followed is more engrossing and stimulating. I always enjoy the comments. RBSI & its members, keep it up.

In those days, wedding ceremonies were conducted for one week, unlike the present one-day 'ceremony'! This picture is of the fifth day ceremonies, 'Nagoli' or 'Nagavalli' ceremonies. The narration wrongly says 'Navagali', instead of 'Nagoli'. It is a post-wedding ritual of traditional games played by the bride and bridegroom so that they shed their shyness. Generally, women take more interest in this ritual by encouraging the young couple to engage in the games that entertains all those present too. That is the reason why there is no sacred fire. Women members of the royal house are viewing the ceremony from the balcony. The priests are seated on the left side. Behind them, there is a small silver cradle used in the game by the young couple. Hope this clears your doubts, Digvijay.

It is called urutane on uyyaale !

@ Ms Satya : Many thanks.Similar extended wedding celebrations and rituals existed in north as well.It is intrigiung that the games are being played in public. In the north these games were generally conducted in the zenana, today too these are still an all ladies affair except for the groom who is the only male present. Pray what kind of game was played with a cradle.Mybe you may recall and narrate for all our benefit. In the northern Rajput rajasthani kingdoms these games are called 'Juaa Juee' with minor variations across north India.

raja iz our mysur pak uf info