. English: Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar had the longest reign among rulers of Mysore (1799 - 1868). He had varied interests in life -- music, painting, literature -- each of which he loved and tried his hand in. He spent liberally on promotion of learning and patronized a number of scholars. He is credited with the authorship of 109 works in Kannada and Sanskrit! It was a common custom in royal courts for littérateurs to write and dedicate their works to their patrons, or to seek permission to lend his name to their writings. But, among the works attributed to Mummadi, scholars are united in id
. English: Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar had the longest reign among rulers of Mysore (1799 - 1868). He had varied interests in life -- music, painting, literature -- each of which he loved and tried his hand in. He spent liberally on promotion of learning and patronized a number of scholars. He is credited with the authorship of 109 works in Kannada and Sanskrit! It was a common custom in royal courts for littérateurs to write and dedicate their works to their patrons, or to seek permission to lend his name to their writings. But, among the works attributed to Mummadi, scholars are united in identifying some Devata-Stutis (hymns in praise of Gods), a work on games and Sougandhika Parinaya (wedding of Sugandhika), a prose romance, as Mummadi's own creation. Sougandhika Parinaya (Parinaya = wedding) was a new experiment in prose-writing. Neither borrowed nor adopted, it has a mythological theme written in puranic style. The same work was later rendered into poetry (6,000 verses) and a play was also written, showing its popularity. The theme involves Lord Indra, the king of heaven. Under a curse by the sage Durvasa he is born as prince Sugandharaja in the land of Karnataka to pious parents. His childhood, youth and training for kingship are described. His several exploits to win over princess Sougandhika who was born under similar circumstances, in Kalinga form the bulk of book. There are several episodes incorporated, while Sugandharaja starts to fulfil eight conditions laid down by Sougandhika to marry her. Religion, Philosophy, Yoga, astronomy, erotics, zoology, botany, music, horse and elephant-lore, horticulture, digging of wells and lakes, in short all topics a king was supposed to study are discussed. The prince excelled in all! The book is profusely illustrated. Mummadi had started a lithograph press in the palace premises and himself was a painter. He experimented with color pictures. True to the tradition of religious tolerance of the land, equal importance i
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Keywords: ., /, /., krishnaraja, mummadi, wodeyar.
