When Canteroy inspired Shivaji

It is now common knowledge that Chatrapati Shivaji (1627-1680), the Maratha Emperor, spent part of his childhood in Bangalore

and that he learnt the basics of statecraft and warfare from his father, Shahaji Raje Bhonsale (1594-1664).Shahaji then was the Jagirdar of Bangalore and he had his palace at Chickpet. Shahaji had defeated Kempe Gowda and sent him away to Magadi-Savandurga, while he retained Bangalore, Kolar, Hoskote, Yelahanka and Anekal. This was sometime in 1638. Shivaji had come to Bangalore from Pune when he was just eleven years old and he spent time with his elder brother Sambhaji and his half-brother Ekoji. Shivaji’s mother, Jija Bai, also came with Shivaji to Bangalore and by then Shahaji had married a second time. The second wife was Tukabai Mohite and Ekoji was her son.Maratha and Adil Shah records of the period state that Shahaji lived with Jijabai and Tukabai along with their sons in his palace at Chickpet. It was at Bangalore

that Shahaji decided to partition his jagir. He permitted Shivaji to return to Pune with Jijabai and he decided to give Bangalore as a jagir to Ekoji. His eldest son, Sambhaji, received the province of Kolar.    It was while he was in Bangalore

around 1640 that Shivaji heard tales of the erstwhile Vijayanagar Empire and its Emperors. He was deeply inspired by the Vijayanagar Empire and the stories of valour and piety of its Emperors. It is from the Vijayanagar Empire that he took the inspiration to found a Hindu

Kingdom. Of course, the atrocities perpetuated by the Mughals in the Deccan and by Afzal Khan and other Adil Shah commanders of Bijapur only strengthened his resolve to establish a strong and independent Hindu Empire. However, Shivaji was also inspired by another Hindu ruler of the South. This was Ranadheera Kanteerava or Kantirava Narasaraja Wodeyar (1638-1659), the wrestler King of Mysore.

Kanthirava Narasaraja I, as he is known, was the first Wodeyar King of Mysore

to use symbols associated with royalty, such as a mint and issuing coins named as Kanthiraya, which the British later called as Canteroy. He first struck coins in his own name on April 26, 1645. They were then called Kantiraya Hana or Kantirava Raya Ravi.  Another form of currency was Kantiraya Varaha which later came to be called Canteroy Pagoda. This Pagoda was divided into ten sub units called hanams. The weight of one Varaha was equal to nine hanams.

He also issued copper coins called Anekasu. Of fall his coins, the Canteroy was so popular that they remained part of Mysore

's current national money for well over a century. (In 1843, the Mysore coins formally ceased to exist). When Shivaji was in Bangalore, he came across the Canteroy coins and he immediately sensed the importance of having coins struck in his name and of using other royal symbols and seals. This resolve was further strengthened when Shivaji was told that Ranadheera Kanteerava issued the coins with the intention to strengthen his grip and hold over the Kingdom. The Wodeyar coins with Lord Narasimha created a series of fanams which numismatically came to be known as Kantirava Fanams. Narasimha is the fourth reincarnation of Hari or Vishnu with a human body and lion face. The Yogabhanda pose is depicted in earlier Kanteerava coins. Other coins have Narasimha in meditation with legs folded inward and the holy thread  or Janevara going around both his knees. One hand holds a flaming chakra and a flaming conch and the lower hands rests on his knees.

The Kantirava fanams became popular in south India

and Shivaji too was inspired by them to mint his own coins. Shivaji called his coins as Shivarayi. The Shivarayi was first issued by Shivaji after his coronation as Chatrapathi in 1664. Unlike the Canteroy, the Shivrai was a copper coin minted to denote the symbol of sovereignty, the Rajyaabhisheka Shaka. A gold coin called Shivrai Hon was also minted but such coins  are rare today.

Shivaji is  known to have minted only one set of gold coins in his time. During his coronation, seven lakh Shivrai Hon coins were showered upon him and issued for the first time. These coins are now rare as his rival and Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb had most of them melted down.

These coins had a legend Shri Raja Shivachhatrapati inscribed on them. Thereafter, all royal correspondence (Rajpatra) carried the words, Kshatriyakulaawatansa Shri Raja Shivachhatrapati.

Apart from Shivaji, the Nayakas of Sira, the British at Madras

and even the Dutch were inspired by the Mysore coins and they minted them at Pulicat, Negapatnam and Tuticorin.Generally, the Wodeyars minted coins in gold, copper and sometimes in silver. The Wodeyars had a fairly big mint at Srirangapatna. Ranadheera Kanteerava shifted the mint from Msyore to Srirangapatna when he shifted the capital to Srirngapatna.

The gold coins of Wodeyars  carried the motif and the name of the King and the mint on the reverse, while the silver coins bore the name of the king on the obverse and the name of the mint on the reverse. Some coins of smaller denominations had sculpted image of  Chamundi.

Hyder Ali continued minting coins in gold with Hindu deities, while Tipu preferred silver coins. Tipu set up twelve mints in his kingdom. The mint of  Srirangapatna was shifted after the death of Tipu Sultan on May 4, 1799.

Interestingly, the Wodeyar coins are strikingly similar to the coins of Vijayanagar Empire. Both the Wodeyar and Vijayanagar coins are similar in size, shape and weight.

The anthem of a State that inspired Tagore to pen Jana Gana Mana

Jana Gana Mana, India’s national anthem, in highly Sanskritised (Tatsama) Bengali,  is the first of five stanzas of a Brahmo hymn composed and scored by Nobel Laurete Rabindranath Tagore.

It was first sung in the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress on December 27, 1911.

Jana Gana Mana was officially adopted by the Constituent Assembly as the Indian national anthem on January 24, 1950 and December 27, 2011 marked the completion of 100 years of Jana Gana Mana since it was sung for the first time.

However, what many do not know is that the inspiration for Tagore to pen Jana Gana Mana was the erstwhile anthem of the Mysore State, “Kayo Sri Gowri.”

Though every princely state in India has its own flag, ensign and anthem, it was the Mysore anthem that touched Tagore and inspired him. Unlike the anthem of other states, “Kayo Gowri…” was hummable, easy to understand and it was penned by a well-known writer of the times. The Mysore anthem was more an invocation to the Goddess rather than glorifying any individual and this is what made it a hot with the masses. This is where Kayo Gowri differed with the Gaekwadi of Baroda, Ya rab Humare Badhsh Ko of Hyderabad, God save the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, Jai Jai Maharaja of Nawanagar and Jai Bhavani of  Kolpahur.

The origin of the Mysore anthem is interesting. When the British handed back the reigns of administration to the Wodeyars in 1881 by the act of Rendition, they also restored the Kingdom to Maharaja Chamaraja Wodeyar.

To commemorate this occasion, Maharaja Chamaraja Wodeyar asked Basavappa Shastry, the court poet of Mysore, to compose a state anthem. 

Basavappa Shastry (1843-1891) was a native of Mysore and he is today better known as Kannada Nataka Pitamaha.

Basavappa Shastry was just 18 when he joined the Mysore court and he served in various capacities as the Rajaguru, Astana Vidwamsa and Rajapurohit. He also published a compilation on Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar called Krishnarajabhyudaya.

He wrote 28 books and they included eleven translations, twelve works in Sanskrit and five in Kannada.

He composed “Kayo Shri Gowri”  in Sanskrit, written in Kannada script. In the course of time, the anthem or song became extremely popular with the Mysoreans and even outsiders.

The song is an invocation to Gowri or Chamundeswari, the reigning deity of Mysore and the Wodeyars. When Muslims and non-Hindus sang the anthem, they were allowed to substitute Gowri with the word Devaru  or God as a prayer made to the Great God and Father of Mankind.

The anthem soon became a favourite of  Maharaja Chamaraja Wodeyar. He had it set to tune with the help of Maharaja’s Band Master, Bartels and Veene Seshanna (Vainika Sikhamani Seshanna). 

Very soon, it was sung everyday by thousands of school children and by others to herald the arrival and departures of the Maharaja at all public functions.

In 1919, the Vice-Chancellor of Mysore University, Sir Albion Banerjee, invited Rabindranath Tagore to visit Mysore. When Tagore was in Bangalore on January 12, 1919 to deliver a lecture  on “The message of Forests”,  the then Diwan Sir. M. Kantharaj Urs and other attended the function.

When the Mysore Anthem was sung, Tagore was impressed. He had already heard of the anthem several years before and realised that the lyrics are based on Raga- Dheerashankarābharanam. This raga is known as Bilawal in the Hindustani  and the Western equivalent is the C major scale, Ionian mode.

This raga is one of the most popular scales across the world though it is known by different names in different musical styles. Tagore based the Jana Gana Mana  on the same Raga and also on the same scale.

Sadly, the Mysore anthem is today almost forgotten but its influence on the national anthem cannot be taken away. Even today, many Mysoreans recall with fondness the anthem as it reminds them of their school days. The anthem today is more an eulogy of noatalgia.

The lyrics of the anthem are as follows:

ಕಾಯೋ ಶ್ರೀ ಗೌರಿ ಕರುಣಾಲಹರಿ

ತೊಯಜಾಕ್ಷಿ ಶಂಕರೀಶ್ವರಿ

೧. ವೈಮಾನಿಕ ಭಾಮಾರ್ಚಿತ ಕೊಮಲಕರ ಪಾದೇ

ಶ್ರೀಮಾನ್ವಿತ ಭೂಮಾಸ್ಪದೆ ಕಾಮಿತ ಫಲದೇ

೨. ಶುಂಬಾದಿಮ ದಾಮ್ಬೋನಿಧಿ ಕುಮ್ಬಜ ನಿಭ ದೇವಿ

ಜಮ್ಭಾಹಿತ ಸಂಭಾವಿತೆ ಶಾಂಭವಿ ಶುಭವೀ

೩. ಶ್ರೀ ಜಯಚಾಮುಂಡಿಕೆ ಶ್ರೀ ಜಯಚಾಮೆಂದ್ರ

ನಾಮಾಂಕಿತ ಭೂಮೀಂದ್ರ ಲಲಾಮನ ಮುದದೆ

During the reign of Maharaja Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV (1895-1940) and the Regency of his mother, the third stanza was modified as under:

ಶ್ಯಾಮಾಲಿಕೆ ಚಾಮುಂಡಿಕೆ ಸೊಮಕುಲಜ ಕೃಷ್ಣ

ನಾಮಾಂಕಿತ ಭೂಮೀಂದ್ರ ಲಾಮನ ಮುದದೇ ||೩||

When Jayachamaraja Wodeyar (1940-1950), became the Maharaja, the last stanza was once again modified and it was set to music in Raga: ShamkarAbharana in Trishrajati Eka tala by Vainika Praveena V. Venkatagriyappa.

It went thus,

ಶ್ರೀ ಜಯಚಾಮುಂಡಿಕೆ ಶ್ರೀ ಜಯಚಾಮೇಂದ್ರ

ನಾಮಾಂಕಿತ ಭುಮೀಂದ್ರ ಲಲಾಮನ ಮುದದೆ |೩|

The King who preferred never to speak

He spoke but only once during his entire lifetime. Today, he is known as the deaf and dumb King of Mysore. Yet, despite not being able to or not wanting to speak, he governed his Mysore State well.

What is more this King was a great patron of arts and literature. He himself has written 14 Yakshagana plays. Though his reign was short-ten years-it saw the golden age of Yakshagana and laid it on a form foundation.

This was Kantirava Narasaraja Wodeyar the second, the Ruler of Mysore from 1704-1714. Born on December 27, 1672, he ascended the Mysore throne in 1704 at a comparatively young age of 32 years.

The only son of  Chikka Deva Raja Wodeyar, he had a sedate and quiet childhood. His father, the reigning King of Mysore, and his mother Devaraja Ammani, brought the child up with a lot of love and affection.

However, they soon became concerned when even after five years the young Narasaraja did not speak. Seeing that the prince showed no inclination whatsoever to communicate, the worried king proclaimed that whoever made the prince speak would be rewarded handsomely.

A person called Gopala Bhatta came forward to make the prince speak. He performed many rituals and prayed to the Sun God and then called upon the young Prince to speak. To everyone's surprise, not only did the prince speak, but he also revealed some facets of his past life.

The prince said that in his previous birth, he was a potter in Kashi or who had bee regularly attending a discourse on the Bhagavath Gita by ascetic called Krishna Bhatta.  One day, after the discourse, the ascetic left the book on the Bhagavad Gita behind.

The potter then sold the book and bought milk for the ascetic with the proceeds of the sale. When the ascetic came to know how the potter had purchased the milk, he cursed the potter that he would be reborn as a mute prince and that he would later become a king. The ascetic also stated that he himself would be reborn as the mute king’s son, as an atonement for trying to enlighten a low class person like the potter with the teachings of the Gita.

The King, Queen and assembled people listened in wonder to the tale of the Prince. After having narrated the story, the prince became silent and never spoke again.

A well endowed person, he marred twice. In 1693, he married Chama Ammani of Yelandur. Subsequently, he married Cheluva Ammani of Kalale.

His father died on November 16, 1704 and Narasaraja was coronated on November 30, the same year. He is believed to have succeeded to the throne through the influence of the minister, Tirumalaiyangar.

He reigned under a series of Dalavai Regents all of whom hailed from the Kalale family near Nanjangud. Since he never spoke, he came to be known as Mooka Arasu (the dumb king). Yet, his rule saw Mysore rise to great heights in literature and arts.

He has authored 14 Yakshaganas in various languages in Kannada script.

Since Narasaraja Wodeyar II remained silent throughout his rule, it has sparked controversy among historians as to whether the king was really mute or simply preferred to perform his duties in sign language and written communication.

Historian say his silence did not appear to affect either him or the Mysore Kingdom. He not only managed to hold on to the Kingdom but also defeated the local chieftain of Chikaballapur.

A polyglot, the king was proficient in Kannada, Sanskrit, Telugu, Tamil and Prakrit. He is today mainly remembered for his contribution to Yakshagana. He introduced sangeeta (music), nataka (drama) and natya (dance) in Yakshagana.

His works  were discovered at the Government Oriental manuscript library in Chennai and later transferred to the Adhyayana Samasthe inMysore. These works comprise  of songs, Sanskrit shlokas, KannadaVachanas, Telugu padya, dvipadi (two liners) and Sangatya (compositions meant to be sung to the accompaniment of a musical instrument).

The tale of a Royal dish-the Mysore Pak and the Bisi Bele Bath

It was another day at the Mysore Palace and the reigning King, Nalawadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar (1884-1940), was about to sit for lunch.

It  was the early years of the 20^th century. The then royal cook, Kakasura Madappa, had just completed the preparation for the royal palate. He liked dishing out different dishes to the King who in turn appreciated them.

On that particular day, Kakasura decided to come out with a new sweet dish. He had just mixed besan, ghee and sugar and was preparing a sweet syrup when he was called to serve the King.

Even as the other dishes were being served to the King, Kakasura served the sweet he had prepared. The King tasted it and was extremely delighted. He had never before tasted the dish and it just melted in his mouth.

What is this dish and how did you prepare it, he asked Kakasura. The cook, thoroughly pleased that his experiment had succeeded, said it was Mysore Paka. He had hit on the name at the spur of the moment.  Paka in Kannada and it means a sweet concoction.

The sweet soon came out of the Royal Palace and spread rapidly. Royals, noblemen and commoners alike soon started preparing Mysore Paka and the name struck.

Meanwhile, Kakasura refined the sweet and the Mysore Pak that came out of his hands included chick pea flour, ghee (clarified butter).  It soon became  a famous royal sweet and the name Mysore Pak spread beyond the boundaries of Mysore.   

The king then asked Kakasura to set up a shop outside the Amba Vilas Palace grounds so that his subjects too could taste the Pak.

Thus was born Guru Sweets on Sayaji Rao Road in Mysore in 1957. The royal cook-Kakasura-passed away in 1964, aged 70 and by then Mysore Pak had become one of the main sweets in the Indian palate. His son, Basavanna, continued the family tradition. His descendents still operate the shop and the Mysore Pak of this shop has a unique and distinct taste.

Today, there are several varieties of Mysore Pak, each with its distinct flavour and taste. The Pak has also transcended the borders of Karnataka and it is very commonly available all over India. But a majority of the buyers of Mysore Pak are not aware that it originated in the Royal kitchens of Mysore and that it was prepared by accident.    

There are at least three other dishes which trace their origin to Mysore-the Mysore Masala Dosa, Bisi Bele Bath and the Mysore Saaru (rasam). All the three from Mysore taste differently from their competitors.

The Masala Dosa too originated in Mysore and this Dosa is much different from the Davangere Bene Dosa, Udupi Dosa  or even Madras Dosa.  My friends would have me believe that Dosa originated in Udupi. I would go for Mysore as I am a Mysorean.

The Mysore Dosa is soft on the inside and crisp on the out side. The Urad dal that is used makes all the difference to the taste and even look.

Another Mysore invention is the Set Dosa with Saagu and chutney.

By the way, dosa is described in Sangam literature of Tamil Nadu of the 6^th century AD. In Karnataka, the first written mention of the Dosa is by a King, Chalukya Someshwara the third in his book written in 1057 called Manasollasa.

Similarly, the Mysore Saaru (Rasam) is very distinct from others like the Madras Rasam. The Saaru has a taste of  pepper and the rasam powder has methi seeds to give it a mouth watering flavour.

Wel, what more can I say If you are in Mysorem check out the many eateries and wash down the Masal Dosa with a hot cup of Mysore filter coffee that R K Narayan and others so loved.

By the way, another Mysore speciality, the Bisi Bele Bath, fondly called concrete for the heaviness, also originated in Mysore.

This dish too was invented in the Mysore Palace 300 years ago as a vegetable free piping hot dish. A Kannada writer, K.T. Acharya, has traced the bath to a 10^th century dish called Kattaogara. The Kattogara, he says in his book, “A Historical Dictionary of Indian Food,” was rice mixed with ghee, salt and garlic.

However, Mysoreans say the dish is theirs and it originated within the Wodeyar palace first as a non-vegetable dish with a different taste and ingredients such as cloves, Turmeric, Tamarind, cashew nuts, dried coconut, mustard seeds and  cinnamon.

Slowly, vegetables began to be added and the bath in its present shape and form came off the stove. It then travelled all the way from the palace to Udupi where it received further palatal decorations.

Believe me, you will never get filter coffee like the one you tasted in Mysore in some outlets. Check them out for yourself.