Yaduveer's adoption to herald more celebrations

With Pramoda Devi, wife of late Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, whispering the new name Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar in the right ear of the grandson of Gayathri Devi, sister of the last scion of the Mysuru royal family, the Wadiyar family had a new scion at the glittering ceremony in the Mysuru Palace on Monday.

Yaduveer was seated on the lap of Pramoda Devi as she whispered his new name and adopted him as her son in accordance with ‘dattu sweekara’ (adoption) rituals.

The religious rites of adoption, according to Hindu tradition, also brought an end to the curiosity generated among the people of Mysuru on the successor of Srikanta Datta. The latter’s sudden demise a year ago had left the hereditary throne vacant and doubts about the future of the four-century-old Dasara celebrations of the royal family.

A beaming Pramoda Devi became Yaduveer’s adopted mother and she would be his guide on the future affairs of her family, including continuing with the legal hurdles over the possession of their properties, among which are the Bangalore and Mysore palaces.

Yaduveer’s parents Swarup Anand Gopalaraj Urs and Tripurasundari Devi gave consent to the adoption to Pramoda Devi at the auspicious time of 1.40 pm. The palace Dharmadhikari Janardhan Iyengar led the team of priests in conducting the rituals under the guidance of the royal family’s guru Vageesha Brahmatanta Swatantra Swamiji of Parakala Mutt in the dazzling ‘Kalyana Mantap’.

The ceremony was witnessed by members of over 30 royal families and special invitees among whom were Home Minister K J George, representing the state government, Housing Minister M H Ambareesh and former Union Minister C K Jaffer Sharief. Yaduveer’s fiancee Trishika Kumari and her father were among the royal family members who witnessed the adoption rituals.

On behalf of Pramoda Devi, Jayachamaraja Wadiyar’s daughter Indrakshi Devi and her husband Raja Chandra sat on the ‘Peetha’ and accepted Yaduveer as the 27th scion of the royal family succeeding Srikanta Datta, as his nephew Kantharaj Urs, who had stepped in to conduct the late scion’s obsequies and the Dasara festivities that followed, was absent.

Earlier, holy water was brought in sacred ‘kalashas’ in the traditional way from the Someshwara Temple to the kalyana mantap in procession that comprised of decorated elephants, horses and camels.

The adoption ceremony augurs well for the royal family as a series of celebrations – sacred thread ceremony, installation, wedding and Dasara celebrations by the new heir – are expected to follow in the kalyana mantap. During the 600-year reign, the Wadiyar dynasty has surmounted several critical situations and this adoption was one among those that it had successfully overcome.