Investiture of Chamaraja Wodeyar X with Ruling Powers.

(Page 59) Whereas in the year 1868 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India in Council announced by proclamation to the chiefs and people in Mysore that His Highness Chamarajendra Wodeyar Bahadur, the adopted son of the late Maharaja Sri Krishnaraja Wodeyar Bahadur, had been acknowledged by the Government of India as successor to Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar and as Maharaja of the Mysore territories and declared that when His Highness Should attain the age of eighteen years the Government of the country would be entrusted to him, subject to such conditions as might be determined at the time...

(Page 59) All preliminary arrangements for transferring the State to the Maharaja's hands having been completed, a Durbar for formally effecting this transfer was held in the Palace at Mysore on the morning of the 25th March 1881.

(Page 60) "Now, therefore, His Excellency the Viceroy and Governor-General of India in Council announces to the chiefs and people of Mysore by command of Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland and Empress of India that His Highness Sri Chamarajendra Wodeyar Bahadur is placed in possession of the territories of -Mysore and invested with the administration of the Mysore State...

(Page 61) A gentle shower of rain fell at the time the Durbar was held and this incident and the birth of a daughter to His Highness on the 11th March previous were regarded as happy auguries for the future and caused rejoicings among the people...

(Page 62) In the afternoon addresses were presented to the Maharaja from various taluks, towns and districts as well as from Societies and Associations. Among the addresses was one on behalf of the Catholic community of Mysore presented by His Lordship Dr. Coadou in Latin. It was a unique address full of meaning and good sense and a translation of it in English was read by T. R. A. Thumboo Chetty a prominent member of that community and who held a high position in the Mysore Service. The address after offering the felicitations of the community concluded with these words :

"We also pray with our whole heart and beseech God that He may grant that wisdom with which He enlightened the heart of King Solomon. May He grant you so to rule that your reign may be a reign of peace and justice, so to govern that under your auspices the good may walk without fear in the path of righteousness and the bad may be frightened out of their evil ways. May God grant that as the throne on which you sit is of refulgent gold so may Your Highness be resplendent with virtues which become a King. May God grant that during your reign the ministers who help you with their counsel and stand round your throne may walk in the ways of justice and that the people subject to your sceptre may enjoy undisturbed peace and happiness"

His Highness in reply said :

"Those who labour in the cause of religion are always a help to Government and your religion especially may well be credited with inculcating principles of peace and loyalty in the minds of the people. The 26,000 Canarese Christian population of my territories peacefully and zealously following their industrial occupations without any collision with fellow countrymen of other faiths bear testimony to the fact how while propogating your faith you sacredly avoid breaking social institutions or impairing mutual good-will. Permit me, my Lord Bishop, to assure you of my support and sympathy in your disinterested godly work. I am touched by the piece of Jewish history quoted by you. I assure you that trust in God and submission to His Will have ever ruled and shall ever rule the conduct of my family and myself and I look to that high power as my help and guide and for crowning with success my endeavours in the good government of my country and of my people." ...

(Page 64)" We have further resolved that a Council shall be formed to be styled the Council of His Highness the Maharaja of Mysore ' which shall consist of the Dewan for the time being as ex-officio President and of two or more members to be specially appointed by us from time to time. It shall be the duty of the members of the said Council to submit for our consideration their opinions on all questions relating to legislation and taxation and on all other important measures connected with the good administration of our territories and the well-being of our subjects. We are accordingly pleased to appoint Chettipaniam Veeravalli Rangacharlu, C. I. E., Dewan, ex-officio President, Trichnopoly Rayalu Arogyaswamy Thumboo Chetty, Judge, ex-officio member, Purna Krishna Rao, Attupakam Ratna Sabhapathy Mudaliar to be members of the said Council, to hold office as such Councillors for the term of three years or during our pleasure." …

(Page 64) Thumboo Chetty before he joined the Mysore Service was Munsiff of Purghi in the Bellary district. In February 1867 he was appointed Head Sheristadar of the Judicial Commissioner's Court at Bangalore and at the time of his appointment as senior member of the Council was holding the post of District and Sessions Judge of the Nandidoorg Division. He belonged to the Catholic community and had earned a name for assiduous work and upright conduct. The other two, Purna Krishna Rao and Sabhapathi Mudaliar, were retired officers who had held high positions in the days of the British Commission.

(Page 190) The first Dewan Rangacharlu did not long survive the Rendition. But his successor Sir Seshadri Iyer for 18 years wielded an authority that was a reflex of his powerful character and abilities and that left its mark upon every branch of the administration.

Chamaraja Wodeyar X 1881 1894. Appointment of Sir K. Seshadri Iyer as Dewan Steps taken to improve the finances of the State

(page 82) The choice'of a Dewan for a Native State" is always a matter of some difficulty as a number of conflicting claims require to be balanced before any 'decision can be arrived at. At this time three candidates were prominently mentioned for the place. The first was P. N. Krishna Murthi who was a direct descendant of the great minister Purnaiya and the fifth holder of the jahagir of Yelandur granted to his ancestor. Krishna. Murthi was regarded as the first nobleman of the country. He was 32 years of age. The other two T. R. A. Thumboo Chetty and K. Seshadri Iyer though, they came as strangers to Mysore had served long under the Mysore Government. Thumboo Chetty was 46 years old and Seshadri Iyer 38 years. The official status of all these officers was more or less equal, Krishna Murthi and Seshadri Iyer being heads of districts and Thumboo Chetty a District Judge. Krishna Murthi from his long ancestral connection with the State had considerable local support, though he was the youngest of the three. Thumboo Chetty had a reputation for rectitude and conscientious discharge of duty. He was already a member of the State Council though in an ex-officio capacity. Seshadri Iyer was yet unknown to the people as possessing any special merits. It took about 3 weeks for the choice to be made and it was at last announced that the Maharaja had selected Seshadri Iyer as his Dewan. The announcement evoked no enthusiasm at the time and it is said that it took even Seshadri Iyer by surprise.

Chamaraja Wodeyar X 1881 1894. Improvement of administrative efficiency

More judges for the Chief Court Revenue Code, Local Boards Bill Separate Legislative Branch in the Secretariat Some important Regulations passed including the Prevention of Infant Marriage Regulation ...

(Page 91) Improvement of administrative efficiency. More judges for the Chief Court Revenue Code, Local Boards Bill Separate Legislative Branch in the Secretariat Some important Regulations passed including the Prevention of Infant Marriage Regulation ...

The Judicial Department claimed the earliest attention. Sir James Gordon in his minute dated 10th February 1879 had represented to the Government of India the need of a High Court for Mysore with a plurality of judges instead of only a single judge designated Judicial Commissioner. On account of restricted finances the question had however been postponed and at the time of the Rendition beyond calling the highest court the Chief Court of Mysore and the single presiding judge as the Chief Judge nothing more had been done. In 1883 Seshadri Iyer conveyed the cheering news to the members of the Representative Assembly that the Maharaja had decided upon the introduction of a plurality of judges from May 1884. Regulation I of 1884 governing the Chief Court was subsequently passed. The number of judges was raised from 1 to 3 and Section 1 1 of the new Regulation prescribed that where in any suit or proceeding it was necessary for the Chief Court to decide any question regarding succession, inheritance, marriage or caste or any religious usage or institution, the Mahomedan law where the parties were Mahomedans and the Hindu law where the parties were Hindus, or any custom (if such there was) having the force of law and governing the parties or property concerned was to form the rule of decision, unless such law or custom had by legislative enactment been altered or abolished and that where no rule existed, the Chief Court was to act according to justice, equity and good conscience. When Thumboo Chetty was Chief Judge, he arranged at the request of the members of the bar for the publication weekly of a digest of important decisions and rulings of the Chief Court.

Chamaraja Wodeyar X 1881 1894. Tours of the Maharaja His last days

(Page 167) Chamaraja Wodeyar's last tour was undertaken in December 1894. His Highness left his capital on the 9th of that month with the Maharani and the children and a large retinue and passing through Poona, Allahabad and other places, finally reached Calcutta and on the 21st of that month visited the Viceroy Lord Elgin. On the 23rd His Highness had an attack of fever and on the 26th his illness was regarded as serious. On the 27th one of the Calcutta doctors was called in for consultation who along with Dr. Benson the Durbar Surgeon examined the royal patient and discovered that the disease from which His Highness was suffering was the insidious throat-disease Diphtheria. The malady was a serious one and ail remedies to check its course were of no avail and the Maharaja passed away on the morning of the 28th surrounded by the members of his family, a number of State officials and a large number of followers.

(Page 168) The next day a message reached the Maharani from the Viceroy that the eldest son Krishnaraja Wodeyar was recognised as successor to the deceased Maharaja and that till the form of administration was settled, the Dewan Sir Seshadri Iyer was to carry on the daily administration of the State with the advice of the British Resident and as far as possible in consultation with the Maharani's wishes. On the 30th December the Maharani and the children with all the retinue left Calcutta, the Foreign Secretary and Captain Pollen taking leave of them at the Railway-Station.In the meanwhile, Colonel Henderson the British Resident who had been immediately apprised by the Foreign Secretary of the sad event that had taken place, sent instructions by wire from Bangalore to the Controller of the Palace at Mysore to place seals on the doors of all the important apartments in the Palace and reached Mysore the next day with T. R. A. Thumboo Chetty who was then in temporary charge of the Dewan's duties. The Resident in announcing to the people of Mysore who had assembledin the Palace Square the sad intelligence of the Maharaja's deathspoke as follows :

"It is with feelings of the profoundest sorrow that I have to communicate formally to those assembled here that the distressing intelligence has been received by telegram of the sudden and untimely death of His Highness the Maharaja Chamarajendra Wodeyar Bahadur, Knight Grand Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India, which melancholy event took place at Calcutta yesterday at 7 a.m. This is not a suitable occasion for the expression of the sorrow which these grievous tidings must cause not only in Mysore but throughout all India and even beyond wherever the name of your beloved sovereign is known. I am indeed come among you accompanied by my friend Mr. Thumboo Chetty, the Senior Member of the Council who has been left in temporary charge of the administration of the country, to exhort to you to exercise for the present all possible self-control in the expression of those very natural emotions called forth by this grievous intelligence and to urge all those present, relatives of His Highness and the civil and military officers of the State, to do their best to allay any excitement or apprehension that may possibly be caused by the news of the melancholy event. You are aware that the succession to the administration has been settled by the 3rd Article of the Instrument of Transfer and in due course the formal recognition of His Excellency the Viceroy and the Governor- General to the succession as therein provided will be received and the necessary arrangements made after the Subaswikaram ceremony. You must also be aware that under the same Instrument arrangements for the administration of the country have been definitely laid down, so that all apprehensions of any change in the policy of the Government of India towards Mysore may be at once dismissed as baseless. The deep interest ever shown by the Government of India in the welfare of Mysore and the friendly relations that ever existed with the illustrious Ruler whose loss we have now occasion to deplore are a sufficient guarantee that the best possible arrangements will be made for the administration of the country and for the welfare of all classes of the people." There was great mourning throughout the State and all public offices and courts were closed for eight days. Thirty -two minute guns were fired in Bangalore and Mysore and all flags kept at half-mast till the ceremony on the twelfth day was completed.

The Maharani Regent. Maharani appointed Regent Reformed State Council. Sir Seshadri Iyer continued as Dewan Visits of Lord Elgin and Lord Curzon.

(Page 173) A few days after the installation of the young Maharaja, the new administration assumed its full form. Sir K. Seshadri Iyer was continued as Dewan and to assist him and the Maharani- Regent an Executive Council of three whole-time members was formed with T. R. A. Thumboo Chetty, P. N. Krishna Murti who was a Judge of the Chief Court and Abdul Rahaman who was a Deputy Commissioner. During Chamaraja Wodeyar's reign although there existed a council, it had played no effective part in the administration of the State. So far back as April 1886 Thumboo Chetty had drawn the attention of Sir Seshadri Iyer to the need of improving the constitution of the Council so as to make it really a useful institution. But the latter had contented himself by replying that the real difficulty was about finding the men. His own words were:

«The ministry in your memo must be an Executive Council. I shall only be delighted to have such a Council. Where are the men? Never mind the cost which really is only a subordinate matter»

Retirement of T. R. A. Thumboo Chetty

(Page 185) T. R. A. Thumboo Chetty, the Senior Councillor, who was acting as Dewan in place of Sir Seshadri Iyer while the latter was on leave also retired simultaneously with him after a long and honourable career. P. N. Krishna Murthi (later Sir) was now appointed Dewan and for the two vacant councillorships C. Srinivasa lyengar one of the Secretaries to Government and Rao Bahadur C. Madiah, Deputy Commissioner of Mysore, were appointed. V. P. Madhava Rao now became the Senior Member of Council.

Extracted "From the Coronation of Chamaraja Wodeyar X in 1868 to the present time". BY RAJAKARYAPRASAKT A RAG BAHADUR, M. SHAMA RAO, M.A., Retired Member of the Mysore Civil Service. 1936 Printed by Higginbothams, South Parade. BANGALORE.

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