| Chamarajendra Wadiyar X | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chamarajendra Maharaja X | |||||
 Photograph of Chamarajendra Wadiyar X | |||||
| 23rdMaharaja of Mysore | |||||
| Reign | 23 September 1868 – 28 December 1894 | ||||
| Coronation | 23 September 1868 | ||||
| Predecessor | Krishnaraja Wodeyar III | ||||
| Successor | Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV | ||||
| Born | 22 February 1863 Chamundi Hills,Mysore,Mysore Kingdom (present-dayKarnataka,India) | ||||
| Died | 28 December 1894(1894-12-28) (aged 31) Calcutta,Bengal Presidency,British India (present-dayKolkata,West Bengal, India) | ||||
| Spouse | Vanivilasa Sannidhana SriKempa Nanjammanni Avaru | ||||
| Issue | Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV,Kanteerava Narasimharaja Wadiyar, Jayalakshmi Ammanni, Krishnaraja Ammanni, Chaluvaja Ammanni, Krishnajammanni | ||||
| |||||
| House | Wadiyar dynasty | ||||
| Father | Sardar Chikka Krishnaraj Urs Krishnaraja Wodeyar III (grandfather) | ||||
| Mother | Rajkumari Sri Putta Ammanni | ||||
| Religion | Hinduism | ||||
Chamarajendra Wadiyar X (22 February 1863 – 28 December 1894) was the twenty-thirdMaharaja of Mysore between 1868 and 1894.
Chamarajendra Wadiyar X was born in the old palace in Mysore on 22 February 1863, as the third son of Sardar Chikka Krishnaraj Urs of theBettada-Kote Urs branch. His father died about a week before his birth. His mother, Rajkumari Putammani Devi, was the eldest daughter of MaharajaKrishnaraja Wodeyar III. Following the failure of a male heir, Krishnaraja Wodeyar III decided to adopt Chamarajendra. The adoption was done on 18 June 1865 and was recognised by theGovernment of British India on 16 April 1867.
Krishnaraja Wadiyar III died on 27 March 1868, and Chamarajendra Wadiyar X ascended the throne at the royal palace, Mysore, on 23 September 1868. However, since 1831, the Kingdom of Mysore had been under the direct administration of the Raj viaMysore Commission which had earlier deposed Krishnaraja Wodeyar III on allegations of misrule. Later, the Privy Council of the United Kingdom ordered the reversal of theCompany's decision to annexe Mysore. By an instrument of rendition in 1881, the princely state of Mysore was reconstituted and restored to theWadiyar dynasty. Chamarajendra Wadiyar X was groomed by the British to take charge of the administration. He was officially handed the reins of governance on.
Although his reign proved to be a brief one, he left an indelible mark on theKingdom of Mysore. He was aptly aided byC. V. Rungacharlu (1881–1883) andK. Seshadri Iyer (1883–1901) two of Mysore's most competent dewans.
He instituted theMysore Representative Assembly in 1881. This was the first modern, democratic legislative institution of its kind in princely India. He sponsored the famous journey ofSwami Vivekananda toChicago in 1893. He gave primacy to women's education and founded theKannada Bashojjivini School. He gave a fillip to the industrialisation of the Kingdom of Mysore by instituting several industrial schools and conducting the annual Dasara Industrial Exhibition. He facilitated the founding of Agricultural Banks to help finance farmers and initiated life insurance for government employees.
Chamarajndra Wadiyar died ofdiphtheria, inCalcutta, on 28 December 1894, aged 31. He was succeeded by his 10-year-old son,Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV. His wife, MaharaniKempa Nanjammani Vani Vilasa Sannidhana Avaru, served as regent of Mysore during the minority of their son.
Many of the most famous landmarks of Mysore andBangalore owe their existence to him. Prominent among these are:
Chamarajendra Wadiyar X was a great patron of arts and music; his court boasted of artists like Veene Subbanna,Veene Sheshanna,Mysore Vasudevachar, Veena Padmanabhaiah, Mysore Karigiri Rao, andBidaram Krishnappa, among others.
The maharaja was a violin virtuoso himself and used to daily provide accompaniment to Veena Subbanna's vocal and Veena Sheshanna's veena performances. His favouritekriti's includedSujana Jeevana andLavanya Rama. He was also a connaisseur ofJavali'sKritis (Javalis are a genre ofCarnatic music).
In May 1878, Chamarajendra Wadiyar married MaharaniKempananjammanni Devi, daughter of anarasu (royalty) ofKalale, a prominent nobleman of Mysore state. They had four sons and three daughters, of whom the following survived to adulthood:
