Mysuru

Mysuru (Mysore), in southern Karnataka, has a history closely linked with the rise of the Wodeyar dynasty and the evolution of the modern Mysore state. The region was earlier part of ancient kingdoms like the Gangas and later the Vijayanagara Empire, but Mysuru itself was a relatively small town until the Wodeyars emerged as local rulers in the 14th–16th centuries.

After the decline of Vijayanagara, the Wodeyars gradually expanded their power and made Mysuru their capital, ruling much of southern Karnataka. In the 18th century, their authority was overshadowed by Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan, who used nearby Srirangapatna as their base. After Tipu’s defeat by the British in 1799, the Wodeyars were restored as rulers under British suzerainty, and Mysuru grew as a princely state capital, known for relatively progressive administration.

Under enlightened rulers like Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Mysuru saw major advances in education, public works, industry and culture, earning the reputation of a “model state.” The present Mysore Palace, completed in the early 1900s after a fire destroyed the older wooden palace, became the city’s grand symbol.

After Independence, Mysore state eventually became Karnataka, with Bengaluru as capital, but Mysuru remains a major cultural centre, famous for Dasara, palaces, sandalwood, silk and its royal heritage.