Mysore Palace – Where a child is adopted to be the king’s successor

The curse that haunts the royal family of Wodeyars, ruling the Mysore Palace, have left them lamenting for taking that one hasty decision is what prevents them from hosting the coronation ceremony of their natural heir.

1 ) Raja Wodeyar took over the Mysore state in 1612 after dethroning the ailing king Tirumalaraja. At that time, Tirumala was suffering from a terminal disease and died eventually.

2 ) Alamelamma, the wife of Tirumalaraja turned to a widow and was no longer permitted to wear jewellery.

3 ) As a result, she donated her jewels to the temple of Ranganayaki. The temple was decorated with her jewels every Friday and Tuesday and those were returned to her afterwards, for the rest of the week.

4 ) The temple authority however, wanted the permanent custody of those jewels and the newly anointed king also supported the fact, thinking that Alamelamma would no longer need those jewels as she was a widow.

5 ) But Alamelamma refused to surrender and hence the king sent his army to seize her by force. In a fit of anger, she uttered the curse and jumped into the Kauvery river to commit suicide.

“Talakadu MaraLagali, Malangi Maduvagali, Mysooru Arasarige Makkalaagadirali”

Meaning: May Talakad turn into a barren expanse of sand; may Malangi (a village on the banks of Cauvery) turn into an unfathomed whirlpool; may the Wadiyars of Mysore not have children for eternity.

6 ) After her utterance, Wodeyar people got afraid and immediately installed a statue of her at the Mysore palace. The idol is worshipped by the Royal family in the palace.

7 ) The consequences of the curse have stemmed its roots into reality though, leading to:
Talakad’s temples being buried in sand..
Malangi village, which has faced killer whirlpools..
And the Wodeyars, who have given birth to male children only in alternate generations. The successor king is usually chosen from the younger brother’s progeny or a male child is adopted.

Originally posted at: http://letusgoto.com/

Picture credits: Trawell.in