#talakad

Śri Gaṇeśa riding his vāhana

The Curse of The Wodeyars

The Wodeyar dynasty is an Indian Hindu dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of Mysore from 1399 to 1761 and from 1799 to 1947. They were a feudatory under the Vijayanagara Empire and when the empire weakened they broke free. Raja Wodeyar captured Srirangapatna in 1610, the kingdom was later incorporated into the Dominion of India after Independence from the British rule.

Now the ‘curse’ of the…

The story begins in 1610. The King of Srirangapatna was a vassal of the Vijayanagara Empire. He had an incurable disease and had gone to the temple at Talakad, a temple town 60 kms from Srirangapatna, to pray for his recovery. But he didn’t get better. His second wife and Queen Alamelamma, who was managing the Kingdom, heard that the King was dying. She rushed, leaving the Kingdom of Srirangapatna in the care of the Maharaja of Mysore, Raja Wodeyar. Raja Wodeyar was greedy and wanted to lay his hands on the jewels of the Queen as he heard she was hoarding temple jewels. He asked her to hand it over. She refused. He declared war on Srirangapatna and reached Talakad himself. Legend goes on to say that on seeing him she threw all her jewellery into the River Cauvery and drowned herself in Maalangi village. But before that she cursed him.

Talakadu marulagali Maalangi Maduvagali Mysore doregalige makkal illade hogali

 Which translates to “Let Talakād become a barren expanse; let Mālangi become an unfathomable whirlpool; let the Mysore Rājas fail to beget heirs for eternity.”

And all of this has come true. Talakad, with its 30 temples, still lies buried under several meters of sand and the Mysore royal family has never had an heir — the Kingdom has mostly passed on to an adopted heir. Even the last King died without leaving behind a son…

There are scientific explanations to this. Ecologists have said that there has been regular accumulation of sand in that area since the 18th century. The Rive Cauvery has often changed its course. And the Mysore Royal family has seen a lot of inbreeding overtime and that could account for children dying in infancy. Science and logical reasoning does explain the curse. But how did the Maharani predict all of it one could ask?

If you wish to know more about this dynasty or are in Mysore, Bengaluru or Srirangapatna (coming soon), then check out the Audiocompass tour for these cities… you can listen to many more stories and legends that makes the past come alive. 

This was first published at www.audiocompass.in/blog/2014/07/streets-of-mysore/

Talakadu is desert like town on the left bank of River Kaveri. This place is situated where the River takes a deep sharp cut. Talakadu is just 45 kms away from the Royal City-Mysore. Once upon a time Talakadu had 30 beautiful temples, but now the place if…

Talakadu is desert like town on the left bank of River Kaveri. This place is situated where the River takes a deep sharp cut. Talakadu is just 45 kms away from the Royal City-Mysore. Once upon a time Talakadu had 30 beautiful temples, but now the place if…

Bangalore has a special kind of winter chill (if i may use the W word at all for this place) - it's creepy. It literally 'creeps' inside your body, settles itself there nicely and then starts sending pangs inside your system, everyday. The same cool breeze & sun-less sky, which some weeks back made you scream "awesome mausam!!", now make you cringe and tug your jacket a bit tighter. For some people, it manifests as a never-ending cold - you can't decide whether you're healthy or not. I guess i'm beginning to understand why some people can wear thick sweaters in Bangalore too - too many creepy winters accumulated.

Though last weekend, i crept outta its grasp and found myself on my way to a picnic some 150kms off Bangalore. I couldn't keep my eyes off the Karnatakan landscape (magically enhanced due to the bewitched, overcast sky) and wasn't really expecting much from the first place on the agenda - Shivasamudram Falls. My first glimpse of it evoked feelings similar to probably what Fernando de Berrio would have undergone when stumbling through the South American jungle he would have found himself in the company of Angel Falls. Shivasamudram Falls felt like another world from another time. The fact that i had to do a little bit of river crossing to reach it, added to the adventure. The Falls' water was pleasantly cool and the water's slaps felt like an aimless massage on my muscles. Though the slimy rocks did play spoilsport and didn't really allow us to play free, everyone looked like a bunch of wild kids let loose after many days. Worth climbing down each step of the 80 stepped, stone set of stairs (not recommended for oldies or those with knee problems btw).

The other place, Talakad, was exactly the opposite of the Falls. We found ourselves plopped on baby-soft, seaside sand on the banks of Cauvery. Cauvery which was ever so gentle and placid, invited you to try all your wildest swimming stunts. The river was so shallow there, that the men giving rides in Coracles (the small round boats, inlaid with woven wooden strips, covered with plastic cover and then tar for waterproofing), also known as "tappas" locally, used only a long wooden stick to push the river's floor and move the boat forward. No oars, no motors - mere pushing. Across the bank i could see a forest so beautifully ethereal that it seemed outta a storybook. I guess the clairvoyant sky added to it. Although it was just across the river, it felt like a land which no one touched or ventured into. Laden with secrets and camouflaged with fleeting pristinity...

Funnily enough, i found myself back into my cotton kurta sans a jacket/stole when i went back to office this monday. I guess i shed some of the creepy winters back there. I think i've found a way to de-creep myself from the Bangalorean chill! :D

The song tonight, is a song which has gripped me off late. Downloaded by a friend on my laptop, this song, "Eyes on fire" by Blue Foundation has a feel which is chilling yet sensuous. I bet you'll be tempted to play atleast twice.