How Raja Wodeyar Acquired Srirangapatna: Fall of Vijayanagara Viceroyalty
The island of Srirangapatna is located in Mandya district of Karnataka state, along course of the River Cauvery (Kaveri). After the decline of the Hoysalas, Srirangapatna came under the rule of the Vijayanagara Empire.
When Tirumala Raya, the brother of Aliya Rama Raya, became the emperor at Penukonda, he divided the empire among his sons whom he appointed as viceroys: Sriranga ruled the Telugu country with his capital at Udayagiri, Rama governed the Kanarese (Karnataka) region with Srirangapatna as his capital, and Venkata II oversaw the Tamil country with his capital at Chandragiri. Tirumala Raya was succeeded by his eldest son Sriranga (r: 1572-1585).
Following Rama's death around 1581, his infant son Tirumala II took charge of the Karnataka viceroyalty under the regency of Dalavai Remati Venkataiya until 1584. Tirumala II assumed full control of the viceroyalty around 1585.
Following the death of Emperor Sriranga Raya without an heir, his younger brother Venkata II succeeded him as Venkatapatideva Raya II (r: 1585-1614), bypassing Tirumala II, the eldest son of his late brother Rama, who had a stronger claim to succeed their uncle. Henceforth, Tirumala II will be referred to as Tirumala throughout this article.
The chief feudatories of Kanarese viceroyalty included the Nayakas of Keladi (also known as Ikkeri, Canara, Bednore and Nagar), Wodeyars of Mysore and a few other petty chieftains.
Rebellion of Raja Wodeyar:
Raja Wodeyar (r: 1578-1617), the ruler of Mysore, was a contemporary of Emperors Sriranga and Venkata II, as well as the viceroys at Srirangapatna, Rama and his son Tirumala.
His rebellious nature became evident when he refused to pay tribute to Tirumala on various pretexts. Raja Wodeyar was a highly ambitious chief who sought to expand Mysore's territories by annexing those of neighboring chiefs. Through a series of victorious battles, Raja Wodeyar was able to extend his domain of control.
Tirumala, unable to protect his feudal territories from Raja Wodeyar's expansionist activities or even defend his own lands against Raja Wodeyar's encroachments, launched an expedition to Mysore in 1596. He suffered a major defeat while besieging the town of Kesare. This defeat made Raja Wodeyar increasingly defiant.
Tirumala even planned to execute Raja Wodeyar, but his attempts were unsuccessful.
The Fall of Tirumala, the Viceroy (1610):
The acquisition of Srirangapatna in 1610 by Raja Wodeyar is shrouded in mystery, with conflicting accounts in various manuscripts. There are three theories surrounding the fall of Tirumala:
1. The court poets of Kanteerava Narasaraja Wodeyar (r: 1638-1659) and Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar (r: 1673-1704) refer to a military campaign led by Tirumala, resulting in his defeat and Raja Wodeyar's rise to power in the Karnataka viceroyalty at Srirangapatna.
These poets connect Tirumala's attack on Kesare to Raja Wodeyar's acquisition of Srirangapatna, portraying Raja Wodeyar as a conqueror.
2. The Mysore Palace Records indicate that Sriranga, the Viceroy of Srirangapatna, passed on his kingdom to Raja Wodeyar on February 8, 1610, due to a fatal illness.
The notion of handing over the viceroyalty to a rebellious feudatory like Raja Wodeyar seems unlikely. Besides, as a subordinate of the emperor, Tirumala lacked the authority to make such a decision. Moreover, there was no viceroy named Sriranga in 1610. The story of the fatal cancer is applicable to emperor Sriranga Raya.
3. According to the Mysuru Doregala Purvabhyudaya Vivara by an anonymous author, Venkata ordered Tirumala to step down and transfer control of the viceroyalty to Raja Wodeyar.
The Relation Between Venkata and Tirumala:
Venkata held a strong dislike for his eldest nephew, Tirumala, while favoring Tirumala's younger brother, Ranga, whom he was grooming to be his successor (future emperor Sriranga Raya II). However, Tirumala was more popular among the feudatory chiefs, leading to the possibility of him becoming the heir-apparent.
Venkata remained passive when Raja Wodeyar rebelled against Tirumala. Venkata also did not assist Tirumala when he attacked Kesare to punish Raja Wodeyar. Father Coutinho, a Jesuit missionary, noted that Tirumala even sought the Jesuits' help in reconciling with his uncle Venkata.
Venkata may have believed that Tirumala was incapable of managing the viceroyalty and began favoring Raja Wodeyar as a competent representative of the empire.
Venkata's motive was to disgrace Tirumala in the eyes of his subjects, portraying him as incapable of defending Srirangapatna against Raja Wodeyar. Therefore, he issued a royal decree for Tirumala to retire and hand over the administration to Raja Wodeyar.
In the end, Tirumala retreated to Malangi near Talakadu with his two wives. Tirumala had no sons. On the evidence of a grant he was still alive in 1614.
On February 8, 1610, Raja Wodeyar officially took possession of Srirangapatna with Venkata's silent approval. Raja Wodeyar was likely appointed by the emperor to succeed Tirumala.
From then on, Srirangapatna became the capital of the kingdom of Mysore, while Raja Wodeyar still acknowledging Venkata's sovereignty. In 1612, Venkata granted Srirangapatna to Raja Wodeyar, officially recognizing his conquest.
Srirangapatna continued as the capital of Mysore till 1799, when the British captured it after defeating Tipu Sultan.
Raja Wodeyar is considered as the real founder of the Wodeyar dynasty of Mysore.
Reference:
The Aravidu Dynasty of Vijayanagar by Father Henry Heras
History of the Wodeyars of Mysore, 1610-1748 By A. Satyanarayana
When Tirumala Raya, the brother of Aliya Rama Raya, became the emperor at Penukonda, he divided the empire among his sons whom he appointed as viceroys: Sriranga ruled the Telugu country with his capital at Udayagiri, Rama governed the Kanarese (Karnataka) region with Srirangapatna as his capital, and Venkata II oversaw the Tamil country with his capital at Chandragiri. Tirumala Raya was succeeded by his eldest son Sriranga (r: 1572-1585).
Following Rama's death around 1581, his infant son Tirumala II took charge of the Karnataka viceroyalty under the regency of Dalavai Remati Venkataiya until 1584. Tirumala II assumed full control of the viceroyalty around 1585.
Following the death of Emperor Sriranga Raya without an heir, his younger brother Venkata II succeeded him as Venkatapatideva Raya II (r: 1585-1614), bypassing Tirumala II, the eldest son of his late brother Rama, who had a stronger claim to succeed their uncle. Henceforth, Tirumala II will be referred to as Tirumala throughout this article.
The chief feudatories of Kanarese viceroyalty included the Nayakas of Keladi (also known as Ikkeri, Canara, Bednore and Nagar), Wodeyars of Mysore and a few other petty chieftains.
Rebellion of Raja Wodeyar:
Raja Wodeyar (r: 1578-1617), the ruler of Mysore, was a contemporary of Emperors Sriranga and Venkata II, as well as the viceroys at Srirangapatna, Rama and his son Tirumala.
His rebellious nature became evident when he refused to pay tribute to Tirumala on various pretexts. Raja Wodeyar was a highly ambitious chief who sought to expand Mysore's territories by annexing those of neighboring chiefs. Through a series of victorious battles, Raja Wodeyar was able to extend his domain of control.
Tirumala, unable to protect his feudal territories from Raja Wodeyar's expansionist activities or even defend his own lands against Raja Wodeyar's encroachments, launched an expedition to Mysore in 1596. He suffered a major defeat while besieging the town of Kesare. This defeat made Raja Wodeyar increasingly defiant.
Tirumala even planned to execute Raja Wodeyar, but his attempts were unsuccessful.
The Fall of Tirumala, the Viceroy (1610):
The acquisition of Srirangapatna in 1610 by Raja Wodeyar is shrouded in mystery, with conflicting accounts in various manuscripts. There are three theories surrounding the fall of Tirumala:
1. The court poets of Kanteerava Narasaraja Wodeyar (r: 1638-1659) and Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar (r: 1673-1704) refer to a military campaign led by Tirumala, resulting in his defeat and Raja Wodeyar's rise to power in the Karnataka viceroyalty at Srirangapatna.
These poets connect Tirumala's attack on Kesare to Raja Wodeyar's acquisition of Srirangapatna, portraying Raja Wodeyar as a conqueror.
2. The Mysore Palace Records indicate that Sriranga, the Viceroy of Srirangapatna, passed on his kingdom to Raja Wodeyar on February 8, 1610, due to a fatal illness.
The notion of handing over the viceroyalty to a rebellious feudatory like Raja Wodeyar seems unlikely. Besides, as a subordinate of the emperor, Tirumala lacked the authority to make such a decision. Moreover, there was no viceroy named Sriranga in 1610. The story of the fatal cancer is applicable to emperor Sriranga Raya.
3. According to the Mysuru Doregala Purvabhyudaya Vivara by an anonymous author, Venkata ordered Tirumala to step down and transfer control of the viceroyalty to Raja Wodeyar.
The Relation Between Venkata and Tirumala:
Venkata held a strong dislike for his eldest nephew, Tirumala, while favoring Tirumala's younger brother, Ranga, whom he was grooming to be his successor (future emperor Sriranga Raya II). However, Tirumala was more popular among the feudatory chiefs, leading to the possibility of him becoming the heir-apparent.
Venkata remained passive when Raja Wodeyar rebelled against Tirumala. Venkata also did not assist Tirumala when he attacked Kesare to punish Raja Wodeyar. Father Coutinho, a Jesuit missionary, noted that Tirumala even sought the Jesuits' help in reconciling with his uncle Venkata.
Venkata may have believed that Tirumala was incapable of managing the viceroyalty and began favoring Raja Wodeyar as a competent representative of the empire.
Venkata's motive was to disgrace Tirumala in the eyes of his subjects, portraying him as incapable of defending Srirangapatna against Raja Wodeyar. Therefore, he issued a royal decree for Tirumala to retire and hand over the administration to Raja Wodeyar.
In the end, Tirumala retreated to Malangi near Talakadu with his two wives. Tirumala had no sons. On the evidence of a grant he was still alive in 1614.
On February 8, 1610, Raja Wodeyar officially took possession of Srirangapatna with Venkata's silent approval. Raja Wodeyar was likely appointed by the emperor to succeed Tirumala.
From then on, Srirangapatna became the capital of the kingdom of Mysore, while Raja Wodeyar still acknowledging Venkata's sovereignty. In 1612, Venkata granted Srirangapatna to Raja Wodeyar, officially recognizing his conquest.
Srirangapatna continued as the capital of Mysore till 1799, when the British captured it after defeating Tipu Sultan.
Raja Wodeyar is considered as the real founder of the Wodeyar dynasty of Mysore.
Reference:
The Aravidu Dynasty of Vijayanagar by Father Henry Heras
History of the Wodeyars of Mysore, 1610-1748 By A. Satyanarayana
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