The Grand Spectacle of Mysore Palace During Dussehra
Mysore royals Palace becomes a breathtaking sight on the night of Dussehra, illuminated by 100,000 dazzling light bulbs. The palace’s magnificent Golden Throne is also assembled in the darbar for public viewing.
The Traditional Jumboo Savari Procession
A grand procession, called Jumboo Savari, begins at Mysore royals Palace and ends at Bannimantap. The Goddess Chamundeshwari is carried on a lavishly decorated elephant, followed by floats and cultural troupes.
The Mysterious Ritual of Queen Alamelamma
The Mysore royals of the Wadiyar Dynasty performs a grand Pooja for Goddess Chamundeshwari. However, before this ceremony, they secretly worship a golden sculpture of a Queen. This tradition has continued for the last 400 years. Who is this Queen, and why is she worshipped? Let’s find out.
The Wadiyar Dynasty and the Curse of Queen Alamelamma
The Wadiyar royal family has a dark secret. None of their direct descendants have inherited the throne. This is due to a curse placed by King Tirumalaraja’s widow, Queen Alamelamma, which left them heirless for generations.
For 400 years, the Wadiyars have struggled to escape this fatal curse. Queen Alamelamma cast it upon them just before she jumped into the River Kaveri.
The Origin of the Curse
In 1612, Queen Alamelamma, the wife of King Tirumalaraja, ruled the great Vijayanagar Empire. Raja Wadiyar, the ninth ruler of Mysore, defeated Tirumalaraja and took over Srirangapatna.
King Tirumalaraja suffered from a fatal illness and passed away. However, his widow, Queen Alamelamma, owned many precious ornaments. As a widow, she was no longer permitted to wear jewelry, so she donated it to the temple of Goddess Sri Ranganayaki.
The temple’s deity, Sri Ranganayaki, was adorned with a pearl-studded nose ring that had once belonged to Queen Alamelamma. Raja Wadiyar sent messengers requesting the Queen’s jewelry. However, only the nose ring was returned. Enraged, Raja Wadiyar sent his army to Talakad to seize the remaining jewels by force.
To escape the Mysore army, Queen Alamelamma jumped into a whirlpool in the River Kaveri, taking the rest of the jewelry with her. Before leaping to her death, she cursed the Wadiyar dynasty:
“May Talakadu become a barren land, Malangi turn into a whirlpool, and may Mysore kings never beget children.”
The Curse Comes True
The curse took effect, and for 400 years, the Wadiyar dynasty remained childless in alternate generations. Each time a ruler lacked an heir, they adopted a child to continue the lineage. Even today, parts of Talakad remain buried in sand, and Malangi continues to erode due to whirlpools.
The Wadiyar’s Attempt to Atone
Upon hearing of Queen Alamelamma’s tragic end, Raja Wadiyar repented. To honor her, he commissioned a golden idol of the Queen and placed it in Mysore Palace, where she has been worshipped ever since.
Even today, a strand of her hair is preserved in a box, and her magnificent pearl nose-stud adorns the Goddess Ranganayaki. During Mysore Dasara, a formal Pooja is performed inside the palace in her honor.
A Happy Ending?
Whether true or not, the curse seems to have been broken. On December 7, 2017, the King and Queen of Mysore, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Wadiyar and Trishika Kumari, welcomed a baby boy. Perhaps, at last, the Wadiyar Dynasty has been forgiven by the great Queen Alamelamma.
Henceforth an embraced kid turned into the lord of Mysore and the excess piece of the revile, additionally worked out as even today, most pieces of Talakad and its sanctuaries lie under the sand, and Malangi town in present Mysore area is gradually dissolving due to being swarmed with whirlpools.
Hearing Queen Alamelamma’s demise, Raja Wadiyar was atoning, and subsequently, he had a symbol of Queen Alamelamma made in gold, put in the Mysore castle, and adored her as a divinity.
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Indeed, even today, there is a strand of her hair that is safeguarded in a crate, and her colossal pearl nose-stud embellishes the Goddess Ranganayaki. Thus, Mysore Dasara celebrations are basically Grand and inside the castle, a formal pooja of Queen Alamelamma is accomplished for this very explanation.
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Happy Ending:
True or not, the Curse seems to have been broken as the King and Queen of Mysore, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Wadiyar and Trishika Kumari, became parents of a baby boy on December 7, 2017. So after all, maybe, just maybe, the Wadiyar Dynasty has been forgiven by a Great Pious Queen Alamelamma
