Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar never ruled nor was he ever a king but he was perhaps the only scion of the Indian royalty, who was allowed to recreate the resplendence of bygone era of monarchy with equal measures of aplomb and finery every
We used to attend the garden parties that my father threw now and then for the top government and military officers with the band playing the old Mysore State anthem in the backdrop. A posse of Maharajah’s guards would present the guard of honour,
A life spent in litigations, he hoped to settle the Palace grounds issue with the State government in his life time. “A British horticulture specialist, Krumbiegel took special care of the gardens. The palace had 35 rooms. Though we lived in Mysore
He wore various hats; he was a politician, sports administrator, businessman and fashion designer but led an almost reclusive life in the sprawling Bangalore Palace - a 45,000 sq feet Tudor style mansion. He was often found dressed in white dhoti
Late Mr. Wadiyar perfected the royal mannerisms and even rehearsed climbing the howdah on the elephant days before Dussehra, to ensure that his step didn’t falter because a faltering step of the ‘king’ while climbing the howdah did not augur well
For those 10 days the late Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar donned the role of the king and sought the blessings of Goddess Chamundeshwari for the well being of his people. “The magic of Mysore Dasara has seized the imagination of tourists from
In pics: The ‘king’ who loved perfection