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Mysore
abounds with history. The prehistory of Mysore is lost in legends that
concern the struggle that took place in southern India between invading
Aryan people and the original inhabitants. The subsequent history of the
region deals mainly with the princely state of Mysore as it was before
1953, for no dynasty succeeded in ruling the whole region occupied by the
Kannada -speaking people. Until independence, Mysore was the seat of
the maharajas of Mysore, a princely state covering about a third of
present day Karnataka. The maharajas' walled Indo-Saracenic palace is a
major attraction.
The history of Mysore starts with the activities of prehistoric man
traced on the banks of the river Cauvery and its tributaries. Traces of
neolithic and megalithic ages have been found there. Many inscriptions
replete with the history of various dynasties have been found in Mysore.
Many places in the district are associated with mythological stories as
well.
Many dynasties have ruled Mysore and neighbouring places. Some of the
important ones are the Gangas, who ruled the longest period from 4th to
10th century. The Cholas ruled from 10th century onwards and the Hoysalas
from 10th century to the 15th century. Later the Vijayanagar ruled from
14th century followed by the Mysore Wodeyar or Yadu dynasty. From 1399 AD,
the Wodeyar family ruled Mysore until India became independent in 1947
except for 38 years in the 18th century when Hyder Ali and his son Tipu
Sultan seized power.
Mysore was very prosperous during the reign of Chikkadevaraya, which did
not invite the animosity of Mughals, Marathas and the Nizams. After
Chikkadevaraya, the Wodeyar rulers became weak and Hyder Ali couped the
power. During the 38 years that followed, Mysore prospered very well. With
the headquarters at Srirangapatna, they built beautiful palaces in
Mysore and
Bangalore , laid
out a dream botanical garden at
Lal
Bagh and fought valiantly to oust the British from their native
soil.
After the death of Tipu Sultan in 1799 AD the power was restored to the
Wodeyars. In 1831 AD, the British took over the administration of Mysore.
In the early 20th century, nationalist fervour swept the country and
people of Mysore were involved actively in the freedom movement. After
independence, Mysore was acceded to the Union of India. In 1956 Mysore
State was enlarged and on 1st Nov. 1973 renamed Karnataka.