400-years-old "Curse" (shraap) on Royal Wodeyar Family of Mysore
In North India, River Ganga is considered as the most sacrosanct river which has the competency to sanctify the people from their sins and guilts. The same way river Kaveri of South India also considered as the most sacrosanct river. This seven hundred and sixty-five kilometres long Kaveri river has so many accreditations. There is a belief that in the month of October-November, river Kaveri meets river Ganga under the ground to purify river Ganga again. Kaveri river is one of the most ancient rivers of South India in which more than a hundred tributaries meet. It has three most significant islands, one of which is Srirangapatnam. The place where the king Tipu Sultan and his father Haider Ali fought four tremendous wars from the Britishers. Everyone knows about the bravery of Tipu sultan but very few people know that he captured this kingdom from Wodeyar rulers who were the kings of Mysore from the Fourteenth century. When the Britishers defeated Tipu Sultan, they again hand over the rule of Mysore to the Wodeyar rulers.
On the island of Srirangapatnam, there is a temple of Sri Rangaswami where people used to pray Shri Ranganatha swami who has been considered as the incarnation of Lord Vishnu(Hindu God). This temple has gotten so much contribution from the Wodeyar dynasty. Related from this temple and Mysore, there is a devastating story due to which three confounded incidents have been taking place from a last 400 years. From nineteen generations, every second ruler of Mysore does not have their own child so they have to adopt a child as their successor. Malangi village on the bank of Kaveri river destroying and about forty-five kilometres away from Mysore, the Talakadu city has been buried under the sand.
People have a belief that all of this happening because of a four-hundred-year-old curse which even working today as well. Now the question is who and why gave such a devastating curse? Talakadu is the only and spacious sand dune of Kaveri. This sand dune has been created by the wind via sand accumulation. In 1951, there is a book has been written in which it has been mention that in one year around twelve feet of sand accumulated in Talakadu and the archaeologists have a belief that if this place dug for once, there is a huge probability that another Indus valley could be found. Is really possible that a curse can bury a city under sand dunes? is it possible that a well-civilized place transformed into a deserted place all because of a curse? Today, Talakadu is just a village near river Kaveri where you can see the dunes of sands all around. The four or five temples which you can see in Talakadu had been dug by the archaeological survey of India. According to the historians, the relics which has been found here shows that some more temples can be found under the sand. According to the evidence which has been found here indicates that the city Talakadu was once spread about 3 to 4 kilometres in area. In addition to Hindu and Jain, Buddhist people were also used to live here. On the bank of river Kaveri, this city was once a very suitable place for people to settle. There is a possibility that around more than 1500 families were used to live here.
After seeing Vadeshwar temple, no one can say that by the time when this temple was built there would be any possibility of any sand around this region because as the architectural studies show, the footing of any building can never be placed under the sand as the footing in the sand make any structure or building weak. So if that time around four-hundred-years back there was no sand in this place so from where this sand accumulated here even though there is no sea near this place?
The native people of this place says that the reason behind all this is the curse which was given by the lady whose name was Almellamma who was once a queen. Concretely, behind all this, there is a noteworthy incident, the event after which Talakadu and Mysore became a part of Wodeyar dynasty. From the 14th century, Wodeyar dynasty was ruled over Mysore, that time it was a small monarchy and was the part of Vijayanagar empire. The monarchy of Srirangapatnam was bigger than Mysore. Due to the division of the Vijayanagar empire during the time of 1565, there was major turbulence occurred in the politics of this place. The king of Mysore that time was Wodeyar and the king of Shrirangapatnam was Rang rai who was also known by the name of Tirumal raja. The king Tirumal had an apprehension that the rulers of other states near his monarchy might attack in his kingdom. So, he planned a conspiracy through which he deceitfully invited all the rulers of other nearby states on the occasion of Durga Puja(Hindu religion festival) in Shrirangapatnam.
Deceitfully he killed the rulers of other states but King Wodeyar came to know about all this and he escaped from there. Then after he attacked Srirangapatnam and captured this. In this war, Tirumal rai was killed and his wife whose name was Almellamma was started to live in nearby village Malangi. Almellamma was a very big devotee of Lord Ranganath's wife Shri Rangnayaki, her Adhiranga temple is still one of the holiest temples of Srirangapatnam and South India. During that time, there was a ritual here that every Tuesday and Friday auspicious occasion of the great worship(maha-aarti) occurred here for which the idol of goddess Shri Rangnayaki adorned with the ornaments. After the great worship, all the ornaments hand over to Almellamma for the security purpose. When Almellamma moved to Malangi, she took all these ornaments with her. Few months after the war, the priest of the temple went to meet the king Wodeyar and requested the king ordered to bring back all the ornaments for her. The king ordered his soldiers to bring back all the ornaments from Almellamma. When the soldiers asked Almellamma to return back the ornaments, she denied and returned only one pearl nose pin to the soldiers. When the king came to know all about this, he became aggressive and ordered his soldiers to do not return back until they get back all the ornaments from Almellamma. During the second time when the soldiers went in search of Almellamma, they found her in Talakadu.
Talakadu was the birthplace of Almellamma. This time she very well understood the intentions of the soldiers. She ran toward the Kaveri river and climbed up on one of the high slopes of rocks and jumped into the river. But before she jumped, she gave three of these curses to the king Wodeyar " Talakadu will be buried under the sand, Malangi will be submerged in the river Kaveri and the King of Mysore never be blessed with a child". From then, pouring of sand started over Talakadu and slowly it became deserted and desolated. In Malangi the stream of the river flowing very rapidly and create whirlpools and the most astonishing thing is, from the last 400 years, every second ruler of Mysore does not have their own child, they adopt a child as their successor. So, out of nineteen generations, ten generations didn't have their own child but an adopted child as their successor. Yes, this is very astonishing but true. This whole story is really very strange and unbelievable but this is the fact in history.
As like locals have their own perspective and story regarding the issues, the archaeologists and historians may also have their views regarding this all! How the sand accumulated here? what is the reason behind all this? or they also have belief in the curse? The archaeologists have a viewpoint that due to the occurrence of a severe famine in the 17th century here, the water level of river Kaveri dropped down to very low while the remaining water was controlled by the Madhav Mantri dam, because of which Kaveri river started to dry. The sand in the bottom of the river blew from the west and spread about at the Talakadu region and gradually the whole Talakadu region buried under the sand. But the question is, why then the sand still accumulating at the region of Talakadu? and what about Malangi? Why only Malangi is the place where river Kaveri create so much disturbance and whirlpools? regarding this, the historians have the cogitation that at a particular place river Kaveri turned like an elbow bent, it is the place where the village Malangi is situated. Due to this elbow bent, the fast flowing water of river Kaveri moves inward to the bank of the river. Still, there is one major unsolved riddle about why the rulers of Mysore still face the arduous of not having their own child as a successor but to adopt a child as their successor? In this, many historian and archaeologists have some different opinion but none of them is satisfactory.
Ultimately there are some queries and unsolved riddles about which even the historians do not have any satisfactory answers. The rulers of Wodeyar dynasty also believe in this curse that's why they erected the statue of Almellamma in their palace and pray to her for the end of this curse. Locals and other peoples have their own belief regarding this and historians tried to prove their own perspectives. In all of this what you believe is define the history of this curse and Wodeyar dynasty to you.
People have a belief that all of this happening because of a four-hundred-year-old curse which even working today as well. Now the question is who and why gave such a devastating curse? Talakadu is the only and spacious sand dune of Kaveri. This sand dune has been created by the wind via sand accumulation. In 1951, there is a book has been written in which it has been mention that in one year around twelve feet of sand accumulated in Talakadu and the archaeologists have a belief that if this place dug for once, there is a huge probability that another Indus valley could be found. Is really possible that a curse can bury a city under sand dunes? is it possible that a well-civilized place transformed into a deserted place all because of a curse? Today, Talakadu is just a village near river Kaveri where you can see the dunes of sands all around. The four or five temples which you can see in Talakadu had been dug by the archaeological survey of India. According to the historians, the relics which has been found here shows that some more temples can be found under the sand. According to the evidence which has been found here indicates that the city Talakadu was once spread about 3 to 4 kilometres in area. In addition to Hindu and Jain, Buddhist people were also used to live here. On the bank of river Kaveri, this city was once a very suitable place for people to settle. There is a possibility that around more than 1500 families were used to live here.
After seeing Vadeshwar temple, no one can say that by the time when this temple was built there would be any possibility of any sand around this region because as the architectural studies show, the footing of any building can never be placed under the sand as the footing in the sand make any structure or building weak. So if that time around four-hundred-years back there was no sand in this place so from where this sand accumulated here even though there is no sea near this place?
The native people of this place says that the reason behind all this is the curse which was given by the lady whose name was Almellamma who was once a queen. Concretely, behind all this, there is a noteworthy incident, the event after which Talakadu and Mysore became a part of Wodeyar dynasty. From the 14th century, Wodeyar dynasty was ruled over Mysore, that time it was a small monarchy and was the part of Vijayanagar empire. The monarchy of Srirangapatnam was bigger than Mysore. Due to the division of the Vijayanagar empire during the time of 1565, there was major turbulence occurred in the politics of this place. The king of Mysore that time was Wodeyar and the king of Shrirangapatnam was Rang rai who was also known by the name of Tirumal raja. The king Tirumal had an apprehension that the rulers of other states near his monarchy might attack in his kingdom. So, he planned a conspiracy through which he deceitfully invited all the rulers of other nearby states on the occasion of Durga Puja(Hindu religion festival) in Shrirangapatnam.
Deceitfully he killed the rulers of other states but King Wodeyar came to know about all this and he escaped from there. Then after he attacked Srirangapatnam and captured this. In this war, Tirumal rai was killed and his wife whose name was Almellamma was started to live in nearby village Malangi. Almellamma was a very big devotee of Lord Ranganath's wife Shri Rangnayaki, her Adhiranga temple is still one of the holiest temples of Srirangapatnam and South India. During that time, there was a ritual here that every Tuesday and Friday auspicious occasion of the great worship(maha-aarti) occurred here for which the idol of goddess Shri Rangnayaki adorned with the ornaments. After the great worship, all the ornaments hand over to Almellamma for the security purpose. When Almellamma moved to Malangi, she took all these ornaments with her. Few months after the war, the priest of the temple went to meet the king Wodeyar and requested the king ordered to bring back all the ornaments for her. The king ordered his soldiers to bring back all the ornaments from Almellamma. When the soldiers asked Almellamma to return back the ornaments, she denied and returned only one pearl nose pin to the soldiers. When the king came to know all about this, he became aggressive and ordered his soldiers to do not return back until they get back all the ornaments from Almellamma. During the second time when the soldiers went in search of Almellamma, they found her in Talakadu.
Talakadu was the birthplace of Almellamma. This time she very well understood the intentions of the soldiers. She ran toward the Kaveri river and climbed up on one of the high slopes of rocks and jumped into the river. But before she jumped, she gave three of these curses to the king Wodeyar " Talakadu will be buried under the sand, Malangi will be submerged in the river Kaveri and the King of Mysore never be blessed with a child". From then, pouring of sand started over Talakadu and slowly it became deserted and desolated. In Malangi the stream of the river flowing very rapidly and create whirlpools and the most astonishing thing is, from the last 400 years, every second ruler of Mysore does not have their own child, they adopt a child as their successor. So, out of nineteen generations, ten generations didn't have their own child but an adopted child as their successor. Yes, this is very astonishing but true. This whole story is really very strange and unbelievable but this is the fact in history.
As like locals have their own perspective and story regarding the issues, the archaeologists and historians may also have their views regarding this all! How the sand accumulated here? what is the reason behind all this? or they also have belief in the curse? The archaeologists have a viewpoint that due to the occurrence of a severe famine in the 17th century here, the water level of river Kaveri dropped down to very low while the remaining water was controlled by the Madhav Mantri dam, because of which Kaveri river started to dry. The sand in the bottom of the river blew from the west and spread about at the Talakadu region and gradually the whole Talakadu region buried under the sand. But the question is, why then the sand still accumulating at the region of Talakadu? and what about Malangi? Why only Malangi is the place where river Kaveri create so much disturbance and whirlpools? regarding this, the historians have the cogitation that at a particular place river Kaveri turned like an elbow bent, it is the place where the village Malangi is situated. Due to this elbow bent, the fast flowing water of river Kaveri moves inward to the bank of the river. Still, there is one major unsolved riddle about why the rulers of Mysore still face the arduous of not having their own child as a successor but to adopt a child as their successor? In this, many historian and archaeologists have some different opinion but none of them is satisfactory.
Ultimately there are some queries and unsolved riddles about which even the historians do not have any satisfactory answers. The rulers of Wodeyar dynasty also believe in this curse that's why they erected the statue of Almellamma in their palace and pray to her for the end of this curse. Locals and other peoples have their own belief regarding this and historians tried to prove their own perspectives. In all of this what you believe is define the history of this curse and Wodeyar dynasty to you.
A very good post.
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