Meet Indian king whose reign was called ‘Ram Rajya’, sacrificed his jewels for India's first hydropower project in this city, he is...

In early 20th Century, Krishna Wadiyar IV was crowned the king of Mysore, now a city in Karnataka, at the age of 11. A highly educated individual, Wadiyar received a high-level Indian education and was also excellent in western education. He is one of the well-known rulers of India for having truly worked for his people. A learned man, Wadiyar was fluent in Kannada, English and Sanskrit languages along with many arts. Mahatma Gandhi called Krishna Wadiyar IV as Rajarshi, a man who has traits of both a king and a saint. For this reason and the way, he governed and functioned his kingdom, his reign was called ‘Ram Rajya’, Refers to the ideal rule of Lord Ram.  

What Krishna Wadiyar IV did in education field? 

From education, child marriages, to power projects, Krishna Wadiyar’s reign saw progress in every sector of society for which he even sacrificed his wealth only to bring development to his region. He made primary education compulsory for all in his state in 1915 and offered scholarship to widows while preventing child marriages. One of his biggest contribution was to part with his 10 acres of land for building Mysore Sanskrit College.  

Due to his significant contributions in the field of education, King Krishna Wadiyar IV became the principles of both Banaras Hindu University and Mysore University.  

Not only in the field of education, the king also helped many underprivileged people to overcome their problems. He helped many specially-abled people with his own wealth. Krishna Wadiyar even started 25% reservation in the state. He helped put Yog on the global stage.  

Contributions in power sector 

He built Krishna Raja Sagar dam on the Kaveri River near Mysore which was under construction, using the water of the Kaveri, from 1911 to 1931. A hydropower project was also initiated in Bengaluru during his reign. But the project was short of funds which were compensated for by the king who offered his priceless jewels for its funding. This allowed electricity to reach every household in Bengaluru. In 1902, India's first major hydropower project was launched.