7.1Origins and early rulers
Wadiyar tradition traces the dynasty to Yaduraya Wadiyar, who is said to have established the line at Mysore in 1399. The historical record becomes firm in the sixteenth century, and the dynasty's rise is best documented from Raja Wadiyar I (r. 1578–1617), who captured Srirangapatna in 1610.[1]
The name 'Wadiyar' (also spelt Wodeyar, from odeya, 'lord') was a title of local chiefship before it became a dynastic surname.
7.2Consolidation under Kanthirava and Chikka Devaraja
Kanthirava Narasaraja I (r. 1638–1659) repelled Bijapur's invasions, issued the kanthirayi fanam coinage and expanded the kingdom's frontiers. Chikka Devaraja Wadiyar (r. 1673–1704) is regarded as the greatest administrator of the line: he reorganised revenue into eighteen departments (the chavadi system), established a postal service, and negotiated with both the Marathas and the Mughals, receiving recognition from Aurangzeb.[1][2]
By 1700 Mysore was among the strongest states in the peninsula, with revenues that supported a standing army and an active court culture of Kannada and Sanskrit literature and Carnatic music.
7.3Eclipse, restoration and modern monarchy
After 1734 real power passed to the dalavayis (commanders-in-chief) and then, from 1761, to Hyder Ali, who ruled in the king's name. Wadiyar authority was restored by the British in 1799 after Tipu Sultan's death, when the five-year-old Krishnaraja Wadiyar III was installed.[1]
The last rulers — Chamaraja Wadiyar X, Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV (r. 1902–1940) and Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar (r. 1940–1950) — presided over the state's transformation into a model of administrative reform, industrial investment and public education before accession to the Indian Union.[3]