Kanthirava Narasaraja I
Encyclopedia
Kanthirava Narasaraja I (1638–1659) was the Wodeyar ruler of Mysore
(a principality
or petty kingdom
in southern India
) from 1638 to 1659.
against the invasions of the Adil Shahi
s of Bijapur, a defense which he mounted with great loss for the enemy. In the fashion of the two wodeyars before him, he continued to expand the Mysore dominions. This included taking Satyamangalam from the Nayaks of Madurai
in the south, unseating the Chingalvas from their base in Piriyapatna
in the west, gaining possession of Hosur
(near Salem) to the north and delivering a major blow at Yelahanka
to the rule of Kempe Gowda of Magadi
, from whom a large tribute was exacted. Kanthirava Narasaraja I was also the first wodeyar of Mysore to create the symbols associated with royalty, such as establishing a mint and issuing coins named Kanthiraya (corrupted to "Canteroy") after him. These were to remain a part of Mysore's "current national money" for well over a century. Kanthirava Narasaraja I, who married ten times, died on 31 July 1659, at the age of 44. At his funeral, all his surviving wives committed sati
.
missionaries, who had arrived in the coastal areas of southern India—the Malabar coast
, the Kanara coast
, and the Coromandel coast
—starting early in the sixteenth century, did not begin work in land-locked Mysore until half way through the seventeenth. The Mysore mission was established in Srirangapatna
in 1649 by Leonardo Cinnami, an Italian Jesuit from Goa
. Although a few years later Cinnami was expelled from Mysore on account of opposition in Kanthirava's court, the ruler himself was not seen by the Jesuits as unsympathetic, and towards the end of Kanthirava's rule, Cinnami returned to establish missions in half a dozen locations. During his second stay Cinnami obtained permission to convert Kanthirava's subjects to Christianity
; however, he was successful mostly in the eastern regions of Kanthirava's dominions, regions that later became part of the Madras Presidency
of British India. According to , "Of a reported 1700 converts in the Mysore mission in the mid-1660s, a mere quarter were Kannadigas (Kannada language
speakers), the rest being Tamil speakers from the western districts of modern-day Tamilnadu, ..."
Kingdom of Mysore
The Kingdom of Mysore was a kingdom of southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. The kingdom, which was ruled by the Wodeyar family, initially served as a vassal state of the Vijayanagara Empire...
(a principality
Principality
A principality is a monarchical feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or by a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince....
or petty kingdom
Petty kingdom
A petty kingdom is one of a number of small kingdoms, described as minor or "petty" by contrast to an empire or unified kingdom that either preceded or succeeded it...
in southern India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
) from 1638 to 1659.
Early years
The previous significant ruler, Chamaraja V, was succeeded by his uncle, who in turn was quickly poisoned on the orders of the Dalavoi (Prime Minister), Vikramaraya, within a year of becoming the wodeyar. The 23-year-old Kanthirava Narasaraja I (also known as Ranadhira Kanteerava Narasa Raja Wodeyar), who had earlier been adopted by the widow of Raja I, became, in 1638, the new Wodeyar of Mysore.Rule
Soon after his accession, he was called on to defend SrirangapatnaSrirangapatna
Srirangapatna is a town in Mandya district of the Indian state of Karnataka...
against the invasions of the Adil Shahi
Adil Shahi
The Adil Shahi or Adilshahi dynasty ruled the Sultanate of Bijapur in the Western area of the Deccan region of Southern India from 1490 to 1686. Bijapur had been a province of the Bahmani Sultanate , before its political decline in the last quarter of the 15th century and eventual break-up in 1518...
s of Bijapur, a defense which he mounted with great loss for the enemy. In the fashion of the two wodeyars before him, he continued to expand the Mysore dominions. This included taking Satyamangalam from the Nayaks of Madurai
Madurai Nayak Dynasty
The Madurai Nayaks or Nayak Dynasty of Madurai were rulers of a region comprising most of modern-day Tamil Nadu, India, with Madurai as their capital...
in the south, unseating the Chingalvas from their base in Piriyapatna
Piriyapatna
Piriyapatna is a panchayat town in Mysore district in the Indian state of Karnataka.-Geography:Periyapatna is located at . It has an average elevation of 844 metres ....
in the west, gaining possession of Hosur
Hosur
Hosur is a town and a municipality in Krishnagiri district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.The name of the town is from Kannada language which means 'New settlement/town' . It is a taluk of Krishnagiri district. It is located about 40 kilometres south-east of Bangalore and 38 kilometres from...
(near Salem) to the north and delivering a major blow at Yelahanka
Yelahanka
Yelahanka is a suburb of Bangalore in the Indian state of Karnataka originally envisaged as a satellite town of Bangalore city, but now part of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike.-Location:...
to the rule of Kempe Gowda of Magadi
Magadi
Magadi is a town in Ramanagaram district in the Indian state of Karnataka.Magadi was capital of Kempe Gowda who built Bangalore. It is alsothe setting of the true story "Old Munnusamy and the man-eater of Magadi" by Kenneth Anderson ....
, from whom a large tribute was exacted. Kanthirava Narasaraja I was also the first wodeyar of Mysore to create the symbols associated with royalty, such as establishing a mint and issuing coins named Kanthiraya (corrupted to "Canteroy") after him. These were to remain a part of Mysore's "current national money" for well over a century. Kanthirava Narasaraja I, who married ten times, died on 31 July 1659, at the age of 44. At his funeral, all his surviving wives committed sati
Sati (practice)
For other uses, see Sati .Satī was a religious funeral practice among some Indian communities in which a recently widowed woman either voluntarily or by use of force and coercion would have immolated herself on her husband’s funeral pyre...
.
Early Christianity in Mysore
CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
missionaries, who had arrived in the coastal areas of southern India—the Malabar coast
Malabar Coast
The Malabar Coast is a long and narrow coastline on the south-western shore line of the mainland Indian subcontinent. Geographically, it comprises the wettest regions of southern India, as the Western Ghats intercept the moisture-laden monsoon rains, especially on their westward-facing mountain...
, the Kanara coast
Kanara
The Kanara or Canara region comprises three coastal districts of Karnataka, namely Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada and Kasaragod district of Kerala in southwestern India. Kanara forms the southern part of the Konkan coast...
, and the Coromandel coast
Coromandel Coast
The Coromandel Coast is the name given to the southeastern coast of the Indian Subcontinent between Cape Comorin and False Divi Point...
—starting early in the sixteenth century, did not begin work in land-locked Mysore until half way through the seventeenth. The Mysore mission was established in Srirangapatna
Srirangapatna
Srirangapatna is a town in Mandya district of the Indian state of Karnataka...
in 1649 by Leonardo Cinnami, an Italian Jesuit from Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
. Although a few years later Cinnami was expelled from Mysore on account of opposition in Kanthirava's court, the ruler himself was not seen by the Jesuits as unsympathetic, and towards the end of Kanthirava's rule, Cinnami returned to establish missions in half a dozen locations. During his second stay Cinnami obtained permission to convert Kanthirava's subjects to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
; however, he was successful mostly in the eastern regions of Kanthirava's dominions, regions that later became part of the Madras Presidency
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
of British India. According to , "Of a reported 1700 converts in the Mysore mission in the mid-1660s, a mere quarter were Kannadigas (Kannada language
Kannada language
Kannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
speakers), the rest being Tamil speakers from the western districts of modern-day Tamilnadu, ..."