Guest guest Posted May 16, 2006 Report Share Posted May 16, 2006 Golden throne, the cynosure of Dasara DH News Service Mysore: According to one tradition, the throne belonged to the Pandavas of Mahabharatha fame and was in Hastinapura. The ceremonial golden throne kept at Amba Vilas (durbar hall) of Mysore Palace will be cynosure for tourists visiting the palace during Dasara festivities. The throne has been taken out from the high security room and assembled at the durbar hall for the daily rituals of the scion of Mysore royal family Srikantadatta Narasimhararaja Wodeyar during Dasara. The visitors can watch the throne from a distance. The throne is under the joint guardianship of the scion and the Mysore Palace Board. The throne consists of the main seat, a staircase and the golden umbrella. Mr Wodeyar will hold ‘private durbar’ seating on this ceremonial throne during the nine-day Dasara festivities. The throne will be placed at the durbar hall till the end of the 9-day festival. Last year, the throne was kept there even after Dasara owing to popular demand from tourists visiting the palace. According to information available, the golden throne has come down to the Mysore royal family from generations of kings. The history of the remarkable throne is exciting. According to one tradition, the throne belonged to the Pandavas of Mahabharatha fame and was in Hastinapura. Kampilaraya brought this throne from Hastinapura to Penugonda, now in Andhra Pradesh, where it was kept underground. However, in 1336 AD, Vidyaranya, the royal preceptor of the Vijayanagar kings, showed the spot where it was buried to Harihara I, one of the founders of the Vijayanagar empire, who retreived the throne. This auspicious throne was then used by the Vijayanagar kings at Anegondi for more than a century and a half. During the early part of the 17th century the Governor of Vijayanagar rulers at Srirangapatna obtained this and brought it there, the records said. In 1609, the ailing governor Srirangaraya made over this throne to Raja Wodeyar. In 1610, Raja Wodeyar ascended the throne with pomp and pageantry and inaugurated the Dasara festivities. He further enjoined that his descendants should eternally continue these festivities, the records point out. Nonetheless, epigraphical evidence shows that this royal throne was in the possession of Chikkadevaraya Wodeyar in 1699. Further historical records show that it was with the royal family till the time of Tippu Sultan. According to another tradition, this throne is said to have been a gift of Aurangazeb in AD 1700 to Chikkadevararaja Wodeyar. After the fall of Tipu Sultan this throne was recovered from a room in the sultan’s palace at Srirangapatna, according to the palace visitors’ guide. Dasara was very promising for the city last year. Besides bringing back the lost grandeur of Dasara, the festivities bolstered tourism in a big way. As a testimony, Mysore Palace, which was the centre of attraction during the festivities, witnessed a record number of tourists last year. This year too, the authorities here that the festivities will be even more promising and draw lakhs of tourists. http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/sep222005/district181602005921.asp Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+ countries) for 2¢/min or less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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