IISC, HAL, the first hydroelectric dam and much more: How the Wadiyar kings of Mysore, not Nehru, sparked India’s science and technology renaissance
Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on 27th May declared that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was the founder of HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited). Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP and Mysore (Mysuru) royal descendant Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, however, countered this claim, both in public forums and online. He stated that India’s first prime minister had no involvement in the establishment of HAL and emphasized that the credit should rightfully go to industrialist Walchand Hirachand and the Kingdom of Mysore.
“The Deputy Chief Minister said it is Nehru’s contribution. We need to clarify that. In 1940, Walchand Hirachand approached many kings with the idea of an aircraft development system. Only the King of Mysore agreed. The Government of Karnataka, back then the Government of Mysore, gave around 700 acres of land. The initial investment came from the Government of Mysore. The king decided not to give the share to anyone else.” he pointed out on 28th May and highlighted that the roots of HAL were very local.
“This is a system that has been developed by the Kannadigas, under Kannadiga leadership. We also need to remind the DyCM. He has a compulsion to attribute everything to a dynasty and high command, but we need to tell this clearly to him,” Yaduveer reiterated. He then stressed, “HAL should be kept in Karnataka itself. Even if other defence centres come up, it must remain here. This is what we are telling the Chief Minister as well.” He also posted a thorough 18-part thread detailing the real origins of HAL.
Wadiyar kings of Mysore
The Wadiyars or Wodeyars who are believed to be the descendants of Lord Krishna ruled over the Mysore kingdom from 1399 to 1947. They possessed a rich heritage that included splendid palaces, exquisite artwork and traditional musical instruments. Their reign extended over five centuries, during which they significantly influenced social and cultural aspects.
They fostered public participation and engagement, as their welfare model was crafted with the populace at its heart. Despite the loss of their titles, the Wodeyars remain a powerful influence among the Kannadigas, celebrated for their pro-people policies and prompt actions in times of crisis. However, their remarkable contributions to the fields of Science & Technology will forever be regarded as a pinnacle achievement of their administration.
The Mysore kingdom started as a small vassal of the Vijayanagara Empire, but it expanded under the influence of successive kings. Chikka Devaraja, the fourteenth king, brought the dynasty to its peak by reforming the administration and launching a new taxation system. The kingdom witnessed a golden era when Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV succeeded to the throne.
The philosopher-king, who was a supporter of the fine arts, laid the groundwork for educational systems and dedicated efforts to reduce poverty, rebuild rural communities, improve public health, promote industry and stimulate economic growth. In 1902, Mysore was the first Indian state to harness hydroelectric power in Asia and it was also the first Asian city to install street lights in 1905.
He oversaw the opening of educational institutions such as the Indian Institute of Science and the University of Mysore. Victoria Hospital, Cheluvamba Hospital and Minto Eye Hospital were started along with the construction of the Krishna Raja Sagara dam. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi referred to his kingdom as “Ramrajya” and praised him as a “Rajrishi.” Mysore was referred to as “the best-administered state in the world” by Lord John Sankey who was the Lord Chancellor of Great Britain and a human rights activist.
How HAL was founded
World War II was rocking the globe in 1940. India was at a pivotal moment. Sri Jayachamaraja Wadiyar replaced his uncle as King of Mysore on 8th September 1940. He was only 21 when he was presented with a daring suggestion that would alter India’s course. William Douglas Pawley, an American industrialist who had been constructing airplanes in China required a new base. In 1933, he created the Central Aircraft Manufacturing Company (CAMCO) to assemble Hawk 75 and CW-21 fighter aircraft for China’s Nationalist government.
Chinese aviation was mostly dependent on CAMCO but Japanese raids compelled Pawley to relocate. On a Pan Am Clipper flight to Hong Kong in October 1939, he met Walchand Hirachand, an Indian entrepreneur. The concept of having an aircraft production in India was inspired by that fortuitous encounter. Upon his arrival in India in July 1940, Pawley received British permission for the project within 72 hours.
The ambitious plan consisted of the construction of India’s first significant aircraft manufacturing. However, it wasn’t simple. The stockholders of Walchand’s Scindia Steam Navigation Company rejected his proposal. He subsequently made his way to the princely territories of Mysore, Baroda, Gwalior and Bhavnagar. They all refused one after another.
However, Walchand and Pawley met the young king of Mysore when they arrived in Bangalore in October 1940. He was a visionary leader and hence the Mysore government invested ₹25 lakh in shares, guaranteed 700 acres of land for free and provided full assistance in less than 72 hours. Pawley choose the location himself. This was more than merely a business transaction, but it represented a pathway for India’s self-reliance. The king understood that aviation would influence the country’s future.
It moved at an incredible pace. Walchand served as Chairman of the Hindustan Aircraft Company when it was registered on 23rd December 1940, under the Mysore Companies Act. The very following day work began. The first structure and runway were completed in three weeks, by mid-January 1941. The business maintained an office in a home on Bangalore’s Domlur Road named “Eventide.” The first order from the Indian government was for 74 Vultee Attack Bombers, 30 Harlow PC5 Trainers and 48 Curtis Hawk Fighters all of which were due in 1942.
Wings to India’s aviation dreams
Less than a year after it was established, the business turned over its first aircraft, a Harlow Trainer, to the government on 29th August 1941 as India embarked on its aviation journey. The importance of Hindustan Aircraft increased as World War II intensified. All of CAMCO’s equipment was relocated to Mysore after Japan attacked its factory in China. The British Indian Government matched Mysore’s stake in April 1941 with an investment of ₹25 lakh.
The British purchased Walchand’s shares in April 1942 for ₹57 lakh, a substantial profit on his ₹25 lakh investment, following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 and its advance in Malaya. The Mysore administration granted the control to the British during the war but it refused to surrender its share.
The facility became the 84th Air Depot after it was taken over by the United States Army Air Forces in 1943. PBY Catalinas and other aircraft used in India and Burma were refurbished, making it one of Asia’s biggest aviation repair facilities. Mysore-based aircraft assisted in driving back Indian National Army and Japanese forces in Manipur and Nagaland. A compensation of ₹12.11 lakh was given to the Mysore government for pausing its stake in the war. Mysore soon returned to active engagement in April 1946.
Nurturing aviation ambitions
The Royal Air Force’s No. 129 Squadron, also known as the “Mysore Squadron,” was established owing to a £100,000 donation from Mysore. It participated in the Battle of Britain and other significant operations while flying Supermarine Spitfires. Its emblem included the Gandabherunda, the mythical two-headed bird of Mysore, along with the words “I will defend the right.” The king personally sent a Gandabherunda insignia and a message to each pilot stating, “My birth after the last war’s victory led to Jaya in my name, and my emblem is the Gandabherunda, the mightiest bird. I wish you Jaya in all your battles.”
The king also contributed 211 acres for the Government Flying School in Jakkur of Bangalore, which opened in 1948 and constructed Mandakalli Airport near Mysore. He even offered to train pilots on his own Dakota DC-3 aircraft. Usha Sundaram, India’s first female pilot, received her training at this institution. The Ministry of Defence reorganised and renamed Hindustan Aircraft as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on 1st October 1964. HAL is now an essential part of India’s aerospace and defense sector.
Creation of a modern scientific institution
The rulers of Mysore developed multiple educational institutions around the state because they believed that educating the populace was essential to modernization. The most important project they worked on was perhaps Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata’s ambitious plan to build an excellent research institute in India. Tata informed his friend K Seshadri Iyer who was also the Dewan of Mysore, of his plan during a visit to South India in 1899.
Maharani Kempananjammani Vani Vilasa Sannidhana was approached by the latter regarding whether and how Mysore could assist the industrialist. The Regent Queen readily agreed to back the proposal. She also committed to funding the project and supplying land. Iyer promptly informed Tata’s Provisional Committee, which was tasked with carrying out his vision. Mysore proposed that the university should be located in Bangalore.
371 acres and 16 guntas of land in Bangalore were pledged along with ₹5 lakh for construction expenditures and a monthly payment of ₹30,000 (in 1905, this was raised to ₹50,000). The government approved the proposal, but before IISc could be established, many obstacles had to be removed, including those brought on by Tata’s tragic death in the summer of 1904. The land promised by the state was formally turned over by Mysore’s Dewan, Vice President Madhava Rao, on 14th March 1907.
Following a vesting order and resolution passed by the British Government of India to create the Institute, IISc (Indian Institute of Science) ultimately came into being on 27th May 1909. Mysore grants were by far the largest the institute would receive in its early years and they were also the highest from a local government in the years that followed (the only greater contributions in later years were from the Indian government). Additionally, Mysore provided students with recurring grants and scholarships as IISc continued to gain many benefits from the state after it was founded. The Institute’s research also directly led to the emergence of a number of industries over the following years.
Harnessing the power of the Cauvery
It was fortunate for the royal city to have Cauvery water in the early 1900s because of the work of Mysore officials and the availability of electricity. During the queen Vani Vilas regency, the administrators succeeded in something they had failed to do for decades. A project designed under Maharaja Chamaraja Wadiyar’s reign and completed under the queen’s supervision, the Vani Vilas Water Works is a testament to the labor that went into extracting water from the Cauvery River.
Major Alain Chartier Joly de Lotbiniere, a Mysore state employee had the initial idea to use the Cauvery’s power. He then proposed the concept to Mysore’s King Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar, who talked about it with Dewan K Sheshadri Iyer, his chief administrator. However, according to other reports, Edmund Carrington, an electrical engineer was motivated in 1894 to use the power of the 100-meter-tall Gaganachukki Falls which are formed by the Cauvery tributary Kabini.
Notably, the two stories only prove that the project was supported by the Mysore state. The city was supplied with Cauvery water by the early 1900s which was pumped from the Devaraja canal on the riverbanks close to Belagola. The first hydroelectric plant in Asia was nearing completion at Shivanasamudra at this time courtesy to the vision of Mysore’s dewan K Sheshadri Iyer.
Kolar Gold Fields began receiving power from Shivanasamudra by 1902. Electricity was only introduced to Mysore in 1908. According to history, Vani Vilas was the regent when the effort to draw drinking water from the river was completed.
Innovation to maintain food security
The Central Food Technology Research Institute (CFTRI) is a leader in emerging technologies today. It’s interesting to note that the stark food shortages in India provide the ideal context for understanding the value of Wadiyar’s administrative foresight. Famine after famine struck India, with the Great Bengal famine being the worst on record.
The Viceroy of India did not mince words when describing the enormity of the situation, strict management of Mysore’s food supplies was vital. One of Wadiyar’s major achievements during the 1940–1947 period was controlling the food scarcity in Mysore and establishing administrative measures to stop a widespread famine, similar to what happened in Bengal.
Image via Wikipedia
The concept of establishing a research center that might look into the preservation, packaging and storage of grain samples for future generations could have been spawned by this struggle for food. Consequently, Mysore gave birth to the Central Food Technology Research Institute (CFTRI). The exceptionally lovely Cheluvamba Mansion, which was first built by Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV for the third Princess of Mysore, Cheluvajammanni, was dedicated to this cause by the state.
The pioneers of modern India
The rich culture of the area has been influenced by the rulers of the Wodeyar dynasty throughout history. Raja Wodeyar I began the Mahanavami festival celebrations in 1610 which are now known as the well-known Mysore Dasara celebrations. Furthermore, they made Mysore one of the first Indian states to adopt a parliamentary system in 1881. Members of the dynasty, Jayachamaraja Wodeyar and Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV were active members of the Constituent Assembly of India which helped bring about Indian independence.
They further advanced wildlife conservation through the establishment of Nagarhole National Park and Bandipur National Park, as well as the Mysore Zoo, which is among the oldest and most renowned zoos in India. The famous Mysore Palace is among the wonderful palaces, temples and public structures they commissioned.
They promoted classical music, dance and literature with the goal of conserving India’s rich cultural legacy. With the founding of libraries and the publication of works like the well-known Kannada epic “Kumaravyasa Bharata,” they were instrumental in the growth of Kannada literature and even Sanskrit. Likewise they supported the growth of Siddha and Unani medicine by opening clinics and hospitals in Mysore and promoting Ayurveda, the traditional Indian medical system.
Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV launched the major businesses, including the Silk Research Centre at Channapattana, the Soap Factory, the Sandal Oil Factory, Mysore Bank and the Steel Factory at Bhadravathi. They built Bangalore along modern lines and during his rule, a rail connection was established between Bangalore and Chikkaballapur and Arisikere.
Moreover, the current Vokkaligara Sangha was set up. Dewan Ananda Rao of Mysore played a pivotal role in bringing Sir M V Visveswaraya back to serve the state from Poona and his skill produced an engineering marvel such as Krishnaraja Sagara. The Cantonment area of Bangalore was fully developed as a modern city when the Mysore state acquired it from the British.
Image via navrangindia.in
The National Tuberculosis Institute (NTIB) on Bellary Road, housed in the historic Avalon building that was once the home of Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar’s sister is one of Bengaluru’s most notable landmarks. The structure, which is a leading Tuberculosis research facility under the Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare was donated to the country by the Wadiyars.
The Wadiyars have significantly enhanced not only India’s society and culture but have also laid the groundwork for an innovative and educated India through their determined efforts. Future generations will continue to benefit from their contributions to the development and growth of the nation.
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