Purniah   -Page   4

The urgent problem now was to select the future Raja of Mysore. The choice was the 5 year old son of Chamaraja Wodeyar IX who had died 3 years earlier. Since a new and efficient administration had also to be set up, the choice of Purniah as a Dewan of the new country was an easy task.( Lord Wellesley, the Governor General of India himself agreed that Purniah should be the Dewan ). He had also to act as a Regent during the period of the minority of the Raja. On June 30th 1799, His Highness Krishnaraja Wodeyar was installed on the throne in Mysore. Purniah agreed to be loyal to the new king and at the same time safeguard the interests of the East India Company. A Treaty drawn up had 16 Articles to ensure that Purniah had limited powers >He had to do some political tight rope walking. It is to be said that after 40 years of despotic rule of the Mohammedan usurpers, Dewan Purniah did a the job successfully, holding office for 12 years until the young Raja asserted himself to get back all the powers of a ruler vested in himself. To serve as a loyal servant at the highest level to the autocratic Muslim rulers for 29 years and then get selected by the English conquerors to act loyally for 12 years to a Hindu Ruler speaks volumes of Purniah's extraordinary abilities in diplomacy, integrity and commitment. He helped Mysore to make tremendous progress during his Regentship between 1799 to 1812.

By 1806 the accolades and praises being showered on Purniah by almost everyone emboldened him to desire that his office as Dewan should be made hereditary ! (Note: there was a precedent in Shivaji's Maratha Rule at one time ). He made repeated representations for this favour as he was now 60 years old  and wanted to do something for his family. The Supreme Government thought that this was very avaricious but recommended a suitable award. On 27th December 1807, a special Durbar of the Rajah of Mysore was held to confer the Jagir of Yelandur on Purniah.The Raja himself was only 14 years of age and it was evident that the Jagir was a gift of the East India Company. However, the Raja gave the Sanad of the Jagir with his own hands and was signed by Colonel Malcolm representing the Governor General.( See the SANAD Hyperlink)

When the Raja assumed the affairs of his Government in December 1811 when he was 18, Purniah was permitted to retire at his request. Whether it was due to the strenuous work for over 40 years or to his loss of power, he did not live long enough to enjoy a retired life. Within 3 months after the handing over the charge of the Government to Krishnaraja Wodeyar he died at Srirangapatnam on 27th March 1812.

Purniah was always loyal to one master  at a time and when he was obliged to serve another master, his loyalty shifted towards a new one , as when he served Hyder, Tipu and Krisnaraja Wodeyar in succession.He must have been very capable, cunning and crafty to serve both Hyder,with his progressive views,and Tipu (with his fanaticism)  along with their opposing views of the British ,and still he served as their Dewans at Court and their Commissariats in war on the field.

Purniah had 2 sons and a daughter by his first wife and 3 sons and 2 daughters by his second wife. Since the eldest son by his fist wife had died in 1808 before Purniah, the eldest son by the second wife, Anantharamappa became the second Jagirdar of Yelandur. He died in 1825. After Purniah 's retirement and death, Krishnaraja Wodeyar faced an insurrection and revolt which led to the administration passing into the hands of the East India Company. Thus from 1831 to 1881 , the British ruled Mysore directly through a series of Commissioners, assisted by a Dewan in financial matters and a Resident for the Raja's political affairs. Krishnaraja Wodeyar died in March, 1868 and although all his pleadings to the British to get back his kingdom, the Imperialist Lord Dalhousie who was then the Governor General of India refused to oblige. Wodeyar, in spite of warnings, adopted a son, Chamarajendra,  to rule after him when the Kingdom was restored. Eventfully, Chamrajendra Wodeyar X was installed as the ruler in September 1868. When the boy turned 18, he was with full powers over all territories in Mysore in March,1881. Th post of Commissioners were abolished but Dewans remained as the administrative heads

For the remaining heirs to the Yellandur estate please see the Family Tree Hyperlink ( Vamsa Vriksha).Almost a century later Sir P.N.Krishnamurthy,(1849-1911) his grandson  became a Dewan of Mysore ( 1901-1906 . He also earned recognition by being awarded C.I.E in 1897and K.C.I.E. in 1903. ( My Mother, Sushila Bai Sahiba, Jagirdarni of Arni was his grand-daughter. )

As in the case of the Arni Jagir, the Jagir of Yelandur was abolished after India became free and enacted  the Zamindar Abolition Bill  as the first amendment to the Constitution. This Jagir was abolished in 1956 and Nagaraja  Rao Purnaiya was the seventh and last Jagir of Yelandur.

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