Chama Raja Wadiyar IX, adopted son of Krishna Raja Wadiyar III ( also known as Mummudi Krishna Raja Wadiyar), ruled from 1881 to 1894.

Starting from 1831 Mysore was under the direct administration of British Raj. The then titular King of Mysore, His Highness Sri. Krishna Raja Wadiyar III , adopted Chamaraja Wadiyar then 2 years old in 1865. He defied the extant British Order against adoption by Rulers of Indian Princely state and took his campaign against the unjust British Rule of Mysore to the House of Commons. In an unparalleled triumph of justice, the House of Commons decided to the approve the adoption of Chamaraja Wadiyar as the heir to the ancient throne of Mysore and agreed to restore the Kingdom to him. He was assiduously groomed by the British and he was handed over the reigns of government with the famous Rendition of Mysore in 1881 and a golden era in the History of Myosre was heralded.

Chamaraja Wadiyar ruled for a very brief period of 13 years but in that brief period left indelible mark in the footprints of life. His untimely death in 1894 was regarded as a great national misfortune throughout India.

1. One of the most famous acts of statesmanship of his reign was the Institution of Representative of Assembly in 1881 – first democratic institution of its kind in India and he can truly be called as the father of Indian democracy. 2. He also paved the way for renaissance of Indian ethos and culture by sponsoring the eternally famous trip of Swami Vivekananda to Chicago in 1894. 3. He gave primacy to girl’s education and started Kannada Bashojjivini School to revive Kannada. 4. He gave Phillip to Industrialization by starting many industrial schools, and conducting Dasara Industrial Exhibition. 5. He started Agricultural Banks to help farmers and Life Insurance for government Employees. 6. His court was known for musicians and artists of immortal fame like Veena Subbanna, Veena Seshanna, K.Vasudevacaharya. 7. Some of the monuments of his glorious reign are Bangalore Palace, Lalbagh Glass House at Bangalore; Oriental Research Institute, Maharaja College, Maharaja’s Sanskrit School, Government Office, Lansdown Bazar, Dufferin Tower, Zoo garden at Mysore and Fern Hill Palace at ooty.

His Highness Sri. Chamaraja Wadiyar X, was the 23rd Maharaja of Mysore. His life was a saga of extraordinary situations and peculiar forces operated throughout his life. Tragedy struck him at every stage of his life .His Natural father died week before his birth; he lost his two brothers and two sons; his natural mother and adopted father and mother- all in the brief span of 31 years of his life time. Yet His has been an exemplary life. It seems as though providence ordained that he should by his ways demonstrate to the world the duties of a benevolent king.

In this article instead of Wodeyar, the Mysore Royal family surname has been spelt as Wadiyar, as it is the way they spell it.

Some Historians refer Chamaraja Wadiyar as X instead of IX due some uncertainilties in the lineage order. But the famous Historian Hayavadana Rao, who has done extensive research on the subject has chosen to refer to him as Chamaraja Wadiyar IX.