Maharani Kempananjammani Vani Vilasa Sannidhana

Maharani Kempa Nanjammani Vani Vilasa Sannidhana was a queen and regent of Mysore; regent between 1895 and 1902 during the minority of Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV. She was the wife of Maharaja Chamarajendra Wadiyar X and the mother of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV. She occupies as significant place as any in the annals of Mysore history. Her contributions to the citizenry, her roles of Maharani as regent and as queen mother of young prince Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV, one of the most illustrious rulers of India, has remained commendable. She is considered as one of the three rare gems in the history of Mysore queens.

Regency

Maharaja Chamarajendra Wadiyar, on a visit to Calcutta in 1894, developed diphtheria and succumbed to sudden death there, thus abruptly cutting short, a promising reign that lasted only 13 years. He was just 32 and had already left his mark as an excellent leader. His death suddenly created a void as prince Krishnarajendra Wadiyar IV was still in minority. The unexpected tragedy was regarded as a great national misfortune throughout India and was deplored by the British Government as an Imperial loss. The royal family plunged into great sorrow and the citizens felt orphaned. Such was his stature. The burden fell on Maharani Kempananjammanni. History posed a new challenge to her: a severe bubonic plague struck Mysore city, reducing the population to half. Under such circumstances, she was nominated as queen-regent, a post she held for about eight tough years, from 1895 to 1902, and served the people with great aplomb, dignity, devotion, discipline and distinction. 

Generous And Strong Queen

Maharani Kempananjammanni was a socially aware and educated lady and received a good education in English, Kannada, and Sanskrit during her childhood. 

The queen showed a high level of courage and grit to handle the state administration. During her seven years’ reign as the regent of Mysuru kingdom, the queen introduced many developments in the field of health, public works and education. She constructed the dam in the Chitradurga district to provide irrigation facility in the dry region.

Even the Shivanasamudra hydro-electric project was introduced during her reign (1899-1900). Electricity from this project was supplied in 1902 to K.G.F and later on to the city of Bangalore to fulfill the demand of a growing population. The queen also supervised the rebuilding of Mysuru Palace after a part of it was destroyed by a fire outbreak. She commissioned an English architect H. Irwin to complete the work in 1912.

Maharani Kempananjammanni was a very strong, generous and determined queen who understood the plight of her citizens. She contributed hugely to the upliftment of the society and development of infrastructure and facilities in her kingdom. She developed the Vani Vilasa road in Bengaluru, and Vani Vilasa hospital for children and women. She also constructed Vani Vilasa bridge across the Kabini river and Vani Vilasa Sagara dam in the district of Chitradurga. IISc was set up in Bangalore was because of the generous grant of land and money by the Maharani of Mysore, Kempananjammani Vani Vilasa Sannidhana, who headed the princely state of Mysore as Regent for nearly eight years while her son was a minor.

Maharani Kempananjammanni Opened Hospitals And Dispensaries For Women

The queen of Mysuru was very kind and alleviated the sufferings of many women. She opened several hospitals and dispensaries in different parts of the state during her administration. The Maharani ensured that pregnant women receive appropriate post-natal-care and the newborns are also well-taken care of.  

The Maharani laid the foundation stone for constructing the Victoria hospital in Bengaluru. It was inaugurated by Viceroy Lord Curzon in 1900. During her Regency term, the number of hospitals in Mysuru increased from 116 to 134. She was also very strongly advocated women’s education. By 1902, there were around 235 public schools for girls.

Her efforts bore fruits when for the first time in the history of South India, two girls from the college of Mysuru appeared for B.A. examination in 1902. She even instituted foreign travel for students of post-graduation through a scheme called Damodar Das scholarship. The queen who introduced modern amenities through her bold, grit and administrative acumen, benevolence and integrity passed on 8th July 1934.