23-year-old Yaduveer Wadiyar is Mysore''s new ''King''

Mysuru, May 28

In a traditional ceremony, US-educated Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wodeyar, the adopted son of Pramoda Devi Wodeyar, was on Thursday crowned as the titular head of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family.

(See Video: Mysore's new maharaja)

The coronation took place at Kalyana Mantap in Amba Vilas Palace here at an auspicious hour this morning amid Vedic chants and slogans hailing the Mysuru royalty and the 23-year-old "King" as he ascended the silver throne 'Bhadrasana'.

Yaduveer, the 27th King of Wodeyar dynasty, will have to wait until Dasara to ascend the golden throne, when he will preside over the 'khasa (private) durbar', which is reminiscent of the bygone era.

Pramoda Devi Wodeyar, widow of Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wodeyar, the last descendant of the Wodeyar dynasty, formally adopted Yaduveer Gopal Raj Urs in February, after which he was rechristened as Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wodeyar.

Yaduveer has completed his BA in Economics and English at Boston University in the US and is the grandson of Princess Gayatri Devi, the eldest daughter of the last Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar.

Yaduveer's fiancé Trishika Kumari, who also belongs to a royal family from Rajasthan, attended the event. Their wedding is expected by end of this year.

The last coronation took place 41 years ago when Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wodeyar was crowned at the age of 21.

After the ceremonies, Yaduveer said with the cooperation of the people, "I will try my best to continue the royal family traditions".

Srikantadatta Wodeyar, the only son of Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar, the last ruling Maharaja of Mysuru, and his second wife Maharani Tripura Sundari Ammani Avaru, succeeded his father as the head of his dynasty in September 1974. He died of cardiac arrest in Bengaluru on 10 December, 2013.

As part of the coronation ceremony, Yaduveer along with Pramoda Devi and other family members were performing series of rituals according to royal traditions since yesterday that included visits to temples and 'pada puja' to 'Rajaguru' Bramhatantra Parakala mutt seer Abhinava Vageesha Brahmatantra Swatantra Swami. PTI