Mysore Royal Family: Yaduveer Gopal Raj Urs is named Wodeyar heir

Putting an end to speculation over the succession in the Royal Wodeyar family of Mysore, Queen Pramoda Devi on Thursday announced 22-year-old Yaduveer Gopal Raj Urs as the next heir. She hailed that the decision was unanimously taken by the Wodeyar family and said that she believed that Yaduveer was capable of continuing palace traditions and also taking up the legal disputes of palace property with the state government.

The Wodeyar family will hold adoption ceremony of Yaduveer Gopal Raj Urs — the son of Leela Tripurasundari Devi, daughter of Srikanta Datta Wodeyar’s eldest sister Gayatri Devi — on February 23. Yaduveer finished his basic education at Vidya Niketan School and at the Canadian International School, both in Bangalore, and is currently pursuing Economics at UMass Amherst in Boston, US, the Queen said. The Wodeyar family said that they have not yet decided on the date to coronate the new heir as per family traditions and will be renamed as Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wodeyar.

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While making the announcement, the Queen avoided questions over the absence of Chaduranga Kantharaja Urs, who earlier had not only performed last rites of Srikanta Datta Wodeyar, but later on also performed traditional family rituals at Amba Vilas in Mysore Palace during Dussera festivities. “We had conveyed the message to him but he did not respond,” Pramoda Devi said abruptly. Chaduranga Kantharaja Urs was speculated to take over the throne following the death of Srikanta, however, some recent differences within the royal family might have influenced their decision, palace sources say.

On the dispute of the family property with the Karnataka government, she said that the matter is in court and that she never approached the Karnataka government, however if the government wishes it could solve it amicably.