MYSORE: The Mysore Wadiyars who ruled for 350 years have left a mark on the region with their modern thinking and vision for the future. For the Wadiyars their passion for the latest inventions also translated into a matter of prestige to own such products: they were among the first in the country to own a telephone, power lift, revolver, fountain pen, fire engine, and place orders for purchasing glass, paintings and tiles for the Mysore Palace.It was this passion that drove them to own a fleet of cars from 1908 to 1954. The royal family purchased its first motor car - a single cylinder Pegueot two-seater car in 1903. They later acquired a four-seater De Dion car, which also had a chaffeuer named Moriens.They also imported large motor waggonettes from England. This was followed by a French car, Panhard, and two flat cars from Bombay, which were maintained in the Palace stables by electricians and mechanics.The Wadiyars created a separate department, the palace garage, near the old Palace buildings in Nazarbad, which was used by the Ursu Boarding school. The garage could accommodate more than fifty cars, lorries and other motor vehicles. Cars belonging to the princesses were also looked after in the garage. The Wadiyars eventually purchased the car that signifies luxury and royalty, the Rolls Royce, on November 4, 1911, following correspondence of a 124-page letter; they got green stripes designed on a slew of such cars owned by them.Other cars in the Wadiyar’s garage included a Mercedes, a 15 AHP steam car, a Maxwell car, a Ford, a Rolls Royce two-seater, 50 hp six cylinder cars and a Chevrolet among others.Besides providing cars for the Royal family’s usage, the palace garage was responsbile for making vehicular arrangements during official visits such as Viceregal visits. The Royal family had gifted a Ford car to renowned artist Ravi Verma to visit H D Kote and come up with sketches and paintings of Khedda, an elephant sport.Sri Chamarajendra Wadiyar is considered as the father of modern Mysore for his encouragement to dewans like Sir M Visveshwaraiah to go ahead with the construction of Krishnaraja Sagar reservoir and starting the silk industry, not to mention the prestigious University of Mysore.A visit to the Mysore Palace and their museums puts all this in perspective.
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