Mysore, September 30, 2013: Rare photographs of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar (1884-1940), who was extolled by Mahatma Gandhi as ‘Rajarishi’, samples of traditional Mysore paintings and rare sculptures of the State will be on display during the Dasara at the Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage from October 5.

Also, plans are on to screen video footage of the previous Dasara celebrations. Unlike other events, the photo-cum-painting and sculpture exhibition will not end with Dasara but will run for 90 days. C.G. Bethsurmath, Commissioner of the department told The Hindu that the idea was to do something different that would be cherished by visitors. The department has culled 28 rare photographs from archives and procured some from various sources. The photographs constitute an important milestone — not only in the life of the maharaja, but also the then princely State of Mysore. The photographs include one from the maharaja’s wedding album, while another is from his funeral procession, said Mr. Bethsurmath.

The photographs will be enlarged and will have captions in English and Kannada describing the event. It will be displayed in one of the galleries of the department, which is housed in the Karnataka Exhibition Grounds.

The exhibition is a tribute to the maharaja during whose regime Mysore made rapid strides in the field of industrialisation and education, and saw the construction of the Krishnaraja Sagar dam, establishment of Bhadravathi Iron and Steel Mills, founding of University of Mysore, Karnataka Sahitya Parishat, among others. It was also during his regime that consequent to the demand by the non-Brahmins for employment, the Miller Committee was appointed which paved way for due representation of the backward caste groups in government jobs.

Old Dasara footage

In addition to the exhibition celebrating the life and times of Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV, the department will screen old documentaries of the Mysore Dasara. The footage will be 15 to 20 minutes long, said Mr. Bethsurmath. The plan is to screen the documentary every half an hour at the department’s auditorium, which has a state-of-the-art audiovisual facility, he said.

Painting expo

The department has three galleries, which will be put to use for the entire 90-day period of the Dasara exhibition.

While one gallery will have photographs of Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV, the second gallery will have on display traditional Mysore paintings. Since Dasara exhibition draws a large crowd, such exhibitions will help create awareness about the priceless heritage of the region, he said. The third gallery will be used to showcase sculptures from the entire State, which is a part of the Archaeology Department’s collections.

“It is for the first time that the department is doing something on this scale during the Dasara,” Mr. Bethsurmath added.

Source: The Hindu, September 30, 2013