By Gouri Satya, Sr.Journalist
Till 1940s Mysore was a small beautiful city of the Maharajas. Its planned growth began during the reign of Krishnaraja Wadiyar III, who was chiefly responsible for restoring the city’s importance after it had been neglected for around six decades, and its Palace destroyed. The growth and development of Mysore or Mysuru was continued further by his successors, Chamaraja Wadiyar and Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV. Of them, the contribution made by Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV was unique and significant. His Dewans, in particular Sir M. Visvesvaraya and Sir Mirza Ismail, ably assisted and guided by the Maharaja, beautified the city with gardens, broad roads and buildings having a charming blend of Indo-Muslim architecture. No wonder, Mysore earned the encomium of a ‘model city’. Krishnaraja Wadiyar III, who invited scholars and priests from Srirangapatna to Mysore, built Agraharas outside the Palace Fort and gifted those rows of country-tiled houses to these learned persons. Vanivilasa Sannidhana too built similar Agraharas and gifted houses to these scholars. This act was called ‘Agrahara Dana’ or gift of Agrahara. To mark the end of the Agrahara, which was the end-point of the Western part of the city, boundary stones were installed. These were known as Vamana Mudre Kallu. Vamana is the fifth incarnation of Vishnu who measured the land by his foot. With Mysuru seeing an expansion in the subsequent decades, these boundary stones lost their meaning, further growth relegating them to background. They remained neglected with loss in their importance and historical significance too. A boundary stone which stood at the corner of Sadvidya School compound, facing the Narayana Sastry Road, had turned into a small shrine, which led to its demolition by the MCC during clearing structures on footpaths a few years ago. An enterprising person had put up a small structure around it and passers-by were standing in front of it, offering a prayer and proceed after dropping a coin, which he was promptly pocketing it after dark! Three boundary stones are still seen at the corner of the house of Banumaiah on Ramavilasa Road, marked with kumkum and flowers, placed by some locals making it a piece of sanctity. On these stones are the relief images of sun and moon and traditional Vamana carrying an umbrella in one hand and a sacred pot on the other. The symbolic meaning is that as long as the sun and moon shine, let this gift last.
