The Kingdom of Mysore in the southern part of India has a glorious history, and was founded by the Wodeyar dynasty around 1400 AD. The word Mysore is associated with the Wodeyar dynasty, Hyder and Tipu inspite of the fact that it has been ruled by different dynasties at various intervals. In1399, the Wodeyar dynasty was formed by Yaduraya which continued until the abolition of monarchy with Indian independence. With the reign of Krishnaraja Wodeyar II, there occurred some instability making Hyder and Tipu the virtual ruler of Mysore. The Kingdom of Mysore suffered much penury with the plunderence of the British, Maratha and the Nizam Shahis in 1799. Tales of chivalry and romance are associated with the Wodeyar dynasty. Mysore is now the cultural capital of Karnataka and the palaces that were built by the kings are overflowing with artistic beauty. The city has also been mentioned in the renowned Hindu epic - Mahabharata. Stone carvings are the earliest written record and can found in the various towns nestled around the city. The Mysore Palace, Jayalakshmi Vilasa, Lalitha Mahal etc are some of the places worth a visit.

Early history:
Vijaya and Krishna Wodeyars, the two brothers established the kingdom of Mysore, which developed as a small state. The wodeyar Dynasty owe its descent to Yadu Vanshi, the Jadeja/Jadon Rajputs. After they migrated to Vijay Nagar from Gujarat, the brothers set up the kingdom at Mysore that they named Mahisasur. This name is derived from Hindu Mythology. The word Mysore means the town of demon king Mahishahsur. during the Tenth Century, the city of Mysore was ruled by Mahishahsura or the buffalo headed king. His violence was growing and he was vanquished by the Hindu Goddess Chamundeshwari on top of the Chamundi Hills at the outskirts of the city. Eversince that time the deity at the temple at the top of the Hill was worshipped by the Royal family of Mysore. The kingdom remained a colony to the Vijayanagara empire til its decline in the second half of the 16th century. Under Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar, during his 31 year old reign, the kingdom expanded and the city of Mysore flourished like never before. in the reign of Raja Wodeyar and his successor, the celebrated Kantheerava, in the mid-1600s, the kingdom really asserted its independence. Then it expanded in a way as to include most of the southern part of modern-day Karnataka and some parts of neighbouring states.

Arasus of Kalale:
The Arasus of Kalale are the Maharajas of Mysore, Karnataka. Arusu is a community in Kerala and it has royal connotations in traditional terms. The Arasus(feudal barons) of Kalale took over the affairs of the Kingdom of Mysore, the absence of a male heir necessitated the adoption of a male heir. The situation was heightened by extensive intermarriage between the royal family of Mysore and that of the Arasus of Kalale. The family had a kind influence, can be felt by the contunuation of the legitimate dynasty, as also the similarity and coalition between the two families. This influence had a long lasting effect and contunued into the 20th century. Eminent members of this family are HH Maharani Kempa Nanjammani Vani Vilasa Sannidhana Avaru, the regent of Mysore (1894-1902) and mother of HH Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV.

Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan:
Hyder Ali was born in 1722. As a youth, Hyder assisted his brother, a commander of a brigade in the Mysore Army, and acquired a useful familiarity with the tactics of the French when at the height of their reputation under Joseph François Dupleix. The kingdom of Mysore passed into his able hands and the legacy continued. Hyder joined as a foot soldier and then soon rose to prominence. Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar II, favored him a lot. He became the de facto ruler of the state, during the minority of Maharaja Nanjaraja Wodeyar, keeping the Wodeyars as nominal rulers.Hyder Ali is recognized as being the first Indian to have formed an army corp of armed sepoys backed by a artillery base constituting European sailors. His memorable conquests include wealthy conquest of Kanara (1763), the conquest of Calicut, and the repressing the Hindus at the Malabar Coast in 1765, avenging himself against the Marathas. There was a steady path of expansion that took him over.

Tippu Sultan`s full name was Sultan Fateh Ali Tippu. He was also known as the Tiger of Mysore. He was the first son of Haidar Ali. After his father`s death in 1782 , he was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore until his own death in 1799. He was a learned man and an able soldier. Many technological innovations were made under Hyder and Tipu, which modernized the Mysorean army and helped in expanding Mysore`s foreign trade. They coordinated with the French, whose French East India Company was politically very active in southern India. Along with his father Haidar Ali, he defeated the British in the Second Mysore War, and negotiated the Treaty of Mangalore with them. But he was defeated and killed in 1799 by the British in the fourth Mysore War.

British era:
5 year old Krishnaraja Wodeyar III ascended the throne under his adoptive grandmother, HH Maharani Lakshmi Ammani Avaru, a relative of HH Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar III. This took place after Tipu Sultan was defeated and the British annexed a large part of Mysore state. The rest became a princely state in British India. Bangalore became the capital in 1830, eventually the british took direct control of Mysore in 1831, after charging the Wodeyars of financial mismanagement. This was the starting of a half a century old dominance on the people leading to the Sepoy Mutiny in 1857. Then the Maharaja opted to fight for this case in the British courts, and finally restored the Wodeyar dynasty to the throne after a favorable verdict in the Rendition of 1881. Mysore enjoyed the reputation of being a model state for the next seventy years and was one of the three highest-ranking princely states in India. A visit by Nehru in 1920s brought upon a realization that this state was more industrialized than the usual position of the British India.

Maharajas of Mysore
The Wodeyars are the authentic generation of Mysore Maharajas in the Kingdom of Mysore, Yaduraya 1399-1423 was succeeded by Hiriya Bettada Chamaraja Wodeyar from 1423-1459, then Thimmaraja Wodeyar I,1459-1478, Hiriya Chamaraja Wodeyar II, Hiriya Bettada Chamaraja Wodeyar III, Raja Wodeyar I, Raja II Wodeyar, Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, mother Maharani Kempa Nanjammani Vani Vilasa Sannidhana from 1894-1902)Jayachamaraja Wodeyar 1940-1950 are some of the Maharajas of Mysore.

Raja Wodeyar (1578 - 1617 AD) emerged as the first powerful ruler of the Wodeyar lineage. During his reign, Srirangapatna had owed its faithfulness to the Vijayanagara kingdom. Next he revived the tradition of Vijayanagara and celebrated the famous Dasara for the first time in Srirangapatna which he made his capital. The next successful ruler of the lineage was Sri Ranadhira Kantirava Narasaraja Wodeyar. 1638 - 1659 AD). The reign of Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar (1673 - 1704 AD) was a golden period in mysore history. His administration with lot of reforms and the expansion of territory.Chamaraja Wodeyar IV was the 24th ruler of the kingdom, Dewan Sir M Vishweswarayya and Mirz Ismail assisted him in transforming this kingdom into a modern city. After his death in 1940, Jayachamaraja Wodeyar became the 25th ruler but the kingdom was soon absorbed into the democratic India as a state. The monarchical rule ended, but the Wodeyar family still owns the fame and the royal assets today.

The kingdom of Mysore saw the assendence of the Wodeyars who are the original heirs and Hyder Ali-Tipu Sultan. The Mysore kings had many achievements in their stride and this accumulated in the glorious past of the Kingdom of Mysore. There are many palaces and forts which have now become national heritage. The Mysore Palace is one such specimen of art and beauty symbolising the Maharajas` innate passion for art. Tracing the history of the Kingdom of Mysore its amazing how the kingdom was restored to the original rulers and still it contunues to entice tourists.