Where art thou, Krishna Devaraya?

13 Feb 2010 2 Comments

by Sindhu Murthy in History

“They have done a pretty good job of the Utsav. Atleast the government is doing something to recognize Krishna Deva Raya,” starts Krishna Deva Raya – the living nineteenth generation of the emperor Krishna Deva Raya of the Vijayanagara empire. Glad that “atleast” the government is taking interest, the 40 year old, very hesisantly continues: “Politicians grab all the limelight these days. My father, Achyuta Deva Raya had to work for recognition to our family. Very few had taken active part earlier.” His late father had infact initiated the ‘Hampi Ulisi campaign’ to preserve Hampi and prevent activities that were more ruinous than the ruins themselves.

Krishna Devaraya's 19th generation

Tracing his royal lineage, the extremely soft spoken descendant says, “I actually belong to the Aravidu dynasty while Krisha Deva Raya is from the Tuluva dynasty. I am not a direct descendant in that sense. My lineage can be traced back to the king’s daughter’s husband, Aliya Rama Raya’s family.” Why then does he carry the name of the great king just as he does, the royal demeanour in his posture, gait and his visage? “Our tradition has it that every third generation is given the same name. I might be the fourth or the fifth Krishna Deva Raya  in my family so far,” he gently smiles.

For the descendant of the royal king who has shaped the history of Karnataka and promoted art, culture, commerce and trade, lending such prosperity unknown to Karnataka in a long, long time, what kind of treatment has the government meted to his family or him, the namesake? Thinking hard on how to word it, Krishna Deva Raya says, “In 1824, the British and the Nizam of Hyderabad signed a treaty, took over Hampi and promised government pension every month. Since 1824, we received Rs500 every month. This continued till 1984, until my grandmother, Rani Lalkumari Bai was alive.” The pension amount was consistent for nearly 80 years, alright but the government stopped abruptly. “That’s ok,” he smiles, “The government didn’t oblige. But it was a token of respect. We are still very honoured.”

His humility and good natured disposition is striking and that, he attributes to his school – Sri Aurobindo Memorial School, Pondicherry. He further went on to do his Mechanical Engineering at BIT, Davanagere. Later, in pursuit of employment, he went to the US and lived there for 7 years, until his father’s demise brought him back home. Residing in Anegundi, he takes care of the mining business and farming that his family has been occupied with.

Now, since he belongs to the family of the king that made history, one might assume that he was pampered and that he floated in luxuries all his life through. Quickly he responds, “I have led a very ordinary life. I believe in humility. I have never flaunted my lineage. I am very simple – I prefer dal and chaaval, but on time.”

He might have settled comfortably with his family in the neighbouring town of Anegundi but there is a lot to emulate from the US and implement here, he says: “As long as I was here, I was like a frog in the well. While in Washington DC, I understood that there are rules about how buildings must be maintained and constructed. It doesn’t matter what you do inside, how you protect your environment is important.” On the contrary, in India, we are more bothered about home interiors than the exteriors, he notes.

Back home, the royal family’s property continues to be plundered, although much subtly: “Sometimes, people fall at my feet, it’s a great honour, no doubt. I am considered as a Guru even but I don’t have any such powers. Some of them expect us to be generous and hence we give away a lot of things.” Such incidents are reminders to preserve what little remains of his ancestors’ treasure. He says: “We aim to restore the house in Anegundi, educate our village about its ancient history and also get the old big structures retained in all its glory.”

Prod him on his role at the Utsav and the ‘allegations’ by the locals that the royal family has deliberately been kept away are proven right. On the first day of the Utsav on Wednesday, January 27 and even on the second day, while politicians were crowned to celebrate the coronation, the descendant’s name was fleetingly mentioned and he wasn’t even allowed to address the gathering, while the politicians hogged the limelight. Has the government capitalized on the 500^th year of coronation for political clout while sidelining the family members? Smiling uncomfortably, choking, and with eyes visibly moist, the royal descendant haltingly shares, although very careful not to make any direct references: “We need corrupt-free officials. The ASI at the centre, state and the Hampi Development Authority must take responsibility. They have to realize by themselves, I can’t tell them what to do. That’s not my responsibility.” Moral responsibility and character that kings were identified with, he notes is missing in the leaders of today.

The education system too is inimical to history – at the school level, textbooks make a passing reference to Krishnadevaraya, he mentions.

“There is a lot to learn from the past. A sense of past consciousness is very important. The trust that I would be forming would aim to do all of these. The trust members are pretty serious about it, “ he concludes.

Better late than never

On the concluding day of the Utsav, Krishna Deva Raya, as an after thought on the part of the organisers, was crowned and his family  honoured on stage by Leader of opposition, LK Advani. The young descendant was visibly excited and his family – mother and wife, in all their signature humility, expressed their gratitude to LK Advani.

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