Mysuru, Jun 27 (Agencies): The iconic Amba Vilas Palace in Mysuru witnessed the royal wedding of Wodeyar family scion Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wodeyar today.
Boston-educated Yaduveer, 24, tied the knot with Trishika Kumari Singh at Kalyana Mantapa in the palace this morning during the auspicious Karkataka lagna.
Trishika is the daughter of Harshvardhan Singh and Maheshri Kumari from the Dungarpur royal family in Rajasthan.
Marriage rituals have been underway since July 25 with the stamp of royal traditions.
On the second day of the wedding ceremonies, 23-year-old Yaduveer performed specific rituals after an oil bath early morning, offering flowers to the goddess and Hindu god Ganesha at Chamundi cradle and prayed at Lakshmiramana temple, located within the palace precincts.
"Following the dynastic tradition, the maharaja also worshiped the holy feet (pada puja) of the rajaguru Abhinava Vagheesha Brahmatantra swamiji of Parakala mutt, who is supervising the ceremonies with palace head priest Dharmadhikari Janardhan Iyengar," royal family secretary M Lakshminarayana told IANS.
The rituals began with Yaduveer performing 'pada puja' to 'Rajaguru' Bramhatantra Parakala mutt seer Abhinava Vageesha Brahmatantra Swatantra Swami.
In a traditional ceremony on May 28 last year, Yaduveer was crowned as the titular head of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family. During Dasara he had ascended the golden throne to preside over the 'khasa (private) durbar', which is reminiscent of the bygone era.
About 1,000 invited guests witnessed the marriage ceremonies, officiated by a battery of priests. Among those invited include top politicians, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his Cabinet colleagues, diplomats from consulates of several countries, erstwhile royal families from across the country.
Wedding receptions will be held on June 28 and July 2 at palace in Mysuru and Bengaluru respectively.
Till June 29, visitors and tourists have been barred from entering the sprawling palace which has been white-washed and spruced up for the wedding and the reception, with special lighting to show its grandeur.
Yaduveer was engaged to Trishika much before his adoption as scion to royal family.
Pramoda Devi Wodeyar, widow of Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wodeyar, the last descendant of Wodeyar dynasty, formally adopted Yaduveer Gopal Raj Urs in February last year, as the couple had no children. After the adoption, he was rechristened as Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wodeyar.
Yaduveer, now the 27th "King" of Wodeyar dynasty has completed his BA in Economics and English at Boston University in the US and is the grandson of Princess Gayatri Devi, the eldest daughter of the last Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar.
The Wodeyar dynasty ruled the Kingdom of Mysuru from 1399 to 1947, the last king being Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar, who ruled from 1940 until Indian independence in 1947 when he acceded his kingdom to the dominion of India, but continued as the Maharaja until India became a Republic in 1950.
People in old Mysuru region of Karnataka still revere Wodeyar rulers for their contribution to society that includes construction of KRS dam across river Cauvery and establishment of industries and educational institutions.