Purnaiah
Krishnacharya Purniya | |
|---|---|
 A painting of Purniya, Dewan of Mysore, byThomas Hickey | |
| 1stDewan of Mysore | |
| In office Dec 1782 – May 1799 | |
| Monarch | Tipu Sultan |
| In office 30 June 1799 – 23 December 1811 | |
| Monarch | Krishnaraja Wodeyar III |
| Succeeded by | Bargir Bakshi Balaji Rao |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1746 Coimbatore,Kingdom of Mysore |
| Died | 27 March 1812(aged 65–66) Srirangapatna,Kingdom of Mysore |
| Occupation | Administrator |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  Kingdom of Mysore |
| Years of service | 1782–1811 |
| Rank | Dewan |
| Unit | Rocket Utility |
| Battles/wars | |
KrishnacharyaPurnaiah(1746 – 27 March 1812), popularly known asDewanPurnaiah,was an Indian administrator, statesman, and military strategist who served as the firstdewan of Mysorefrom 1782 to 1811. He was instrumental in the restoration of the rule of theKingdom of Mysoreto theWadiyar dynasty.After the death ofTipu,he continued to adviceLakshmi Devi,the queen regent to the newly installed monarchKrishnaraja Wodeyar III.
Purnaiah was known for hisaccountingskills, prodigious memory, and proficiency in several languages. He was also a wartimemilitary commanderwhile serving under Tipu. After Tipu's defeat, he served as the dewan to Krishnaraja Wodeyar III. Wodeyar was educated and trained by Purniah in his early years.[1]
Early life
[edit]Krishnacharya Purniah was born in 1746.[2][need quotation to verify]He was fluent inKannada,Marathi,[3]Sanskrit,andPersian.He understoodEnglishbut could not read or write the language.[citation needed]
At the age of eleven, Purnaiah lost his father and had to seek employment to support his family. He started writing accounts at a trader's shop. This grocer had close contact with a rich merchant, Annadana Shetty, who supplied large quantities of groceries toHyder Ali's palace and army.
Dewan of Mysore
[edit]Through his connections, Purniah earned the confidence of Hyder Ali thanks to his aptitude in accounting and excellent handwriting. Endowed with prodigious memory, proficiency in multiple languages, and sheer hard work, Purniah became the head of the accounting department, ordewan,and a confidant of the ruler.
Premiership under Tipu
[edit]
When Hyder Ali died nearChittoorin 1782, his son Tipu was encamping in theMalabar coast.Purniah kept Ali's death a top secret and sent the word only to Tipu by the speediest way possible. Meanwhile, Ali's body was kept embalmed, and business went on as usual. Purniah thus played a key role in keeping the news of Ali's death confidential owing to adversaries who could have seized this advantage and tried to usurp power. Purniah thus paved the way for the succession of Tipu. He soon became a member of Tipu's inner cabinet, eventually being labelledDewanfor the first time.[1]
Premiership under the Wodeyars
[edit]
After aseries of wars with the British East India Company,Tipu was defeated in thefourth oneand was killed in 1799. Soon, with lobbying efforts from MaharaniLakshmi Devi,Purniah met withGeorge Harris,the commander-in-chief of theMadras Army,for the handing-over of the kingdom's government to the deposedWadiyars.Asubsidiary alliancewas struck, and the maharani became the Queen Regent of Mysore for the infant prince Krishnaraja Wodeyar III. Purniah became the regent's adviser and educated and trained the young prince. On 27 December 1807, in recognition of his services, the queen regent awarded Purnaiah thefeudal estateofYelandur.[citation needed]
Krishnaraja Wodeyar III attained the age of 16 in early 1810, reaching the recognised age of discretion. Consequently, the British Resident of MysoreArthur Coleinvested the kingship in the prince in 1811. Purnaiah continued to advise the new maharaja for a brief period before retiring that year. The presiding ResidentJohn Malcolmhonoured him on his retirement by presenting him a horse, an elephant, and a rich killat. He was also honoured with handsome grants and a large pension for his services.[citation needed]
Military career
[edit]Purniah participated in every military campaign led by Tipu. In theThird Anglo-Mysore Warof 1792, he commanded a rocket unit comprising 131 men.[4]During theBattle of Seringapatam,Tipu had entrusted his eldest son and heir-apparent to Purniah's care. In theFourth Anglo-Mysore War,Purniah commanded the forces of Mysore againstEast India Companyin a few battles including theBattle of Sultanpet Tope.
After Tipu's defeat at the hands ofArthur Wellesley,Purniah and Wellesley became closely associated when the latter was stationed inMysore.Robert Frykenberg suggests that Wellesley learned how to maximise the utility ofcavalryfrom Purniah.[5]
Administration
[edit]
After Tipu's death in 1799, he suppressed the revoltinglocal chieftainswho had become despots.
Under Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar III, Purnaiah started releasing cash allowances tomathas,temples,anddargahs,which had stopped under theCompany ruleafter Tippu's death. He opened a judicial department to hear peoples' grievances. His public works have left a great legacy. About a nine-mile canal and several tanks were dug to supply drinking water to the city of Mysore. In honour ofRichard Wellesley,theGovernor-General of Bengal,a stone bridge was constructed across the riverKavericonnectingSrirangapattanawithKirangur.[7]
A large number ofpublic sheltersopen to locals and travellers were erected in the name of Krishnaraja Wodeyar III, which were known as "Dewan Purniah".
Revenue administration was streamlined: the kingdom had a volatile border with incessant skirmishes, a legacy of the previous regime. Methodical land surveys were conducted; borders were notified; and the posts of shekdars, amaldars, andtehsildars(tax officers) were created, positions that are still in force throughout modernSouth Asia.
Family
[edit]Purnaiah's family were devout followers of theUttaradi Mathaand theDvaita philosophyofMadhvacharya.Religion and spirituality were very important to Purnaiah. He was a contemporary and disciple ofSatyadharma Tirthaof the Uttaradi Matha.[8][9]
Purnaiah's great-great grandson wasSir P. N. Krishnamurti,a lawyer and the 16th dewan of Mysore.
Death
[edit]After his retirement in 1811, Purnaiah settled at his residence (formerly known as Lord Harris's House and the Doctor's Bungalow, located nearScott’s BungalowandGarrison Cemetery) inSrirangapatna.A tablet on the wall of this house records the connection of Harris and Puraniah to this house. A year later, he died in the residence on 28 March 1812.[citation needed]
In popular culture
[edit]Films and television
[edit]- In 1988,Vijay Kashyapportrayed Purnaiah in the television serialBharat Ek Khoj
- In 1990,Anant Mahadevanportrayed Purnaiah in the television seriesThe Sword of Tipu Sultan
References
[edit]- ^ab"Dewan Purnaiah"(PDF).
- ^Western colonial policy: a study on its impact on Indian society.Institute of Historical Studies. 1981. p. 257.
- ^H. V. Sreenivasa Murthy; R. Ramakrishnan (1977).A History of Karnataka, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day.S. Chand. p. 311.
Since the prince was young, Purnaiah, a Marathi speaking Madhwa Brahmin, was appointed as Dewan Regent, while Lieutenant Colonel ( afterwards Sir Barry ) Close was appointed Resident at the Mysore court immediately after....
- ^[1],Page 5 of Rockets in Mysore and Britain, 1750-1850 A.D.
- ^Frykenberg, Robert (2006),American Historical Review,p. 1155
- ^Heritage building
- ^[2],Wellesley Bridge Pictures.
- ^Rajaram 2019,p. 300.
- ^Sharma 2000,p. 653.
Bibliography
[edit]
- Rajaram, N S (2019).The Vanished Raj A Memoir of Princely India.Prism Books Private Limited.ISBN978-9388478113.
- Sharma, B. N. Krishnamurti (2000).A History of the Dvaita School of Vedānta and Its Literature, Vol 1. 3rd Edition.Motilal Banarsidass (2008 Reprint).ISBN978-8120815759.
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