Erstwhile royal family objects to Karnataka's claim on Chamundeshwari Temple
Pramoda Devi also pointed out that political influence will not deter their efforts to protect their ancestral properties.
The erstwhile royal family of Mysuru has objected to the Karnataka government's decision to enact Shree Chamundeshwari Kshetra Development Authority Act 2024 and stake claim on the Chamundeshwari Temple, which was built by Wadiyars atop Chamundi Hill on the outskirts of Mysuru.
Pramoda Devi Wadiyar of the erstwhile Mysore royal family, while addressing a press conference, asserted that the Chamundeshwari Temple, along with several other significant sites, belongs to her family and should be recognised as private property.
Pramoda Devi highlighted that the list of private properties includes the Hill Palace, Nandi, Chamundeshwari and Mahabaleshwar temples, as well as the Devikere area. She pointed out that the Muzrai Department had brought the matter to the High Court in 2001, and while the case remains unresolved, the state government has moved forward with plans to create a development authority.
"The Chamundeshwari temple and the surrounding properties have been under the management of our family since they were listed as private property by the state in 1950. This has been maintained according to the central government's 1972 order. If the court and government approve, we are prepared to manage Chamundi Hill ourselves, preserving it as it is," Pramoda Devi Wadiyar said.
"The authority that the Karnataka government was going to form to take control of the Chamundeshwari hills has been put on hold by the honourable Court. The practices that have been followed and have to be followed without any break in them. In respect to tradition, the court has given a stay on this matter until further notice," she added.
Pramoda Devi also pointed out that political influence will not deter their efforts to protect their ancestral properties. She noted that despite her late husband serving as a four-time Member of Parliament, he never leveraged his political position to safeguard the royal family's assets.
"Even my son Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar is a BJP MP, but we keep politics at bay, focusing solely on the legal fight to protect our heritage," she said.
