Jaya Chamarajendra Wodeyar was the last ruler of Wodeyar Dynasty of
Mysore. He was a philosopher, musicologist, political thinker and philanthropist. He was a patron of arts and music and was given the title- Sangitaratnakara.
He was born in 1919 and was the only son of Kanteerava Narasimharaja Wodeyar and Kempu Cheluvajammanni. He graduated from Maharaja's College, Mysore in 1938. He ascended the throne of Mysore in 1940 and was the ruler till the accession of Mysore Province with the India Union. After that he was the Raj Pramukh (1950-56).
He was the first Governor of then Mysore State (now Karnataka) during 1956-65 and Governor of the erstwhile Madras State (now Tamil Nadu) during 1964-67.
He was a great composer and composed 94 krithis, most of them on Devi and her many forms. He is a well known writer and 'Dattatreya - the Way and the Goal' and 'The Geetha and India Culture' are his best known books.
He received D Lit from Queensland University, Australia, and Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu. He also received Doctor of Law from Banaras University. He was honorary Fellow of Trinity College of Music, London, in the year 1945.
