Mysore: 22-year-old Yaduveer Gopal Raj Urs has been announced as the successor to the late scion of the Mysore royal family Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar.
On Thursday Queen Pramoda Devi announced the decision, unanimously taken by the Wodeyar family.
In keeping with the traditions of the royal family, Yaduveer will be adopted in a day-long ceremony at the Amba Vilas Palace in Mysuru on February 23.
Following this, Yaduveer will be renamed “Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar”. The coronation ceremony will be held before the 2015 Dasara.
Srikantadatta Wadiyar and wife Pramoda Devi were childless, necessitating the adoption of an heir. Srikantadatta Wadiyar died on December 10, 2013, aged 60.
Pramoda Devi announced the name of Yaduveer as the “adopted son-designate” at a press conference here. She clarified that Yaduveer was chosen through consensus. Yaduveer is the son of Leela Tripurasundari Devi, daughter of Srikanta Datta Wodeyar's eldest sister Gayatri Devi.
Yaduveer completed his schooling at Vidya Niketan School and at the Canadian International School, both in Bangalore. He is currently pursuing Economics at UMass Amherst in Boston, US, the Queen said.
On the dispute of the family property with the Karnataka government, she said that the matter is in court and that she never approached the Karnataka government, however if the government wishes it could solve it amicably.
The Queen avoided questions over the absence of Chaduranga Kantharaja Urs, while making the announcement. Chaduranga had not only performed the last rites of Srikanta Datta but also performed traditional family rituals at Amba Vilas in Mysore palace.
