Krishnaraja Wadiyar II


Krishnaraja Wadiyar II, was the eighteenth maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore from 1734 to 1766. He ruled as monarch during his entire rule, first under the dalvoys, and then, for the last five years, under Hyder Ali.

Life

On 8 October 1731, Krishnaraja Wadiyar II was adopted, like his predecessor, by Maharani Devajammani and Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar I, under the title Chikka Krishnaraja Wodeyar.
He was crowned at Mysore, on 15 June 1735. He reigned under the control of dalvoy Devarajaiya Urs, who was in charge of Mysore rule from 1724 to 1746. After the decline of the dalvoy's power and eventual death, Hyder Ali, another dalvoy, came to be considered the de facto supreme ruler of Mysore from 1761 until his death in 1782.
He was a titular King. He could never enjoy power as there was a tripartite struggle between himself, the Dalvoi and sarvadikari Nanja Raja. In fact the kingdom became weak because of the struggle. Haider Ali gradually filled the place of Nanja Raja. The king executed many plots to regain his power but was not successful. His opponents were more resourceful, sly and united.
Krishna Raja Wadiyar II died in his capital, Seringapatam, on 25 April 1766.