India’s Fairytale Royal Wedding Takes Place in Splendid Palace of Mysuru

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) — The titular head of the Wadiyar dynasty in the southern Indian city of Mysuru married Trishnika Kumari in a traditional ceremony — an event which marks the first royal wedding to take place in the massive palace in nearly 40 years. 

​Up to 50 traditional rituals have been performed during the lengthy wedding process for the 24-year-old king, whose official title is Yaduveer Kirshnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar. Kumari is the second daughter of Rajasthan's Maharaja Kumar Harshavadhan Singh or the erstwhile princely state of Dungarpur. Wadiyar, a Boston university graduate and the 27th custodian of the 600-year-old dynasty, was crowned as the king during a grand coronation ceremony in May 2015 after the death of his uncle Srikantadatta Wadiyar, who was childless.

​M. Lakshminarayana, the secretary of the Mysuru palace, said:

"Maharani Pramoda Devi, who is Yaduveer's mother, was very particular that the wedding ceremonies took place according to the wedding customs, so we were happy to see our traditions being followed step-by-step. Every puja was in accordance with the scriptures and the tradition of the Mysore royal family. Even the wedding dress worn by Yaduveer has been specially designed by Her Highness Pramoda Devi." 

​As many as 1,000 dignitaries comprising VIPs, royals, industrialists and politicians attended the wedding while the reception event is likely to witness a bigger crowd. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Pranab Mukherjee and top opposition leader Sonia Gandhi are all expected to participate in the reception on June 28 along with up to 50 royal invitees. 

​The opulent palace, which is in itself a huge tourist destination located in the center of the town 150km from Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore), has remained closed for the wedding week for the public. The last wedding which took place at the Mysuru palace was in 1976 when Srikantadatta Wadiyar married Pramoda.