An Agrahara by a Palace Astrologer

By Gouri Satya, Sr. Journalist

Kashipathy Agrahara in K.R. Mohalla is the largest Agrahara built in Mysuru. While the Agraharas were built by the Maharajas, their queens and others were one stretch of road with about 21 houses, Kashipathy Agrahara is spread out into a block of a few streets covering an extensive area from the Chamaraja Double Road to Nala Beedi and Renuka Temple Street.

The Agrahara is named after Kashipathy Sastry, who built it for himself, his relatives and a few Brahmin priests. It comprised 62 houses and the numbers have increased now. The houses were spacious with open places in front of each house having trees like coconut and flowering trees. The people who lived there were scholars and musicians.

Kashipathy Sastry was a learned scholar and renowned astrologer of the Palace. He also traded in diamonds, it is believed. Dealing in diamonds had made him rich. He had accumulated such huge wealth that the chains of the swing (Uyyale) in his house were of gold, it is said. His period is stated to be around 1870 when Maharaja Chamaraja Wadiyar was reigning.

Kashipathy Sastry was the son of Pinnappa Sastry and the family hailed from Kanchi. They lived at Sevilimedu village, about 5 km away from the famous temple town of Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu. Built by the Cholas, the Lakshminarasimhaswamy Temple is believed to be around 1200 years old.

Some of his descendants visit the temple regularly to worship their home deity, Lakshminarasimha, whose name has been given to many among the descendants. Coming to know of his scholarship, the then Sringeri Swamiji suggested Maharaja Chamaraja Wadiyar to invite Kashipathy Sastry to Mysuru.

Accordingly, the Maharaja invited him to Mysuru and offered him all facilities. He provided him with one of the ten houses built near the Krishnaswamy Temple within the Palace fort. Sastry lived there enjoying the patronage of the Maharaja.

Kashipathy Sastry was the youngest among three brothers. The eldest was a Vedic scholar and the second one was a musician. Being a reputed astrologer and expert in diamonds, Kashipathy Sastry developed a close association with Chamaraja Wadiyar and became his adviser.

The Maharaja, it is said, used to consult Kashipathy Sastry on several issues and they were seen discussing till late hours. His association was so close he could dine with the Maharaja, a privilege that was enjoyed only by the members of the royal family. He had also the privilege of going to the Palace in his horse-driven coach.

In appreciation of his scholarship, the Maharaja had gifted Kashipathy Sastry two or three Jodi gramas (two villages) and a piece of land at the foot of Chamundi Hill. Kashipathy Sastry had also fertile irrigated lands and mango gardens.

Kashipathy Laya

When plague epidemic spread within the Palace Fort and his uncle became a victim, Kashipathy Sastry decided to move out. He bought a vast tract of land belonging to Bakshi Basappaji near the Fort, where he built a huge house that opened at one end of the present Chamaraja Double Road, earlier called Chamaraja Road, and closed at the other end of the road leading to Thyagaraja Road.

Besides his palatial house, he built a Mantapa and 62 houses, all enclosed within a wall. The houses were given to his relatives and 2-3 Telugu Brahmins who were associated with Sastry on nominal rent. It was called Kashipathy Laya.

In this Agrahara, we can see houses spread within small crossroads. The wall around them no longer exists. His descendants lived there for a long time, even after their forefather’s death. Among them was the astrologer’s eldest son, Ashwathanarayana Sastry. Even now, one or two families live there.

Kashipathy Sastry, it is believed, had sold a portion of the land lying vacant in his sprawling Agrahara to the relatives of Tipu Sultan. One Ali Khan had taken the land promising to give Jodi gramas (two villages) to Sastry, a promise which was not fulfilled. Even today, Muslim families live close to the Kashipathy Agrahara on Rahmania Street and around. There was also a palace, which was popularly known as ‘Tipu’s Palace’ facing the Chamaraja Double Road, a place up to which the Agrahara extended originally.

Being a rich man (Sowcar), Kashipathy Sastry was lending money to scholars who approached him at the time of their needs and many of them were prominent personalities like Kunigala Ramasastry, a highly respected scholarly person of Sastry’s period. It is said, even the Maharaja had borrowed money from Kashipathy Sastry.

Ramothsava celebrations in Mysuru way back in 1885

Kashipathy Sastry had a good collection of books, many of which related to music as music ran in the family’s blood. His brother Narasimha Sastry’s son, Sundara Sastry (1855-1935), was both an accomplished Veena Vidwan of the traditional Mysuru style and a vocalist of repute. He was the first music teacher in Maharani’s High School and also the senior Asthana Vidwan in the court of Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV. He was a great devotee of Lord Rama having received Sri Ramataraka Mantropadesha. He launched Ramothsava celebrations and music performances for the first time in Mysuru in his house on the Geetha Road in Chamarajapuram in about 1885 and conducted with religious regularity every year. Reputed musicians offered music seva during the celebrations.

After Sundara Sastry breathed his last in 1935, the tradition of organising Ramothsava and music performances was continued by his children and his close associate Subrahmanya Sastry. In memory of the revered musician, who was also a Vaggeyakara, the Sundara Rama Mandira, now called Aralikatte Rama Mandira, adjacent to which stands a ‘Peepul’ tree, in Chamarajapuram, was built and Ramothsava music performances were conducted every year till recently in its premises.

Sundara Sastry led a saintly life like Saint Tyagaraja, singing songs in praise of Lord Rama, including his compositions in Kannada, Sanskrit and Telugu numbering over 40. His descendant, Karthik Lakshminarayana, who is also a musician, is making efforts to trace the compositions composed by Sundara Sastry.

Like Sundara Sastry’s compositions, it is not known what happened to the wealth Kashipathy Sastry had accumulated. Only one or two small heirlooms, like a silver Ganesha figure and a Sri Chakra Yantra, are with his descendants, who worship it daily.

An inscription at Vijayapura

There is mention of a Kashipathy Sastry in an inscription belonging to the 19th century. The inscription of October 13, 1855, found at Vijayapura in T. Narasipur taluk mentions one Kashipathy Subba Sastry and says he belongs to Koundinyasa Gothra of Apasthambha Sutra Yajushakadhyayi.

The Kannada inscription recorded in the Epigraphia Carnatica Vol. 5, Page number 549, belongs to the period of Krishnaraja Wadiyar III. It says when Krishnaraja Wadiyar was on the throne at Mahisuru Nagara and adds the name of Kashipathy Subba Sastry. It is not known whether this Subba Sastry was related to Kashipathy Sastry of the Kashipathy Agrahara fame.