Jeetendra Hirschfeld

Bharatanatyam Artist, Writer, and Dance History Researcher, with special interests that include Tanjore Natyam Art, Courtesans and Royals.


NOTE:
All Rights Reserved © 2009-2024. Sathir Dance Art Trust (est. 1995). The text, photos, and video of this essay are protected by copyright. Reproduction, in part or in whole, is strictly prohibited without prior written permission from the author/publisher.


Chennai, April 2009 / Authored By Jeetendra Hirschfeld

This essay is the condensed version of the long form version accessible on the Academia Website: PDF


Introduction — The Tanjore Raj

Numerous studies are available on the royal Mahrattas of Tanjore, but historical information about the queens and princesses is sparse. In the late 1990s, while I was conducting research on the famed courtesan (devadasi)—Tanjore Gnyana, the name of the Tanjore princess, Vijaya Mohana Muktamba Bai, appeared numerous times. The princess was born in the Tanjore Fort in 1845 as the second daughter of Sivaji’s first maharani.1 When the princess became an adult, she parted ways with royal decorum and stepped out of the palace to get the royal dignity of the Tanjore Raj restored.

The Princess of Tanjore, Her Highness, Vijaya Mohana Muktamba Bai (hereafter, Princess Vijaya), belonged to the illustrious Mahratta dynasty that held sway over the Tanjore kingdom from 1674 to 1855. The Mahratta Rajahs were eclectic and broad-minded scholars, linguists, poets, and musicians. The revered ruler, Maharajah Serfoji (r. 1798-1832), established the Royal Tanjore Band and enriched the palace library with thousands of books and manuscripts2. —Serfoji’s successor and son, Rajah Sivaji, ruled the princely state after his father from 1832 till 1855 under the aegis of the East India Company (EIC). Just as his father did before him, Sivaji devoted much of his time to pursuing culture, learning, and art. The rajah patronised many musicians and dancers. The celebrated Tanjore Quartet immortalised Serfoji and Sivaji in a series of dance varnams, extolling the virtues of their patrons.3

The Tanjore Raj ended with the untimely death of Sivaji on October 29, 1855. The titular dignity of the rajah became extinct without a male heir, and the EIC under the ‘Doctrine of Lapse’ took every measure to extinguish the kingdom.4 The EIC stripped the family of royal rank and fortune; property that belonged to the family was seized. The valuable private armoury of the rajah, the rajah’s elephants, horses, and carriages were sent to Madras and disposed of by public auction. Furniture, books from the library, and heirloom jewellery were also confiscated (Hickey, 1874: 157). Rajah Sivaji left behind the Dowager Queen of Tanjore, Kamakshi Bai Saheba (-1892), 16 junior widows, and two daughters. With the women of his Seraglio, he had six natural sons and eleven daughters (Hickey: 362). Maharani Kamakshi successfully sued the EIC for the return of her husband’s private estate.5

The Princess of Tanjore

Princess Vijaya Mohana was the second daughter of the last Maharajah of Tanjore, Sivaji, and the granddaughter of Maharajah Serfoji.6 The princess received her formal education at the Tanjore fort, where she studied privately with a resident, Mrs Gahan, a teacher at an English School and College not far from the palace. The princess was well-versed in Tamil, Marathi, and Sanskrit. She could also read, write, and speak English. Although royal propriety confined the princess within the Tanjore fort, she was known for her pleasing manners and outgoing personality. She loved going for fresh air or playing badminton with her lady friends visiting the palace once a week (Murray, 1883: 275).7 Hickey (163) notes that the princess “is a young woman possessing every personal charm, reflecting in an eminent degree the noble mind and deportment of her grandfather, Surfojee. She is healthy, intelligent, and educated.” Princess Vijaya married Sakharam Rao Sahib, at the Tanjore Fort, in early 1860.8 In the latter part of her life, the princess departed from royal conventions and “broke her purdah”—that is, she showed herself in public unveiled while travelling to Madras and Delhi numerous times.

Sathir Dance Art 1995 The Princess of Tanjore, Vijaya Mohana (1845-1885)

Figure 1: The genealogy and history of the Tanjore Mahratta Dynasty taken from “The Archaeological Survey of Southern India” by Robert Sewell, published in Madras in 1883. Princess Vijaya Mohana was recognised as the titular successor (without authority) of her father by the Government of India, the East India Company and after 1858 by the British Raj. 

Princess Vijaya & Prince Edward of Wales

His Royal Highness, Prince Edward of Wales, travelled extensively through India in late 1875 and early 1876. The prince and his suite set foot on Tamil land in the late afternoon on the 9th of December, from Ceylon (Sri Lanka), by boat to Tuticorin. In the morning, the prince travels in the first passenger train from Tuticorin to Madura (Madurai), making stopovers from one town to another before reaching Madras city on Monday, the 13th of December. The prince is received at the Royapuram Railway Station by the Governor of Madras, Richard Temple, the Rajas of Travancore, Vizianagram, Cochin, the Nawaz of Arcot, and other dignitaries.

On Wednesday, the 15th of December, Princess Vijaya made an unannounced visit to Prince Edward at the Government House. The meeting was unusual; the prince would not receive guests without a prior formal request, he agreed, however, to meet the princess, but in the commotion of her unannounced visit, her 13-gun salute was forgotten,9 which created irritation among the royal suite. Nonetheless, the meeting between Edward and Vijaya was warm and pleasant. Propriety of the Tanjore court required a muslin curtain to divide the princess from the male members of the assembly. The prince could put out his hand for a handshake—but he could not see her face. The princess met Prince Edward with the hope of securing her claim of maintaining the musnud of her forefathers. During the meeting, the princess receives the Prince of Wales’s Gold Medal (Wheeler, 1876).

Maharani Kamakshi & Prince Edward of Wales

Maharani Kamakshi could not come in time to meet Prince Edward on his arrival at Royapuram. But a few days later, on the 16th of December, the rani arrived on a special train in the company of Sakharam Sahib, her son-in-law. Prince Edward received Maharani Kamakshi and her suite with all pleasure and respect in the Audience Chamber of the Government House. The maharani was honoured with a salute of 13 guns upon her arrival. The muslin curtain prevented the prince from directly looking at the rani, but when she put out her hands, decorated with gold and diamond rings and bracelets, the prince, happily, shook hands with her. —Sakharam Sahib, who possessed a sprinkling knowledge of English, spoke with the prince for a little while. The rani put her hand out again, holding a golden belt inscribed with his name, which the prince received, and in return, he gave the rani a gem-set ring engraved with his name.10 Prince Edward also presented to the rani a portrait of Queen Victoria. After a few more words, the royal guests again shook hands and concluded the meeting. Upon departure, another 13-gun salute was fired.

The next night, on Friday, the 17th of December, the prince was at the entertainment organised in his honour at the Royapuram Station Madras, where the famous courtesan Tanjore Gnyana danced. Princess Vijaya was not at the event, but her prince consort presided for her. I have noted the Royapuram event in my essay “Courtesan Tanjore Gnyana, A Pas Seul at Royapuram” (Hirschfeld, 2006).

The Delhi Durbar of 1877

On the 2nd of December 1876, Princess Vijaya arrived at Madras en route to Delhi. She travels with her consort and suite to the Delhi Durbar held on the 1st of January, 1877. The Durbar, organised by Lord Lytton, Viceroy of India, is to publicly announce the assumption of the title—Empress of India—by Queen Victoria; to the princes and chieftains of India. Hundreds of royalty, chieftains, nobles, representatives of foreign countries, and British officials travelled to Delhi and camped in royal tents and pavilions. The princess and her consort were accommodated in a special camp.11

A grand procession went through the streets of Delhi, led by the Viceroy, on the 23rd of December. All the ruling princes were on a specially assigned elephant, seated in a howdah of gold and silver, with attendants holding an umbrellas over the princes, the elephants caparisoned with embroidered cloths. The princes were all splendidly dressed in royal robes of cloth of gold, satin, or velvet, decorated with gold and diamond jewels. And the banner of each princely state is displayed. Nothing could exceed the splendour and magnificence of the Indian princes. The procession was a long line of marvellous decorated elephants and horses, and every spot that could have a view was packed with people. The spectacle lasted for three hours from the railway station through the monumental streets of the city and finally reached the camp of the Viceroy.

Princess Vijaya visits the Viceroy on Friday morning, the 29th of December, to receive the gold medal as a personal gift in honour of the proclamation of Queen Victoria as Empress of India. As her cortège advanced to the throne pavilion, she received a personal 13-gun salute.
Once inside the pavilion, the Viceroy cordially invited her to a seat on the right side of his throne. The Viceroy then placed, around the neck of the princess, a crimson ribbon, attached to which was a gold medal bearing a portrait of Queen Victoria. He then addressed the princes:—“I decorate you, by command of the Queen and Empress, with this Medal. May it be long worn by yourself, and long kept as an heirloom by your family, in remembrance of the auspicious date it bears.”12 The following afternoon, according to protocol, the Viceroy paid his return visit to the princess, at her accommodation.

On Monday, 1st of January, 1877, Victoria, the Queen of England, was proclaimed—‘Empress of India’. The Queen did not attend the Delhi Durbar—the proclamation address was read aloud by the Chief Herald to the gathering of British officials and ruling Indian princes, with their royal banner behind them, at a specially constructed semi-circle Amphitheatre.

A representation (Figure 2) of The Imperial Assemblage in Delhi, on the 1st of January, 1877. It took painter Valentine Cameron Prinsep (1838-1904) three years to complete the work. The oil on canvas painting is a splendid semi-circle of the sixty-three ruling princes of India listening to the proclamation read out by the chief herald (on the staircase). The Viceroy, Lord Lytton, seated on the throne, wore the mantle of Grand Master of the Star of India, his family standing behind him. Titular princes and spectators sat on blocks raised behind the throne pavilion (not included in the painting).

Sathir Dance Art 2009 The Princess of Tanjore, Vijaya Mohana (1845-1885)


The Imperial Order of the Crown of India

A prestigious title, ‘The Imperial Order of the Crown of India’—was conferred on the princess by the Governor of the Madras Presidency 13 on Thursday, the 14th of November 1878 (Lawson, 1887: 345). The Order, established by the Queen, was exclusively for female recipients; British Princesses, Indian Princesses, or the spouses of members of the Raj who held the highest offices of State. Other recipients of the ‘The Imperial Order of the Crown of India’ in 1878 were Princess Alexandra of Wales (later Queen and wife of King-Emperor Edward VII); Princess Royal Victoria of Germany, Maharani Jumnabai of Baroda, and Maharani Sita Vilas Dawaji of Mysore.14 The princess received a badge enamelled and gem-set, mounted with diamonds, pearls, and turquoise, the suspension ribbon with rear brooch fitting.15

Investiture of the Princess of Tanjore
Princess Vijaya Mohana was decorated with the Imperial Order of the Crown of India during a grand Durbar at the Sangitha Mahal of the Tanjore palace. For the event, the palace gates and state yard leading to the Durbar hall; were garlanded and decorated. The consort of the princess, her daughters and all the civil and military officers were present. Public offices in the Tanjore district were closed for three days to celebrate the event. As soon as the Governor arrived, Princess Vijaya, dressed in a long cloth of gold; and rich jewels, came out of a room and received him. The Princess departed from royal protocol. She “broke her purdah”—that is, she appeared unveiled in public.

The Governor took his seat in a silver chair (specially made for the occasion with the Buckingham family crest engraved upon it), and when the Princess took her seat on her throne, the Durbar formally opened. The Governor read out the Royal notification—“Victoria Regina Imperatrix, to Her Highness Vijaya Mohana Muktamba Bai Ammani Raje Saheba of Tanjore, and granted full power to wear the decoration of the Order, with which Her Highness was duly invested.”

The Governor affixed the royal insignia to the left shoulder of Princess Vijaya, and hereafter, she read out a short letter in English to the Governor:—

“My Lord, I heartily thank your Grace for the personal interest you have taken in conferring this mark of royal favour bestowed on me this day, and sincerely request that your Grace will be pleased to communicate to Her Most gracious and imperial Majesty the expression of my deep gratitude and devotion to the British throne. The decoration that has been conferred on me today will be preserved in my family as a precious memento of Her Majesty’s love and mercy towards me, and I shall remember this day as an important event in the history of my life and of the ancient Royal Family of Tanjore. With my fervent prayer for the long life and prosperity of Her Imperial Majesty and her beloved family, I remain your Grace’s faithful friend, the Princess of Tanjore” —The Durbar closed with the chanting of a Sanskrit ode, the Tanjore band playing the national anthem, and the distribution of rose water and pan supari.16

A report of the ‘Imperial Order of India’ ceremony at the Tanjore durbar in the Australian newspaper, ‘Town and Country’ Journal of April 1879:—

“The Princess of Tanjore, who has not only made her appearance in public but permitted the Governor of Madras to invest her with the insignia of the Star of India, is the most highly-educated princess in the orient. She owes her intellectual culture to the aid of an accomplished young German lady and has made considerable progress in English. An eye-witness of the ceremony says that her slight figure and charming face at once gained the sympathy of all. Over a plain and straight dress of cloth of gold, with a girdle of the same stuff, she wore an emerald-green silk fichu, most beautifully ornamented with jewels and embroidery, and her headdress seemed to be a sort of turban. A female attendant carried a splendid sword.”17

Legacy, Leaving Something of Note

Throughout her life, Princess Vijaya is said to have felt her position deeply, knowing she should have succeeded in the Tanjore musnud. The princess fought a lifelong battle to get her royal dignity restored. A final attempt was a meeting at the highest level. On the 11th of February, 1884, the princess met with the Viceroy of India, George Robinson, in Madras.18 Unfortunately, her pursuit did not bear fruit, and the following year, in 1885, she passed away.
Princess Vijaya, at the age of forty, died at the Tanjore Fort from smallpox on the 31st of January 1885. Her funeral was attended amid great grief by a large assembly of people, old and young, including merchants, lawyers, civil officials, teachers, and students.

As I have noted earlier, the princess was highly educated. She was well-versed in Tamil, Marathi, and Sanskrit. She could also read, write, and speak English. She was also known for her pleasing manners and outgoing personality. Princess Vijaya promoted education at Tanjore, Madras, and other places. In February of 1875, she established a Sanskrit school near the palace, which she maintained out of her income. Besides Sanskrit, English, German, and history were in the scheme of study. The school flourished and branched out to other places. In November 1878, the princess opened a girls’ school and an asylum for the poor in Tanjore. From 1876 till her death in 1885, Princess Vijaya was one of the Vice-Presidents and life members of the National Indian Association. The association aided with advancing social reform and education in India, particularly in educating the female child. To encourage female education, the princess awarded scholarships and grants to Hindu and Muslim girls and female teachers under training in the Madras Presidency. The princess encouraged young women to become proficient in drawing, handwriting, and needlework. The artworks sold at exhibitions provided these women with a small independent livelihood.19

Sathir Dance Art 1995 The Princess of Tanjore, Vijaya Mohana (1845-1885)

The Princess Unveiled

The only (known) photograph of Princess Vijaya (Figure 3) is a full-length portrait image of 13.5 x 9.7 cm, taken by Bourne & Shepherd.20 —The princess wears a full-length cloth-of-gold Sherwani that reaches to her feet that rests on a foot cushion. She wears a decorated turban with jewels and embroidery suspended at either side of her head. The jewellery on her head (suriyan, pirai, nethi chuti) is gold inset into (possible diamonds) stones. In her nose, she wears mookuthi and pullaku. She also wears chains of gold and pearls and, on her right hand, a ring on every finger. Around her waist is a sword belt, and in her left hand, a curved sword. The princess has her right arm on the table with a stereoscope and a book.

I could not locate additional images of the princess—but convinced that if there is a photo of the princess, there must be a photo of her husband, Sikharam Rao, as well. —I found in an album of the Royal Collection Trust (RCT) a set of photos (albumen print) of Sikharam and the daughters of the princess. Included (in the same album) is the photograph of Princess Vijaya (Figure 3). The album—Indian Chiefs, 1887—is red leather-bound with gold tooling, photographed by Bourne and Shepherd and other photographers, and presented to Queen Victoria in 1887. The photos have floruit dates indicating the exact dates are unknown to the RCT.

As regards dating, Princess Vijaya and her family could have posed for Bourne and Shepherd on two possible occasions. —Considering the (short) life span of Princess Vijaya (she lived till 1885) and taking into account the physique of her daughters in the photographs (early teens), the photos are probably taken in 1877 during the Delhi Durbar.21 Or in 1878, taken before the ceremony of the Imperial Order of the Crown of India in Tanjore.

The images of the daughters (Figures 4 and 5) are possibly the adopted daughters of the princess. Both left the Tanjore Fort for marriage in 1880.
The RCT titles figure 4: “The Princess of Tanjore’s daughter (fl. 1887) c. 1885”. The description:— “Photograph of the Princess Srimant Chhatrapati’s of Tanjore’s daughter in a full-length portrait. She is seated facing three-quarters right, with her feet supported on a footstool. She wears a Sherwani with a necklace, earrings, and a nose piercing. Her right arm is supported on the side of a table on which is also placed a basket of flowers and a closed book.”

Sathir Dance Art 2009 The Princess of Tanjore, Vijaya Mohana (1845-1885)

If the photo is indeed the adopted daughter of Princess Vijaya, she is possibly Princess Lakshmi (b. 1864) in her early teens. After her marriage, she becomes Her Highness Shrimant Akhand Soubhagyavati Maharani Chimna Bai I Sahib Gaekwad of Baroda.22 A Tanjore Nautch troupe (as dowry) is sent to Baroda.23 In 1881, Princess Vijaya visited Baroda State; for the accession of the throne by His Highness Sayajirao III Gaekwad, Maharajah of Baroda (Murray, 1885: 100). The Maharani lived a short life in Baroda and died on the 7th of May, 1885.24

Sathir Dance Art 2009 The Princess of Tanjore, Vijaya Mohana (1845-1885)

Figure 5: The RCT titles the photo “The Princess of Tanjore’s Second Daughter (fl. 1887)  c. 1887” —the description of her dress and the props is the same as in figure 4. 

Sathir Dance Art 2009 The Princess of Tanjore, Vijaya Mohana (1845-1885)

Figure 6: The RCT titles the photo “Vazratmoh Raja Sri Sakharamrao Sahib Chavan Mohite, Amir Rao, Prince Consort of the Princess of Tanjore (fl. 1887)”. Sakharam Rao with an attendant.

—

Endnotes

  1. Maharani Akhand Soubhagyavati Saidamba Bai Chhatrapati.  ↩︎
  2. The library is presently named: The Tanjore Maharaja Serfoji Sarasvati Mahal Library. ↩︎
  3. The Tanjore Quartet were a remarkable quartet who, from the 1820s, played a crucial role in adapting precursor dance practice (and theory) into a repertoire still relevant today. The varnams “nī sāti dorā” (bhairavi), “dāniké” (tōdi), “dāni sāti pōti lēdurā” (tōdi), “sāmiyai azhaithu vādi” (kalyani), and “sārasa sikhāmani” (Kalyani) are in praise of the rajahs. ↩︎
  4. The Doctrine of Policy was imposed by Lord Dalhousie (1812-1860) and the East India Company Governor-General from 1848 to 1856. Without a living direct male heir, the EIC took over the princely state. The Doctrine of Lapse was abandoned in 1877.  ↩︎
  5. The Maharani adopted the grandson of her late husband’s sister, Rajah Serfoji III Rajah Sahib Bhonsle Chhatrapati. She unsuccessfully fought for his succession to Tanjore musnud, prevented by the doctrine of lapse. ↩︎
  6. Full name: Her Highness Srimant Akhand Soubhagyavati Chiranjiva Vijaya Mohana Muktamba Bai Ammani Raje Sahiba Chhatrapati Maharaj, Princess of Tanjore. Vijaya Mohana was the second daughter of the first wife of Rajah Sivaji, Maharani Akhand Soubhagyavati Saidamba Bai Chhatrapati. ↩︎
  7. The Tanjore palace had a badminton club which was headed by Krishnaswami Rao Saheb. See: The Tanjore Palace Crown of India Remembrancer. C. Foster & Co. Madras: 1879. B.M. Sundaram, the historian, notes that Krishnaswami Rao was a relative of the royal family and a trained dancer (1997).  ↩︎
  8. Srimant Sakharam Rao Sahib, Chohan Rao, Ameer Rao Mohite (approx. 1817-1895). The Princess’s consort was the administrator of the private and public affairs of his father-in-law (Rajah Sivaji) until the sequestration in 1857 (Hickey: 173, 178). ↩︎
  9. The honour of a salute of 13 guns was conferred on the Princess of Tanjore on the 8th of December, 1874 (Hickey). ↩︎
  10. Earlier, on December 13th, during a stopover of the Prince in Trichinopoly (Trichy), Princess Vijaya, sent her representatives to present Prince Edward with the same belt made of chased gold as a gift to Alexandra, Princess of Wales. Wheeler: 160. ↩︎
  11. Special Native Camps for Madras Chiefs. Wheeler, Talboys: 241. ↩︎
  12. A banner with armorial bearings, surmounted with the Imperial Crown, was presented only to ruling princes of superior rank entitled to salutes. Titular rulers received the salute, gold or silver medal, and gifts, but not the banner. Wheeler, Talboys: 58, 59, 131, 136. ↩︎
  13. The Duke of Buckingham, His Excellency Richard Temple, the Governor of Madras Presidency (1875-1880). ↩︎
  14. The supplement of the London Gazette of Friday, the 4th of January, 1878 (page 114) has the complete list of recipients. ↩︎
  15. Princess Vijaya could use the post-nominal letter CI to indicate her status as a Member of the Imperial Order of the Crown of India. ↩︎
  16. Journal of the National Indian Association. 1879, Page 77.  ↩︎
  17. Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW: 1870 -1919), Sat 12 Apr 1879, Page 28, The Princess of Tanjore. ↩︎
  18. George Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon, Viceroy and Governor General of India (1880-1884). ↩︎
  19. Details furnished in the Journals of The National Indian Association between 1872-1885. ↩︎
  20. Calcutta, Bombay & Simla: Bourne & Shepherd, active from 1864 to the 1900s. ↩︎
  21. Bourne and Shepherd used the same arrangement (the table, table cloth, and chair) multiple times. The photos in the same album of Raja Shivaji IV of Kolhapur, Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III of Baroda, the Chief of Meeraj, Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala, and the Raja of Soonth, have a similar arrangement. ↩︎
  22. Consort of His Highness, Sayajirao III Gaekwad, Maharajah of Baroda. (1863-1939). Reign: 1875-1939; accession to the throne on December 28, 1881. ↩︎
  23. The Tanjore Nautch troupe: Courtesans Gowri and Nagai; Tanjore Kannuswamy nattuvanar and Tanjore Vadivelu nattuvanar, brothers and grandsons of Tanjore Sivanandam. Sivanandam was one of the Tanjore Quartet, the dance masters patronised by the father and grandfather of Princess Vijaya Mohana. Sabapathi, mridangam (Source: Mohan Khokar Collection). The story of the Tanjorian courtesans and musicians coming to Baroda has been narrated in detail in other writings. ↩︎
  24. Stanley Rice. “Life of Sayaji Rao-III, Vol I”. 1931: 67. Some sources note her date of death as May, 1884.   ↩︎

Bibliography
Balfour, B. 1899. The History of Lord Lytton’s Indian Administration, 1876 to 1880: compiled papers from Letters and Official Papers. Longmans, Green, And Co. London, New York, and Bombay. 
Gay, Drew J. 1877. The Prince of Wales in India. R. Worthington, NY.
Hickey, William. 1874. The Tanjore Mahratta Principality in Southern India: The Land of the Chola; The Eden of the South. First edition.
Hirschfeld J. 2006. Essay: Courtesan Tanjore Gnyana, A Pas Seul at Royapuram, Madras, December 17, 1875. (2006). Access on Academia the PDF
—————. 2006. Essay: One Hundred and Seventy-five Nautch Parties on February 16, 1887 (2006). Access on Academia the PDF
Journal of The National Indian Association, in Aid of Social Progress in India. London, C. Kegan Paul & Co. 1872 (Page 58); 1880 (Between page 482 and 484); 1881 (Page 512); 1883 (Page 172); 1884 (Page 73); 1885 (Page 206, 231, 246).
Lord Roberts of Kandahar. 1897. Forty-One Years In India, from Subaltern to Commander-in-Chief. Vol-II. Richard Bentley And Son.
Lawson, Charles. 1887. Compilation of the “Narrative of the Celebration of the Jubilee of Her Most Gracious Majesty, Queen Victoria, Empress of India, in the Presidency of Madras”. London, MacMillan, and Co. First Edition, June 1887, and the Second Edition, August 1887.
Murray, Aynsley, J.C. 1883. Our Tour in Southern India. London, F.V. White, And Co.
Murray, M. 1885. In Southern India, a visit to some of the chief missions in the Madras Presidency. The Religious Tract Society, Piccadilly.
Russel, William H. 1877. The Prince of Wales’ Tour: A Diary in India. Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, London.
Seetha, S. 1981. Tanjore as a Seat of Music, during the 17th, 18th and 19th Centuries”. Madras: University of Madras.
Sewell, Robert. 1884. “The Archaeological Survey of Southern India, Vol II, List of Inscriptions, Sketch of the Dynasties of Southern India”. Madras.
Subramanian, K.R. 1928. The Maratha Rajas of Tanjore. K.R. Subramanian, Mylapore, Madras.
Wheeler, George. 1876. The Visit of the Prince of Wales: A Chronicle of His Royal Highness’s Journeyings in India, Ceylon, Spain, and Portugal. London: Chapman and Hall.
Wheeler, Talboys, J. 1877. The History of the Imperial Assemblage at Delhi. Vol I & II. Longmans, Green, Reader, and Dyer.

Illustrations
Figure 1: “The Archaeological Survey of Southern India” by Robert Sewell, published in Madras in 1883. Page 53. 
Figure 2: “The Imperial Assemblage, Delhi, on the 1st of January, 1877”. Source and Copyright: Royal Collection Trust. (www.rct.uk).
Figure 3: Vijaya Mohana, Princess of Tanjore. Private collection of the Author. The photo is in the public domain, Royal Collection Trust (www.rct.uk).
Figure 4: “The Princess of Tanjore’s daughter (fl. 1887)  c. 1885”. Source: Royal Collection Trust (www.rct.uk).
Figure 5: “The Princess of Tanjore’s Second Daughter (fl. 1887)  c. 1887”. Source: Royal Collection Trust (www.rct.uk).
Figure 6: “Vazratmoh Raja Sri Sakharamrao Sahib Chavan Mohite, Amir Rao, Prince Consort of the Princess of Tanjore (fl. 1887)”. Source: Royal Collection Trust (www.rct.uk).

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“The Princess of Tanjore Vijaya Mohana (1845-1885)”
Author: Jeetendra Hirschfeld
Sathir Dance Art Trust
Amsterdam-Chennai
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