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{{Short description|Prime Minister of Mysore}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = ''[[Mir (title)|Mir]] [[Mian (title)|Mian]]''
| relations =
| birth_date = {{birth date text|1746}}
| birth_place = [[Coimbatore]], [[Kingdom of Mysore]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|27 March 1812|1746|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Srirangapatna]], [[Kingdom of Mysore]]
| nationality =
| spouse =
| party =
| children =
| predecessor2 =
| residence =
| alma_mater =
| occupation = Administrator
| profession =
| signature =
| signature_alt =
| website =
| successor2 = [[Bargir Bakshi Balaji Rao]]
| monarch2 = [[Krishnaraja Wodeyar III]]
| name = Krishnacharya Purniya
| term_end1 = 4 May 1799
| honorific-suffix =
| image = Purniya,_Chief_Minister_of_Mysore.tif
| caption = A painting of Purniya, Dewan of Mysore, by [[Thomas Hickey (painter)|Thomas Hickey]]
| order =
| office1 = 1st [[Dewan of Mysore]]
| election =
| term_start1 = 10 December 1782
| vicepresident =
| president2 =
| monarch1 = [[Tipu Sultan]]
| predecessor1 =
| successor1 =
| order2 =
| office2 =
| term_start2 = 30 June 1799
| term_end2 = 23 December 1811
| footnotes =
| branch = {{flagicon image|Flag of Kingdom of Mysore.svg
}} [[Kingdom of Mysore]]
| serviceyears = 1782–1811
| rank = [[Dewan of Mysore|Dewan]]
| unit = {{flagicon image|Flag of Kingdom of Mysore.svg
}} [[Mysorean rockets|Rocket Utility]]
| battles = {{tree list}}
* [[Third Anglo-Mysore War]]
* [[Fourth Anglo-Mysore War]]
** [[Battle of Seringapatam#Siege|Siege of Seringapatam]]
** [[Battle of Sultanpet Tope]]
{{tree list/end}}
}}

'''Krishnacharya''' '''Purnaiah''' (1746 – 27 March 1812), popularly known as '''Dewan''' '''Purnaiah''', was an Indian administrator, statesman, and military strategist who served as the first [[dewan of Mysore]] from 1782 to 1811. He was instrumental in the restoration of the rule of the [[Kingdom of Mysore]] to the [[Wadiyar dynasty]]. After the death of [[Tipu Sultan|Tipu]], he continued to advice [[Lakshmi Ammani Devi|Lakshmi Devi]], the queen regent to the newly installed monarch [[Krishnaraja Wodeyar III]].

Purnaiah was known for his [[Account (bookkeeping)|accounting]] skills, prodigious memory, and proficiency in several languages. He was also a wartime [[military commander]] while serving under Tipu. After Tipu's defeat, he served as the dewan to Krishnaraja Wodeyar III. Wodeyar was educated and mentored by Purnaiah in the latter's early years .<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Dewan Purnaiah |url=https://gazetteer.karnataka.gov.in/storage/pdf-files/Chapter%2002.pdf}}</ref>

== Early life ==
Krishnacharya Purniah was born in 1746.<ref>{{cite book|title=Western colonial policy: a study on its impact on Indian society|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bDY-AAAAMAAJ|page=257|publisher=Institute of Historical Studies|year=1981}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=A History of Karnataka, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day|author1=H. V. Sreenivasa Murthy|author2=R. Ramakrishnan|year=1977|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g09uAAAAMAAJ|page=311|quote=Purnaiah, a Marathi speaking Madhwa Brahmin, was appointed as Dewan Regent, while Lieutenant Colonel (afterwards Sir Barry) Close was appointed Resident at the Mysore court immediately after....|publisher= S Chand}}</ref> He was fluent in [[Kannada]], [[Marathi language|Marathi]],<ref>{{cite book |author1=H. V. Sreenivasa Murthy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g09uAAAAMAAJ |title=A History of Karnataka, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day |author2=R. Ramakrishnan |publisher=S. Chand |year=1977 |page=311 |quote=Since the prince was young, Purnaiah, a Marathi speaking Madhwa Brahmin, was appointed as Dewan Regent, while Lieutenant Colonel ( afterwards Sir Barry ) Close was appointed Resident at the Mysore court immediately after....}}</ref> [[Sanskrit]], and [[Persian language|Persian]]. He understood [[English language|English]] but could not read or write the language.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

At the age of eleven, Purnaiah lost his father and had to seek employment to support his family. He started writing accounts at a trader's shop. This grocer had close contact with a rich merchant, Annadana Shetty, who supplied large quantities of groceries to [[Hyder Ali]]'s palace and army.

== Dewan of Mysore ==
Purniah earned the confidence of Hyder Ali thanks to his aptitude in accounting and excellent handwriting. Endowed with prodigious memory, proficiency in multiple languages, and sheer hard work, Purniah became the head of the accounting department, and minister, and a confidant and close advisor of the ruler. Hyder Ali also granted Purnaiah a jagir in Maralahalli, Mysore. From then on, many of the ruler’s decisions, including political matters, were shaped by Purnaiah’s counsel.<ref name=":0"/>

=== Premiership under Tipu ===
[[File:Yellandur1.jpg|thumb|Residence built by Purniah in Yelandur, now a museum.|257x257px]]
When Hyder Ali died near [[Chittoor]] in 1782, his son Tipu was encamping in the [[Malabar coast]]. Purniah kept Ali's death a top secret and sent the word only to Tipu by the speediest way possible. Meanwhile, Ali's body was kept embalmed, and business went on as usual. Purniah thus played a key role in keeping the news of Ali's death confidential owing to adversaries who could have seized this advantage and tried to usurp power. Purniah thus paved the way for the succession of Tipu. He soon became a member of Tipu's inner cabinet, eventually being labelled ''Dewan'' for the first time.<ref name=":0" />

=== Premiership under the Wodeyars ===
[[File:Lord Harris Residence 01, Seringapatam.jpg|thumb|255x255px|Lord Harris Residence, later residence of Puraniah after retirement. [[Seringapatam]]]]
[[File:Lord Harris Residence 02, Seringapatam.jpg|thumb|251x251px|Inscription at the Lord Harris Residence, Seringapatam]]
After a [[Anglo-Mysore Wars|series of wars with the British East India Company]], Tipu was defeated in the [[Fourth Anglo-Mysore War|fourth one]] and was killed in 1799. Soon, with lobbying efforts from Maharani [[Lakshmi Ammani Devi|Lakshmi Devi]], Purniah met with [[George Harris, 1st Baron Harris|George Harris]], the commander-in-chief of the [[Madras Army]], for the handing-over of the kingdom's government to the deposed [[Wadiyar dynasty|Wadiyars]]. A [[subsidiary alliance]] was struck, and the maharani became the Queen Regent of Mysore for the infant prince Krishnaraja Wodeyar III. Purniah became the regent's adviser and educated and trained the young prince. On 27 December 1807, in recognition of his services, the queen regent awarded Purnaiah the [[jagir|feudal estate]] of [[Yelandur]].<ref name="KA Govt"/>

Krishnaraja Wodeyar III attained the age of 16 in early 1810, reaching the recognised age of discretion. Consequently, the British Resident of Mysore [[Arthur Henry Cole|Arthur Cole]] invested the kingship in the prince in 1811. Purnaiah continued to advise the new maharaja for a brief period before retiring that year. The presiding Resident [[John Malcolm]] honoured him on his retirement by presenting him a horse, an elephant, and a rich killat. He was also honoured with handsome grants and a large pension for his services.<ref name="KA Govt"/>

== Military career ==
Purniah participated in every military campaign led by Tipu. In the [[Third Anglo-Mysore War]] of 1792, he commanded a rocket unit comprising 131 men.<ref>[http://www.nal.res.in/pdf/pdfrocket.pdf], Page 5 of Rockets in Mysore and Britain, 1750-1850 A.D.</ref> During the [[Battle of Seringapatam]], Tipu had entrusted his eldest son and heir-apparent to Purniah's care. In the [[Fourth Anglo-Mysore War]], Purniah commanded the forces of Mysore against [[East India Company]] in a few battles including the [[Battle of Sultanpet Tope]].

After Tipu's defeat at the hands of [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Arthur Wellesley]], Purniah and Wellesley became closely associated when the latter was stationed in [[Mysore]]. Robert Frykenberg suggests that Wellesley learned how to maximise the utility of [[cavalry]] from Purniah.<ref>{{Citation |last=Frykenberg |first=Robert |date=2006 |title=American Historical Review |page=1155}}</ref>

== Administration ==
[[File:PurniahPostoffice7.jpg|thumb|The home of Purnaiah's descendants in Bangalore<ref>[http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/date-with-history-the-107-year-old-home-in-bengaluru-that-is-a-tribute-to-mysores-first-dewan/articleshow/56499881.cms Heritage building]</ref>|328x328px]]After Tipu's death in 1799, he suppressed the revolting [[Palegar|local chieftain]]s who had become despots.

Under Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar III, Purnaiah started releasing cash allowances to [[matha]]s, [[temple]]s, and [[dargah]]s, which had stopped under the [[Company rule in India|Company rule]] after Tippu's death. He opened a judicial department to hear peoples' grievances. His public works have left a great legacy. About a nine-mile canal and several tanks were dug to supply drinking water to the city of Mysore. In honour of [[Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley|Richard Wellesley]], the [[Governor-General of India|Governor-General of Bengal]], a stone bridge was constructed across the river [[Kaveri]] connecting [[Srirangapatna|Srirangapattana]] with [[Kirangur]].<ref>[https://archive.today/20110809200913/http://www.hampi.in/srirangapatna-photos-10.shtml], Wellesley Bridge Pictures.</ref> His work to improve agriculture was also acknowledged.<ref name="EDK">{{cite book|author=K. Puttaswamaiah|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Tj8eAAAAIAAJ|title=Economic Development of Karnatka|publisher=Oxford & IBH|year=1980|page=76}}</ref>

A large number of [[choultry|public shelters]] open to locals and travellers were erected in the name of Krishnaraja Wodeyar III, which were known as "Dewan Purniah".

Revenue administration was streamlined: the kingdom had a volatile border with incessant skirmishes, a legacy of the previous regime. Methodical land surveys were conducted; borders were notified; and the posts of shekdars, amaldars, and [[tehsildar]]s (tax officers) were created, positions that are still in force throughout modern [[South Asia]].

== Family ==
Purnaiah's family were devout followers of the [[Uttaradi Math]]a and the [[Dvaita Vedanta|Dvaita philosophy]] of [[Madhvacharya]]. Religion and spirituality were very important to Purnaiah. He was a contemporary and disciple of [[Satyadharma Tirtha]] of the Uttaradi Matha.{{Sfn|Rajaram|2019|p=300}}{{Sfn|Sharma|2000|p=653}}

Purnaiah's great-great grandson was [[P. N. Krishnamurti|Sir P. N. Krishnamurti]], a lawyer and the 16th dewan of Mysore.

== Death ==
After his retirement in 1811, Purnaiah settled at his residence (formerly known as Lord Harris's House and the Doctor's Bungalow, located near [[Scott’s Bungalow, Seringapatam|Scott’s Bungalow]] and [[Garrison Cemetery, Seringapatam|Garrison Cemetery]]) in [[Srirangapatna]]. A tablet on the wall of this house records the connection of Harris and Puraniah to this house. A year later, he died in the residence on 27 March 1812.<ref name="KA Govt">{{Cite web|author=|url=https://gazetteer.karnataka.gov.in/storage/pdf-files/Chapter%2004.pdf|title=Karnataka State Gazetteer|publisher=Karnataka Government|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230923034037/https://gazetteer.karnataka.gov.in/storage/pdf-files/Chapter%2004.pdf|archive-date=23 September 2023}}</ref>

==Legacy==
In 2013, a [[museum]] to map Purnaiah's achievements was opened at his former residence in [[Yelandur]] by the [[Karnataka State Department of Archaeology|Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage]].<ref name="TOI">{{cite news |last= |first= |date=23 October 2013|title=Museum in memory of Mysore Dewan Purnaiah|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mysuru/museum-in-memory-of-mysore-dewan-purnaiah/articleshow/24611548.cms|newspaper=Times of India|access-date=25 December 2024}}</ref>

== In popular culture ==
=== Films and television ===

*In 1988, [[Vijay Kashyap]] portrayed Purnaiah in the television serial ''[[Bharat Ek Khoj]]''
*In 1990, [[Anant Mahadevan]] portrayed Purnaiah in the television series ''[[The Sword of Tipu Sultan]]''

== References ==
{{reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{commons category|Purnaiah}}
*{{cite book|title=The Vanished Raj A Memoir of Princely India|last=Rajaram|first=N S|publisher=Prism Books Private Limited|year=2019|isbn=978-9388478113}}
* {{cite book|title = A History of the Dvaita School of Vedānta and Its Literature, Vol 1. 3rd Edition|first = B. N. Krishnamurti| last = Sharma| publisher=Motilal Banarsidass (2008 Reprint) |isbn = 978-8120815759| year= 2000 }}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Diwans of Mysore]]
[[Category:1746 births]]
[[Category:1812 deaths]]
[[Category:Srirangapatna]]

Purnaiah - Revision history

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