Mysuru, Oct 11 (TIWN) President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday attended the birth centenary celebration of Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wadiyar of Mysore.

In his address on the occasion, the President, who reached Karnataka on a three-day visit on Thursday, said that Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wadiyar (1919-74, reigned 1940-50), was an exceptional ruler and able administrator, as well as a noted philosopher, music exponent, political thinker and philanthropist.  When India won independence, he was the first among the rulers of India''s princely states to accept the Instrument of Accession, Kovind said. 

"The Maharaja signed the pact on August 9, 1947 and the Union Government accepted it on August 16. He should be thus regarded as the icon of India''s transition to democracy. His pioneering contribution to the unity and integrity of the newly independent nation will never be forgotten," he added.  The President also said Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, who remained titular maharaja till his death in 1974, was not only an exceptional scholar of Indian philosophy himself but also promoted scholarship through the "Jayachamaraja Grantha Ratna Mala". 

"His support for entrepreneurship is also an inspiring story. As the ruler of the Mysore state, he actively encouraged the establishment of an industrial facility in Bengaluru by a company called Hindustan Aircraft in 1940 which become Hindustan Aeronautics," Kovind added.