The last royal Former Mysore king Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar (60) holds court on Dussehra. A file photograph

Uncannyly, the curse, barring an exception (a deaf and dumb son was born to one of the kings), has survived for 400 years spanning 17 Maharajas. In fact, a definite pattern had emerged wherein none of the natural heir to the throne born to a king (adopted as a prince or otherwise) could beget children, whereas one who became a king by virtue of adoption was blessed with a legal heir.

Srikanta Datta Wadiyar’s father Maharaja Jaychamerajendra had also succeeded his uncle in the throne who had died childless.

The presence of a king is absolutely essential for continuance of the Dussehra festival. Though it is a spectacle geared up for the tourists, the Dussehra is mainly a celebration by the royal family of their military tradition.

The last king, though a titular one, even used to hold court in full regalia on the occasion of Dussehra with members of the nobility associated with the family in attendance.

In the absence of a king – since the widowed queen is yet to adopt anyone who could be crowned as king – all these events would fall flat. In fact, the 2014 Dussehra will be the first such event in Mysore that will be held without participation by a king.

The widow Pramoda Devi has cited successive state governments’ attempt to take over the famous Mysore Palace as the reason for her reluctance to adopt a male heir.