Shivanasamudra is where Asia’s first major hydroelectric power plant began operations from on September 26, 1908. The then-king of Mysore, Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar, ushered the electrical era in style by switching on the power from his throne room in Jagan Mohana Palace.
He then turned to commend K. Sheshadri Iyer, the Dewan of Mysore, whose vision and tireless efforts had resulted in the state harnessing power from the flow of river at Shivanasamudra. This is just one of the many achievements of the man regarded by most at the ‘Maker of Modern Bangalore.’
Born to Ananthakrishna Iyer and his second wife Venkatalakshamma on June 1, 1845, Seshadri Iyer spent his early childhood in Palghat in the Malabar district (now in Kerala) of Madras Presidency. His great-grandfather Gowri Seshan Pattu had migrated to Palghat from Tanjore district in Tamil Nadu at the turn of the 19th century.
After completing his early education in Calicut and Trivandrum, Seshadri Iyer graduated in arts from Presidency College in Madras in 1868. He was appointed Judicial Secretary in the Ashtagram division of the Mysore kingdom and obtained his B. L. degree from the University of Madras in 1874.
From 1881 to 1883, he served as an officer in the services of the kingdom of Mysore, first as a district magistrate and later as personal secretary to the first Dewan of Mysore, Rangacharlu. When Rangacharlu died in 1883, Sheshadri Iyer succeeded him. The previous dewan had been a brilliant, courageous and highly respected administrator, and Sheshadri Iyer was determined to be the same.
He began by commissioning the Shivanasamudra hydroelectric project and focusing on the mining operations at Kolar Gold Fields (KGF). Once the hydroelectric project commenced operations, he drew a voltage line from Shivanasamudra to KGF, revolutionising mining operations at the gold field.
The gold fields were 147 km away from the waterfalls, making the transmission line the longest in the world at the time.
The hydroelectric plant at Shivanasamudra, called the Sir Sheshadri Hydel Station, also supplied power for the construction of the Mettur dam in Tamil Nadu in the 1930s, In May 2006, it was made a National Heritage Centre.
Sri Seshadri Hydel Station at Shivanasamudra
Next, Sheshadri Iyer worked to improve the transport, irrigation and health sectors in the kingdom. He extended the railway lines in the kingdom by 270 km and took a voltage line from Shivanasamudra all the way to Bangalore. He constructed the famous Glass House at Lalbagh in 1889 and the Victoria Hospital at Bangalore in the year 1900.
Other than starting insurance schemes for government employees, he also started agricultural banks to help poor farmers and land owners who had to depend on loans from private parties at higher interest rates. He also codified the revenue lands in the state and undertook the cleaning and desilting of reservoirs to improve irrigation and water storage.
K. Sheshadri Iyer
In 1898, a devastating plague in Bangalore wiped out most of the city’s population. In the aftermath of the disaster, Sheshadri Iyer took many steps to help the people of the city and improve their living conditions. Streets were decongested, trees were planted, roads were widened and sanitation was improved. Many new commercial and industrial units were established to increase employment opportunities for the people of the city.
Other than beginning the extension of residential areas in Basavanagudi and Malleswaram, Seshadri Iyer started the Chamarajendra Water Works to supply water to the city from Hesaraghatta Lake in 1894. With the help of a brick aqueduct and steam engines, water was pumped up to a reservoir from where it flowed to Malleswaram and then to the rest of the city. This simple yet effective design worked brilliantly between 1894 and 1935, serving as a substantial source of water for about 45 years.