Two Kannadiga gurus who made Mysuru yoga hub

Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

When Tirumalai Krishnamacharya approached Sri Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, a benevolent ruler of the erstwhile Mysore Kingdom, for patronising Yoga in the early 19th century, he would not have imagined that one day it would be accepted in more than 100 countries across the globe. And a day would be dedicated to this ancient art of keeping the mind and body healthy.

Subsequently, this art of keeping fit, was carried forward by two legendary Kannadiga Yoga exponents who established the ancient practice on the global map. The two world-renowned Yoga exponents, both from Karnataka- one from Mysore and the other from Kolar- Pattabhi Jois and B K S Iyengar-- had never imagined even in their wildest of dreams that this ancient practice ,as a holistic approach to physical and mental well being of its practitioners, would get worldwide recognition.

Pattabhi Jois, a well-built man with his large forehead smeared with vibhuti, sporting a tuft, a practice of the Brahaminical priestly class, hailed from a small village, Kowsik in Hassan District. His father was an astrologer, a Sanskrit scholar and a priest and was initiated in Sanskrit studies at the young age of five.

He was drawn to Yoga when he witnessed a lecture demonstration of Yoga given by legendary Tirumalai Krishnamacharya,who revived this ancient practice, as it was, in Hassan when Jois was 12 years old. He then prostrated before Krishnamacharya and requested him to accept him as his shishya (disciple), and he did so. And as luck would have it, Jois and his guru met in the cultural centre of Mysore and the sishyavrutti went on.

In the life of B K S Iyengar, there was a bit of a twist. Unlike Jois, Iyengar who was born in Bellur village in Kolar District had formal education and studied up to SSLC before moving to Mysore where he came under the influence of his brother-in-law, (sister’s husband) Krishnamacharya.

It so happened that both Jois and Iyengar came under the tutelage of their Guru, who was himself patronised by Maharaja Sri Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar, a Rajarishi, an epithet that was bestowed on him by no less a person than Mahatma Gandhi. Both of them studied in their Guru’s Yogashala, the Maharaja having been instrumental in opening the Shala, deeply impressed as he was with the profound knowledge of Krishnamacharya.

As Krishnamacharya moved on to Madras, Jois stayed on in Mysore, while Iyengar went to Pune. With Pune as his centre of Yogic activity, Iyengar crossed the borders of India, moved on to the West , where he popularised this practice.

There is no gainsaying the fact that these two Kannadiga giants in a great way contributed to Mysore emerging as a hub of Yoga in the International map. There were many who were captivated by rock music but what was amazing was the change in their lifestyle when these Western devotees arrived in Mysore.

They were strict vegetarians and were seen in the evenings frequenting vegetarian hostels savoring, idli, sambar and dosa. With mats woven from grass, they used to attend Yoga classes where they spread the mat in the spacious Yoga hall and practised asanas.Jois passed away on May 18, 2009 and Iyengar on August 20,2014.

Celebrity disciples of K Pattabhi Jois:
1) Abdul Kareem Jabbar
2) Madonna, American singer and actress
3) Gwenith Paltrow, American actress and singer

Celebrity disciples of BKS Iyengar:
Violinist Yehudi Menuhin, Novelist Aldous Huxley, Designer Doranna and Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.