M. Visvesvaraya Biography: Visvesvaraya also known as Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya was an excellent Indian civil engineer and administrator who was born on September 1861. He was a highly influential person and also was the 19th Dewan of Mysore between 1912 to 1918.
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Because of his contributions to Mysore, M. Visvesvaraya was known Father of Modern Mysore and was also famous for introducing several engineering and administration works and projects such as Krishnarajasagar Dam, Mysore Sandal Oil and Soap Factory, Bhadravati Iron and Steel Company and many others.
Let’s get to know more about Sir M. Visvesvaraya’s early life, career, contributions, and much other information.
M. Visvesvaraya Biography
| Name | Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya |
| Nickname | M. Visvesvaraya |
| Date of Birth | 15 September 1861 |
| Death | April 12/14, 1962 |
| Religion | Hindu |
| Birth Place | Muddenahalli village, Karnataka |
| Hometown | Karnataka, India |
| Education | B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) and Diploma in Civil Engineering (DCE) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Profession | Civil engineer and administrator |
M. Visvesvaraya Wiki and Biography
Sir M. Visvesvaraya was known as India’s first civil engineer and his works were among the iconic pieces. To celebrate the birthday of iconic engineer Sir M. Visvesvaraya, India observes Engineer’s Day every year on September 15.
As the 19th Dewan of Mysore, he created many infrastructures in Mysore and came to be known as “the maker of modern Mysore”. Visvesvaraya also became a major and very important person in the southern Indian state of Karnataka.
He first worked for the British Indian government as a civil engineer and then became the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Mysore. He received the Bharata Ratna in 1955 for his contributions to the Kingdom of Mysore and the Republic of India.
M. Visvesvaraya Early Life, Birthday, and Childhood
Visvesvaraya was born on 15 September 1861 in Muddenahalli village in Karnataka. Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya was born in a Tamilian Brahmin family of Mokshagundam Srinivasa Shastry and Venkatalakshmi.
Before the birth of M. Visvesvaraya, his ancestors were from Mokshagundam village which is currently situated in Andhra Pradesh.
M. Visvesvaraya Biography: Education
Visvesvaraya completed his primary education in Bangalore and got a degree in B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) from the University of Madras. Later on, he pursued a Diploma in Civil Engineering (DCE) at the College of Engineering, Pune previously known as ‘The College of Science at the University of Bombay’ and completed his graduation there.
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M. Visvesvaraya Career and Contributions
Sir M. Visvesvaraya engineering career began with the Government of British India in the Bombay Presidency. Later on, he provides services for the British territories in the Middle East and also for Hyderabad.
In 1885, he worked as an assistant engineer at the Public Works Department in Bombay and highly contributed to the development of various projects.
In 1889, he became famous for his excellent skills and innovative contributions and joined the Indian Irrigation Commission. After joining, he introduced several big projects such as an irrigation system on the Deccan Plateau, and automatic weir water floodgates.
In 1899, Sir M. Visvesvaraya introduced the block system of irrigation in Deccan Canals in India which became a major achievement for Visvesvaraya. The block system of irrigation provided irrigation benefits to a lot of villages in nearby towns.
The set up of automatic weir water floodgates at Khadakvasla Dam near Pune in 1903 helped to maintain the water levels and prevented the dams from getting damaged. This led to the implementation of more automatic weir water floodgates at several other dams.
Sir M. Visvesvaraya also introduced several projects outside India such as he developed a water supply and sewage system in the British Colony of Aden which is now known as Yemen.
In 1908, he took retirement on his own wish and traveled to several industrialized countries and worked under Nizam Osman Ali Khan in development of the flood protection systems.
He also played a major role in protecting Hyderabad from floods and protected Visakhapatnam port from getting seriously damaged.
By 1909, he became known as the chief engineer of Mysore and played an important role in the development of significant projects like Krishna Raja Sagar Dam, Bangalore Polytechnic, Mysore Soap Factory, and many others.
Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya also served as the Dewan of Mysore and established several factories, research labs, and educational facilities across Mysore.
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M. Visvesvaraya Awards
In 1911, Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya received Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) by King Edward VII for his magnificent contributions.
In 1915, M. Visvesvaraya received the Bharat Ratna award.
M.Visvesvaraya Death
The iconic civil engineer M.Visvesvaraya died on April 12/14, 1962 when he was aged 100 years old. It was said that M.Visvesvaraya neither smoked nor did he drink.
Sir M.Visvesvaraya was famous for his honesty, magnificent time management skills, and excellent engineering skills. Visvesvaraya was also a lacto-vegetarian so he avoided meat or eggs.
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