He fought to resolve the disputes in the Melkote shrine between Thenkalai and Vadakalai priests and was a devout worshipper at Biligirirangaswamy Temple in Biligirirangan Hills and Venugopala Krishna in Malleswaram temple.
Premier of Madras (1937–1939), Governor of Bengal (1946–1948), Governor-General of India (1948–1950), Union Home Minister (1950–1952) and Chief Minister of Madras state (1952–1954).