Mysore Palace - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysore_Palace

Coordinates: 121814N 763916E

Mysore Palace
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Palace of Mysore is a historical palace in the city of

Mysore in Karnataka, southern India. It is the official
residence and seat of the Wodeyars the rulers of
Mysore, the royal family of Mysore, who ruled the
princely state from 1399 to 1950. The palace houses two
durbar halls (ceremonial meeting halls of the royal court)
and incorporates a mesmerizing and gigantic array of
courtyards, gardens, and buildings. The palace is in the
central region of inner Mysore, facing the Chamundi
Hills eastward.

Mysore Palace

Mysore Palace

Mysore is commonly described as the City of Palaces.

There are about seven palaces inclusive of this; however,
Mysore Palace refers specifically to the one within the
Old Fort. Built by the Maharaja Rajarshi His Highness
Krishnarajendra Wadiyar IV, Mysore Palace is now one
of the most famous tourist attractions in India, after the
Taj Mahal, with more than 6 million annual visitors.[1]

Contents
1
2
3
4
5

The Royal Lineage

Mysore
Architecture
Special events
Unique rooms
5.1 Golden Throne (Mysore)
5.2 Ambavilasa
5.3 Gombe Thotti (Dolls Pavilion)
5.4 Kalyana Mantapa
5.5 Other rooms
6 Temples
7 Visitor information
8 Acquisition
9 See also
10 Image gallery
11 References
12 External links

Location within Karnataka

General information
Architectural style

Indo-Saracenic

Location

Inner Mysore

Town or city

Mysore

Country

India

Coordinates

12.3039N 76.6547E

Current tenants

Government of Karnataka

Construction started 1897

Completed

1912

Owner

Rajmata Pramoda Devi

Wadiyar

The Royal Lineage

Design and construction

Krishnaraja Wadiyar III was Maharaja from 1799 to

1831. After the death of Tipu Sultan he made Mysore his
capital in May 1799 and focused on education, religious
sites and donating jewels to temples including Melkote.

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Architect

Henry Irwin

Designations

Royal Seat of the Maharajas

of Mysore

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Chamaraja Wodeyar IX was crowned on March 25, 1881. He was anointed king on the date fixed by the
Governor-General. He is credited with founding India's first democratic institutions -"Prajapratinidhi Sabhe"
with the Mysore representative assembly in 1881. Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV was Maharaja from
1902 to 1940 He was also called the Saint King-"Rajarshi" by Mahatma Gandhi. Assisted by dewans Sir M.
Visvesvaraya and Sir Mirza Ismail, he changed Mysore by adding Asia's first hydro electric project at
Shivanasamudra, the KRS dam and the University of Mysore in 1916. Jayachamaraja Wodeyar was the
twenty fifth and the last king, reigning from 1940 to 1950, when he agreed to merge the state with the union
of India. A musicologist and a philanthropist, he was named Raj Parmukh of Mysore from Jan 26, 1950, a
post he held for six years. The present Maharaja is Yaduveer Wadiyar, who was adopted by his aunt.

Mysore
King Yaduraya first built a palace inside the Old Fort in Mysore in the 14th century,which was demolished
and constructed multiple times. The regent of Mysore, Her Majesty Maharani Vani Vilas Sannidhna, and her
son, the Maharaja of Mysore His Highness Rajarshi Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, commissioned the British
architect Lord Henry Irwin to build a new palace to replace the old one which had been turned into ashes by
fire.[2] Meanwhile, the royal family stayed in the nearby Jaganmohan Palace.The construction in charge was
taken by B. P. Raghavulu Naidu who was Executive engineer in the mysore palace division. He made
elaborate studies on architecture that had to be applied for the new palace by visiting delhi, madras and
calcutta and made plans for the new palace.It costed Rs. 41,47,913 for the construction and was complete in
1912. This is the magnificiant and a masterpiece palace which is standing in front of us and visited by
hundreds of people from all over the world daily. [3]
Construction of the current palace was commissioned in 1897, completed in 1912,[4] and expanded around
1940 (including the addition of the present Public Durbar Hall wing) during the reign of His Highness
Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, the last Maharaja of Mysore Kingdom. The construction was
completed in 1912, but the fort continued to be beautified and its inhabitants were slowly moved to the
newer extension built off the palace.
Apart from the leonine Mysore Palace and Jaganmohan Palace (which, later, His Highness Maharaja
Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar used as his art gallery and it remains an art gallery), the city has several other
grand palaces like Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion (now a folk art museum), Rajendra Vilas Mansion (now a
private hotel atop Chamundi Hills), Lalitha Mahal Palace (now a five-star hotel), Laxmi Vilas Mansion,
Cheluvamba Vilas Palace (the palace which His Highness Maharaja Sri Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar
donated to the newly born Govt. of India; now the headquarters of Central Food Technological Research
Institute, a national research institute), and Krishnarajendra Vilas Palace (now Krishna Rajendra Hospital).
Besides there are buildings a century old or more, like Crowfard Hall (now the headquarters of the
University of Mysore), Oriental Research Institute building, Corporation Complex of Mysore City
Corporation, et cetera. In all the above palaces, the royal family holds blocks held by the kings traditionally.
However, the Bangalore Palace and Mysore Palace are entirely under the possession of the royal family.
Bangalore Palace remains entirely a private property of the princess.

Architecture
The architectural style of domes of the palace is commonly described as Indo-Saracenic and blends Hindu,
Muslim, Rajput, and Gothic styles. It is a three-story stone structure with marble domes and a 145 ft
five-story tower. The palace is surrounded by a large garden. The entrance gate and arch hold the emblem
and coat of arms of the kingdom of Mysore, around which is written the kingdom's motto in Sanskrit: "
" (never be terrified).
This beautiful building is 245 Ft in length and 156 Ft in width. There are fire extinguishing machines
located in all parts of the palace in order to prevent any fires. [5]
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The

Mysore Palace main approach

Roof artwork

palace has three entrances: the East Gate (the front gate,
opened only during the Dasara and for VVIPs), the
South Entrance (for public), and the West Entrance
(usually opened only during the Dasara). In addition,
there are numerous secret tunnels from the palace cellar
leading to Srirangapatna, other palaces, and confidential
areas.
The three-story stone building of fine gray granite with
deep pink marble domes has a facade with several
expensive arches and two smaller ones flanking the
central arch, which is supported by tall pillars. Above
the central arch is a sculpture of Gajalakshmi, the
goddess of wealth, prosperity, good luck and abundance
with her elephants. There are three major exclusive
Audience Hall
temple buildings within the Old Fort, and about 18
inside the palace heart building. The Maharajas of
Mysore were devotees of Goddess Chamundi, which is why the place faces Chamundi Hills. Besides, head
of the Parakala Mutt stays the spiritual rajguru (royal teacher and guide) as a reason of which the palace is
built next to an even older Parakala Mutt headquarters.

Special events
Every autumn, the palace is the venue for the famous Mysore Dasara festival, during which leading artists
perform on a stage set up in the palace grounds. On the tenth day of the festival Vijaya Dashami, a parade
with caparisoned elephants and floats originate from the palace grounds. Dasara is the most extravagant
festival of Mysore. It is celebrated in September and October of each year. The festival celebrates and
commemorates the victory of the great Goddess Durga, also called Chamundeshwari, after she slew the
demon Mahishasura, thereby symbolizing the triumph of good over evil according to Hindu mythology.
This festival has been celebrated by the Wodeyars at Srirangapatna since 1610, and in Mysore with great
pomp since 1799. The tradition is still carried on, although the scale of the celebrations has diminished. The
Dashera festivities have become an integral part of the culture and life in Mysore. To celebrate this festival,
the Palace of Mysore is illuminated with more than 96,000 lights during the two-month period.

Unique rooms
The palace is an excellent combination of Indo-Saracenic architecture and features a number of unique
rooms.
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Golden Throne (Mysore)

Ambavilasa
This room was used by the king as a hall for private audiences. Entry
to this opulent hall is through an elegantly carved rosewood doorway
inlaid with ivory that opens into a shrine dedicated to Ganesha. The
central nave of the hall has ornately gilded columns, stained glass
A concert held inside the palace.
ceilings, decorative steel grills, and chandeliers with fine floral
motifs, mirrored in the pietra dura mosaic floor embellished with
semi-precious stones. This is where the king would confer with his
ministers. It was the chamber in which he gave audience to people deserving special attention.

Gombe Thotti (Dolls Pavilion)

Entry to the palace is through the Gombe Thotti, or Dolls Pavilion, a gallery of traditional dolls from the
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The pavilion also houses a fine collection of Indian and European
sculpture and ceremonial objects, including a wooden elephant howdah (frame to carry passengers)
decorated with 84 kilograms of gold.

Kalyana Mantapa
The Kalyana Mantapa, or marriage hall, is a grand, octagonal-shaped pavilion with a multi-hued stained
glass ceiling with peacock motifs arranged in geometrical patterns. The entire structure was wrought in
Glasgow, Scotland.
The floor also displays a peacock mosaic, designed with tiles from England. Oil paintings illustrating the
royal procession and Dasara celebrations of bygone years are displayed on the walls.

Other rooms
The palace houses several rooms of importance. These include:
The Diwan-e-aam, a public durbar where the general population could meet the king at scheduled
times to submit petitions.
An armory which contains arms used by the members of the royal family. It contains lances, cutlasses,
and other 14th century weapons as well as those used in the early twentieth century, such as pistols.

Temples
The palace complex includes twelve Hindu temples. The oldest was built in the 14th century, while the most
recent was built in 1953.
Some of the famous temples are:
Someshvara Temple, dedicated to God Lord Shiva
Lakshmiramana Temple, dedicated to God Lord Vishnu
Shwetha Varahaswamy Temple, dedicated to Lord Varahaswamy, one of the 10 incarnations of lord
Vishnu
Sri Prasanna krishna Swami Temple
Sri Bhuvaneshwari Temple
Kodi Someshwaraswami Temple
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Sri Gayatri Temple

Sri Trineshwara temple

Visitor information
The palace is ten minutes from the city central railway station and from
the suburb bus-stand; right behind city bus-stand, and twenty minutes
(less four miles) from Mysore Airport. The domestic airport is directly
connected to the international airports of Bangalore (Kempegowda
International Airport), Chennai (Chennai International Airport),
Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum International Airport), Hyderabad
(Rajiv Gandhi International Airport), Mangalore (Mangalore Airport)
and Bombay (Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport). The city is
connected through the state highway SH-17.
Palace light illumination on Sundays and all public holidays
between 19 and 19:45.
Sound and light programs are arranged on all days between 7 and
7:45, except on Sundays and public holidays.

Shveta Varaha Swami temple in

the palace complex

The scenes of every detail in and around the palace attract one's attention. However, the authorities have
prohibited photography inside the main palace complex.
The Old Fort of the palace stands open from morning 10 to night 8 and is free of cost. Entry to the palace
buildings is between 11 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon, under tight security. Two squads, one police
and one paramilitary, stand guard during the day, and two more during night. Children below seven are free
to enter the palace, while those between seven and twelve are charged rupees 25 per head. For adults, tickets
are available for Rs. 40. Price of admission for foreign tourists is INR 200. Footwear is removed before
entering the palace complexes.

Panoramic view of Mysore Palace.

A major issue for visitors is the frequent extortion of bribes from visitors and tourists from corrupt Police
and Palace Guards. Several scams have been reported which include guards who "befriend" visitors while
offering to take them to a "secret room" where they extort money from tourists. Guards frequently requests
bribes for taking photos, or try and intimidate visitors into providing money or foreign currency. Visitors
have reported other scams perpetrated by corrupt officials which include demands to produce tickets and
further requesting bribes.[6]

Acquisition
Currently, a major portion of the palace is under the control of the Government of Karnataka, acquired by
passing the Mysore Palace Acquisition Act. Only a small portion of the palace, towards the West Gate, is

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under the possession of Princess Pramodadevi Wadiyar. In fact, the High Court of Karnataka had passed
judgment in favor of the late prince H.H. Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar that the palace belongs to the
royal family. However, the Government of Karnataka appealed the case to the Supreme Court after its defeat
in the High Court. The case is still pending, however the prince, who died on the 10th of December, 2013,
did not survive to continue fighting against the government.

See also
List of Heritage Buildings in Mysore
Culture of Mysore
Laxmi Niwas Palace in Bikaner, Rajasthan
New Palace, Kolhapur of the Bhonsle Chhatrapatis
Jai Vilas Mahal, Gwalior of the Scindias
Rajwada, Indore of the Holkars
Shaniwar Wada, Pune of the Peshwas
Thanjavur Maratha palace of the Bhonsles

Image gallery

Architectural detail of
Mysore Palace

Birds near the palace

Panoramic view of
Chamaraja Circle from
north gate

Mysore palace gate

Mysore Palace view

from the south gate

Amba Vilas Palace

Mysore Palace North

Gate

Mysore Palace

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Mysore Palace Main

Gate

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysore_Palace

Mysore Palace during

Blue Hour

Light up of Mysore
Palace

Mysore palace in the

evening

The Grand Mysore

Palace

References
1. "Tourism in Mysore". April 22, 2014.
2. "Maharaja's Palace". Mysore District. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
3. http://www.naveenmysore.com/mysore/palaces.htm
4. "Mysore palace will complete 100 years next year". Deccan Herald.
5. http://www.naveenmysore.com/mysore/palaces.htm
6. "One of the best palace in India - Review of Mysore Maharajah's Palace (Amba Vilas), Mysuru (Mysore), India TripAdvisor".

External links
Official Virtual Tour website of Mysore Palace
Wikimedia Commons has
(http://www.mysorepalace.gov.in)
media related to Mysore
Mysore Palace (http://www.themysorepalace.com)
Palace.
Official Mysore Dasara Website
(http://www.mysoredasara.gov.in)
Palaces of Mysore (http://www.naveenmysore.com/mysore/palaces.htm)
Mysore Palace lighting (http://www.inmysore.com/mysore-palace)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mysore_Palace&oldid=758339378"
Categories: Kingdom of Mysore Palaces in Mysore Royal residences in India
Tourist attractions in Mysore Buildings and structures in Mysore Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture
1912 establishments in India

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