Mysore Palace in Karnataka

LOCATION:
Mysore Palace is one of the most renowned palaces of the south, situated at Mirza Road, in the heart of the city of Mysore in Karnataka.

History:
The ancient palace of Mysore dates back to the 14th Century, which was wrecked by lightning. It was re-established by Wodeyar King Randheera Kantheeveera Narasaraja in the year 1638 AD. Later, Tipu Sultan destroyed the old palaces of Mysore to build a new town 'Nazarabad' and rebuilt the Mysore Palace in a jiffy, to fulfill the requirement of a palace. The already stumbling palace was completely destroyed by a fire in the year 1897 AD, which was replaced by the current palace structure built in the year 1912 on an investment of around forty lakh rupees.

ARCHITECTURE:
Among the largest palaces of India, the palace was built as the royal residency of the twenty-fourth Wodeyar King of Mysore by Henry Irwin, a British architect, in the year 1912. The signature palace of the Wodeyar dynasty, its showcases a brilliant confluence of Hindu-Islamic-Rajput-Gothic styles of architecture.

The three storied palace stands 145 ft tall and is made up of grey marble stones. There is a gigantic Elephant Door to the east of the palace. To the south there is a marriage hall where festivals are celebrated, called the 'Kalyan mandap'. On the ground floor is the Durbar hall with its stunning gold plated Pillars and ceilings, while on the first floor lies the area of personal meetings, known as 'Amba Vilas'. The 'Gombe Thoti' has an immensely pretty elephant structure beautified with 80 kg of gold.

The carved domes of the palace represent the Islamic monumental structures. The five domes decorating the palace were built in 1914 AD. There are five entrances to the structure namely, Jayarama, Balarama, Varaha, Brahma Puri and Kari Kallu Thotti. The main structure of the Palace is thronged by twelve ancient temples and beautifies by a garden-view in the front.


MAIN ATTRACTIONS:
The brilliantly lit palace under the clear moonlit sky, at 7pm to 8 pm on Sundays and public holidays, and 7 pm to 9 pm during the ten-day Dussehra festival, is a must -watch extravaganza.

The unprecedented structure combining the Hindu, Islamic, Gothic and Rajput styles of architecture with amazingly beautiful halls especially the Amba Vilas and the Darbar Hall, courtyards, paintings, murals, pillars, domes and carved panels, all give an impression of the adeptness and skills of the architects and the workers of that period.

The ornamental ceilings and pillars of the Darbar Hall and the colorful murals of the Kalyan mandapa depicting the Dussehra festival processions, attract the attention of the travelers.

The museum in the palace that preserves the belongings of the royal family of the Wodeyars, including weapons, jewelery, royal wear and souvenirs.

Twelve ancient temples that surround the Palace, including the Varashaswamy Temple, which represents the Dravidian style of architecture.

The festive procession of Dussehra, with illuminated palace and ornamented Elephants topped with vivid Chattris, torch-light processions and gallantry parades are a must-see during the month of October/November.

NEARBY SIGHTSEEING:
The nearby attractions to the Mysore palace include other palaces of the city like Jagmohan Palace, Jayalakshmi Palace, Rajendra Vilasa and Lalitha Mahal.

Aparana Chauhan