Mysore Palace: Where Architecture Meets Art and Culture โ A Historical Overview
Mysore Palace is also known as Amba Vilas Palace, is a historical palace and a royal residence. It is located in Mysore, Karnataka, India. It used to be the official residence of the Wadiyar dynasty and the seat of the Kingdom of Mysore. The palace is in the centre of Mysore, and faces the Chamundi Hills eastward.
Mysore is commonly described as the โCity of the Palacesโ, and there are seven palaces including this one. However, the Mysore Palace refers specifically to the one within the new fort.
The land on which the palace now stands was originally known as mysuru. The first palace inside the Old Fort was built in the 14th century. It was set ablaze and reconstructed multiple times.
The Old Fort was built of wood, so it easily caught fire. The current fort was built of stone, bricks and wood. The current structure was constructed between 1897 and 1912, after the Old Palace burnt down.
The current structure is also known as the New Fort. Mysore Palace is one of the most famous tourist attractions in India. After the Taj Mahal, more than three million annual visitors visited Mysore Palace as on 2014.
The palace at present is owned by 27-year-old Yaduveer Krishnadutta Chamaraj Wadiyar, who is the family head. In 2013, his uncle Srikantadatta Wadiyar died without a child and there was no successor. Rajmata adopted Yaduveer as their son and turned him into the king making him the sole heir.
Initially, the palace was a wooden fortress which was struck by lightning in 1638 and reconstructed under the rein of Kantirava Narasa Raja Wodeyar. In 1793 AD, when Tipu Sultan took over the Wodeyar Dynasty, he demolished the palace and rebuilt it.
History of Mysore Palace
The last palace is now known as the Old Palace or the Wooden Palace. It burned to ashes during the wedding of Jayalakshammani, the eldest daughter of Chamaraja Wodeyar in 1896.
Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV and his mother Maharani Kempananjammanni Devi commissioned the British architect Henry Irwin to build a new palace. E.W. Fritchley worked as a consulting engineer.
Meanwhile, the royal family stayed in the nearby Jaganmohan Palace. Its construction was overseen by an executive engineer in the Mysore Palace division.
He conducted elaborate architectural studies during his visits to Delhi, Madras, and Calcutta, and these were used to plan the new palace. The construction cost was placed at Rs 41,47,913 (around $ 30 million adjusted to inflation) and the palace was completed in 1912.
In around 1930, the palace was further expanded including the addition of the present Public Durbar Hall wing. It was done during the reign of Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar.
Architecture
It was designed by Henry Irwin, an English architect. Its style is that of Indo-Saracenic architecture, with elements from Islamic, Rajput, and Gothic architecture styles.
It is a three-story palace with gray granite structure, about 75 m (245 ft) long and about 48 m (156 ft) wide. There are square towers, five stories tall, at each of the cardinal points, topped with pink domes. The tallest tower, 44 m (145 ft) tall, is at the centre of the palace and is topped with a gold plated dome.
The faรงade has arches, canopies, and bay windows. There are seven arches and two smaller arches that connect to the centralized arch of the faรงade. Above the central arch is a sculpture of Gajalakshmi.
This beautiful palace is surrounded by gardens. It has four entrances named The โJaya Maarthaandaโ (main entrance) to the East, โJayaramaโ to the North, โBalaramaโ to the South, and โVarahaโ to the West.
Mysore Palace attractions
At the main entrance, there are bronze tigers, sculpted by British sculptor Robert William Colton, on either side of the walkways leading up to the palace.
The Gombe Thotti, also known as The Dollsโ Pavilion, was a place to display and worship dolls during Dasara festivities. Ane Bagilu, also known as Elephant Gate, is the main entrance to the palaceโs interior, symbolizing power and strength.
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