Mysore Palace

Updated on 02-05-2022

Mysore palace:  One of the most important and beautiful palaces in India is Mysore palace. Mysore palace also known as Amba Vilas Palace is located in Mysore district of Karnataka in South India. It attracts millions of tourists every year.

Location: Mysore

State: Karnataka

Country: India

Language: Kannada

Visiting Hours: 10am-5pm open on all days

Address: Sayyaji Rao road, Agrahara, Chamrajpura, Mysore

Amba Vilas Palace

Mysore is located at the foothills of Chamundi Hills is also known as cultural capital of Karnataka, India. There are many touristic places in and around Mysore. The city has 7 palaces and is also known as city of palaces.

The city is famous for the celebrations of Dasara festival which is called as ‘Nada Habba’ meaning the festival of the land.  Mysore is not only famous for its touristic places but also for food, festivals and Mysore silk saree. Let us understand the history, architecture and the rulers of Mysore Palace. 


Mysore palace is located at the centre of Mysore city facing the Chamundi Hills. It is the official residence of the Wadiyar's.  The Wadiyar dynasty ruled the Kingdom of Mysore from 1339-1950 with a brief interruption around 1700.  

Mysore Palace is located in the old fort of Mysore. This magnificent and breath taking palace is an example of Indo Saracenic style of architecture.

This palatial building is the replacement of the wooden building which got burnt down in the year 1897 during the wedding of the eldest daughter of Chamaraja Wodeyar. Later by 1912 the palace got a complete revamp and now it is attracting millions of visitors every year. The present palace blends together with Muslim, Rajput, Hindu and Gothic style of architecture

History of Mysore Palace

Mysore palace was earlier built in wood. But it was burnt down completely during royal wedding in the year 1896. Hence Krishna Rajendra Wadiyar ordered for the restoration of the palace in the year 1897. British architect Lord Irwin was authorised to construct the new palace. The construction of the palace was taken care by BP Raghvalu Naidu who was working as executive engineer. The construction was completed in the year 1912.

The construction cost was close to Rs. 4,147,900.  Until the construction was completed the royal family was put up in the Jaganmohan Palace which is located closely to the Mysore palace.

 

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The grand Mysore Palace which we see now and which is world famous was constructed only in the year 1897. The Palace was further renovated in the year 1930 which included the Public Darbar Hall.

The royal Mysore Palace which used to be the residence of the royal Wadiyar family from 1350-1950 has been built and renovated several times to keep up the beauty of the palace.

The kingdom of Mysore was ruled by the Wadeyar dynasty from 1339-1950 with a brief interruption when Hyder Ali and Tipu sultan were in power.

The Wadeyars were Yadhavas who ruled Mysore for 600 years.  Yaduraya Wadiyar founded the Wadeyar dynasty in the year 1339. Yaduraya Wadeyar ruled Mysore under Vijayanagara Empire until 1423. After him many kings succeeded him and ruled the Mysore city.


Architecture of Mysore Palace

Architecture of the palace

The beauty of the Mysore Palace is unimaginable. The palace is built in Indo Sarcenic architecture with inclusion of Hindu, Mughal, Rajput and Gothic style. The palace is a three storied structure. The domes are built in marble stone.

The palace is beautifully decorated with intricate carvings and beautiful paintings all over. All along the corridors of the palace one can see the beautifully decorated walls with oil paintings of the royal family. The palace has a 145 foot five story tower.


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The important attraction is the Doll pavilion which is the entry to the palace. The grand Mysore palace has 3 gates. Usually only one gate is open all through the year. The gates are West gate, East gate and South gate. The East gate which is the front gate is opened only during the Dasara festival for important dignitaries.

The West gate is also opened only during Dasara festival. The South gate is opened all through the year. The palace has various secret tunnels which lead to Srirangapatna (a place close to Mysore which was the capital of Wadeyars for few years)

The palace is adorned with various arches all around. The sculpture of Goddess Gajalakshmi is placed above the central arch. There are three temple buildings in the old fort and 18 within the palace. The palace is facing Chamundi hills where Goddess Chamundi is present. The Wadeyars are great devotees of Goddess Chamundi.

The palace consists of two durbar halls and gardens, rooms and courtyards. The central part of the palace is a big open court. The central part of the palace is the huge court next to it is the royal marriage hall.


The palace is surrounded by beautiful garden all around making it a beautiful place to spend quality time. The main and the important attractions at the Mysore palace is the Golden Royal Elephant Throne, the Durbar and the Kalyana Mantapam or the wedding hall.

The elephant gate which is the main entrance to the palace is fully decorated with different floral designs and also has the Mysore royal symbol of a double headed eagle. The Durbar Hall has beautiful intricate carvings on its ceilings and pillars.


Important places inside Mysore Palace

Beautiful paintings

Mysore palace has many attractions inside it. Some of the famous are the paintings on the wall of the Palace. The beauty of these paintings is as we move we feel that the painting is looking at us.

These paintings which mesmerises the tourists are present mainly in the Durbar Hall. The credit for these painting goes to Ravi Varma.  This is one of the magnificent and most famous places in Mysore Palace. King used to conduct different meetings here. The hall is decorated with beautiful wall paintings, large mirrors and marble floorings.


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Another important attraction is the Golden Throne which was used by the rulers of Kingdom of Mysore. Now this throne is displayed to public only during Dasara festival . The private Hall or the Amba vilas hall is a place where king used to hold his private meetings with ministers and some other important dignitaries.

The hall is beautifully decorated with candillers and paintings on the ceilings. The entrance door which is a masterpiece is carved with beautiful designs. The door is made up of rosewood.


Some other important places in the palace are Kalyana Mandapa which is octagonal in shape with glass ceilings. One cannot miss any thing in the palace. It can be the Diwan I Aam or even the Doll house. There is another important place where all the arms used by the kings are displayed to the public. It mainly contains weapons like pistols, cutlasses etc.

The palace includes 12 Hindu temples which were constructed in 14th century. The oldest temple was built in 14th century and the latest temple was built in the year 1953.

Some of the important temple that are present in the palace are Someshvara temple of Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu temple known as Laksminarayana temple and temples of Lord Krishna, Goddess Gayatri, Goddess Bhuvaneshwari can also be seen.

Light and Sound Show:

When you visit the palace don’t miss the light and sound show which happens in the evenings. It is just amazing and beautiful to watch. Every day the whole palace gets illuminated from 7:40 to 7:45 pm and during weekends, national Holidays the palace gets illuminated from 7pm to 7:45 pm. 

The sound and light show takes place every day except Sundays and other national holidays from 7pm to 7:40 pm. The entry charge for the show is 40Rs for Indian adult and 25 for children.  The charges for the foreign nationals  would differ.

Dasara festival

How to reach


How to reach:

Mysore is well connected by road, air and rail from Bangalore and other major cities of India. One can even hire a cab from Bangalore. The drive is close to 3hrs from Bangalore. 

By air: The nearest International Airport is the Bengaluru International Airport. From here one can take a bus or cab to drive to Mysore.

By road: Mysore is well connected by road. It has number of government and private buses from all the major cities in Karnataka. Mysore has two major bus stand.

By rail: Mysore has a good railway facility and is well connected to different cities across India. Mysore Junction is the cities main junction.


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Around Mysore

There are many tourists places around Mysore. Some of the important places around Mysore are Ooty, Kodikanal, Srirangapatna, Kabini river, Nagarhole National park, Bandipur National park and many more.

One can plan well for a week’s trip to Mysore so that they can cover all the places. Best time to visit Mysore is during Dasara Festival in the month of October.

The 10 day celebrations are world famous and many cultural activities takes place during this period. The whole city gets illuminated. Otherwise also Mysore is a touristic place that can be visited all through the year. The weather is not harsh either during summer or during winters.

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