Mysore Palace

Mysore Palace is located in Mysore district of Karnataka state. This palace is also known as Amba Vilasa Palace. Mysore Palace is a historic palace and royal residence. It was the official residence of the Yaduvamsa dynasty and was the seat of the Mysore Empire. Mysore Palace is one of the most famous tourist attractions in India.

Mysore Palace is about 142 km from Bangalore and 42.2 km from Mandya and just 02 km from Mysore.

Mysore Palace is open from 09:30 AM to 5:30 PM.

The palace is located in the center of the city of Mysore, Mysore is often referred to as the ‘city of palaces’, with seven palaces including this one.

History

The Mysore Palace was built in the 14th century, burned and rebuilt several times. The old palace was built of wood. But the present palace is built of stone, bricks and wood. After the old palace burnt down, the present palace was built between 1897 and 1912 by Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV and his mother Maharani Kempananjammanni Devi. The current structure is also known as the New Palace. Later, the palace was further expanded (including the present public Durbar Hall section) around 1930 during the reign of Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar. The royal family remained in the nearby Jaganmohan Palace.

The palace faces the Chamundi hill towards the east. Indo-Sarcenic is an architectural style that is influenced by Islamic, Rajput and Gothic architectural styles. It is a three-storied, gray granite, structure about 75 m long and about 48 m wide. At each of the cardinal points are square towers five stories high, topped with rose domes. The tallest tower is 44 m high and is located in the center of the palace and the top of the dome is gold plated.

The facade has arches, seven arches and two smaller arches connecting the central arch of the facade. On the central arch is a sculpture of Gajalakshmi. The palace is surrounded by gardens. It has four entrances. East will be called ‘Jaya Marthanda’ (Main Gate), North ‘Jayarama’, South ‘Balarama’ and West ‘Varaha’.

There are tigers carved in bronze at the main entrance on either side of the passages leading to the palace. Gombe Totti, also known as Gombe Mantapa, is a place to display and worship dolls during the Dussehra festival. Ane Door, also known as the Elephant Gate, is the main entrance to the interior of the palace.