The past rulers of Indian civilization have shown keen interest in Paintings, Architecture, Arts, science, knowledge, war techniques, etc. Some rulers try to build many buildings like temples, palaces, monuments, etc to show their wealth and love for architecture. In that way, the Wadiyar dynasty builds the marvelous architectural beauty that is still talked about today, Mysore Palace. Mysore has 7 more palaces but this palace stands on top among others. Let’s see some of the facts about Mysore palace.

History

A picture covering the whole palace

The Wadiyar kingdom’s first palace was built in the 14th century which is an old fort. The Puragiri fort that faces the Chamundi temple was built by Yaduraya, the founder of the Wadiyar dynasty. The fort was demolished and reconstructed for some purpose and its construction ended in 1574 at Chamaraja Wadiyar IV rule. The old palace has been demolished and reconstructed several times because of a fire accident in princess Jayalakshmmani’s wedding and lightning struck. When they started to upgrade the building, they lost their kingdom to Tipu Sultan in 1797. But Tipu’s rule doesn’t last long. After Tipu’s death, Krishnaraja Wadiyar came to power and started rebuilding the kingdom.

By the order of King Krishnaraja Wadiyar and his mother Kempananjammanni, they started to build today’s Mysore palace. They appointed Henry Irwin as the architect. Henry Irwin visited many places to understand the designs and come up with a plan to build the Palace. They spent around 15 years completing the project with an estimate of 41 lakh Indian rupees in 1912.

Architecture and Interiors

A sculpture of a wild animal

The palace is built in Indo-Saracenic style including Hindu, Mughal, Rajput, and Gothic architectural styles. A three-storied palace was built using Pink domes, Arches, colonnades, and surrounded by a green garden. Another palace with a five-storied building of 145 feet high with a gold-plated dome on top. The palaces include Courtyards, two Durbar halls, and royal family living quarters. The vast space around the palace is filled by building 12 temples around it. The palace had many renovations to make it a perfect piece of architectural marvel.

The big palace has 4 main entrances with its specialty. The east gate of the palace is called Jaya Marthanda which is the front gate and is only used in the Dasara festival. The West gate Varaha is also opened in the Dasara festival. The South gate Balarama is the gate that is used for public audiences. The North gate Jayarama with the inscription of Mysore Kingdom’s emblem and coat of arms can be found.

The interior of the palace has a glowing floor finish, Czechoslovakia Chandeliers, weapons, Ravi Varma paintings, and ancient sculptures. The Peacock-themed wedding hall and Doll collection room amaze the crowd audiences. The ornaments of the royal family, Gold decorated elephant howdah, Golden throne and Palanquin of kings are kept in the display. The palanquin used by the kings is used today for Goddess Durga in the Dasara festival.

Palace with light decoration at night

The light and sound show in the evening draws many crowds of people for the show of cultural heritage and tradition of the Wadiyar dynasty. The night illumination view with a black background of the sky gives a tremendous and breathtaking look.

Things that should not be missed

People who are planning to go to Mysore palace shouldn’t forget to visit the following places:

Doll’s pavilion.
Golden howdah.
Octagon marriage hall.
Amba Vilas, the hall used by the king for a private audience.
Ravi Varma paintings.
Temples.
Casket room with royal collections.
Wrestling yard and
Illumination of the palace in the evening.

These are some of the facts of Mysore palace and its history. Families and people often visit the palace to spend some quality time. According to data, 1.4 million people visit the Mysore palace a year. To spend quality time to know about the history of the Indian Kingdom, visiting the palace is advised.