The magnificent Mysore Palace is the official residence of Wodeyar's - the erstwhile royal family of Mysore. Also known as Amba Vilas Palace, it was designed by British architect, Henry Irwin. Built in 1912, it follows the Indo-Sarcenic style, which blends together Hindu, Muslim, Rajput, and Gothic styles of architecture. It is a three-storied stone structure, with marble domes, arched canopies, cuppolas, turrets and a five-storied tower. The palace houses a large garden and is surrounded by twelve temples dating from the 14th to the 20th centuries. The interiors of the palace is opulent with entry through the Gombe Thotti or the Doll’s Pavilion. Th pavillion houses a gallery of traditional dolls from the 19th and early 20th centuries as well as a fine collection of Indian and European sculptures and the ceremonial Golden Howdah decorated with 84 kilograms of gold.
Elegantly carved rosewood doorway inlaid with ivory opens into a shrine to Ganesha. The central nave of the hall has ornately gilded columns, stained glass ceilings, decorative steel grills, and chandeliers with fine floral motifs, mirrored in the pietra dura mosaic floor embellished with semi-precious stones.
The Kalyana Mantapa or marriage hall is a grand octagonal-shaped pavilion with a multi-hued stained glass ceiling. The entire structure was wrought in Glasgow and features Bohemian chandeliers and multi-hued stained glass arranged in peacock designs. The walls of the entrance passageway displays 26 exquisite paintings of the royal procession and Dasara celebrations. The floor repeats the peacock theme with a peacock mosaic.
Also visit the the Residential Museum which displays a collection of paintings, musical instruments, crystal, chandeliers, toys, furniture, royal trousseaux, and even an armoury.
Beautiful gardens seated below the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) Dam , is one of the most visited places by tourists and locals, in Mysore. Located about 19km from Mysore city, the garden is spread across an area of 60 acres; a fruit orchard spanning 75 acres adjoins it. Designed by Sir Mirza Ismail, a progressive Diwan of Mysore, the garden is known for its symmetry and is considered as one of the best gardens in India.
The garden is laid out in three terraces which contain water fountains, ficus trees, foliage plants such as duranta plumaria and euphorbia and flowering plants like celosia, marigold and bougainvillea. The garden also has topiary works (sculptures created by clipping shrubs), pergolas (shaded passageway covered by creepers) and gazebos.
One of the star attractions are the many musical fountains. The fountains are of different sizes and are lit with lamps of different shades and colors. They also have interesting names which correspond to the design and shape of the fountain; some of them include, arch fountain, cross fountain, inverted basket fountain, umbrella fountain and pyramid fountain.
After sunset, the fountains come alive, dancing to the accompanying music. When the garden is illuminated in the evening, the sight is truly stunning.
The KRS Dam, built at the confluence of three rivers - Cauvery, Hemavathi and Lakshmanathirtha, is a fine example of marvelous engineering skills. The dam was among the first in the world to have automated sluice gates. It was built in 1924, by one of India's finest engineers- Sir M Visveshwariah, and was named after the Maharaja of Mysore - Sri Krishnaraja Wodeyar.
One of the first sights noticed by a visitor to Mysore is the Chamundi Hill, which is visible from almost anywhere in the city. Located at the fringe of Mysore City, Chamundi Hill towers at a height of 1065m and provides a bird's eye-view of this Heritage City.
One can either drive up or climb the 1,000 steps, leading to the Chamundi Temple at the summit. On the way to the summit (after almost half the distance is covered), is the 16-ft monolithic Nandi Bull, Lord Shiva's chosen vehicle.
Atop the hill is the famous 17th-century temple of goddess Chamundeshwari (avatar of goddess Parvathi), the patron deity of the Wodeyars. Legend has it, that after Chamundeshwari killed the demon Mahishasura, she took up residence on this hill. The towering Mahishasura statue near the temple marks the triumph of good over evil.
The Jaganmohan Palace is more than 150 years old and was used as a royal residence, till the Amba Vilas Palace was built. The ornamental front portion with a hall, called the Wedding Pavilion was used as the Dubar Hall. To this day many cultural activities and conferences are held in this hall. This hall has two huge wooden doors carved with the Dashavatharas or ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu.
The three-storeyed main structure of Jaganmohan Palace was converted into a picture gallery and museum by Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV in 1915, and is known by the name of Jayachamarejendra Art Gallery. The picture gallery houses black and white photos of ceremonial occasions and elaborate imported clocks.
The Mysore Zoo was set up by Maharaja Chamarajendra Wodeyar, a nature buff, who set up a number of parks and sanctuaries during his reign. The zoo was established under royal patronage in 1892, which makes it one of the oldest zoos in the world. When the Maharaja traveled abroad, he would bring back, rare animals from the countries visited for the zoo's collection.The 10-acre sprawling zoo has rare and exotic species housed in a verdant setting. The animals include lions, white tigers, chimpanzees, giraffes, cheetah, lion-tailed macaques, Asian elephants, tapir and African black rhinos.
The museum features famous paintings of reputed artists like Ravi Varma, Nandalal Bose, Venkatappa, Roerich and Haldenkar. It also houses remarkable collection of Rembrandt paintings. Even some of the walls of the gallery are covered with rich colorful paintings relating to the reign of Krishnaraja Wodeyar III. Other interesting exhibits include, a French musical calendar-clock with toy soldier's march-past as each hour strikes, antique furniture, sandalwood and ivory figurines and a cluster of musical instruments.
Treat yourself to a guided tour or self tour of the palace complex. Mysore Palace Board certified tour guides can be found at the entrance of the palace. Photography is not permitted inside the palace complex.
The Mysore Palace is open all days of the week, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The palace is illuminated on Sundays, national holidays and state festivals from 7:00 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Every autumn, the palace serves as the venue to Mysore Dasara festival. During the ten-day Dasara celebration, the palace is illuminated with thousands of light bulbs and presents a spectacular sight. The palace is illuminated between 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. during the Dasara festival.
At 19:00 hours, the entire garden comes alive with colors, music and fountains. The fountains dance to the tune of the music and the colors splash across them in a harmonized fashion throughout the garden.
There is a set of equestrian steps carved out on the hill, these steps were used by the kings of Mysore, who would mount on horses, and ascend the hill. There are about 1,000 steps and the climb is not very arduous. The view of Mysore city from the summit is spectacular. It is even more breathtaking at night, with the sight of glittering lights from the town.
One can take a leisure walk through the garden and observe the beautiful flowers, topiary works and the symmetry of the garden. It is also a great place for picnics with children. The garden is open to the public between 06:30 to 21:00 hours.
The zoo covers a large area and takes almost about two hours to cover. For those of you who think this might be exhausting, there are convenient battery-operated trams. Take a spin in one of these trams which covers every nook of the zoo.
