The Indo-Saracenic style Mysore Palace, once the
royal residence of Wodeyar Maharaja, is one of the largest palaces in
the country. Also known as Amba Vilas, the original wooden palace got
burnt down in 1897 and was rebuilt in 1912 in its present design by the
well-known British architect, Henry Irwin. The palace houses a treasure
of superb carvings and artistic works from all over the world. The
palace is a three storeyed building with a series of square arched
towers crowned by domes. A gold-plated dome 145 from the ground covers
the open courtyard in the centre. The dramatic entranceway of the place
takes you through the the 'Gombe Thotti' (the Doll's Pavilion) that
exhibits classic European and Indian sculpture and ceremonial articles.
The main entrance to the center of the palace is through the Elephant
Gate, ornamented with floral designs and sporting a double-headed eagle
as the royal symbol of Mysore.The highlights of the palace are dolls from early nineteenth to twentieth century, a ceremonial wooden elephant 'howdah' (seat mounted on elephant) ornamented with 84 kilogram of 24 carat gold, the magnificent 'Kalyana Mantapa' (the marriage pavilion) with a octagonal gabled ceiling with multi-colored stained glass peacock motifs and beautiful Chechoslavakian chandeliers. The other places to see here are the 'Diwan-I-am' Durbar Hall on the second floor with many sculpture pillars painted in gold and having an original painting of the renowned painter Raja Ravi Verma. 'Diwan-e-khas' (Hall for Private Audience) with beautiful stained glass ceiling and blue, red and gold walls and ceilings and the typical Dravidian style Varashaswamy Temple with a gopuram are other places that should not be missed here. There is a museum too exhibiting royal paintings and portraits, jewellery, royal costumes and trivia. The 200kg gold artistic royal throne of the Wodeyars is displayed only during the Dussera festival. The palace presents an awe-inspiring scene when it is illuminated on Sunday nights.
