Mysore palace 🏛️.
📝The Mysore Palace, also known as Amba Vilas Palace, is a historical palace and a royal residence (house). It is located in Mysore, Karnataka. It used to be the official residence of the Wadiyar dynasty and the seat of the Kingdom of Mysore. It is in the centre of Mysore, and faces the Chamundi Hills eastward.The land on which the palace now stands was originally known as mysuru (literally, “citadel”). Yaduraya built the first palace inside the Old Fort in the 14th century, which was set ablaze and reconstructed multiple times. The Old Fort was built of wood and thus easily caught fire, while the current fort was built of stone, bricks and wood. The current structure was constructed between 1897 and 1912, after the Old Palace burnt down, the current structure is also known as the New Fort. Mysore Palace is one of the most famous tourist attractions in India, after the Taj Mahal, with more than six million annual visitors.
Location : 🗺 🌏
📝It is located in Mysore, Karnataka, situated in the southern state of Karnataka. It used to be the official residence of the Wadiyar dynasty and the seat of the Kingdom of Mysore. The palace is in the centre of Mysore, and faces the Chamundi Hills eastward.
Facts about Mysore palace : 🏷️🗞️
📌It Took 15 Years To Build The Palace.
📌The Palace Is Illuminated With Nearly 1 Lakh Bulbs.
📌The Golden Howdah Is Made Of Over 80 Kgs Of Gold.
📌The Complex Also Includes A Private Residential Museum.
📌There Are 12 Temples Within The Palace.
Brief note : ⚒🔨
🖋️Though Mysore is often referred to as the “City of Palaces”, the term Mysore Palace refers to the largest and the most opulent of all its surviving palaces located in the city center, called the Amba Vilas Palace.
🖋️This historical palace housed within the Old Fort facing the Chamunda Hills stands as the official residence of the Wadiyar dynasty. Comprising of two durbar halls, a number of colossal courtyards, buildings and strikingly beautiful gardens, it speaks volumes of the splendor of the Wadiyars.
🖋️History of Mysore Palace The Mysore Palace has a rich history attested to it. It used to be the residence of the royal Wadiyar family of Mysore from 1350 to 1950, for almost 600 years. During its lifetime, the palace had been built and rebuilt many times. In 1940, several renovations were made in the palace structure, which included the Public Darbar Hall. The descendants of the royal family continue to reside in one portion of the Mysore Palace, while most of the palace is now state-owned and converted into a museum.
🖋️The present palace is a relatively new one, constructed over the old palace that was destroyed in a fire in 1897. A model of this destroyed palace is the very first exhibit from the entrance. Photograph of the Old Palace at Mysore, taken by William Henry Pigou around 1855. Note the massive wooden columns of the porch. A large part of this palace was made of wood, causing the damage complete in that fire accident. Old Palace Model
🖋️Architecture of Mysore Palace The Mysore Palace is built in the Indo-Saracenic form of architecture. In other words, one can see the elements of Hindu, Islamic and Gothic elements in its structure and construction. The main frontage of the palace has nine arches, supported by ornamental pillars carrying a beautiful balcony without intermediate pillars. It is a three-storeyed stone palace which has a series of square towers with arches covered with domes. Entry to the palace is through “Gombe Thotti” or Doll’s Pavillion. The entrance gate and arch hold the emblem and coat of arms of the kingdom of Mysore, around which is written the kingdom’s motto in Sanskrit: translated as “never terrified”.
Detailed explanation : 📜
📝The three- story stone building of fine gray granite with deep pink marble domes has a facade with several expansive arches and two smaller ones flanking the central arch, which is supported by tall pillars covered with domes.
📝The tallest tower of the palace is a five storied tower, measuring about 145 feet (45 meters) at the centre of the palace. This projects up from the rest of the roof-line of the palace like a tower of a Gothic cathedral. However on top of it is a large dome, a very typical feature of Islamic/Persian style of structures. However it is metal gilded. Further on top of this dome is a domed Chhatri. That is, a smaller dome supported by slender pillars projecting up from the large dome. Domed Chhatri is a typical Rajput ( Rajasthani ) architectural feature. The domes are an element borrowed from the Islamic school of architecture. There are many deep pink marble domes projecting at the corners of the palace structure.
📝There is also a large open space in front with an open courtyard in the center, which is covered by a gold plated dome about 145 feet off the ground. A striking sculpture of Gajalakshmi, the goddess of wealth, prosperity, good luck is located above the central arch with her elephants. This is a common feature in Hindu architecture as the goddess Gajalakshmi is considered as a symbol of wealth, prosperity and abundance. The palace is surrounded by a large garden and houses a collection of exquisite carvings and works of art from all over the world.
📝This distant view from the southeast shows the great extent of the palace. The east facade, with its two-story arcade, is anchored on either end by red-domed towers grouped into blocks of four. The new palace covers a vast area; the south- side entrance is seen here, with the main part of the palace rising in the background.
📝The southern and northern extremities of the palace possess protruding balconies. These resemble that of the ‘jharokha’ of the Rajasthani architecture. The balconies appear three- storied from outside. That is, three rows of tall windows one over the other on the balconies. Top of the balcony is a semi- dome in deep pink stone , while the bottom is supported by a structural feature in the form a lotus.
📝It is another important architectural feature of the palace. There are many secret tunnels from the palace cellar that lead to Srirangapatna and other confidential areas. Jayamarthanda Gateway Balarama Jayarama Gateway is the northern gate way to the Mysore Palace. Just outside the gate are two old temple, Kote Ganapathy Temple and Kote Anjaneya Temple. Balarama Jayarama Gateway Elephant Gate in Mysore Palace has five entry points. The brass gate of ornate is the main doorway to the Mysore Palace. Elephant gate faces towards east which known as Ane Bagilu. All ceremonial processions began outside this Elephant gate. Gateways and the Walls The one located at the east, Jayamarthanda Gate, is the largest of the four gateways. Between the gateways and the palace is a sprawling garden.
📝Gateway to the royal palace Crest of the Balarama Jayarama Gateway Elephant Gate.
📝AREAS The palace has several unique rooms. These include the Public Durbar, where the king would host major ceremonial gatherings. There’s also the Kalyana Mantapa, a spectacular octagonal shaped hall where all royal weddings, birthdays and ceremonial functions were celebrated, the Private Durbar, the Gombe Thotti and the Portrait Gallery. The palace now converted into a museum, is home to souvenirs, paintings, jewelry, royal costumes and other items which were once possessed by the Wodeyars. However, the erstwhile Royal family continues to live in a portion of the Palace. It’s a rainbow of stained glass and mirrors. The lavishly decorated rooms are hidden behind elegantly decorated and intricately carved doors. Ambavilasa inside the Mysore palace, it is lined up with multiple rooms.
📝Gombe Thotti Entry to the palace is through the Gombe Thotti or the Doll’s Pavilion, a gallery of traditional dolls from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The pavilion also houses a fine collection of Indian and European marble sculpture and ceremonial objects like a wooden elephant howdah (frame to carry passengers) decorated with 84 kilograms of gold. Another fascinating exhibit is an elaborate clock with antoinettes, mechanical elements and a procession of dolls and the seven canons which is situated in front of the Gombe Thotti and are still fired to mark the beginning and end of the annual Dasara procession.
📝Old Palace .
📝Ganesha Shrine This shrine dedicated to Ganesha is attached to the Mysore Palace building and serves as a private shrine to the Wodeyar family. This shrine was saved when the whole of the palace was destroyed in a fire in 1897. Later when the palace was rebuilt in the present form, the Ganesha shrine got integrated to the palace structure. The shrine is accessed through the passage near the Durbar Hall.
📝The Kalyana Mantapa, or the wedding hall, is a grand octagonal- shaped room with multi-colored stained glass ceiling, which soars heavenward, and casts stunning colored shadows giving the whole place a surreal feel, with a rich tapestry of peacock motifs arranged in geometrical patterns and floral “mandalas” held by metal beams. Stone peacocks — The Kalyana Mantapa.
📝Outside the Marriage Pavilion, the walls are equally arresting with massive oil paintings, the multicolored columns and pillars carvings with scenes from the Mahabharata and the Ramayana , shows the rich Indian Cultural Heritage. The dome is supported by cast-iron pillars from Glasgow and grand chandeliers. The flooring of the room continues the peacock theme with a peacock mosaic, with tiles designed from England. On the floor are the embedded inlay work- Pietra Dura- popularly known as Agra work.
📝Royal Paintings On the southern part of the Kalyana Mantapa is the portrait gallery. It contains large portraits of the kings and princes along with innumerous examples of traditional Mysuru paintings. Locally available materials were used for these paintings and the subjects of the paintings include Hindu deities, courtly life, historic battles, and scenes from great Indian epics. The Portrait Gallery and the Period Furniture Room lead off this pavilion.
📝Public Durbar Hall On the first floor, a marble staircase leads to the magnificent new Durbar Hall (1938) of the Mysore Palace which is a part of the main palace enclosed on three sides and completely open on the eastern side. This hall is of a unique kind with magnificent proportions. Having a clear height of 15.24m, above ground level and hall measures 74.68m long and 24.38 m wide without any intermediate pillars.
📝The richly decorated gold-and-turquoise colonnaded hall with majestic bottle-shaped pillars painted in pleasing colors, and with asbestos-lined ceiling, is adorned with the paintings of the ten incarnations of Vishnu (Dashavatara). The central panel has the 12 signs of the Zodiac placed around the Hindu Trinity- Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara. A series of paintings on the rear wall shows the goddess Durga in her various forms. Also called the “Diwan-I-Am“, it was used for public audiences where the general population could meet the king at scheduled times to submit petitions, public announcements and hearings.
📝Great deal of plaster work on the ceiling- Blend of Native and Gothic styles.
📝The main frontage of the palace has nine arches, supported by ornamental pillars carrying a beautiful balcony without intermediate pillars. Ballroom inside Mysore Palace.
📝The Amba Vilas Hall A passage leads past the beautifully ivory-on- wood inlaid door of the Ganesh Temple, to the Amba Vilas where private audiences (Diwan-i- Khas) were held. It was here where the king would confer with his ministers. It was also the chamber in which he gave audience to people deserving special attention. This exquisitely decorated hall has three doors. Entry to this opulent hall is through an elegantly carved silver rosewood doorway inlaid with ivory that opens into a shrine dedicated to Ganesha. The central silver door depicts Vishnu’s 10 incarnations and the eight dikpalas (directional guardians), with Krishna figures on the reverse, all done in repoussé on teak and rosewood. Amba Vilas Palace, Mysore taken in the 1890s.
📝The room sports an art nouveau style, while 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 Golden Throne Golden Howdah or Chinnada Ambari is a magnificent and majestic throne mounted on a platform with steps leading up to the main seat where a beautiful golden umbrella hangs over it. It is a wooden structure with base carved out of fig wood, in the form of a mantapa which is covered with eighty kilograms of gold sheets and encrusted with precious stones, silver and jewelry.
📝Shwetha Varahaswami Temple The temple’s 5-story gopura is whitewashed; its figural sculptures include dvarapalas flanking the openings, and guardian faces on the top story. This 18th century temple is one of 12 that lie within the palace grounds. It is dedicated to the Varaha incarnation of Vishnu. With the chola style gateway tower, it is located on the northern side of the Palace complex with identical looking tower, providing a architectural symmetry to the campus layout The Bhuvaneshwari Temple.
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