Mysore Palace - WikiHQ

Mysore Palace, also known as Amba Vilas Palace, is a historic palace and royal residence located in Mysore, Karnataka, India. It served as the official residence of the Wadiyar dynasty and the seat of the Kingdom of Mysore, and was commissioned by Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV in August 1897 following the destruction of the previous structure in a fire. The design of the palace is attributed to Henry Irwin, a British architect who had earlier designed the Madras High Court, and Edwin Wolleston Fritchley, who would later design the Lalitha Mahal. Construction of the current structure began in 1897, and lasted until 1912. It is the largest of the seven palaces in the city of Mysore and is a prominent example of Indo-Saracenic architecture, combining Indo-Islamic, Rajput and Gothic architectural styles.

The land on which the palace now stands was recorded as the site of a small fort in the late 14th century. The first palace to occupy the location was built in the 17th century during the reign of Kanthirava Narasaraja I, and was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times. Since the early 19th century, the Mysore Dasara festival has been annually held on the palace grounds, culminating in an elephant procession on Vijayadashami. In 1998, the Karnataka state government enacted the Mysore Palace Acquisition Act, acquiring ownership of the palace from the Wadiyar family; the act was subsequently challenged in court.

As of 2024, Mysore Palace is one of the most famous tourist attractions in India, with more than four million annual visitors.

Etymology

The name Amba Vilas is of Sanskrit origin. Ambā (lit. "mother") is an epithet for the Hindu goddess Durga, who according to local legend slew the demon king Mahishasura atop the nearby Chamundi Hills. The word vilāsa (lit. "pleasure") refers to a residence of pleasure or luxury, and was commonly used to name palaces in India during British rule.

History

Wadiyar

In 1524, Chamaraja Wodeyar III, then a vassal of the Vijayanagara Empire, constructed a fort with earthen walls in the village of Puragere, the predecessor of Mysore. The first recorded mention of the palace dates from 1638, when Kanthirava Narasaraja I repaired and enlarged the palace within the fort after it had suffered damage from a lightning strike. During this time, Srirangapatna served as the de facto capital of the Kingdom of Mysore, and the palace was primarily used as a residence for the maharaja when he and his retinue would visit to worship at the nearby Chamundeshwari Temple.

By the time Tipu Sultan came to power as the Sultan of Mysore, the Mysore Palace had fallen into a state of neglect. In 1793, Tipu demolished the palace and parts of the outer walls of the fort, and used the stones and materials to begin construction of a new fortress to the east named Nazarabad. Following Tipu's death at the Battle of Srirangapatna in 1799, the British installed five-year old Krishnaraja Wodeyar III on the throne and began to rebuild the palace at Mysore, a project that took four years to complete. The newly restored palace was built in a Hindu style of architecture, and was made primarily of wood. Upon its completion, Mysore became the capital of the Kingdom of Mysore. Krishnaraja held the first durbar (royal assembly) at the palace in 1805, during the month of Navaratri.

thumb|The Old Mysore Palace before the fire, c. 1870|right

Following Krishnaraja's death, the coronation ceremony of five-year old Chamarajendra Wadiyar X took place on September 23rd, 1868 in a pavilion erected within the inner courtyard of the palace. The ceremony was held during the seventh day of the Dasara festival, and was attended by Lewin Bowring, the Chief Commissioner of Mysore, alongside numerous Indian and European luminaries. After Chamarajendra's death in 1894, a marble statue of his likeness was placed at the north entrance to the palace.

British

On February 20th, 1897, the northern portion of Mysore Palace was largely destroyed by a ruinous fire just after the wedding ceremony of Jayalakshmi Ammanni, the maharaja-kumari (eldest princess) of Chamarajendra. The conflagration killed eight people and destroyed one-fifth of the building, including the durbar hall, the palace armory, the Sanskrit library, and the music room. Only the living quarters at the rear of the palace were left unscathed.

thumb|A marble model of the new palace under construction, c. 1912|left

Kempananjammanni Devi, who was ruling Mysore state as regent for the thirteen-year old Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV at the time of the incident, commissioned the British architect Henry Irwin to build a new palace. E.W. Fritchley worked as a consulting engineer. Meanwhile, the royal family stayed in the nearby Jaganmohan Palace. Construction was overseen by an executive engineer in the Mysore Palace division. He conducted elaborate architectural studies during his visits to Delhi, Madras, and Calcutta, and these were used to plan the new palace. The construction cost was placed at Rs 41,47,913 (around million adjusted to inflation) and the palace was completed in 1912.

The palace was further expanded in around 1930 (including the addition of the present Public Durbar Hall wing) during the reign of Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar.

The pioneer of modern yoga as exercise, Krishnamacharya, taught yoga in the palace in the early 20th century, at the request of the Raja of Mysore. Among his pupils there were B. K. S. Iyengar and K. Pattabhi Jois, founders of Iyengar Yoga and Ashtanga Yoga respectively. An earlier Raja had 112 yoga postures (asanas) illustrated in a large 19th century book, the Sritattvanidhi, which likely influenced Krishnamacharya.

Indian

On January 26th, 1950, following the Dominion of India's transition to a republic and the adoption of the Constitution of India, Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar read a proclamation in the Durbar Hall of the palace in which he formally ceded control of the Kingdom of Mysore to the newly-created Republic of India. Jayachamaraja was subsequently named the first Governor of Mysore State. In 1951 and 1953, he had two temples constructed on the palace grounds, the Bhuvaneshvari Temple and Gayatri Temple. In 1971, the title of Maharaja of Mysore was abolished after the passage of the 26th Amendment, and the two front floors of the palace became a museum open to the public.

In 2017, an electrical fire caused by faulty wiring within an ATM kiosk caused damage to the east gate of the palace.

Architecture

File:Mysore Palace gate.jpg|Eastern entrance gate

File:Mysore Palace 3784.jpg|Southeast view of the façade

File:Mysore_palace_June2025_02.jpg|Central archways

File:A very well lit Durbar Hall (ceremonial meeting hall of the royal court) of Amba Vilas Palace (Mysuru Palace), during day.jpg|Marriage Hall

File:Mysore palace June2025 18.jpg|Durbar Hall

File:A Courtyard of Amba Vilas Palace (Mysuru Palace), during day.jpg|Wrestling courtyard

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The palace is a three-story building, roughly in length and in width, The defining structure of the palace is the five-story central tower, which culminates in a gold-plated onion-shaped dome characteristic of Mughal architecture. Instead of the typical finial, the main dome supports a smaller chhatri, a feature commonly seen in Rajasthani palaces. At both ends of the palace are three square towers, each five stories tall and topped with a pink marble dome and finial. A prominent sculpture of Gajalakshmi (a representation of Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth) is fixed above the central arch.

The main entrance to the palace, a wrought-iron gate named Ane Bagilu (lit. "elephant gate"), leads to a large open-air courtyard, traditionally used as an exhibition ground for wrestling during Dasara. Beyond the courtyard is the marriage hall, with an octagonal central pavilion, vaulted ceiling and a stained-glass dome supported by cast-iron pillars designed by the Scottish foundry Walter MacFarlane & Co. and imported from Glasgow. The walls of the marriage hall feature several oil paintings, depicting various rituals and functions associated with the Mysore Dasara festival held annually on the palace grounds.

The first floor of the palace is occupied by two large durbar halls, where the king would entertain important guests and conduct meetings with advisors. The public hall, known as Diwan-e-Aam, measures in length and in width, has an open view of the eastern entrance to the palace, and features several rows of ornately carved granite pillars. The ceilings are decorated with frescoes depicting deities from Hindu mythology, and the walls feature artwork from Indian painter Raja Ravi Varma. The inner private hall, known as Diwan-e-Khas, is similar in design to the public hall, and features carved teak doors and marble flooring decorated with intricate pietra dura inlays.

Attractions

At the main entrance, there are bronze tigers, sculpted by British sculptor Robert William Colton, on either side of the walkways leading up to the palace. The Gombe Thotti, also known as The Dolls' Pavilion, was a place to display and worship dolls during Dasara festivities. Ane Bagilu, also known as Elephant Gate, is the main entrance to the palace's interior, symbolizing power and strength.

Gallery

File:Mysore Palace 2812.jpg|Main approach to the Mysore Palace

File:Mysore Palace (8113480008).jpg|Lighting of Mysore Palace during Mysore Dasara (2012)

File:Roof design, Interior of the Mysore Palace, Mysore, Karnataka, India (2011).jpg|Roof artwork

File:Grand Interiors of Mysore Palace.jpg|Audience Hall

File:A Courtyard of Amba Vilas Palace (Mysuru Palace), during day.jpg|A courtyard of Mysore Palace during the day

File:A side view of the magnificent Amba Vilas Palace (Mysuru Palace), against blue coloured sky, Mysuru, Karnataka.jpg|A side view of the Mysore Palace

File:Mysore palace June2025 04.jpg|Kalyana-mantapa (marriage hall)

File:Gandaberundamysorepalace.jpg|The Gandaberunda, the mythical two-headed bird of immense power and good fortune was the royal emblem of the Wodeyar dynasty and is seen in motifs scattered across the palace.

File:Distant outer view of Mysore palace.jpg|Distant outer view of Mysore palace