CASE STUDY

OF A FAMOUS
BUILDING

CASE STUDY
Mysore Palace
at

MYSORE PALACE
Mysore.

SCHOOL OF
ARCHITECTURE

• SESSIONAL
• INTRODUCTION TO
ARCHITECTURE

ARCHITECTURE - A 5
2ND SEMESTER 2013-2014
MY NAME
MY STUDENT ID
Location :
•Karnataka has been ranked as the fifth most
popular state in the country for Tourism

•Mysore is the second largest city in the state

of Karnataka.

•Mysore is known as the Palace City of India.

•Till 2006 the Mysore palace was the most visited

monuments in India.
•The main entrance or
Jayamartanda Gate is on the
Eastern most side.

•There’s also a North & a South

gate. Southern gate is open for
the visitors.

•The Main palace or Durbar is on

the Western end.

•About 65-70% of the total area

is greenery.

Palace Map
Mysore Palace ( Amba Vilas Palace)

Construction period : 1897-1912

Location : Mysore, Karnataka.

Built by : Wodeyar dynasty.

Architect : Henry Irwin.

Architectural Style : Indo-Saracenic.

HISTORY
•The present building is
relatively new, constructed
over the old palace that was
destroyed in fire.

•The first palace in Mysore

was built in 14th century,
which was demolished &
constructed several times.

•Construction of the current

Palace was commissioned in OLD MYSORE PALACE
1897 & completed in 1912.
 Architecture of
Mysore Palace
The Architectural style of Mysore
Palace is commonly described as
Indo-Saracenic. It blends together
Hindu, Muslim, Rajput & gothic
styles of Architecture.

•It blends together Hindu, Muslim,

Rajput & gothic styles of
Architecture.
 •There are three storeyed Protruding
balconies.

•They have semi-domes made of pink

stone, while the bottom resembles a
lotus.

•On the top of the Main gate

there are chattris, which is a
Rajput architectural style.
•On the front façade of the Palace, on can see the big central archway, that is
the main entrance to the building. On either side of this large archway are
two smaller arches.

•The arches are

cusped and of
Sassanian in
origin.

•These are
supported by
massive pillars.
Main Entrance
•The main
archway opens to
a wide passage (
Jayamartanda
Gate).

•The court is open

to the sky & an
enclosed
verandah runs
around this court.
•The whole court is netted at the top to prevent
bird messing the inside
•The whole superstructure of the octagonal
shaped ceiling & the pillars were specially made
by the legendary scottish foundry Waltr
MacFarlane & Co. Ltd.
•There are a great deal of plaster work on the
ceiling
•The capitals are beautifully carved with hard
granite.
 WOODWORK

•Excellence of local craftsmanship.

•Massive doors carved out of teak &

rosewood.

•On the frames & lintels there are

finely done inlay work. At first it may
look like painting, but on closer look
they are ivory chips embedded on the
surface.

•To protect from tampering such works

are overlaid with transparent perplex.
Stained Glass

•The durbar hall has

intricately designed tinted
glass ceilings.

•This illuminates the hall

completely

•The light play do wonders

on the otherwise brightly
painted pillared durbar
hall
 Science & Technology
•One of the main concerns was to make the palace fireproof specially after the
destruction of the old palace in fire.

•So, stone & metal were used in the superstructure instead of traditional
woodwork.

•Locally available materials were used , like hard Granite brought from quarries
present around present day Mysore.

•Anything from teak wood, to marble, to granite, to ivory is used in tastefull ways to
make this a charming piece of Art.
 Bronze Tigers
There are 8 bronze tigers installed on pedestals in
The Mysore Palace

•Six of them are located in

the arena in front of the
palace building.

•Another pair is located

inside tha Palace.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Positive point
•It is not as over-commercialised as other famous monuments in India.

Negative points

•The Mysore Palace may be a example of great Architecture, but it is not as

spectacular as the Taj Mahal or The Lotus temple.
Myths or Facts ?
The ancestry of the 200 kg, pure gold, throne at the Mysore Palace is
believed to be traced back to the Pandavas - of the Mahabharata fame.

The Palace is the 4th structure that has been built on the same spot.

An estimated 97,000 light bulbs are used to eleminate & create the
enchanting image of the Palace during festivals, holidays & on Sundays.

Mysore palace was built for Rs. 42 lakhs( 100 million dollars)
THANK
YOU