THE MYSORE

PALACE
An Architectural Overview
 Contents
 Introduction
 History
 Architectural Features
 What We Can Learn
 References
 Introduction
 Also known as Amba Vilas Palace
 Owner: Rajmata Pramoda Devi Wodeyar
 Location: Mysore, Karnataka
 Coordinates: 12°18’14”N, 76°39’16”E
 Construction period: 1897 - 1912
 Cost of Construction: 42 lakh (approx.)
 Ground Floor Area: 245ft X 156ft
 Famous for: Dusshera festivities
 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.
MAP OF THE PALACE
 Architecture
Indo Saracenic Revival Style
(Hindu, Muslim, Rajput and Gothic)
 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.
 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”

The main frontage of the palace has nine arches,

supported by ornamental pillars carrying a beautiful
balcony without intermediate pillars.
 The threestory 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.
 Central Tower:
Chhatri  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
Large dome the rest of the roof-line of the palace like a
tower of a Gothic cathedral
 Tower projects up from the rest of the roofline
like a tower of a Gothic cathedral
 Top of tower is a large dome
– Persian Style
 Top of the dome is a domed Chhatri
– Rajput Style
 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.
The new palace covers a vast area; the southside entrance This distant view from the southeast shows the great
is seen here, with the main part of the palace rising in the extent of the palace. The east facade, with its two-story
background. arcade, is anchored on either end by red-domed towers
grouped into blocks of four.
 The southern and northern extremities of the palace
possess protruding balconies. These resemble that of the
‘jharokha' of the Rajasthani architecture. The balconies
appear threestoried from outside. That is, three rows of
tall windows one over the other on the balconies. Top of
the balcony is a semidome in deep pink stone , while the
bottom is supported by a structural feature in the form a
lotus.
Gateways and the Walls
 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.
 The one located at the east, Jayamarthanda Gate, is
the largest of the four gateways. Between the Jayamarthanda Gateway
gateways and the palace is a sprawling garden.
 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.

Elephant Gate Gateway to the royal

palace

Crest of the
Balarama
Jayarama
Gateway
 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
Ambavilasa inside the Mysore
souvenirs, paintings, jewelry, royal costumes and other items palace, it is lined up with multiple
which were once possessed by the Wodeyars. However, the rooms
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.
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 Model

Dolls Pavillion
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
 The Kalyana Mantapa, or the wedding hall, is
a grand octagonalshaped 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.
 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.
 Outside the Marriage Pavilion, the walls are
equally arresting with massive oil paintings,
On the floor are the embedded inlay
the multicolored columns and pillars work - Pietra Dura - popularly known
carvings with scenes from the Mahabharata as Agra work
and the Ramayana , shows the rich Indian
Cultural Heritage.
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
The Portrait Gallery and
paintings include Hindu deities, courtly life, the Period Furniture
historic battles, and scenes from great Indian Room lead off this
epics. 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.
 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.
 The richly decorated gold-and-turquoise colonnaded hal
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.
 Great deal of plaster work on the ceiling-
Blend of Native and Gothic styles
Ballroom inside
Mysore Palace

 The main frontage of the palace

has nine arches, supported by
ornamental pillars carrying a
beautiful balcony without
intermediate pillars.
The Amba Vilas Hall
 A passage leads past the beautifully ivory-onwood inlaid door of
the Ganesh Temple, to the Amba Vilas where private audiences
(Diwan-iKhas) 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. Amba Vilas Palace, Mysore
 This exquisitely decorated hall has three doors. Entry to this taken in the 1890s
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.
 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
semiprecious 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
 Either side of Golden Howdah or Chinnada Ambari is 2
ivory fly whisks, finely cut strips of ivory form the bristles
which are tipped with zari, type of thread made from
thinnest gold or silver wire.
 Golden Howdah has an intricate designs consisting of
scrolls, foliage and flowers. It is embellished with the Holy
Trinity, female figurines, soldiers, elephants, horses,
creepers and other patterns.
Temples
Lakshmiramana Temple
 The Mysore palace complex has a selection of 12
Hindu temples. They have been built over a vast
expanse of time with the oldest being built in the
14th century. The latest one was built in 1953.
Someshvara Temple, dedicated to God Lord
Shiva and Lakshmiramana Temple, dedicated to
God Lord Vishnu are some of the more famous Halasuru Someshwara Temple
temples.
 The Maharajas of Mysore were devotees of
Goddess Chamundi, which is why the palace
faces Chamundi Hill.
Gayatri Temple
 Shwetha Varahaswami Temple This 18th
century temple is one of 12 that lie within
the palace grounds. It is dedicated to the
Varaha incarnation of Vishnu.

The Bhuvaneshwari Temple

With the chola style gateway
The temple's 5-story
tower, it is located on the
gopura is whitewashed;
northern side of the Palace
its figural sculptures
complex with identical looking
include dvarapalas
tower, providing a architectural
flanking the openings,
symmetry to the campus layout
and guardian faces on
the top story.
 The palace is illuminated with ninety seven thousand
bulbs at night on Sundays and during the holiday season
of Dussehra.
Bronze Tigers
 There are 8 larger than life size bronze tigers installed
on pedestals in the Mysore Palace.
 Six of them are located on the arena in front of the
palace building. They are installed in pairs as if
guarding the 3 pathways radiating out of this
expansive courtyard in front of the palace.
 Another pair is located inside the palace building
which can be seen on the porch inside the palace ,
near the Marriage Pavilion.
Wrestling Courtyard
 Wrestling Courtyard in Mysore Palace is the
eye witness of several games like wrestling
competition, which is one of the most famous
games in India. Among the other European
and Indigenous sports held, include Horse
races, Foot Ball, Polo tournament, the chase,
etc.

Wrestling Courtyard
Gardens in Mysore Palace
 Mysore Palace has a well laid garden within
the complex.
The Fort
 Faced with the grandeur of Amba Vilas Palace, it is easy to miss
the historic fort that surrounds it and is amongst Mysore’s unique
experiences.
 The original walls were built under the Wadiyars in 1524 but
gradually the defensive glacis was flattened and defensive ditch
was filled, but the stone wall is still intact. Over time, the wall was
rebuilt and extended several times, the mud walls replaced
eventually with stone.
 Later, Tipu had them pulled down with plans to rebuild but died
before the plans came to fruition. Subsequently, they were
reconstructed by the British in 1799. Originally, the fort area was a
bustling centre of life, packed with houses, but these were moved
out in 1910.
What We Can Learn
 Adaptability
 Mixing various styles
 Local materials
 Going with the advancing
technology
 Local craftsmanship
References
 www.mysorepalace.gov.in
 www.onlinejournal.in
 www.wikipedia.org
 www.slideshare.net
THANK YOU
By : SNEHA DEVARAJU (1IE18AT030)
NAGA VAIBHAVI S V (1IE18AT025)