Page 524 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - India

522  SOUTHWESTERN INDIA

Mysuru: Amba Vilas Palace

The magnificent Amba Vilas Palace, a
treasure house of exquisite carvings and
works of art from all over the world, was
built by the Wodeyar rulers. The main
block of this Indo-Saracenic building, with
domes, turrets, arches and colonnades,
was designed by Henry Irving in 1898.
It replaced an earlier structure that was
destroyed by a fire. During weekends
and festivals, thousands of light bulbs
enliven the palace’s stern grey exterior.
Public Durbar Hall
This richly decorated gold-and-turquoise hall, on
the second floor, exudes royal splendour. A series
of paintings on the rear wall shows the goddess
Durga in her various forms.

Amba Vilas Hall
The Private Durbar Hall is smaller
than, but as sumptuous as, the Public
Hall. It is roofed with stained glass
imported from Glasgow. The central
part of its ceiling is supported by
cast-iron columns and arches.

5 Mysuru 1793, levelled the old city and musical instruments, ceramics
built the present town. Today, and ivory. On its top floor is a
Mysuru district. 140 km (87 miles) SW
of Bengaluru. * 2,641,000. ~ 10 km Mysuru is an important cultural splendid collection of musical
(6 miles) S of city centre. £ @ centre, with the largest university instruments, as well as mag nifi-
n KSTDC Transport Wing, Hotel in Karnataka. It is also renowned cent paintings by the renowned
Mayura Yatri Niwas, 2 Jhansi Laxmi Bai for its ivory work, silk-weaving, 19th-century artist from Kerala,
Rd, (0821) 242 3652. _ Vairamudi sandalwood incense Raja Ravi Verma.
Festival (Mar/Apr), Feast of St Philomena and carvings. Near the northwestern
(Aug), Royal Dasara (Sep/Oct). Several elegant public corner of Amba Vilas Palace
buildings, erected under the is Krishnaraja Circle, where a
Situated among fertile fields, and Wodeyars, enhance the wide, statue of Krishnaraja Wodeyar
skirted by wooded hills, Mysuru tree-lined streets. In the heart of
was the capital of the Wodeyar the city is the Amba Vilas Palace.
rulers, who were governors To its west is Jagan mohan
of southern Karnataka under Palace, built in 1861 to mark
the Vijayanagar kings. The the coronation ceremony of
Wodeyar dynasty ruled almost Krishnaraja III. It partly obscures
uninterrupted from 1399 until a Neo-Classical structure,
Independence, except for the now the Chamarajendra
38-year rule of the Muslim Art Gallery, which
warlord Haider Ali and his son, houses an interesting
Tipu Sultan, in the 18th century collection of disparate
(see p521). Modern Mysuru is the objects including
creation of Tipu Sultan, who, in antique furniture, The crouching Nandi on Chamundi Hill
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp701–702 and pp716–17

522-523_EW_India.indd 522 26/04/17 11:48 am
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Catalogue template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2.6)
Date 12th July 2013
Size 125mm x 217mm