The Mesmerizing -MYSORE PALACE

A priceless national treasure and the pride of a kingdom, the Mysore Palace is the seat of the famed Wodeyars(The Royal Kings of Mysore).

A mishmash of architectural styles, the Mysore Palace resembles, in roughly equal proportions, everything from a medieval Mughal mausoleum to an opulent French chateau- and almost any form of magnificent building in between. Uninhibited grandeur is the buzzword here- and it has to be seen to be believed.

The site where today’s Mysore Palace stands was once the site for an earlier wooden palace, which burnt down in a fire during 1897. For those with a penchant for the sumptuous, this proved to be a stroke of luck- for the building that was constructed in its stead was one which goes the whole hog when it comes to sheer splendour.

Once the residence of the former Wodeyar kings of Mysore, the palace was designed by the British architect Henry Irwin (who was also the brain behind Shimla’s Viceregal Lodge). The building combines a range of architectural styles- Dravidian, Indo-Saracenic, Roman and Oriental. Towering columns, bulbous red domes, glistening marble floors, carved mahogany ceilings, ornate arches, stained glass and massive doors inlaid with ivory are all part of the show- and as much as the building itself, the regalia it houses is worth a tour.

Spread across the palace are a series of galleries which contain a vast and impressive array of memorabilia- from huge paintings to imposing sculptures, weaponry to old costumes and jewellery.

Amongst the must-sees are a bejeweled golden throne and a really quirky howdah equipped with red and green lights to enable the Maharaja to instruct the mahout to `stop’ or `go’! On Sundays, government holidays and festivals, the entire palace is illuminated with all of 50,000 light bulbs- a spectacle which is truly magnificent.

MYSORE PALACE-WHEN LIT UP
The palace complex includes twelve Hindu temples. The oldest of these was built in the 14th century, while the most recent was built in 1953.