The Mysore Palace, also known as Amba Vilas Palace, is a historical palace and a royal residence (house). It is located in

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...

, Karnataka. It used to be the official residence of the

Wadiyar dynasty The Wadiyar dynasty (formerly spelt Wodeyer or Odeyer, also referred to as the Wadiyars of Mysore), is a late-medieval/ early-modern South Indian Hindu royal family of former kings of Mysore from the Urs clan originally based in Mysore city. ...

and the seat of the Kingdom of Mysore. The palace is in the centre of Mysore, and faces the Chamundi Hills eastward. Mysore is commonly described as the 'City of Palaces', and there are seven palaces including this one. However, the Mysore Palace refers specifically to the one within the new fort. The land on which the palace now stands was originally known as ''mysuru'' (literally, "citadel"). Yaduraya built the first palace inside the Old Fort in the 14th century, which was set ablaze and reconstructed multiple times. The Old Fort was built of wood and thus easily caught fire, while the current fort was built of stone, bricks and wood. The current structure was constructed between 1897 and 1912, after the Old Palace burnt down, the current structure is also known as the New Fort. Mysore Palace is one of the most famous tourist attractions in India, after the

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal (; ) is an Islamic ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1631 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mu ...

, with more than six million annual visitors.

Engineering and construction

The last palace, now known as the Old Palace or the Wooden Palace, burned to ashes during a wedding in 1896. Maharaja

Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV (Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar; 4 June 1884 – 3 August 1940) was the twenty-fourth maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore, from 1902 until his death in 1940. He is popularly called '' Rajarshi'' ( sa, rājarṣi, li ...

and his mother Maharani Kempananjammanni Devi 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 Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

, and

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commerc ...

, and these were used to plan the new palace. The construction cost was placed at Rs 41,47,913 (around $30 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 Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar (18 July 1919 – 23 September 1974) was the 25th Maharaja of Mysore from 1940 to 1950, who later served as the governor of Mysore and Madras states. Early life Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar was born on 18 July 1919 at M ...

Gallery

File:Mysore Palace gate.jpg, Mysore Palace main approach File:Mysore Palace (8113480008).jpg, Mysore Palace lighting during Mysore Dasara 2012 File:Roof design.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 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:A very well lit Durbar Hall (ceremonial meeting hall of the royal court) of Amba Vilas Palace (Mysuru Palace), during day.jpg, A very well lit Durbar Hall (ceremonial meeting hall of the royal court) of Mysore Palace during day

References

External links

Official virtual tour website of Mysore Palace

Mysore Palace

Official Mysore Dasara website

Department of Karnataka Tourism website
{{coord, 12, 18, 14, N, 76, 39, 16, E, region:IN_type:landmark_source:dewiki, display=title Kingdom of Mysore Palaces in Mysore Royal residences in India Tourist attractions in Mysore Buildings and structures in Mysore Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture 1912 establishments in India Houses completed in 1912 Buildings and structures completed in 1912