Mysore Palace

The South Indian TajMahal giving room to 2.7 million tourists round the year is the Amba Vilas Palace Mysore. Yes! I’m talking about the Mysore Palace built by the Wodeyar Kings. 

A palace built with the architectural passion and with the poetic blend of Gothic, Muslim, Hindu and Rajput styles invited me inside its three – storied building.

The indigenous sculptures of Goddess Gajalakshmi and her elephants above the central arch looked majestic. This magical building designed by Henry Irwin with the combination of gray granite and deep pink marble domes raised the fervor for art in me. The facetiously wonderful façade had 7 big arches with 2 small ones on either sides of the central arch.

As I marched on, more surprises awaited me; I passed through a beautifully carved rosewood entrance which led me inside the presence of Lord Ganesha. The strikingly large Ambavilasa stood out with its luxurious stained glass ceilings and ornamental steel grills. The nave of the room had golden columns.  Imagine how the floor of a palace would be? No wonder, it was adorned with precious stones showcasing the florally embellished chandeliers.

Cruising along, a splendid dignified marriage hall called Kalyana Mantapa with peacocks on the floor and ceiling hung the moon, Walls shed light on the antiquated celebrations and splendid processions via oil paintings, this enriched me with historical vibrancies.

Saving the last for my favorite place in the Mysore palace, the very entrance houses a wide variety of dolls from history; the best among them is the Elephant Howdah. It looked so amazing ornated with 84 Kilograms of Gold. 

There were several other rooms that were mind-blowing like Armory, filled with weapons used by the royal kings, Royal Wedding Hall, Public Durbar and Audience Chamber. 

The 12 temples present were nothing short of peaceful environs.

As I prepared to leave the palace, Shakespeare’s lines hit my mind, “You can never be old, and such seems your beauty still.” Yes, the noble beauty and the magnificent aura of the palace will never be old.