Mysore Palace

Mysore Palace - It is known as one of the riches and best palaces in India. It is not turned museum. We have not seen in from inside but we haven't missed to see it enlightened with 54,000 bulb. It was a stunning scene and one should not miss it.

An ancient town on the foothills of Chamundi Hills, Mysore is also called Mysuru and is famously known as the City Of Palaces. The city owing to its rich history, splendid architecture, sandalwood goods and silk sarees, attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world. Besides being home to one of the largest palaces of India, the Mysore Palace, the renowned city of Mysore, also has several temples, churches, a lake and gardens for its patrons to explore and make the most of their time.

 

We visited the beautiful Mysore Palace, belonging to the Wodeyar Dynasty. We were astounded by its beauty as it shimmered, sparkled and shone in the light of the midday sun. We heard that the current scion of the Wodeyar Dynasty still lives behind the palace and participates in functions during the Dussehra Festival.

 

Synonymous with the term ‘grandeur’, Mysore Palace, also called Mysore Aramane, and Amba Vilas Palace, is one of India’s largest edifices. The palace was home to the Wadiyar Dynasty, which ruled Mysore from 1399 to 1950. The palace reflects the best Indo-Saracenic architecture and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The exemplary architecture and rich history of Mysore Palace make it a top attraction not just in Karanataka but also in the whole country.

 

Mysore Palace: Architecture

Mysore Palace is built in an Indo-Saracenic architectural style and exhibits a culmination of Hindu, Mughal, Gothic and Rajput elements. Grey granite makes up the three-storeyed palace building and 145 feet five-storeyed towers while deep red marble adorns the domes of the Mysore Palace. 

 

The domes for example is an element borrowed from the Islamic school of architecture. There are many deep pink marble domes projecting at the corners of the palace structure.

 

To easily understand the hybrid style, take a look at the tallest tower of the palace. This is a five storied tower measuring about 145 feet (45 meters) at the center of the palace.

 

The main palace is built amidst beautifully landscaped gardens. It has an intricately articulated elevation complete with bow-shaped canopies, curved arches and bay windows made in various styles, including Hindu and Byzantine. 

 

The exteriors of the palace also feature two durbar halls. The palace’s interiors are equally quintessential and have several aspects enriching it, such as stained glass ceilings, carved doors, Czechoslovakian chandeliers, shiny tiled floors, sprawling pavilions and artwork from across the world. 

 

Above the central arch of the palace facade is a beautifully designed structure of Goddess Gajalakshmi (Goddess of wealth and prosperity) with two elephants beside it. The architecture of this palace is truly majestic and should not be missed.

 

The palace is a three-storey stone structure made with fine granite, grey in colour, having deep pink marble stones atop and a five-storey tower measuring 145 ft. The size of the palace measures 245 ft. by 156 ft. Designs of the domes illustrate Indo-Saracenic architecture which was applied by the British architects in British India during the late 19th century. 

 

It incorporates elements from Indian, Indo-Islamic, Neo-Classical and Gothic revival styles. 

 

Three gates of the compound lead to the palace - the front gate (more specifically the East Gate) opens for the VVIPs and otherwise during the Dasara; the South Gate is designated for general public; and the West Gate normally remains open in Dasara. Apart from these the cellar of the palace has many secret tunnels that lead to several confidential areas and other places like the town of Srirangapatna. 

 

Several fancy arches adorn the façade of the building with two smaller arches on either side of the central one that is supported with long pillars. A sculpture of the goddess of good luck, prosperity and wealth, Gajalakshmi, with her elephants is seated atop the central arch. 

 

The palace facing Chamundi Hills is a manifestation of the devotion of the Maharajas of Mysore towards Goddess Chamundi. The emblem and coat of arms of the Mysore Kingdom adorns the entrance gate and arch. A large, beautiful and well-maintained garden surrounding the palace makes the site even more spectacular.

 

The exquisitely columned Durbar Hall, the solid silver doors, the finely incised mahogany ceilings and many other embellishments of the palace make one spellbound while giving an idea of the exuberant lifestyle of the royals. Displays in the palace include royal dresses, souvenirs, musical instruments and weapons used by the Wodeyars. 

 

An array of superb paintings including the ones illustrating 8 manifestations of Goddess Shakthi as also a masterpiece by famed artist Raja Ravi Verma finds place in the palace.

 

 InThe Mysore Palace you can enjoy feeling like royalty and you wander through the ornately decorated halls and corridors.The palace is definitely one of the best places to visit in Mysore and should be top of your Mysore attractions list!

Mysore Coorg trip- Day-1

Mysore Coorg trip

Summer is many people's favorite time of the year because of the long days, warmsunshine, comfortable weather, bright colours, and many other tempting attraction. A trip to South India is known for its beautiful scenery, rich historical sites, flawless architecture, blissful weather, and. sets you up to enjoy beaches, wildlife sanctuaries, ancient temples, hill stations, and backwaters and unforgettable experiences .So we decided to go four day south India trip for Mysore and Coorg.

 Mysore is also called Mysuru and is famously known as the City Of Palaces. The city owing to its rich history, splendid architecture, sandalwood goods and silk sarees, attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world. Besides being home to one of the largest palaces of India,

Mysore is a lovely place with exceptionally amazing monuments, enormous palaces.   with a major tourist attraction in Karnataka so, we decided to go see this historic city.  I love going on such trips; so with my heart pounding with great excitement and anticipation, we began our road trip  from Bangalore to Mysore and it turned out to be one of the most glorious and action-packed ones that I have had so far.Mysore town is a place of wide roads and trees, fields intended to be parks  light and air.

We visited following places in Mysore- Chamundi hills, Mysore Zoo, Brundavan Garden, Mysore Palace

 Mysore Zoo:-

 

It's certainly the second sought after attraction in the city after Mysore Palace.There are many reasons for its popularity. The location is an obvious plus point from a itinerary point. More importantly this is a sprawling zoo with a great variety of exotic and rare animals. The animals are let in a natural habitat like environment. For the visitors it is a joyous place to explore in a picnic style.

Mysore zoo is one of the oldest zoo in the country. We have seen animals like Giraffe, Gorilla and few bucks which may not be available anywhere else in India. The zoo also houses Chimpanzee. The huge trenches draws big crowd. Zoo is within town and you can pick an auto to reach there

Brundavan Garden –

The Brindavan Gardens, a celebrated beauty spot in south India is world famous for its symmetric design. It is one of the most beautifully laid out terrace gardens in the world. The creation of this garden in the Krishnaraja Sagar Dam site has been the achievement of Sir Mirza Ismail, the then Dewan of the princely State of Mysore. The beautification of the whole dam complex was conceived by Sir Mirza Ismail. 

 

Modeled on the design of the Shalimar Gardens of Kashmir in the Mughal style, the garden is enriched with a number of terraces, parterres, fountains, running and cascading waterchannels, water chutes, lush green lawns, flower beds, shrubs and trees. Today, the Brindavan Gardens is world famous for its ethereal beauty, grandeur and illumination/ musical fountain.

 

The garden extends over an area of 60 acres and it is laid out in the three terraces, which ends in a horseshoe shape. The slopes are planted with colourful Bougainvilleas and ornamental plants. This garden is a public park and it is one of the important tourist spots of India. The garden is enriched with innumerable fountains decorated with coloured lighting. 

 

The illuminated running waters and fountains with changing colours of lights is an event that the tourists can look forward to in the evenings. The garden has many open spaces, lawns, illuminated flower beds and ornamental plants. It also has well laid out roads and pathways. 

 

The Brindavan Gardens is the best-illuminated terrace garden in India. The boating pond in the midst of the garden is a location where the visitors can enjoy a boat ride. The whole garden when illuminated is an enchanting site to see.

 

North Brindavan consists of an area encompassing four extensive terraces. In each of the four terraces, extensive lawns, many ornamental annual and perennial flowerbeds and rows of ornamental trees are found. Boating lake connects the both north & south brindavan gardens. A concrete footpath is laid on the side of this lake.

 

To view this garden we have to take a complete walk of Garden and then take one way Boat ride to reach the Musical Fountain Place, and then return walking.

 

Timings to visit Brindavan Gardens:

Brindavan Gardens is open from 8 AM to 9 PM.  Ticket sales close 30 min before closing time. Musical fountain runs after sunset, 6.30 PM and 7.30 PM (weekdays), 8.30 PM (weekends). It is recommended to visit just before sunset hours – around 4 to 5 PM, explore the gardens in daylight, witness the musical fountain after sunset and return.

How to reach Brindavan Gardens:

Brindavan Gardens is 145 kms from Bengaluru and 18 kms from Mysuru. Mysuru airport is the closest airport just 25 kms away. Mysuru is also the closest train station. Taxis can be hired from Mysuru city to reach Brindavan Gardens.