Mysore Palace
Official Residence Of The Wodeyar Dynasty; One Of The Most Visited Monuments In India · Mysuru, Karnataka
The palace of the Wodeyar maharajas at the centre of Mysore, officially the Amba Vilas Palace, and among the most visited monuments in India. The present building was designed by the British architect Henry Irwin and finished in 1912, after the older wooden palace burned down during a wedding in 1897. It is Indo-Saracenic, a blend of Hindu, Mughal, Rajput and Gothic styles, in grey granite with pink marble domes and a five-storey tower. Inside are the Kalyana Mantapa, the wedding hall with a stained-glass peacock ceiling made in Glasgow; the Durbar Hall with its rows of carved pillars open to the parade ground; painted murals of the Dasara procession; and carved rosewood and silver doors. The former royal family still lives in a wing. On Sunday and public holiday evenings, and every night of Dasara, nearly a hundred thousand bulbs light the whole building for under an hour, which is the moment most people remember. During Dasara the golden throne is displayed and the elephant procession starts here. Shoes are left outside, and photography inside the palace is not allowed.
Sayyaji Rao Road, Agrahara, Mysuru, Karnataka, 570001, India
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED; confirm before planning. The usual pattern is daily from about ten in the morning to about half past five, with last entry some time before closing and no weekly closing day. The illumination runs on Sunday and public holiday evenings, usually from about seven for under an hour, and every night during Dasara. A sound and light show runs on most other evenings. THE TRAPS: arriving on a weekday evening expecting the lights; arriving late morning into the tour-bus peak; and Dasara, when timings, closures and crowds all change.