A visit to Mysore Palace

Little Blue Birdie's Diary

Dear Diary,

Today the bird family thought of visiting Mysore Palace in Bangalore, a city which is similar to Sri Lanka in many aspects. Unlike other parts of the country, Bangalore is greener and full of fresh air. It also has a rather cool climate, like in Kandy.

I was homesick for a few days as I was away from my country for so long, but when Papa Bird described the place to me, I was overjoyed and felt my enthusiasm rising.

Oops!

We flew for almost a day. At the end of the journey, I was really tired, and because of the glare from the sun, I couldn't even see the road. Suddenly Papa Bird said, "At last, we are here!" When I saw the Palace, the first thing that I wanted to do was to go to the shade. I saw a window, through which, I thought, I could fly into the palace and flew towards it at tremendous speed. Thud! I found myself on the ground. That window had been closed. I felt dizzy for some time. Papa Bird, Mama Bird and Robin, the guide bird, laughed and laughed. For the entire journey, after that, I became a joke. Poor me!

This is what Robin told us about the history of the Mysore Palace...

The Mysore Palace or the Maharaja's Palace, located in the heart of the city at Mirza Road, is the most attractive monument in Mysore.

An ancient script titled "Shrimanmaharaja's Vamshavali" explains that kings of Mysore lived in a palace in this city in the 14th century. After this palace was destroyed by lightning, in 1638 AD, it was reconstructed by Randheera Kantheerava Narasraja Wodeyar.

This is the oldest accurate information available regarding the palace, which is also known as Amba Villas. The original palace was built of wood, but got burnt down in 1897, and was rebuilt for the 24th Wodeyar Raja in 1912. It was designed in the Indo-Saracenic style by the well-known British architect, Henry Irwin.

The Mysore Palace was three storeyed. It was 245 feet in length and 156 feet in breadth. There was a series of square towers with arches covered by domes (Kalash). There was a wide, open space in the front, and the open courtyard in the centre was covered by a gold-plated dome, which was five storeyed and about 145 feet from the ground. The five domes were established in 1914. The main building was built of grey marble.

The entry to the Palace was through the 'Gombe Thotti' or the Doll's Pavilion, a gallery of Indian and European sculpture and ceremonial objects. Halfway along its path was the Elephant Gate, which is the main entrance to the centre of the Palace. The gate was decorated with floral designs, and bore the Mysore royal symbol of a double-headed eagle. Inside there was an enclosed courtyard.

To the south stood the magnificent 'Kalyana Mandapa' or the marriage pavilion, with an octagonal-centred gabled (triangular upper part of a wall at the end of a roof) ceiling. It was covered by multi-coloured stained glass with peacock motifs arranged in geometrical patterns and beautiful chandeliers from Czechoslovakia. Tall, slender cast iron pillars wrought at Glasgow added beauty to the complex.

The floor was laid with patterns and the walls which

I flew upstairs (sorry! you'll have to climb), and found the public Darbar Hall, or the hall for public audience, which contained paintings of some famous artists, and offered wonderful views of the parade grounds and the Chamundi Hills.

I got the feeling that the Palace might have looked heavenly those days. Papa Bird had to make a great effort to drag Mama Bird away, as she liked the Palace so much.

Now the Mysore Palace has been converted into a museum, housing treasures from across the world. So, all are welcome to enjoy the beauty of this heavenly place. I know I did.