Mysore Palace

Mysore Palace, also known asAmba Vilas Palace, is a historical palace and a royal residence. It is located inMysore,Karnataka, India. It used to be the official residence of theWadiyar dynastyand the seat of theKingdom of Mysore. The palace is in the centre of Mysore, and faces theChamundi Hillseastward. Mysore is commonly described as the 'City of the Palaces', and there areseven palacesincluding 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 asmysuru(literally, "citadel"). The first palace inside the Old Fort was built 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 famoustourist attractions in India, after theTaj Mahal, with more than three million annual visitors as on 2014.
The last palace, now known as the Old Palace or the Wooden Palace, burned to ashes during the wedding of Jayalakshammani, the eldest daughter of Chamaraja Wodeyar in 1896. MaharajaKrishnaraja Wodeyar IVand his mother MaharaniKempananjammanni Devicommissioned the British architectHenry Irwinto build a new palace.E.W. Fritchley worked as a consulting engineer. Meanwhile, the royal family stayed in the nearbyJaganmohan Palace. Construction was overseen by an executive engineer in the Mysore Palace division. He conducted elaborate architectural studies during his visits toDelhi,Madras, andCalcutta, and these were used to plan the new palace. The construction cost was placed atRs41,47,913 (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 MaharajaJayachamarajendra Wadiyar.
Designed byHenry Irwin, an English architect, the style is that ofIndo-Saracenic architecture, with elements fromIslamic,Rajput, andGothicarchitecture styles.It is a three-story, gray granite,structure, about 75 m (245 ft) long and about 48 m (156 ft) wide.There are square towers, five stories tall, at each of the cardinal points, topped with pink domes.The tallest tower, 44 m (145 ft) tall,is at the centre of the palace and is topped with a gold plated dome.
The façade has arches, canopies, and bay windows.There are seven arches and two smaller arches that connect to the centralized arch of the façade.Above the central arch is a sculpture ofGajalakshmi.The palace is surrounded by gardens.It has four entrances:The 'Jaya Maarthaanda' (main entrance) to the East, 'Jayarama' to the North, 'Balarama' to the South, and 'Varaha' to the West.
The entrance fee to get into the palace grounds, is 120 rupees per adult, 50 rupees per child aged 7 to 18 years old, free for children younger than 7 years old and 1000 rupees for foreigners.
At the main entrance, there are bronze tigers, sculpted by British sculptor Robert William Colton, on either side of the walkways leading up to the palace.The Gombe Thotti, also known as The Dolls' Pavilion, was a place to display and worship dolls during Dasara festivities.Ane Bagilu, also known as Elephant Gate, is the main entrance to the palace's interior,symbolizing power and strength.
12°18′14″N76°39′16″E﻿ / ﻿12.30389°N 76.65444°E﻿ /12.30389; 76.65444