A day in the city of palaces

On 23 rd, we decided to head for a one day excursion around Bangalore. After debating for hours and oscillating between the religion and fun, we finally decided to go to Mysore. Our destination at Mysore was Brindavan Garden and Mysore Palace. Brindavan Garden is 20 Kms northwest of Mysore. It is located at the base of the Krisnarajasagar Dam.

The dam was built 1932. The garden became famous in 1960s, when it provided backdrop from several films. Spread in about 150 acres of land, the garden is filled with several beautiful fountains. The dam provides the majestic view. One should surely visit the garden and take a walk at the top of the dam. The view from the top of the dam is breathtaking.

After spending more than 2 hrs at the dam and in the garden, we headed towards our next stop, the Mysore Palace. The palace is simply magnificent. It grandeur and royalty can not be described in words.

The palace was made in 1912 after the previous palace was destroyed in fire. It was designed by designed by the British architect Henry Irwin and cost over 41 lakhs of rupees. The architecture of the palace is filled with domes, columns and beautifully carved pillars. It was made in Indo-Saracenic architecture. Indo-Saracenic architecture is the mixture of Hindu, Mughal, Rajput and Gothic arts.

The palace was made during the reigns of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV [1895- 1940], who is also believed to have played an important role in creating the the modern township of Mysore.

Wodeyars were the feudals of the great Vijaynagar Empire. However, they were successful in creating their own empire by defeating Srirangaraya –the then Viceroy of Vijayanagar. One of the queens of Srirangaraya cursed Raja Wodeyar, which resulted that no ruler of the Wodeyar dynasty ever had a male hair. All the rulers were adopted sons.

The grandeur of palace however remained intact.

Cheers
Kundan