The Bangalore Palace was the other palace of Srikantadatta Wodeyar, scion of the Mysore Dynasty, who also presided over the Mysore Palace. The palace was built by Chamaraja Wodeyar, Maharaja of Mysore in 1887.
The Maharaja got his inspirations from the Windsor castle during his visit to England. The castle is built in Tudor style, complete with Gothic windows, fortified towers, battlements and turrets. The palace is built on the land originally owned by Reverend Garrett.
True the Bangalore Palace is ”relatively” compact, and not as grandiose as the Mysore palace, but it is certainly regal and befitting royalty.
The Bangalore palace is open to the general public by paying a fee of Rs. 225, and for Rs. 675, you can take photographs inside the palace. Apparently the fee accumulated is used to maintain the palace.
After paying the fee, we were assigned a guide who showed us around the palace. The western influence is apparent not just in the architecture, but also the decorations and other elements.
The palace walls are strewn with photographs and paintings done over the decades. There is also a haunting portrait of a beautiful Indian lady, and what is interesting about the painting is that the eyes follow you. We were taken through the various rooms of the Queen, and given a glimpse of royal resplendent life. Some of the furniture used by Queen is still intact, though the upholstery had deteriorated.
Overlooking the palace is a garden spread across a vast stretch of land. It used to be better maintained in the past, but for lack of resources it is not as beautiful as it used to be.
Maharaja said in an interview that the Bangalore palace had smaller, compact rooms
As we left the palace, I couldn’t help but wonder about the splendor, opulence and excesses of royalty. Having stayed in PG rooms, and apartments over the past few years, those palatial rooms were overwhelming to me.
It is interesting though, that the Maharaja said in an interview that the Bangalore palace had smaller, compact rooms! Wonder what he would say about my room!
