Jaganmohan Palace in Mysore
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| The Jaganmohan Palace in Mysore is one of the oldest buildings in Mysore. This Palace is more that 150 years old.  Like the Mysore Palace this Palace too is a beautiful and ornamental Palace built by the Kings of Mysore.Built in 1861, it housed the royal family when the old wooden palace was gutted in a fire in 1897. In the 150 years of its existence this Palace has witnessed a number of important events that have been instrumental in shaping the destiny of the modern State of Mysore today known as Karnataka. To this day many cultural activities and conferences are held in this hall as it is in the heart of the city. This includes the cultural programmes held during the Dasara festivities. This hall has two huge wooden doors on which is carved the Dashavatharas or ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu. The main structure of Jaganmohan Palace consisting of three stories has been converted into the famous Jayachamarejendra Art Gallery during the reign of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV. It displays the paintings and artifacts that belonged to the Kings of Mysore. Today this art gallery is considered one of the best in South India. | History | The royal family stayed in this palace till the present main Palace was built. The installation of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, which was attended by Lord Curzon - the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, was conducted here in 1902. Its ornamental front portion with a hall was added to the main building at the time of the marriage of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV and hence was called the Wedding Pavilion. The pavilion also served as the Durbar Hall in which Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV held the annual birthday and Dussera Durbars till the completion of the new Sejje or Durbar Hall in the main Palace in 1910. The pavilion was the venue of the Representative Assembly after 1923, a democratic set up of the people's representatives to deliberate and decide the affairs of the state, the first of its kind in a princely state, an arrangement made by the Mysore Maharajas. In 1915, the palace was converted into an art gallery, which was later renamed in 1955 in the name of Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar, as the Sri Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery . The early convocations of the Mysore University were also held in this palace. The first session of the Legislative Council of the Mysore state was held here in July 1907. The Legislative Council was then called as the Representative Council and was presided over by the Diwan. Jayachamarajendra Jayak Wodeyar converted the palace into a trust and opened it for public viewing. | Architecture | The palace is built in traditional Hindu style and has three stories. In 1900, an external facade with a hall behind it was added to the palace. This facade has three entrances and the entablature has religious motifs and miniature temples crafted on it.The walls of the interiors are painted with murals. These mural paintings which follow the traditional style of the Mysore school of painting depict the Dasara scene and the canvas depicting the sequence of the Jumboo Savari stretches across three walls. This mural is the earliest known picture of the Mysore Dasara and has been painted using vegetable dyes. A family tree of the Wodeyars tracing the lineage of the royal family is also painted on a wall. Two wooden displaying Dashavatara, the ten incarnations of the Hindu God, Vishnu is also present in the palace. | Art Gallery | The art gallery contains one of the largest collection of artefacts in South India. Most of these artefacts are paintings, prominent among which are those by Raja Ravi Varma, some of which demonstrate scenes from the Hindu epics, Ramayana and Mahabharatha. The collection of paintings in the gallery exceed 2000 in number and these belong to different Indian styles of painting like Mysore, Mughal and Shantiniketan. 16 paintings of Raja Ravi Varma were donated to the gallery by Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar Another important painting present here is the Lady with the lamp which was painted by the artist Haldenkar and is placed in a dark room where it is the only exhibit. This is to give an illusion that the glow of the lamp is illuminating the face of the woman. Some other painters whose works are exhibited here include Nikolai Roerich, Svetoslav Roerich and Rabindranath Tagore. Another collection of paintings by a British Army Officer named Col. Scot on the wars between Tipu Sultan and the British army are said to be the only visual representation of the wars. Other exhibits here include weapons of war, musical instruments, sculptures, brassware, antiques coins and currencies. Some other unique artefacts exhibited here is a French clock which has a mechanism in which a parade by miniature soldiers is displayed every hour; beating drums mark the seconds and a bugle marks the minute. Paintings made on a grain of rice which can be viewed only through a magnifier are also displayed here. | Time to Visit | Timings: 8:30 am - 5:30 pm
Entry Fee: Adults - Rs 15, Children Rs 5 (Photography not Allowed) | More Pictures | | Map |
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