MYSORE PALACE

AESTHETICS-PERCEPTION-SYMBOLISM

ART APPRECIATION PRESENTATION3RD JANUARY 2012

SOUMENDRA ROY

On 17th December 2011 went to the Mysore palace of the Wodeyar dynasty. It was a very beautiful palace and a perfect

example of blending of architecture.

MYSORE PALACE SOUMENDRA

A dramatic three storied stone building of fine gray granite with deep pink marble domes dominated by a five-storied 145 ft tower with a gilded dome mounted by a single golden flag

The Palace that stands today is the fourth one to be built in the same site. When the capital was shifted back to Mysore from Srirangapatnam, after Tippu Sultan's death, the Palace was hastily rebuilt with wood and mud, in a Hindu style. The Royal family moved into it in 1801. But this Palace was burnt down in a fire that broke out during the wedding of the oldest daughter of Maharaja Chamaraja Wodeyar in 1897. The reconstruction of the Palace was undertaken immediately and the Royal family moved to Jaganmohan Palace. The English architect Henry Irwin designed the new Palace and it was completed in 1912 at a cost of about Rs 41 lakhs.

The domes for example is an element borrowed from the Islamic school of

architecture. There are many deep pink marble domes projecting at the corners of

the palace structure.

To easily understand the hybrid style, take a look at the tallest tower of the palace. This is a five storied tower measuring about 145 feet

(45 meters) at the center of the palace.

This projects up from the rest of the roof-line of the palace like a tower of a Gothic

cathedral. However on top of it is a large dome, a very typical feature of

Islamic/Persian style structures. However it is metal gilded.

Further on top of this dome is a domed Chhatri. That is, a smaller dome supported by

slender pillars projecting up from the large dome.

Domed Chhatri is a typical Rajput ( Rajasthan ) architectural feature.You can spot two more such domed Chhatris at the top on either side of the central arch of the facade. Between these two domed Chhatris and above the central arch is a sculpture of

goddess Gajalakshmi.

SOUMENDRA

Durbar Hall ( the Diwan-e-Am ) is a huge open hall along the width of the palace on the first floor. The eastern side is open and gives a panoramic view of the garden in front of the palace. The rows of massive pillars are the special attraction of this hall. On the south and north of the eastern portion are the galleries for the courtiers.

MYSORE PALACE SOUMENDRA

MYSORE PALACE ILLUMINATED IN EVENING

THE PALACE HAS LAMPS FITTED IN THE ENTIRE STRUCTURE.EARLIER IT WAS OIL LAMP OR GAS LAMP.BUT NOW THEY HAVE BEEN REPLACED BY ELECTRIC

BULBS.THE VEIW AND SCENE OF THE PALACE IN THE EVENING IS MESMERISING AND ENCHANTING

MYSORE PALACE SOUMENDRA

REFERENCES

ALL INFORMATION HAVE BEEN TAKEN FROM1. Myself2. The guide of the Mysore palace Mr. RAJU NAIDU3. A local resident Mr. DEBABRATA BOSE4. websites• http://mysore.ind.in/architecture-of-mysore-palace• http://www.themysorepalace.in/palace_architect.htm

MYSORE PALACE SOUMENDRA

THANK YOU

BRONZE LEOPARD NEAR THE GATE OF THE PALACE

MYSORE PALACE SOUMENDRA