A wonderful palace built in Tudor style architecture commonly known as Bangalore Palace stands in the centre of Bangalore (Bengaluru) city, which is one of the three famous palaces belonging to the Wodeyar dynasty. The other two are the Mysore Palace and Fern Hill Palace of Ooty. There is the misconception among many people that the palace was constructed by King Chamaraja Wodeyar, whereas the fact is it was built by Rev. Garrett, the first principal of the Central High School which was later bought by the Chamaraja Wodeyar for a sum of 40,000/- rupees in 1873 and renovated later. Initially sprawling on 454 acres of land, the palace has lost much of its gardens and beauty to the development taking place around it.
The palace attracts tourists not only for
its assorted collection of rare arts and paraphernalia from the history of
India, but also for its amazing wood carvings, paintings, turreted parapets, fortified
towers, gothic windows, and much more. The palace grounds serves as a venue for
big important events like exhibitions, trade shows, trade fairs and other
public events including music concerts music concerts performed by artists who
come from all across the globe. One of the most distinctive events that took
place here was the great music gig named Eddfest, by Metallica in 2007, which
is the biggest paid music event to take place in India to date.
Attractions of Bangalore Palace
The Bangalore palace attracts tourists not
only for its outer beauty but also for its sophisticated interiors and great
collections of arts. Initially the interiors of the palace were closed to
visitors but it has been made open to the public for a fee since June 2012. Some
of the things that have caught the attention of visitors are:
·
Two valuable gifts - bench of
bright colored tiles and a fountain, from Don Alphonso, the King of Spain. It
said to be a creation of the great deco ceramist Seville.
·
An exquisite dining table with
mother of pearl inlay and Chinese lacquer work which is believed to belong to
Sir Mirza Ismail, a great Diwan of Mysore.
·
Photographs and paintings of
famous people connected to the Wodeyar dynasty
·
Large acres of sprawling lawns
in heart of busy city wide spreading lawns and beautiful gardens.
·
Intricate and elaborate
interiors of wood which is boasts of some excellent carvings, floral motifs,
ceilings covered with relief paintings and beautifully decorated
cornices/ledges.
·
A large open courtyard on the ground floor with has granite seats which
have been decorated with fluorescent blue ceramic tiles
· An fabulous ballroom for special events
·
Coat of arms with an emblem of two headed bird,
an emblem of Wodeyars. It is believed to be presented by the British to the
then ruler Chamraja Wodeyar X
·
A grand dressing mirror with frames
made of pure gold
·
A chemically preserved elephant
head
·
An ancient refrigerator made of
wood
·
Rare collection of paintings by
Raja Ravi Varma.
·
The Durbar hall or assembly
hall of king, with decorated stained glass windows, yellow colored walls and a sofa
set to match the walls.
·
A horse hoof leg shaped
weighing chair which was used to weight Jockeys by the Wodeyars who were
passionate about horse-racing.
· Common things used by the dynasty like dressing tables, chairs, lamps, combs, stools made from real elephant and bullocks legs, vase made of elephant trunk, empty perfume bottles and other things which gives clues to the lifestyle of the people of past.
Visiting the Palace
The Bangalore palace is conveniently
located, as it is just 30 minutes drive from airport. It is located from just
3-4 km from city railway station, 2 km from Yeshwantpur, and just 1 km from
Cantonement Railway Station. Tourists can get there easily by either by bus or
auto-rickshaws as it boasts of good connectivity with all places of
Bangalore.
Bangalore has pleasant weather all around
the year, so the city can be visited whenever it is convenient for the tourist.
The palace remains open to the tourists
from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. except on Sundays.
Entry fee
Indian tourists – Rs. 230/-
Foreign tourists – Rs 460/-
Extra payment of Rs. 1485/- for video
recording and Rs. 685 for photography will be collected separately.