Mysuru Palace

The story of Mysuru Palace

What you’re standing at is an Indo-Saracenic palace completed in 1912, and the thing most people come to see is the grand durbar hall inside the complex. The palace grounds you’re looking into are part of a much older royal story: Britannica links the site to the Wadiyar dynasty, and says the city became the kingdom’s capital in 1799.

Britannica also says the present structure was completed in 1912 after a fire destroyed an earlier palace in 1897, and that the new building was designed by British-Indian architect Henry Irwin. The same publication describes it as a sprawling three-story gray granite building with a five-story tower capped by a gilded dome.

There is also a practical side to this place: it opens every day from 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM, and the palace notes weekly illuminations. If you are planning your visit, the official website is mysorepalace.karnataka.gov.in.

The wider palace complex is tied to Mysore Dasara on the grounds, and the main palace includes a public museum. Stand here long enough and you’re really looking at a royal residence that still sits at the center of Mysuru’s public life.