Bangalore Palace

The area where the palace now stands originally belonged to a school principal of the cantonment town, Reverend J Garrett. The British Guardians of the minor Maharaja purchased the area with Chamarajendra Wadiyar X's accumulated funds so that his education and administrative training could take place easily.

April 1874 marked the beginning of the construction of the palace. John Cameron, the artistic mind behind Lalbagh took the responsibility of landscaping. During 1878 AD the initial construction got completed. Following the initial completion, subsequent years called for many additions and improvements. Maharaja Jayachamaraja during his reign added portions outside the Darbar Hall. Renovations took place so that the Palace could have an essence of Windsor Castle of London that had bestowed the king.

The ownership of the Bangalore Palace has gone through many legal activities. Presently, it is under the ownership of the descendant of the Mysore Royal Family, Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar. The palace opened its doors to the public in 2005.

The palace reflects the Tudor style of architecture. Its complex, along with the garden, spreads over an area of 454 acres. The interior of the palace finds motifs, cornices, and wooden carvings on it. Many physical elements inside are the imports from Britain. A gift from the British to the Wadiyars, the coat of arms is painted on the wall in red and white colour. It consists of mythological impressions and intricate floral design. In the centre is Ganda Bherunda, a mythological two-headed bird while the other side has a mythological animal with features of the head of both the elephant and lion, symbolising royalty and power. 

Some of the eye popping features of the two-level granite palace include the fortified towers, the turreted walls, palace grounds, ballroom and other architectural elements of Tudor and Scottish buildings. Roman arches greet its visitors at the entrance. The ceiling is decorated with relief paintings and the furniture inside the palace has a touch of Victorian, neo-classical and Edwardian styles. There are 35 rooms in the palace and an open courtyard on the ground floor consisting of granite seats decorated with fluorescent blue ceramic tiles.

The most important part of the Bangalore Palace is the Durbar Hall which is on the first floor. The Hall has a massive elephant head in it. Moreover, taken from the Gothic Style, one side of it has stained glass windows. The colour yellow is quite prominent on the walls. Even the sofa set in the hall is of the same colour. A screen on another end separates the area where the women sat to witness the assembly proceedings.

The Bangalore Palace shelters many renowned paintings of the 19th and 20th century. These include the work of India's famous painter Raja Ravi Varma. An extensive collection of pictures that chronicle different generations of the powerful Wadiyar Dynasty is another appealing thing in the palace. These even offer a glimpse of the evolution of Bangalore over the centuries.
Everything in here boasts of the seamless arch-deco designs.

You can visit the palace anytime between 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM.

The entry fees for Indians is INR 230 and Foreign tourists is INR 460. Electronics are separately chargeable- INR 685 for Still Camera INR 285 for Mobile Camera INR 1485 for Video Camera

The sprawling grounds around the palace was once a host for several cultural events. Several international personalities like Backstreet Boys, Don Moen, David Guetta, Elton John, Lamb of God, Akon, The Black Eyed Peas, Deep Purple, The Rolling Stones, Metallica, Roger Waters, Enrique Iglesias have spread their magic in its boundaries. But, after the legal tiff between the government and the Mysore Royal Family, these grounds are no longer in commercial use. Close friends to the Royal Family or the companies with them are the only ones to host any kind of event over here. Up next, The Fun World Amusement park finds itself in the palace ground complex. Loved by children, the park is visited by a good number of people on a daily basis.

The Palace enjoys the central location in the city of Bangalore. It lies in the Vasanth Nagar area near Mount Carmel Institute of Management. BMTC Buses 287, 287B, 287C, 287D and 287E ply out of the central Bus terminal to the Bangalore Palace. You can also book private cabs or take an auto rickshaw to reach the palace.