Discovering the Bangalore Palace

1) The Coat of Arms at the Bangalore Palace

The Maharaja of Mysore was awarded a Coat of Arms by the British. The Coat of Arms includes the symbol of the Wadiyars known as the Ganda Bherunda. This is the two-headed bird in the center. Along with the same, check out the sides for mythical creatures with the head of the elephant and the body of a lion. These are to represent power and royalty.

2) The Ballroom at Bangalore Palace

I will not lie and say that this is one of the most amazing ball rooms that I have seen. It sure is not but then, this palace isn’t one of the biggest that I have seen.

However, having said that, this ballroom is impressive with its colors and lighting and is an important part of the Bangalore Palace. As the audio guide informed me, there were plenty of ballroom parties and dancing that this hall has witnessed.

3) The Spiral staircase

An ordinary wooden spiral staircase but with some lovely artifacts and decor on it – the lovely lamps and the antique vases kept along the corner. One thing that I found unusual here were the custom-made three legged stools. Notice one leg is longer than the others – just to accommodate them on the staircase.

There was something charming about the brown intricately carved, wooden staircase – something antique, something different. 🙂 I can’t explain that feeling except that is how I feel around heritage properties that I have encountered in Old Mumbai.

4) Durbar Hall

Now this was really, impressive. With its amazing chandeliers, yellow and gold decor, stained glass and majestic looking furniture. Unfortunately, you have to watch it from the sides and are not allowed to enter it.

There is a separate partition for the women as they were not allowed to be part of the proceedings directly. Unlike the palaces up North India, these did not have any jhalis or jharokas but was just a partition covered with curtains.

5) Corridors with its antique cases and pictures

Throughout the palace are corridors lined with beautiful paintings and artifacts from the palace. Be it the painting of the Maharajas or the black and white photos of him and his family on various occasions, it is indeed fun to observe them.

Here are some dressing tables and desks that were used by the Royalty.

6) Wildlife spoils

Now here are some exhibits that I am not really fond of but well, they are unique to the Bangalore Palace. These are made of real animal hides – like the one above which is a stool made from Elephant’s legs and the one below which is a vase made of the elephant’s trunks.

7) Maharani’s courtyard at Bangalore Palace

This one had a few open rooms for you to explore. Though there isn’t much in the room, it did satisfy my curiosity piqued by the closed doors of the palace. I wondered how big the rooms were, what colors, etc etc. I have to say that they were fairly big, not as small as the ones that I happen to see in some of the famed palaces of Rajasthan. Most of them had a high ceiling with some impressive chandeliers within them.

8) Maharaja’s courtyard at Bangalore Palace

The Maharaja’s courtyard was Colorful!!! No other adjective springs to my mind except that!

A unique tiled bench is the first thing that you see. The same is made of Spanish tiles and has a picture of a stag being attacked by dogs while the birds watch. There is no partition around it and you are welcome to sit on it and rest. A few seconds of Royal pleasure for you. 😀

The bench along with the fountain above was a gift from the King of Spain. The entire courtyard looks vibrant, thanks to these gifts. Along the corridors are kept some lovely curios from the Western world like the ones below.

9) The Jockey’s chair

Kept along the Maharaja’s courtyard is a wooden chair with a small weighing scale attached. This isn’t any chair but a chair to measure the weight of a jockey. Right next to it is a wooden stand to measure the height of the jockey. The Royal family of Mysore was heavily into horse racing as you can guess. 🙂

10) The Chandeliers

Throughout the palace are amazing and colorful chandeliers. While some of you may argue, what is the big deal about them for they are not the largest or the most intricate. But for me, these chandeliers added to the charm of the Bangalore Palace. They lit up the place – not just literally but in terms of the vibrancy and decor. I would have loved to see them at night.

Having come back from my recent visits to the Royal Rajasthan palaces, I cannot but draw some comparisons. Yes, the Bangalore Palace is not as big or majestic as the Rajasthan ones or even for that matter, the Mysore palace, but it is charming nonetheless. I felt shameful about not seeing it earlier.

Here is hoping that the rest of you don’t make that mistake. If you are in Bangalore, keep aside just two hours to see the small but unique Bangalore Palace. Leaving you with a panorama of the Bangalore Palace.

Getting here:

• Bangalore or Bengaluru is the silicon city of India and one of the major metros in India. With an international airport, it is well-connected to the world. You can even hop into the city through domestic flights from any part of India.
• Bangalore is well- connected to all the major cities in India through railways and roads.
• One can use any of the public transport options – autos, buses or cabs to reach the Bangalore Palace. It is located within the Palace grounds, near Mount Carmel College.

Travel Tips:

• Bangalore Palace is still owned by the Royal family and is open to public on all days between  10 am to 6 pm.
• The entrance tickets to Bangalore Palace is INR 225 for Indians and INR 450 for foreign tourists. This includes the audio guide to the palace. The audio guide is available in English, Hindi, Kannada, French, German, Italian and Spanish.
• Photography is charged for. You need to shell out INR 675 for still camera, INR 1000 for Video cameras and INR 100 for mobile cameras. Anyone without the permit is fined and they are quite strict about it. You will find guards and officials within the premises checking for the same.
• The audio tour lasts for 40 minutes and the officials do expect you to finish within that time. I spend a tad bit of extra time and well, they did not really say much as it was a weekday. However, I suspect I would have been shooed out if it were any other day.
• There are rest-rooms within the Palace for public use. However, there are no cafes or restaurants here. Though there are plenty of them outside the palace grounds. Hence, do plan your visit accordingly.