Bangalore Palace Home > Karnataka > Attractions > Palaces > Bangalore Palace

Bangalore Palace

Located in the heart of the city, Bangalore Palace is situated in the midst of palatial gardens. Built by Wodeyar dynasty in 1887, this palace has wonderful carvings and Tudor style architecture. This effect is also seen in the interiors. The palace is quite similar to the medieval castles built in England and Normandy. Construction of the palace started in 1862 and was completed in 1944. This palace is now owned by the Mysore Royal Family. It is famous for its beauty, grandeur and large open grounds.

History

Bangalore Palace was built by the principal of Central High School Rev. Garrett in an area covering 45000 sq feet. The palace was built in Tudor style architecture with turrets, towers and battlements. The interior of palace is decorated with pleasing floral motifs, relief paintings on the ceiling, cornices and wood carving. John Roberts and Lazarus bought the Victorian, neo-classical and Edwardian style furniture. There were 35 rooms in the palace which were mainly bedrooms. Following a renovation, mirrors and stained glasses imported from England were added along with wooden fans and a manual lift from General Electric.

HH Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar transferred possession of the property to two companies—Chamundi Hotels and Sree Venkateswara Real Estate Enterprise in 1970. These companies were promoted by a civil contractor named Chamaraju. The companies were yet to be incorporated on the given date and there was no sale deed because of which it was considered a fraudulent transaction. A civil suit was instituted against this deal by Srikanta Datta Narsimharaja Wodeyar, the only son of Maharaja. This legal war continued and in the meanwhile, he gave 28 acres each and Ramana Mahasrihi Road to his 5 sisters namely late Indrakshi Devi, Gayatri Devi, Vishalakshi Devi, Kamakashi Devi and Meenakshi Devi in 1983. Many events like golf, horse academics, and exhibitions are held in their properties. Tennis matches, marriages, rock shows and cricket matches are also held in those portions. In 1990 and 1994, Srikanta Datta Narsimharaja Wodeyar compromised with the Chamaraju Group and took back his portion of the property which includes the main palace except 45 acres which is still retained along Jayamahal road.

Various attempts were made by the Government of Karnataka to take possession of the property under Urban Land Act 1976 and Land Acquisition Act 1894 but they ultimately failed in their attempts and therefore under Mr. H.D. Deve Gowda enacted the Bangalore Palace Act 1996 to take the entire premises spreading over 450 acres of prime real estate for a farthing of 11 crores INR. This issue is still pending in the Supreme Court of India till date as it needs constitutional issues like whether the material resources of the community of the Indian constitution under Article 39(b) covers private area. The decision is still pending by 9 Judge Constitution Bench of Indian Supreme Court. The final result will be the landmark as otherwise it will be like open gates to take way similar properties all over the country without paying any market value of the property. This is similar to the Rehabilitation, Land Acquisition and Resettlement Bill that was passed by the Indian Parliament.

Architecture

Bangalore Palace is surrounded by beautiful gardens, but has now lost much of its charm although it still succeeds in attracting a lot of tourists. The glory of Bangalore Palace has been enhanced by the gothic windows, fortified towers, turrets and battlements. The palace is mainly constructed of wood, which is further boosted with paintings and fine carvings. The palace serves are a venue for various concerts, exhibitions and cultural programmes held in the city. It contains a massive open square at the ground floor of the palace.

The square is decorated with fluorescent blue ceramic tiles and is full of granite seats. Private parties of the king used to be held in the ballroom which is alongside the courtyard. The most important thing that comes to mind as we move to the first floor is the Durbar Hall, which is also known as ornate room. This hall was been used for addressing the assembly. The walls are decked with wonderful paintings and the colossal elephant head which is mounted on the hall. At Durbar hall, one of the walls consists of a set of windows decorated with stained glass.

The room is primarily done in yellow, which includes the sofa as well as the walls. Women had to wear a veil when they would sit to watch assembly proceedings from the screen, which was at one end of the room. There are various paintings done by a well known artist Raja Ravi Varma in the palace. The paintings belonging to mid 19th century are also decorated at the inner wall of Bangalore palace. The dining table of the Diwan of Mysore, Sir Mirza Ismail is the other attraction of this palace.

Other Attractions in the Palace

A Chair to Weigh Jockeys

This is a weighing chair with a shape of horse hoof legs which was used to weigh jockeys. The entire Wodeyar rulers were passionate about the horse racing. The chair has weigh scale on the left side and on the right the carved shoe shape with a measuring stand.

Coat of Arms

The Chamaraja Wodeyar X was presented the coat of arms by the British. The two headed mythological bird bherunda and ganda was at centre which were the emblem of Wodeyar’s. This was flanked by another emblem which had a head of lion and elephant which symbolize the royalty and power.

Bench and Fountain

The King of Spain Don Alphonso gifted a bench and a fountain which has been kept in Maharaja’s courtyard. When the king was deposed of his power in 1931, he visited Bangalore and found comfort in this courtyard. The gracious welcome by Wodeyar’s made him gift this bench and fountain which are made of bright colours tiles by the leading art deco ceramicist Seville.

Other attractions for tourist are the amusement parks which consist of snow rooms, joy rides, water parks inside the palace ground complex.

Facilities inside the Palace

  • Free drinking water facility
  • Toilet facility
  • Guide for tourists
  • Stand for footwear’s
  • Parking facilities for vehicles
  • Counter for camera custody
  • Clean and refreshing environment
  • Book stalls containing informative books for tourist about the palace
  • Photographs of Bangalore palace
  • Audio tour available in seven different languages.

Visitor Information

The palace is around 30.2 km away from the Bengaluru International Airport and the nearby railway station is Bangalore City Jn Railway Station which is 3.3 km as well as Bangalore East railway station which is 2.8 km away from the palace.

An innovative audio tour guide is made available in seven different languages namely English, Kannada, French, Hindi, German, Spanish and Italian at the Bangalore palace. The duration of this tour is for about one hour. One can visit the palace between 10 am to 6 pm till noon.

Proper stands for footwear are made available for the visitors. You need to pay photography and video recording charges at the entry. The children below the age of 7 years have free entry.

Special Events

Palace Grounds

Many events are held on the extensive grounds surrounding by the palace in favor of the public. Many international artists like Backstreet Boys, Textures, Black Eyed Peas, The Rolling Stones, Enrique Iglesias, Scorpions, Akon, Lamb of God, Aerosmith, Roger Waters, The Prodigy Machine Head, Guns N Roses, Cradle of Fifth and many more have performed on these grounds.

Festivals like Karaga Festival, Kadalekaye Parishe, Makara Sankranthi also known as Pongal, Dussherra, Ugadi are celebrated on this grounds.

Also events like book festival, dandiya, concerts and matches are held on the Bangalore Palace Grounds.

Fun World

Fun world is an amusement park on the grounds of the palace which consists of a snow room and many joy rides for tourists.

Timings & Tickets

Bangalore Palace timings: 10 am- 6 pm (Sundays closed)
Fun world entry timings: 11:00 am to 7:30 pm
Bangalore Palace Entry Charges:

  • Indian tourists: Rs 175
  • Foreign tourists: Rs 350
  • Video Recording: Rs 1,000
  • Photography: Rs 500

Fun world Entry Charges: Rs 399 per person

Best time to Visit

One can visit Bangalore at any time of the year because the weather is always pleasant. However, Bangalore does heat up a little from April to June, so one avoids exploring the palace in such hot climate. Winters are moderate and last from December to February.

Related Image

Art Deco Palace Morbi
Art Deco Palace Morbi
Art Deco Palace Morbi
Art Deco Palace Morbi
Art Deco Palace Morbi
Art Deco Palace Morbi

Also Browse Following Under This Section

Related Topics

Rivers And Lakes

Nature has bestowed karnataka with the beauty of geographical landscape. To make the State look even more beautiful it is adorned with lakes and natural forests, the Satpura ....

Hill Stations

karnataka is famous for its rich cultural tradition and heritage. Over time, karnataka has been exposed to a variety of cultures - European, Hindu, and Islamic ....

Dwaraka Beach

Dwaraka is yet another holy and sacred place ...

Nagoa Beach

The Union territory Daman Diu is a beautiful...