Amba Vilas
Amba Vilas is a palace in the center of the city of Mysore in the southern Indian state of Karnataka . It was the residence of the maharajas of the former princely state of Mysore , whose descendants still live in part of the palace today. The palace is one of the most famous palace buildings in all of India.
history
Amba Vilas was built from 1897 to 1912 for over four million rupees according to designs by the British architect Henry Irwin . The splendid Indo-Saracen building replaced the old palace that had recently burned down.
architecture
palace
Its floor plan is reminiscent of the floor plan of Buckingham Palace in London. It combines elements of traditional Hindu , Indian- Islamic , Rajput and European architecture.
The three-storey palace made of gray granite is crowned by several marble domes, a 44 m high, five-storey tower with a gilded top and many smaller turrets. Seven large arches form the main facade, the middle one is flanked by two other, smaller arches.
Downright lavish splendor - marble and mosaic floors, heavy silver and artfully carved wooden doors, countless columns, expensive furniture from all over the world, stained glass decor and mirrored walls as well as paintings and murals bear witness to the luxurious lifestyle of the Mysore rulers at the turn of the century. The rooms are designed in a bewildering variety of styles. The gold leaf-covered throne in the huge Durbar Hall is particularly famous.
Every Sunday evening from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. and every second Saturday from 7 p.m. to 7.20 p.m., the palace facade is illuminated by over 80,000 lightbulbs.
temple
There are also twelve Hindu temples that date from the 14th to 20th centuries on the palace grounds .
Famous rooms
- Audience Chamber : Reception room for private audiences and conference hall (historical)
- Public Durbar : The room was used by the king for the general audiences.
- Wedding Hall ( Royal wedding hall ): The space that took place in the weddings of the royal family
- Armory ( Armory ): contains weapons from the 14th to the 20th century.
photos
Entrance gate
Front facade
at night
Sri Shveta Varahaswami Temple in the palace grounds
Web links
- Mysore palace, English ( Memento from September 26, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
- Palaces of Mysore (English)
Coordinates: 12 ° 18 ′ 13.6 ″ N , 76 ° 39 ′ 16 ″ E