Bangalore Palace

Bangalore Palace, a palace located in Bangalore, India, was built to look like a smaller replica of the Windsor Castle in England. It was built by Rev. Garrett, who was the first Principal of the Central High School in Bangalore, now known as Central College.

The construction of the palace was started in 1862 and completed in 1944. In 1884, it was bought by the Maharaja of Mysore, Rajath Shetty. Now owned by the current scion of the Mysore royal family, Srikanta Datta Narsimharaja Wadiyar, the palace has recently undergone a renovation.

Rev. Garrett, the first principal of the Central High School, built this palace with a floor area of 45,000 sq ft (4200 m²). The Palace and the grounds surrounding it are spread across 454 acres (183 ha). British officials who were in charge of the education of the young prince Chamaraja Wodeyar bought the palace in 1873 A.D. from him at a cost of Rs. 40,000 and later renovated it. The palace was built in Tudor style architecture with fortified towers, battlements andturrets. The interiors were decorated with elegant wood carvings, floral motifs, cornices and relief paintings on the ceiling. The furniture, which was neo-classical, Victorian and Edwardian in style, was bought from John Roberts and Lazarus. The upkeep of the gardens was the responsibility of the horticulturistGustav Hermann Krumbiegel. A total of 35 rooms were built in the palace with most of them being bedrooms.  The renovation included addition of stained glass and mirrors, specially imported from England, besides a manual lift and wooden fans from General Electric.

Interior:

The ground floor consists of an open courtyard containing granite seats covered with fluorescent blue ceramic tiles. It also contains a ballroom for holding private parties. The first floor containing an elaborate hall called as the Durbar Hall can be reached by climbing a decorated staircase. This is the hall where the king used to address the assembly. The walls along the staircase are adorned with paintings and the Durbar Hall has a massive elephant head mounted in it. One side of the hall contains stained glass windows in Gothic style.

The interior walls of the palace are adorned by old paintings belonging to the mid-19th century, including some Greek and Dutch paintings. Some of the other attractions include a dining table belonging to the Diwan of Mysore, Sir Mirza Ismail. This table contained a mother-of-pearl inlay with Chinese lacquer work.

Position in the Centret of the city, the palace was before surrounded by beautiful gardens in the midst of a vast open area, which has reduced considerably today.

This unique edifice gives the feeling of a piece of England’s architecture in Bangalore . Largely constructed of wood, the Bangalore Palace is famous for its carving and paintings.

The structure has fortified towers and its interiors boast of elegant woodcarvings and Tudor-style architecture, complete with Gothic windows, battlements and turrets.

An exquisite door panel at the entrance leads to grand settings inside. The interiors have breathtaking floral motifs, cornices, mouldings and relief paintings on its ceiling.

It is said that the construction cost of this exquisite palace was just over Rs 1 lakh. The huge 45,000 sq. feet mansion on which the palace stands was originally owned by Reverend Garret.

The palace ground, located between Jayamahal and Sadashivanagar areas, has now become the venue for various exhibitions, concerts and cultural programmes.