Pixelated Memories: Wadiyar

Showing posts with label Wadiyar. Show all posts

May 08, 2015

Mysore Palace, Mysore

"We are not now that strength which in old days moved earth and heaven,

That which we are, we are;

One equal temper of heroic hearts, made weak by time and fate, but strong in will

To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."

– Alfred Lord Tennyson, "Ulysses"

It was with memories of Delhi's unparalleled historicity, inimitable visual settings and unsurpassed monumental and architectural heritage that I made my way towards Mysore, the city of majestic palaces and exceedingly affluent Maharajas, and realized that the beautiful city – with its exceptional palaces, splendid gardens, delectable food, unequaled crafts and sculptural streetscape – can never possibly disappoint me.

A hundred years ago, in the years 1897-1912, inspired by an urge for the facilitation of posterity, Wadiyars/Wodeyars, the prosperous and far-sighted Maharajas of Mysore/Karnataka, constructed in the heart of the city at the exact location where an earlier wood palace existed and burnt to ground a magnificent palace christened "Ambavilas", whose numerous domed towers dominated the skyline and the stories of whose unimaginably rich opulence traveled far and wide. The emblematic palace complex, commissioned by H.H. Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV (reign AD 1894-1940) at the insistence of his mother Maharani Vani Vilas Sannidhana and designed by the renowned British architect Henry Irwin in the unique Indo-Saracenic style (which involves an aesthetic infusion of traditional Indian architectural features to an otherwise largely Gothic/Victorian building plan) has since come to be considered as a remarkable exemplar of the building style and is, both as an exceedingly important heritage and visual feature, impossibly hard to miss as soon as one steps within the expansive city. The structure was further expanded by Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar (reign 1940-50, following which he signed the instrument for the assimilation of the state of Mysore in the Republic of India) to its present majestic proportions.

Grace, granite and symmetry

Stepping through the ornate southern gateway, intensely decorated with elaborate plasterwork patterns culminating into numerous motifs, overhanging ornamental windows ("jharokhas") and sculptures of Hindu deities, one comes face to face with the mammoth palace diagonally visible. The feeling of excitement at witnessing the beautiful gateways and the intricately carved massive temple complexes that are scattered throughout the complex (including immediately opposite the gateway just a few steps within the complex periphery) spontaneously gives way to disbelief – the colossal three-storied palace looms indomitable in the distance, the subdued simplicity and graceful curves of the sunlight-yellow temples embedded along its sides and the flanking cream-yellow tinged with white ancillary buildings harmoniously contrasting and lending a masculine footing to the astounding magnificence of the splendid gray-red granite front facade – one realizes that none of the photos seen online or any of the stories about the structure's opulence can do justice to the marvel it really is. The inspiringly symmetrical facade with its nine giant arches (of which two slightly narrower ones flank the central) and the numerous smaller ones stretching along the ground floor are terminated by the soaring five-storied corner towers that are surmounted by onion domes whose vibrant pink-red tinge glimmers against the brilliant blue of Mysore's sky; the center, crowned by a complicated golden dome that sits on an enormously high and narrow base and supports upon itself a domed kiosk, is surrounded by clusters of smaller ornamental "chattris" (onion domes surmounted upon slender decorative pillars) and is further outlined against the breathtaking symmetry of the roof and the line of arches by a curved, gently upraised shrine housing in its bosom a beautiful sculpture of Gajalakshmi, the Hindu Goddess of wealth and prosperity being showered with milk and nectar by two impeccably carved elephants. To the credit and genius of the the architect and his team of builders, the visual depiction is unbelievably flawless, undeniably fascinating. In the distant background rise the sheer peaks of the renowned Chamundi Hills.

Delicate - The southern gateway, presently used for tourist entry

Heading closer to the palace building, one comes face to face, through an obstructive veil of ungainly net that keeps the birds away, with the alluringly detailed artwork adorning the numerous (slightly perceptibly) curved concave surfaces of the roof that stretch between each of the giant arches – the central one depicts, within an inconceivably excellent paintwork design consisting of peacocks strutting amidst numerous floral and vegetative motifs, a vivid blue expansive sky, interspersed with zodiac constellations and angels and cherubs. In the center of the unblemished blue blossoms a gigantic, resplendent, multi-petalled flower, whose center is divided into quarters, three of which illustrate the three supreme omnipresent, omnipotent Hindu deities – Brahma (the God of creation and learning and the progenitor of all soul and matter) seated with the two forms of his consort Saraswati (the Goddess of knowledge, learning and music) upon the celestial swan, Vishnu (the Lord of life and nourishment) seated with his consort Lakshmi (the Goddess of wealth and auspiciousness) upon the primal seven-headed serpent deity Sheshnaga and Shiva (the Lord of death and destruction) and his consort Parvati (Goddess of love, feminine fertility and devotion) flanked by their sons Kartikeya (the young God of war and victory) and Ganesha (the elephant-headed, pot-bellied God of auspiciousness). The fourth quarter depicts the eight-armed benevolent Goddess Durga astride her mighty lion – legend is that the nomenclature "Mysore/Mysuru" is derived from "Mahishasura", an incredible powerful demon lord endowed with immense physical and spiritual strength and sorcery who could exist either in human or buffalo form and was eventually slayed by the Goddess after he unquestionably defeated the divine armies and set them back with irreversible losses. Wadiyars consider the Goddess, or rather her alternate form Chamundeshwari (the fearsome primordial feminine spirit who revels in bloodbath and necromancy), as their patron mother deity. Though equally immersed in the intricacies of the artwork and impressed by its colorful grandeur, one doesn't as yet even begin to imagine a minute fraction of the palace's splendor nor conceive its overall awe-inspiring visual magnificence and aesthetic superiority. Nonetheless, Amir Khusro's famous quote comes to mind instantaneously –

“Agar firdaus bar roo-e zameen ast, Hameen ast-o, hameen ast-o, hameen ast”

("If there is a paradise on earth, It is this, it is this, it is this")

Paradise on earth?

The entrance to the palace is through a passageway on the other side, where, before proceeding any further, one has to take off one's footwear and deposit them at one of the numerous counters over which painted in capital, bold white against indig background are the words "Free Counters/Don't pay tips" (but then, it being India and rules being necessarily violable, the shoe keepers did ask for tips when I returned at the end of the day to collect my shoes – I did not pay, of course). On the ground floor exist two individualistic but interconnected stunning passages which together constitute a viewing gallery christened as "Gombe Thotti" ("Doll pavilion") and where housed within glass frames are numerous traditional Indian dolls dating from 19th-20th century along with several ceremonial objects, richly dressed, finely adorned sculptures of Hindu deities and royal regalia such as elephant "howdahs" (huge royal pavilions that used to be mounted on elephants for the King and his kin to sit in during processions and religious ceremonies) decorated with several score kilograms of gold.

Chiseled to perfection - One of the several jaguar sculptures that dot the palace complex

Wedged between the two passages is an enormously vast and immensely high double-storied octagonal chamber supported upon slender ornamental fluted pillars and sheltered from the elements by perplexingly beautiful stained glass windows whose numerous vibrantly colorful patterns mirror the mesmerizing beauty of peacock tails and are reflected in the outstanding multi-hued geometric-patterned kaleidoscopic mosaic that adorn the floor. The chamber, remarkably conceived, designed and crafted in its entirety in Scotland and referred to as "Kalyana Mantapa", functions as the religio-ceremonial hall of the royal family and is where all the marriages, christening ceremonies and birthday parties are organized. Impressive passageways running along the sides, demarcated from the central functional area by another line of pillars (this time considerably thicker, elaborately ornamented and supporting amongst themselves rows of arches that append additional grace and depth of character to the luxurious chamber) are lined with several elegant paintings of which some portray mythological scenes from the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata and others the erstwhile splendor of the majestic palace and its numerous regal ceremonies, including the renowned Dussehra/Dasara processions.

Behold stone peacocks - The Kalyana Mantapa (Photo courtesy - Mysorepalace.gov.in)

Up a staircase past the second half of the viewing pavilion and through intricately, painstakingly crafted silver doors (outside which rests an extremely realistic life-size plaster sculpture of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV seated upon a chair) embedded with streams of floral artwork delineating numerous panels portraying divine images, one reaches the enormous "Diwan-i-Aam" (Public Durbar Hall) from whose massive balconies the King used to appear before his subjects on public occasions and ceremonies – it is a visual composition that the eye cannot fully contemplate and the mind cannot possibly forget – the warm profusion of gold, cream-orange and red soothes the eye and the extraordinary symmetry afforded by the seemingly limitless rows upon rows of highly embellished fluted pillars extending throughout the massive rectangular hall, supporting in their midst cusp arches adorned with an inexhaustible array of embossed stucco geometric patterns, floral bouquets and divine figurines and providing both structural support and visual composure to the numerous equally decorated concave surfaces along which are aligned rows of overhanging chandeliers sprouting from bases resembling golden floral outbursts in their entire magnificent glory, uplifts the weary spirits. The aforementioned minutely concave roofs stretching far beyond the confines of the hallway, decorated with representations of Hindu Gods and Goddesses and heavenly constellations, can now be visualized in their complete eminence since there is no net impeding the view – one realizes that it was the Diwan-i-Aam that one witnessed from the ground level and feels supremely wonderful as comprehension dawns that earlier one noticed the stupendous structure through the eyes of a common visitor, a view that hasn't witnessed any change in the hundred years or so since the palace's construction and would have been easily recognizable to those subjects, rich and poor, young and old, strong and frail, who would have clamored to set eyes on the Maharaja's regal abode soon after its construction was completed, and now one looks at the unprecedented monumental immensity through the eyes of the Maharajas themselves! The arched alcoves existing along the furthest wall of the exalted hall are embedded with vivacious paintings of Hindu deities most of which were conceived and executed by the renowned artist Raja Ravi Varma (lived 1848-1906).

Limitless - The Diwan-i-Aam (Public Audience Hall)

Connected to the Diwan-i-Aam via a long, dark, perennially crowded picture gallery fringed throughout with photographs and portraits of the erstwhile Maharajas and their families in distinguished attire and lavish settings, is the Mahraja's Private Durbar Hall or "Diwan-i-Khas", a beyond description resplendently ornate chamber bejeweled throughout its surface with copious quantities of gold, crystal glass and semi-precious stones. The luxurious chamber is supported upon and divided into portions by fluted pillars structurally not very different from those of the Diwan-i-Aam except in the exterior adornment which boasts of an abundantly luxurious finish of gold paint fringed with slightly off-blue highlights that only seem to magnify the overall visual impact of the gold to an extent where one cannot easily take one's eyes off the numerous embossed motifs and mosaic work. The scene is unblemished and spellbinding, to say the least; the chandeliers, their incandescent light reflected and refracted into infinite number of rays by crystalline glass that forms their core, further serve to maximize the optical composition and the perception of extravagant opulence and self-indulgence. This was the only room where the policemen didn't let me photograph the interiors (photography is prohibited in its entirety within the palace!), elsewhere they were kind to allow me to click 2-3 quick snapshots of the chambers upon hearing that I need them to write this particular article (permission is rarely, if ever, granted and it is highly advisable to ask for the same before clicking away berserk since numerous CCTV cameras are positioned along the walls and pillars of each of the rooms and passageways). Had the incredulous visitors who were incredibly crammed into the narrow picture gallery known that such a wonderful sight awaited them afterwards, they wouldn't have proceeded so unbelievably slowly through the passageway! (Yes, I'm very impatient and I hate standing in queues unnecessarily!)

The Maharaja's extravagant gold throne that is assembled annually in the Diwan-i-Khas Hall during Dussehra celebrations (Photo courtesy - Thehindu.com)

On the way out, after collecting one's footwear, one is directed to a narrow open courtyard flanked on one side by a museum depicting the Maharajas' affluent lifestyle and possessions and on the other by a small private temple, dedicated to the mythological Krishna (a flamboyant cowherd-king-statesman-warrior-philosopher who supposedly lived over 5,000 years ago and is considered to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu), that is surmounted by a fairly moderately-sized, intricately sculpted pyramidal spire within an alcove of which is set an incredibly realistic sculpture of the God himself flanked by one of his beloved cows and playing his divine flute. The Wadiyars claim descent from Krishna and the temple was commissioned by Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar III (reign AD 1734-66) who felt distressed at the absence of a temple dedicated to the former within the periphery of the palace that originally existed here. The courtyard opens to a wider green patch enclosed within a perimeter where patrons can avail for camel and elephant rides – it had been awhile since I saw an elephant and clicked happily for almost a quarter of the hour! For a little extra money besides that paid for the ride, one can even have one's photo clicked with the tip of the elephant's trunk resting on one's head in a manner characterizing divine elephantine blessings!

An entirely unexpected surprise!

One has left the huge sunlight-yellow temple complexes that dot the palace grounds for the last and now one comes face to face with the first of them – Sri Lakshmiramana Swamy temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu and housing in its exalted sanctum a black-faced gold sculpture of the God along with several smaller brass representations. At the very outset, all three major temple complexes within the palace circumference – Sri Lakshmiramana Swamy temple, Sri Varaha Swamy temple and Chamundeshwari temple – possess the same external appearance with an exactly identical massive pyramidal towering gateway divided into seven individualistic levels, each of which, except the first and last, is set in the center with large twin portrayals of the Lord's gatekeepers flanked by geometric multi-tiered projections surmounted by mythological symbolism that run throughout the length of each level. This is where the similarities end. The Lakshmiramana temple, said to be the oldest temple in the city and constructed in AD 1499, is set within a considerably smaller circumference as compared to the other two, possibly owing to its immediate proximity to the palace complex's mammoth and highly symmetrical horizontal spatial projection. The central shrine, around which run the high-raised, simplistically whitewashed colonnades that facilitate circumbulation ("Parikrama") of the deity, proves to be even more gorgeous than the imposing gateway and (if your heart is into sculptural art and ancient architectural heritage like mine is) the grandiose palace – the rectangular structure's roof, again painted sunlight-yellow in uniformity with the peerless gateway and the boundary walls and supported upon simplistically carved granite pillars, is an epitome of stucco plasterwork culminating into arrays of small, highly embellished pyramidal spires, each inset with an alcove inside which stands a different incarnation of Lord Vishnu (my favorite remains that of the anthropomorphic Varaha – the boar-faced, four-armed God who rescued the Earth Goddess Bhudevi from a demon who had carried her to the bottom of the cosmic ocean) and decorated with numerous geometrical and floral motifs, peacocks, vines bursting into floral blossoms, mythological and mythical creatures and dwarf demonic figurines. The immediate perimeter of the relatively smaller sanctum located on the far-side of the shrine is surmounted by a substantially larger double-storied spire, again similarly designed and sculpted except with the singular exception of possessing large lions (which realistically do not resemble lions at all, a phenomena repeated in almost all the temple and palace complexes in south India, thereby prompting many architectural and cultural historians to conjecture that lions never existed here and the sculptors/artists never ever set eyes on them, therefore leading to such deformed representations) seated at each of its extremities.

Juxtaposed - Sri Lakshmiramana temple's spire and (background) gateway

Decorative sculptural panels crafted out of sheer stone compose the doorjambs and lintel in which is embedded the gateway leading to the sanctum – on the lintel is the depiction of Anantashayi Vishnu (Lord Vishnu reclining upon the endless seven-hooded serpent deity Anant Sheshanaga) being venerated by his two wives Lakshmi and Bhudevi. In a departure from the otherwise yellow color scheme, the exterior and interior walls of the sanctum are whitewashed and bear plasterwork embossments of a three-illustration cluster – a "V" sign with a vertical line dividing it into two halves (where the "V" and the line are emblematic of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi respectively) flanked by depictions of Lord Vishnu's "Sudarshana Chakra" (serrated spinning disc weapon) and "Panchajanya" (divine conch shell) – symbolically portraying reverence to Lord Vishnu. Apart from the garlanded and silk-wrapped gold and brass idols within the sanctum, a smaller shrine embedded within the wall near the entrance gateway houses a silk-wrapped, black stone sculpture of Maharaja Shri Raja Wadiyar I (reign AD 1578-1617) himself – possibly he had something to do with the commissioning or expansion of the temple complex, which till date remains testimony to the unparalleled skill of the medieval architects and artisans, though the priests officiating here seemed to know next to nothing about the complex and could only enlighten me by divulging that the temple is supposedly ancient and was constructed by the very first Kings of the Wadiyar lineage. One legend states that a half-blind devotee was cured of his condition within the temple precincts at the intercession of Raja Wadiyar I! I find that hard to believe, but then that is the thing about lore, you can choose to believe or not to, but they continue to persist in the atmosphere and influence the way one looks at history and even architecture.

Details! - Gateway - Sri Varaha Swamy temple complex

The Varaha Swamy and Chamundeshwari temples, again exactly identical in their external appearance and located opposite each other along the front face extremities of the palace complex, were for some reason closed that particular time (possibly, it, being afternoon, was time for the presiding deities to rest), but the officiating priests in the Varaha Swamy temple (again dedicated to the veneration of Lord Vishnu) granted me the permission to wander around and photograph the temple complex and the shrine as long as I did not disturb the deep-red velvety curtain that now engulfed the sanctum. The temple complex, painted the usual brilliant yellow, is considerably larger than the Lakshmiramana Swamy temple and, besides the similar seven-tiered ornately chiseled gateway and whitewashed, simplistically-pillared colonnades circumbulating the central shrine, also possesses as a fringe around the extended roof those telltale rows of delicate pyramidal serrated spires with the alcove and the plasterwork figurine of the Lord's incarnations. The major difference from the other shrines being that the plasterwork sculptures inset within the alcoves are additionally intricately detailed and therefore rendered many times more captivating.

A tribute to the Lord - A stucco figurine, inset along one of the sides of Sri Varaha Swamy temple

Also the larger pyramidal spire surmounting the sanctum is a study in architecture involving immensely straight lines converging to a common pinnacle and in the process culminating into a fascinatingly detailed, highly elongated and extremely straight pyramid the monotony of whose vertical dimensions are punctuated by grooves and contours running horizontally against its surface and the smaller ridges and miniature shrines fashioned against its otherwise flawless surface. Standing in close proximity to the spire and eying its glistening yellow summit that seems to spontaneously and without premonition rise from the black-grey granite base as if of its own free volition without in any way disturbing the continuity of the pattern work lines and edges, one miraculously feels transported to the fictional space age where such numerous ridges and lines and incomprehensible motifs might have been commonplace. Interestingly, the frieze above the entrance gateway is decorated with a fairly colorful, well endowed and garlanded sculptural scene depicting Lord Rama, his three brothers, his wife Sita and his faithful friend Hanuman, the powerful monkey God. The interior walls too of the inadequately lit shrine display an amazing variety of vibrant, multi-hued mural artwork which, owing to their appreciable deterioration and flaking, appears to be quite vintage. Even more surprising is the presence of scenes from the epic Ramayana war where Lord Rama, the ideal son-husband-brother-friend-king-warrior-incarnation of Vishnu-and-who-knows-what-else, battled against the monstrous armies of the demon Lord Ravana who is often depicted as a ten-headed, twenty-armed, grotesquely mustached warlord wielding the bow and arrow with supreme efficiency and unsurpassed lethality – though both Varaha and Rama are considered incarnations of Lord Vishnu and supposedly (read mythically) existed in separate eons, one would have expected a temple dedicated to Lord Varaha Swamy to depict paintings related to his life and times instead of his successor separated by millions of years.

An escape from modernity - Sri Varaha Swamy temple's spire and (background) gateway

The complex, though belonging to the royal family, is managed by the Department of Archaeology and Museums of the Government of Karnataka which conserves and restores the interiors as deemed necessary, manages the tourists and the facilities made available to them therein and maintains the exteriors, the gigantic gardens and the numerous sculptures that exist throughout the estate. Recently, following allegations of corruption and the use of substandard materials in a conservation effort, the Government created a new post of Palace Board Director that will be handled by a state-level administrative officer. The Government also sponsors the annual 10-day long extravagant celebrations that are observed on the occasion of the Hindu festival of Dussehra/Dasara/Vijay Dashami (which have been a tradition since 1610) during which the entire complex is decorated, brilliantly lit up and converted into a host for a range of cultural and religious programs. An idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari is worshiped in the palace by the royal priests during this 10-day period following which, on the day of Dussehra, it is taken on a round of the entire city on the back of a massive, richly-adorned elephant. If one cannot make it to the palace grounds during Dussehra festivities, hope still abounds – it is advisable to visit the palace complex on a Sunday morning and top it off with a return visit in the evening when each of the structures within, including the gateways and the temples, are outlined with millions of incandescent bulbs that, much to the wide-eyed amazement and bewilderment of onlookers, glitter and glimmer against the background of sheer dark blue-black skies that further magnify the mesmerizing effect. The overall picture presented by the illuminated multi-storied structures is resplendently spellbinding, to be seen to be believed!

I wouldn't have missed it for anything!

Open: All days, 10 am – 5:30 pm
Entrance fees: Indians: Rs 40; Foreigners: Rs 200; Free entry for children below 7 years of age and Rs 25 entry charge for children between the age 7-12. Extra charges applicable for audio guides, elephant/camel rides and visit to the museum.
Palace illumination: Every Sunday and all Government holidays, 7 – 7:45 pm, Free entry during the illumination window.
Sound and Light show: All days expect Sundays and Government holidays, 7 – 7:45 pm, Same entrance charges applicable as day entry.
Photography/Video charges: Nil. Prohibited within the palace building.
Note: Footwear have to be removed prior to entering the palace building or any of the numerous temple complexes within the precincts.
Facilities available: Washrooms, drinking water, audio guides and souvenir counters within the palace building.
Other palaces in Karnataka –

Suggested reading –

April 26, 2015

Bangalore Palace, Bangalore

"The Palace at Bangalore popularly known as the Bangalore Palace, Karnataka's unique historical and architectural heritage, is singularly suited with its immediate surroundings, which no other Palace in the City of Bangalore does possess, and thereby deserving in its own majesty, in public interest to be preserved as a monument with the surrounding open space developed to serve public purpose, into an exclusive Botanical Museum and Horticultural Garden and Tree Park and to serve also the acutely affected ecological needs of Bangalore City which in its course of rapid growth has become highly deficient in lung-space and park areas.."

– The Bangalore Palace (Acquisition and Transfer) Act, Govt. of Karnataka, 1996

Bangalore Palace - The Wadiyar stronghold

A thousand fortresses, some of them exceedingly well-preserved despite the vagaries of time and nature, others reduced to mere bastions and gateways, skeletons of their original glory by unrestrainable human encroachment and unquenchable urbanization, dot the vast landscape that comprises the massive southern state of Karnataka. Of these, only one – the Bangalore Fort (refer Pixelated Memories - Bangalore Fort) – exists in the city of Bangalore, the vast, under-development cosmopolitan cocoon that encapsulates within its boundaries hundreds of IT companies and BPO call centers, that too in a state of decrepitude and near annihilation owing to its past allegiances and regal history. But what Bangalore and the regions surrounding it possess are palaces, exceedingly majestic, inspiringly exquisite and unbelievably luxurious, and it is a surprise that Karnataka isn't referred to as abounding in a bounty of royal palaces and splendid temples even though its numerous fortresses are integral to any discussion on the country's architectural and cultural heritage. Interestingly enough, Bangalore Palace, an epitome of regal architecture and the unsurpassed pinnacle of colonial-style construction, ornamentation and furnishing in the subcontinent, was not commissioned by Wadiyars/Wodeyars, the rulers of Bangalore/Mysore from AD 1399-1950, but was originally conceived as a mansion house by Reverend J. Garrett who then officiated as the Principal of Bangalore's Central High School – it is indeed a matter of wide-eyed surprise today to imagine a school principal purchasing such a vast stretch of land (the palace and its surrounding gardens culminate in totality to an area spread over more than 450 acres!) and finance such a magnificent edifice. Possessing fortified towers, turrets, crown-pinnacles and battlements and externally boasting overall an appearance of undisguised masculinity and militarian posturing (further outlined by the presence of the colossal circular sub-structure that functions as the front facade) that is inherent to the defensive medieval-style Gothic-Tudor architecture that defines its exterior aesthetics, the palace was constructed over 1862-73 and was purchased in 1884 by H.H. Chamarajendra Wadiyar X, the then Maharaja of Mysore (reign AD 1868-94), who, over the next two years and at a cost of 200,000 rupees, extensively renovated and irrevocably retrofitted the mansion house to lend it its present palatial fortress appearance.

History's hoard!

While the ruggedly masculine, ivy-clung exteriors of the palace, immediately reminiscent of fortified palace-citadels of Europe, are a visual and photographic treat, especially owing to the presence of vast landscaped gardens and graceful fountain sculptures, the unparalleled interiors are evocatively spellbinding to say the least – in fact, given the delicate elegance of the interiors, be it even a minor passageway or a staircase, any praise lauded on it shall definitely fail to portray its indescribable beauty and royal splendor. However, the entrance fees to the palace and photography charges within are Rs 280 and 700 respectively for Indian visitors (more for foreigners), thereby prompting most of them to give the grand interiors a miss and instead content themselves with photographing it from outside – in fact, I myself have told several friends and fellow travellers to visit the place only if they are willing to shell several hundred rupees – but we ourselves did pay the entry fees and managed to click a few photos of the interiors without paying the photography charges (I would have been more willing to discuss and even pay the charges if they were not so prohibitively exorbitant). While most of the the ground floor of the mega-structure is dedicated to an immense unfurnished open space that is enshrouded by equally gigantic red cloth canopies and is flanked by a much smaller, rectangular private meeting hall whose sunlight-yellow walls and heavy wooden rafters are supported upon unadorned cylindrical pillars, a staircase immediately adjacent the ticketing area leads upstairs to the more opulent private quarters of the royal inhabitants who once frequented the magnificent residence. The elegant furnishing and fine artworks that adorn every conceivable surface of the structure begin right from the staircase which, where not ornamented with decorative cream-on-red embossed stucco panels exhibiting the royal coat of arms, Hindu mythological entities and intricate geometric and floral patterns, is fitted with massive elephant heads with tusks several feet long, lamp holders carved in the likeness of Greek figurines (wearing helmets and skirts and holding shields in their free hands) and resplendent, minimally decorated marble alcoves housing photographs and floral vases.

Moment of glory - The Durbar Hall

The monotony of the continuous mustard yellow is punctuated by an over-utilization of the plasterwork cream-on-red panels and cream-white floral and geometric patterns running along the roofs and the wall surfaces, culminating into a bigger picture that can only be described politely as a rococo of elaborate artwork, but is otherwise an over-indulgence of art and ornamentation, predominantly delectably fine and eye-catching but also at times overcrowded and stuffed – I do not quite see the necessity or even a coercion to eccentrically cover every square inch of wall surfaces with decorative embossments and artwork, no matter how compelling they are. To further perfect the sensations of near-orgasm visual gratification, especially in the Durbar Hall located on the first floor, numerous mirrors, vibrant paintings, glass-framed portraits, colorful chandeliers and multi-hued, simplistically-patterned stained glass windows add further charm. The furniture boasts of lavish extravagance and in one of the corners of a courtyard lie chairs supported upon antelope legs and stools and vases respectively crafted out of the feet and trunks of massive elephants. The corridors on the first-floor enveloping the two courtyards that exist on the ground floor are thoughtlessly and haphazardly stuffed with hundreds of framed photographs of the members of the extensive royal family line and paintings by the renowned artist Raja Ravi Varma (lived 1848-1906) – the dense concentration of so many points of interest, treated so carelessly, diverts one from the individual features and certainly proves less of an attraction than it ought to be. While the first-floor passages surrounding the first of the square courtyards is supported upon cream-colored Corinthian pillars which complement the pink-red wall paper shrouding the walls and roof of the corridors and whose capitals spontaneously burst into simplistic golden-green foliage before supporting the numerous arches that eventually culminate into an overall visual appearance of flowing arches interrupted only by the light and shadow patterns they so symmetrically generate; on the other hand, the first-floor passages surrounding the other courtyard are bound by regularly patterned grille instead of Corinthian pillars and possess a floor composed of multi-hued, recurring motif kaleidoscopic tile work and walls displaying stone bricks patterns interspersed with paintings (pastels and oil colors) – of course, the star attraction is the view of the courtyard downstairs which boasts of a set of vibrantly colorful furniture best observed from close proximity as we did when we finally climbed down (more on that later).

Kaleidoscopic

Past rooms, passages and staircases, both painted and layered with wall papers of several different motif patterns, interspersed with paintings, photographs, stucco panels and art pieces, we reached the ground floor where most of the rooms are either kept locked or maintained out of bounds for visitors, but of the few that are open, especially the superlatively stuffed office of the last Maharaja Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar (ruled 1974-2013), display an amazing array of luxurious items and antiques (including vivid paintings, expensive furniture, classical books, exorbitant carpets, dearly porcelain ware and Belgium crystal chandeliers) that the royal family possesses – one wonders how did the Maharaja function in such an overly crowded room choked with furniture and irrelevant display items! The first of the two courtyards – the Ladies' courtyard – that we saw from upstairs is fitted with fountains that are not functional anymore but nonetheless retain their erstwhile graceful elegance, while the other courtyard – the Maharaja's courtyard – segmented with eccentrically multi-colored tiles to resemble a hexagon placed within its square perimeter, houses at its upraised center a decorative hexagonal fountain affixed with a vividly stunning collection of tiles that depict numerous images such as ships sailing on the seas, castles, regal insignia and floral and geometric patterns, ultimately culminating into what can only be described as an epitome of unbelievably unparalleled artistic tile work; opposite it sits a huge bench, similarly adorned but only more artistically majestic, if that is even possible, conceiving in its numerous patterns scenes from nature such as blooming foliage, deer running, birds flying and the centerpiece being hunting dogs attacking a stag – the entire set, conceived and crafted by some of the leading ceramicists of their time, was a gift from Don Alphonso Ferdinand Anthony XIII (reign 1886-1931), the King of Spain, to show his gratitude to the Wadiyar kings who offered him asylum after he was deposed from power and allowed him to reside gracefully in the chambers surrounding this courtyard whose Moorish architecture reminded him of his own castles and houses back in Spain.

Moorish architecture in the heart of Bangalore

The courtyard passages are lined with numerous tables and display cabinets on which are lovingly set numerous brass and bronze antiques and porcelain decorative pieces, the former resembling characters and scenes that appear straight out of Spain and could also well have been additional gifts from the Don himself. In a corner is a unique horse-shoe shaped contraption with a scale attached vertically alongside that functioned to weigh the jockeys who would race the passionate Maharaja's horses. Having completed the royal tour and after spending several more minutes studying with unwavering concentration the numerous plasterwork patterns that adorn the walls and the symbols and text that is embedded into the structure of the numerous cannons that line the front porch at the demarcation where the majestic palace complex is separated from the gigantic, beautifully landscaped lawns that surround it, it was time for us to leave, but of course not before exploring the lawns that are thoughtfully demarcated with hedges and filled with several unique, possibly imported flowering plants, and mesmerizingly-crafted sculptural fountains (even the larger plant pots are intricately carved with extensive handles and strikingly realistic devilish faces!). Despite the palace's indescribable magnificence and unparalleled ethereal grace, I really doubt that it is ample return for the exorbitant ticket costs, especially given that the actual area where a visitor is admissible is far smaller than the overall complex size and only a handful of the 35 rooms remain open for visitor entry.

Stuffed!

There are numerous changes that could be affected to make the overall experience more gratifying in terms of visual composition and financial and knowledge returns – for one, why choke the walls with portraits and paintings when the same can be symmetrically and linearly placed along the walls and the passages to create a continuous line of historic portraits and scenes; secondly, instead of just offering audio guides, small placards and essential information panels can be affixed near the more valuable or historic sculpture/antique/chamber since the reading enhances the overall experience of being at a monument of such incomparable historic value; thirdly (it is definitely possible), the photography charges could be reduced a little so more visitors are willing to pay them instead of sneaking around and clicking photographs without permission, and finally, the gardens, which once must have been spectacular but are now sorrowfully withered in places, could be spruced up and handed over to experienced gardeners and botanists for care and upkeep.

As a last note on history – The controversial dispute regarding the palace – In 1970, H.H. Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar (reign 1940-74) is said to have transferred the possession of the entire property to companies incorporated and managed by people close to him. His successor Maharaja Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar. who spiritedly renovated and richly decorated the elegant palace and opened it for the public in 2005, described the transfer as fraudulent since the companies were not yet incorporated at the time of the deal nor were there any sale deeds or written records of the transaction and instituted a civil court case against the same. Successively over the course of several years extending from 1990-94, Maharaja Srikantadatta and the two companies reached a compromise whereby the Maharaja retained the entire property (of which a large portion (where rock concerts, marriages and parties used to be held till recently and an amusement park has also come up) he already had distributed among his five sisters) and the companies only keep a portion totaling upto around 45 acres adjacent one of the peripheries.

From one king to another

Meanwhile, the Government of Karnataka, after having failed to acquire the entire property (valued at 400,000,000,000 rupees!!) under existing laws such as Land Acquisition Act 1894 and Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act 1976, condemnably promulgated the Bangalore Palace (Acquisition and Transfer) Act 1996 to expropriate from the royal family their ancestral inheritance. The same has been challenged in the Supreme Court of the country and awaits judgement, but if the litigation succeeds, it would allow several state governments to acquire and overtake royal palaces and properties, many of them exceedingly massive in proportions and historical in character, by paying mere fractions to the erstwhile royal families against the actual land and built property value. In my not so humble opinion, the same is highly disrespectful and belligerent on the part of the Karnataka Government, whose existence and continued affluence is in no small measure without the Maharaja's historically well-documented efforts at collective financial, cultural, educational and infrastructural well-being and progress, though yes a clampdown on concerts and events which are never billed on actual value and from which revenue is not paid proportionately to the Government is definitely required. Also, if the Government eventually succeeds in acquiring the entire property, there is no way it could maintain the regal character or even display a fraction of the artifacts and personal belongings of the late Maharajas that the royal family has mustered up since the latter are fully aware what the palace and its extensive, prominent history means and how it is intertwined with their own existence to such an extent that one cannot exist without the other. The palace simply wouldn't be the same without the royal touch, without a display of the Maharaja's wardrobe or his and his family's photographs and personal effects, even though it might continue to exist in its skeletal, architectural glory.

Macabre furniture - Stools and chairs, crafted respectively from the feet of elephants and antelopes

Location: Palace Cross road (Palace coordinates: 12°59'54.6"N 77°35'31.9"E; Palace complex entrance coordinates: 12°59'45.1"N 77°35'24.1"E)
Open: All days, 10 am – 6 pm
How to reach: Buses and taxis are available from different parts of the city.
Entrance fees: Indians: Rs 280; Foreigners: Rs 450 (Inclusive of audio guide in one of the following languages – English, Hindi, Kannada, French, German, Italian and Spanish. A valid ID card is to be submitted as security for the audio guide.)
Photography charges: Camera: Rs 700; Mobile phone photography: Rs 280
Videography charges: Rs 1000
Time required for sightseeing: 3 hrs
A fortress in another part of the city - Pixelated Memories - Bangalore Fort
A palace in another part of the country - Pixelated Memories - Hetampur Hazarduari Rajbari, Birbhum
Suggested reading -

February 03, 2015

Tipu Sultan's Palace and Kote Venkataramana Temple, Bangalore

"How exhilarating is the atmosphere of India!

There cannot be a better teacher than the way of life of its people.

If any foreigner comes by, he will have to ask for nothing

Because they treat him as their own,

Play an excellent host and win his heart,

And show him how to smile like a flower."

– Amir Khusro, 14th-century poet-courtier-soldier-chronicler-linguist

Unbelievably modest

Bangalore knows how to play an excellent host – within no time following my arrival, the city presented to me its treasure trove of hidden medieval monuments, beautifully somber gardens, mouthwatering gastronomic haunts, choicest and classiest of watering holes and clusters of second-hand bookshops masquerading as decrepit buildings. And then there are some monuments and heritage sites in and around the city, camouflaged to merge with their highly modernistic, often heartless, emotionless surroundings, that prove to be hauntingly evocative. Forceful enough to make one wonder what could have been, seductive enough to make one imagine their original unparalleled splendor. Unquestionably, the foremost would be Tipu Sultan's relatively unknown beautiful little summer palace tucked in the heart of the city besides a perennially-choked arterial road where swirl unending streams of vehicles and pedestrians throughout day and night, and yet very few, if any, stop by to adoringly, or even curiously, gaze at the legendary King's alluring palace and wonder how might have such a powerful and affluent Emperor lived in a building as small as this. Here's how I described Tipu Sultan (reign AD 1782-99) in an earlier article –

"An innovative genius and unparalleled military tactician who also possessed intimate knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence, shooting, horse-riding, Hindi-Urdu writing, poetry and economic systems, Badshah Fath Ali Khan Bahadur Tipu Sultan was instructed in military tactics by French officers in service of his father Nawab Hyder Ali Khan and is credited with creating the first prototype rockets which he used in wars against the annexing armies of British East India “trading” Company whom he continued to oppose and fiercely resist all his short life. Technologically advanced and financially capable, he employed several skilled European weapon makers and mercenaries, was aware of the potent warfare technologies of his time, possessed an extremely strong naval force consisting of numerous war ships and frigates and even went to the extent of suggesting an alliance based on mutual admiration with Napoleon Bonaparte who came as far as Egypt on a conquering spree to unite their forces.. Despite his superb administrative, organizational and warfare capabilities, Tipu is considered (based on unreliable, highly biased early British sources who participated in wars against him) a fanatic bigoted Muslim and an extremely harsh, iconoclast ruler who heinously ordered destruction of numerous temples and shrines and oversaw the forceful conversion or merciless execution of hundreds of non-Muslims, especially Christians, besides following a “scorched earth” policy and pitilessly ravaging and impoverishing captured territories and destroying their economies and agrarian capabilities. His admirers continue to debate that he looked after his subjects irrespective of their religion and personal beliefs, employed Hindus at almost each of the influential court post and provided religious grants and protection against brigands to several Hindu temples, some of which existed in the immediate vicinity of his palace. Yet he remains a much abhorred and very controversial personality in Indian history – a patriot who relentlessly strived against foreign colonial rule, yet himself a foreigner who ruthlessly oppressed his subjects and executed those he considered unbelievers or heretics."

(read the full post here – Pixelated Memories - Tipu Sultan Shahi Mosque, Calcutta)

Here held court "The Tiger of Mysore"

Now a mere skeleton of its erstwhile graceful magnificence and obduracy, Bangalore Fort (refer Pixelated Memories - Bangalore Fort) in those days was unbelievably expansive and accommodated within its colossal peripheries most of the city and its numerous bazaars ("pettahs") and townships. The grand wood palace's construction was initiated in AD 1781 within the fortress' circumference by the legendary Nawab Hyder Ali (reign AD 1761-82) who, as Chief Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Wadiyar King Krishnaraja Wadiyar II (reign AD 1735-66), had appropriated for himself the territorial and militarily resources of the state of Mysore/Karnataka; his son and successor, Badshah Tipu Sultan, commissioned its expansion and ornamentation in AD 1791 and established it as one of his numerous fortified residences scattered throughout the area. Entirely conceived out of finely polished and painted teak wood except for the massive stone base on which it rests and the sides and roof, the palace is an excellent epitome of Indo-Islamic architecture wherein it invokes an infusion of rows upon rows of giant ornamental twin fluted pillars supporting in their midst delicate arches minimally fringed with cream-yellow highlights against the overall brown hue, thereby presenting an overall extravagant portrayal that is strikingly symmetrical and eye-catching. No wonder Tipu christened the fine palace "The Abode of Happiness and the Envy of Heaven"! The vibrant red of the walls, punctuated again by adornment alcoves and brown windows and doors and contrasting against the overall monotony of the muted browns and their cream-yellow highlights, provides an interesting visual and pictorial composition. The palace, though externally appearing as a small, compact, single-storied building, actually consists of two floors of which the upper one is accessible through flights of stone stairs that flank each of the sides – interestingly, the floor plan is entirely identical along the backside of the building as well, thereby rendering it not only spatially symmetrical but also laterally.

Knowledge hoard - The ground-floor museum

Presently, the ground floor has been converted into a small dimly-lit museum where are housed numerous information panels and posters, including one that depicts a majestic Tipu seated upon his considerably exorbitant jewel-embedded gold throne each of whose legs culminated into a ruby, diamond and emerald-encrusted gold finial shaped like a tiger's head – legend is that the tenacious Tipu vowed that he would never hold audience ascending the renowned throne again until he vanquished the British out of the country – a wish that was tragically never fulfilled since he was killed during the Battle of Seringapatnam/Srirangapatna (1799) following which the fabled throne was fragmented into numerous parts and sold off as spoils of war individually since the whole was regarded outrageously expensive and beyond the financial capacity of any individual buyer. The highlights of the museum remain some of Tipu's dreaded rockets and a glass-encased replica of his ferocious wooden automaton tiger whose mechanical operations produced growling sounds in association with the painful wails of the Englishman who was portrayed being tortuously mauled to death by the fearsome tiger (the original, of course, like the remaining plundered treasure, is still displayed in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London). Thoughts and history spontaneously return to haunt one – Tipu Sultan, who had earned the inspiring sobriquet "The Tiger of Mysore", his near invincibility and relentlessly fierce and fanatical mindset that was perfectly represented in the literally simple yet figuratively elaborate statement –

"I would rather live one day as a tiger than a lifetime as a sheep."

Harmony

Though the ground floor exists as a mere muddied reflection of its original ornamental glory, the polished wood on the first floor still retains most of its artistic appearance which includes highly detailed bands of minute floral motifs of several different designs running along its entire length and breadth that were crafted in such a way that they almost blend in with the color of the woodwork and would have been perceptible only on keen observance. Interesting is the absence of the stylized tiger stripe ("bubris") state motif with which Tipu adorned nearly everything under his sovereign control ranging from his soldiers' uniforms and weapons to even his father's (and later his) mausoleum!. One wonders how eminent these decorative designs would have appeared while they still retained the layers of golden-brown copper gilding. In those days, the floor underneath would have been covered with prohibitively expensive carpets and earthen lamps would have been lit in the numerous alcoves (especially given that the lack of windows and appropriate lightning does render the entire structure very dark). The regally magnificent pillared hallway on the first floor gives way to two projecting rectangular balconies on either side from where the King would have appeared to his subjects and taken up matters of day-to-day administration, jurisprudence, defense and governance. Two smaller chambers on either side of this huge hallway are believed to be the Zenana quarters where the royal ladies used to reside when the King stayed here – one again wonders if such miniscule quarters did appropriate justice to these noble ladies of such social and financial standing. The same is echoed by the Scotsman Dr. Francis Buchanan in his book "A Journey from Madras through the countries of Mysore, Cananara and Malabar" (published London, 1807) –

"The garrison (of Bangalore Fort) contained..no good building except the palace. Although this is composed of mud, it is not without some degree of magnificence. On the upper storey it contains four halls, each comprising two balconies of state for the prince, and each balcony faces a different Cutchery, or court for giving audience. No person, except a few trusty guards, were admitted into the hall with the Sultan: but at each end of the court was erected a balcony for the officers of the highest rank. The interior offices occupied a hall under the balcony of the prince. The populace were admitted into the open court, in which there were fountains for cooling the air. At each end of the halls are private apartments, small, mean and inconvenient. The public rooms are neatly painted and ornamented with false gilding."

Heritage on the verge of extinction

Following the conclusion of the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War at the Battle of Seringapatnam, the British administration converted the palace building into a secretariat. In recent times, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Bangalore/Bengaluru Circle, has done an excellent job in conserving the palace building and restoring it as close to its original notability. The facade's impressive elegance has returned, the painstakingly intricate woodwork reflects royal opulence and the large, well-maintained and symmetrical lawns leading to the building have become an exemplar of horticulture.

Adjacent to the palace complex but presently separated from it by boundary walls stands a magnificent temple complex dedicated to the Venkateshwara form Lord Vishnu (the Hindu God of life and nourishment) and referred to as Kote Venkataramana Temple – notably, the word "Kote" translates to "fortress" in Kannada and the temple complex, constructed in the Dravidian style of sculptural architecture and commissioned by Maharaja Chikka Devaraja Wadiyar (reign AD 1673-1704) in the year 1689, had once existed within the peripheries of the gigantic Bangalore Fort and till date remains testimony to Tipu's tolerance to religions and belief systems different from his own since he allowed the temple to continue functioning within the premises of the fortress complex even after he had wrestled it from the Hindu Wadiyar Maharajas. The palace, though commissioned by orthodox Muslims, shared its courtyard with the temple since the same was in accordance with early Hindu customs where the King was considered representative of Gods on earth, a tradition that Hyder and Tipu did not mind emulating. The excellent temple's unequaled glory extends to the massive towering pyramidal gateway ("Gopuram") which itself is divided into multiple levels each of which elaborately displays a spectacular array of sculpted divine figurines and mythological personalities including Gandharvas (divine singer-dancers), Hanuman (the monkey-headed God who could fly past the sun and carry entire mountains), Narasimha (the four-armed, lion-headed incarnation of Lord Vishnu), Matasya (the fish-bodied incarnation of Lord Vishnu that played its part in saving mankind during the epic Hindu deluge) and lastly, different representations of Vishnu seated/reclining with his wives Bhudevi (the Earth Goddess) and Sri Lakshmi (the Goddess of auspiciousness, wealth and prosperity) upon the primordial seven-headed limitless serpent deity Sheshnaga.

A study in architecture - Kote Venkataramana temple gateway

Apart from the huge main shrine which too is surmounted by a similarly adorned pyramidal spire and is being painted in vibrant hues and rendered glossy finish, there are several smaller shrines too within the spell-binding complex, each painted sunlight yellow like the rest of the complex and dedicated to an individual deity as is the custom in the larger south Indian temple complexes. A huge hall, supported by pillars shaped like "Yali" (mythological half-lion, half-elephant beings possessing the body and head of a lion and the tusks and trunk of an elephant) and crowned by numerous smaller semi-circular decorative projections which are embedded with sculpted stucco depictions of several mythological deities and mythical beasts, extends adjacent the central shrine and has been fitted with chandeliers and colorful tile work floor. In a corner rests a small shrine dedicated to serpent deities, regarded as capable of granting sexual fertility and parenthood. Nearly every time I visit south Indian temples, notwithstanding how miniscule, I tend to fall in love with their quintessential sculptural art and religious patterns – they symbolize a preservation of local traditions and architectural and artistic sensibilities and are literally an antithesis to burgeoning globalization and assimilation of Victorian moral attitudes which are upon careful understanding and observation so much inferior to Indian scriptural and sculptural knowledge where mythological beasts and mythical anthropomorphic deities come to life, sexuality is explored and celebrated instead of being shied away and architecture unapologetically invokes a rococo of kaleidoscopic, multi-hued and often mind-boggling surface ornamentation. "How exhilarating is the atmosphere of India!", as Amir Khusro had said!

Dazzling - The plethora of sculptural art adorning the numerous towers and spires

Location: Near K.R. (City) Market, Kalasipalyam/Chamrajpet (Coordinates: 12°57'33.5"N 77°34'25.0"E)
How to reach: Buses are available from different parts of the city for K.R. Market, including from Majestic. Walk or take an auto/connecting bus from thereon.
Timings: Both the palace and the temple are open on all days. Palace timings: 9 am – 5 pm; Temple timings: 8 am – 12 noon and 6 pm – 8:30 pm.
Entrance fees: Indians: Rs 10; Foreigners: Rs 100
Photography/Video charges: Nil
Time required for sightseeing: 30 min
Also located nearby – Pixelated Memories - Bangalore Fort
Other palaces in Bangalore/Mysore –