Bangalore's Palaces-Heritage Monuments

Bangalore is steeped in history. Three palaces of erstwhile kings are a must see on every tourist's itinerary.

The Bangalore Palace was built in 1862 by Rev. Garrett, the first Principal of the now Central College as a smaller replica of the Windsor Castle in England. It was bought by the then Maharaja of Mysore, Chamaraja Wodeyar in 1884. This architechtural beauty now belongs to the current scion of the Wodeyar dynasty, Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wodeyar. The palace and the grounds surrounding it make up 454 acres in the heart of Bangalore city. Known for the Tudor style architecture, the Bangalore Palace has fortified towers, battlements and turrets.

A multilingual recorded audio tour of the Bangalore Palace has been inaugurated 2 days ago for the benefit of tourists. The authentic audio experience will take you through history,art and architecture of the palace and high points of 21 of its spots. The hour-long audio guided tour is available in English, Kannada, Hindi, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

Admission : Free

Audio Guide : Rs.350 for international tourists, Rs. 175 for Indians and a security deposit of Rs. 2000 along with passport.

Tippu's Summer Palace was built in 1790 and as the name suggests was his summer retreat. The  two story-ed wooden palace is known for its finely embellished balconies, pillars and arches. The Mughal type of architecture is reflected in the palace entirely built of teak wood. Hyder Ali, the ruler of Mysore began the construction and his son, Tippu Sultan completed it. The entrance to the palace displays an inscription "Abode of Happiness" on a wooden screen. Beautifully decorated walls and ceiling with floral motifs and the projected balcony where Tippu used to sit conducting his affairs of state are not to be missed. The surrounding gardens boast of colorful flowers that Tippu was particularly fond of. The palace was built inside a fort, the remnants of which can still be seen.

Entry Tickets : Rs 5 for Indians and Rs. 100 for international travelers

Timings : 9.30 AM -5:30 PM all days of week

Jayamahal Palace is located opposite the Bangalore Palace, and was founded by a British resident in the late 1900s. The Maharaja of Mysore later purchased it and today it is the property of the Maharaja Bhojraji of Gondola who used this as his summer retreat. The Maharani, being an interior designer has designed each of its 11 rooms with a confluence of Gujarati, Wodeyar and colonial legacies. And converted it into a world class heritage hotel. Prominent are the Jayamahal Suite, Peacock Suite and the Gujarat Suite. Antique paintings, artifacts, ethnic brass ware are all retained to give a sense of royalty to every visitor.