LIFESTYLE
Bangalore Palace was once a summer residence of the Mysore Maharaja.
One of the major tourist attractions in Bengaluru is the Bangalore Palace. Apart from hosting tourists from around the globe, its grounds also host wedding receptions and acts as a revenue centre. The vast expanse of its grounds holds many truths of which only a few are aware.
The palace grounds spread across 453 acres, was known as a concert centre for many international events before a ban on commercial events in the venue was placed a few years ago. Several bands such as Backstreet Boys, Metallica, Deep Purple and others have performed concerts here. Palace Grounds was a haven for the Bengaluru rock fans in the booming rock culture of the 1990s and 2000s and hosted international stars. The Iron Maiden concert - Eddfest attracted around 38,000 people to Palace Grounds.
Earlier, Bangalore Palace was not open to the public. A glimpse of the palace in movies brought smiles to people’s faces as that was the only view they could get of the palace. The previous king, Srikantadatta Wodeyar, later opened it to the public. Now all visitors need to do is pay an entrance fee to enter the palace, with an extra charge if they are carrying cameras and mobiles inside the palace.
Bangalore Palace interiors are exotic and exciting to explore. Maharaja Chamaraja Wodeyar made quite a few changes to the interiors and décor after he bought the Palace from the British. These changes are still seen today as the chandeliers, unique relics, wooden staircases and pieces of furniture give it the regal air. Several paintings stashed on the corridors, and garments used by the royal family grab your attention immediately.
The Palace was built by Rev J Garrett who was the first principal of Central High School which is presently called Central College. The palace was constructed when the Mysore Kingdom was under the British rule, and the young Chamarajendra Wodeyar X was getting tutored by British officials.
The exteriors of the palace reflect its beauty in the Tudor style of architecture that it resembles. As one enters the palace, the European architecture draws one's attention entirely. The Durbar Hall and the ballroom houses a Spanish bench which is one of the major attractions of the palace.