Mysore Palace(Amba Vilas Palace)

     Mysore Palace



The Palace of Mysore (also known as the Amba Vilas Palace) is a historical palace in the city of Mysore in Karnataka, southern India. It is the official residence and seat of the Wodeyars — the Maharajas of Mysore, the former royal family of Mysore, who ruled the princely state of Mysore from 1399 to 1950.The palace is in the central region of inner Mysore, facing the Chamundi Hills eastward.

Mysore is commonly described as the City of Palaces. There are about seven palaces inclusive of this; however, Mysore Palace refers specifically to the one within the Old Fort. Built by the Maharaja Rajarshi H.H. Krishnarajendra Wadiyar IV, Mysore Palace is now one of the most famous tourist attractions in India, after the Taj Mahal, and has more than 4 million visitors annually.
The original palace built of wood, got burnt down in 1897, during the wedding of Jayalakshammanni, the eldest daughter of Chamaraja Wodeyar and was rebuilt in 1912 at the cost of Rs. 42 lakhs. The present Palace built in Indo-Saracenic style and blends together Hindu, Muslim, Rajput, and Gothic styles of architecture. It is a three-storied stone structure, with marble domes and a 145 ft five-storied tower. Above the central arch is an impressive sculpture of Gajalakshmi, the goddess of wealth, prosperity, good luck, and abundance with her elephants. The palace is surrounded by a large garden. Designed by the well-known British architect, Henry Irwin, the palace is a treasure house of exquisite carvings and works of art from all over the world.

The Maharaja's Palace is a beautiful three storied stone building of fine gray granite and rich pink marble domes, overlooking this structure is a five-storied 145 foot tower whose domes are gilded in gold. One enters the Palace through the Gombe Thotti or the Doll's Pavilion; this is a pavilion of traditional dolls from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This collection also has a wooden elephant howdah (structure for carrying people on the elephant) that is decorated with 84 kilograms of gold.
Special events
Mysore palace in the evening

Every autumn, the palace is the venue for the famous Mysore Dasara festival, during which leading artists perform on a stage set up in the palace grounds. On the tenth day of the festival Vijaya Dashami, a parade with caparisoned elephants and floats originate from the palace grounds.

Dasara is the most extravagant festival of Mysore. It is celebrated in September and October of each year. The festival celebrates and commemorates the victory of the great Goddess Durga, also called

This festival has been celebrated by the Wodeyars at Srirangapatna since 1610, and in Mysore with great pomp since 1799. The tradition is still carried on, although the scale of the celebrations has diminished. The Dasara festivities have become an integral part of the culture and life in Mysore. To celebrate this festival, the Palace of Mysore is illuminated with more than 96,000 lights during the two-month period.

Chamundeshwari, after she slew the demon Mahishasura, thereby symbolizing the triumph of good over evil according to Hindu mythology.

During the Dasara the Royal throne made of 200kgs of pure gold is displayed. It is claimed that the ancestry of the throne can be traced to the Pandavas.


ATTARACTIONS NEARBY MYSORE PALACE:

Chamundi Temple
Prasanna Krishnaswamy Temple
Lakshmiramana Swamy Temple
   Mahabaleshwara Temple
Trinesvaraswamy Temple
Shweta Varahaswamy Temple

Mysore Palace Timings:
10.00 am - 05.30 pm
Mysore Palace is open all days of the week
Mysore Palace Entry Charges:
Adults Rs. 40/-
Children between 10 - 18 Years : Rs. 20/-
Children below 10 years : Free Entrance
Foreign Tourist Rs. 200/- (Audio Kit Facility Included)
Tickets are sold at southern gate of the Mysore Palace.
Mysore Palace Illumination Timings:
07.00 pm - 07.45 pm on Sundays, National Holidays and State Festivals.
07.40 pm - 07.45 pm on weekdays (Monday to Saturday) after the sound and light show.
There is no charges to watch Mysore Palace lighting
Mysore Palace Sound and Light Show:
07.00 pm - 07.40 pm
On weekdays (Monday to Saturday) except Sundays, National Holidays and State Festivals.
Sound and Light Show Entry Charges:
Adults Rs. 40/-
Children between 7 - 12 years : Rs. 25/-
Foreign Tourist Rs. 200/-
Tickets are sold at southern gate of the Mysore Palace.
How to Reach Mysore Palace
By Road
Mysore is 139kms to the south west of Bangalore. The state highway that connects these two cities is very well maintained. Travelling from Bangalore to Mysore by road is a pleasant experience and will take about 3hrs.  There are ordinary buses, semi-luxury buses and luxury buses operated by the Government of Karnataka. Every half an hour there is a non-stop bus to Mysore from Bangalore Bus Station.
By Train
Mysore is connected with a number of trains to Bangalore. The super fast luxury train the Shatabdi Express connects Mysore to Madras. The quickest and most comfortable way to reach Mysore is via Bangalore.

By Air
The nearest airport to Mysore is Bangalore (139 km). All the domestic airlines in the country operate their flights to Bangalore from all the major cities in the country. Some international airlines too have flights to Bangalore. Bangalore is to have an international airport shortly.

Best Time to Visit Mysore:

 

Mysore is one city that can actually be visited anytime! The summer is not scorching hot and neither is the winter too cold, making it pleasant enough to visit any time of the year.In September/October during Dussehra time, celebrations are on in full swing and the Mysore Palace is a pretty sight as it is lit up and festivities are in the air.

Where to Stay in Mysore:

Mysore has a variety of places to stay with accommodation options ranging from deluxe to budget hotels.

 

AJANTA ALLORA CAVES

Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, India

                                         

AJANTA is world's greatest historical monument recognised by UNESCO far near from Jalgaon city of Maharashtra, India.
Ajanta is the location of some of the finest examples of ancient Indian sculptures and murals, housed in 28 caves that served as a major Buddhist monastery from the second to seventh century BC. Today, the Ajanta Caves are renowned all over the world for their majestic beauty and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At Ajanta, the caves hewn out of the horse-shoe shaped stone cliffs surrounding the River Waghora are an important heritage site, allowing viewers to glimpse the amazing skill of ancient muralists and sculptors. These caves were chiselled out by Buddhist monks between 200 BC and 650 AD as ‘chaityas’ (prayer halls) and ‘viharas’ (monasteries), and contain exquisite frescoes and fine sculptures. One can amble through the Ajanta Caves or take a guided tour – the art contained in these early Buddhist Caves are great works by themselves and one can spend hours studying them. Ajanta caves are classified in two phases known as the Hinayana phase and the Mahayana phase. The former phase depicts scenes in which Lord Buddha was worshipped through some specific symbols

Some of the well known caves are as follows. Cave 1 consists of some of the finest painting specimens, particularly the two bodhisattvas of Padmapani and Vajrapani and an impressive seated Buddha sculpture. Beneath his statue is placed the Wheel of Life which symbolised the teachings of karma and rebirth by Buddha. A striking feature of Cave 2 is its beautiful ceiling painted to resemble a tent and its lovely animated sculptures. The walls of the cave are decorated with intricate patterns depicting scenes of Gautam Buddha’s birth. Cave 9 not only contains sculptures, but remarkably preserved frescoes as well. Cave 11 represents scenes from the early stage of Buddha’s life. In this cave the sculpture of Lord Buddha is attached to a stupa which is a blend of both image and stupa worship. In Cave 12 and Cave 13 one can view the beautiful paintings that glow softly in the dark and gasp at the life-size and miniature sculptures. Cave 15 and Cave 16 explain the pictorial legend, pointing out some of the more amazing aspects of the paintings and sculptures that transform the rocky cave walls. Of particular interest are Cave 17 with its exquisite murals portraying devotees with offerings in the Royal Procession, Cave 19 with some astounding sculptures of Buddha, lion heads and riders and Cave 26 with its impressive carvings from Lord Buddha’s life. 

                                                   

Best time to visit:

Winter months (from October to February) or during the monsoons are a good time to visit the Ajanta Caves.


HOW To REACH AJANTA ALLORA CAVES?


By Air:

Currently Aurangabad is the nearest Air point for Ajanta. It can be reached from New Delhi and Mumbai (Bombay), international airport. Indian airlines as well as Jet Airways have daily flight to Aurangabad from New Delhi and Mumbai.
Jalgaon is also developing its Airport. Soon it will also start. Ajanta Caves is far near from Jalgaon Airport while a bit distant from Aurangabad Airport.

By Rail:

Jalgaon is the best place to drop in for Ajanta if you like Rail journey. It is centre point of all major railway stations of India and has Bhusaval (Just 28kms from Jalgaon) as Second largest depot of railways in entire Asia.
All Super Fast, express, mail and passenger trains stops at Bhusaval and most of them at Jalgaon as well. You can check online status of availability of reservation on Indian railways official website. From Jalgaon, you can pick up Taxi/ state transport department bus to reach ajanta. 

Cave Timings:

9.00AM to 17.30PM Indian Standard Time (IST)
Ajanta Caves remain closed on Monday and Ellora Caves remain closed on Tuesday. BOTH CAVES REMAIN OPEN ON ALL NATIONAL HOLIDAYS

Cave Charges:

1. For Indians below 15 years : FREE of Charge
2. For Indians above 15 years : Rs. 10/- per head
3. For Foreigners above 15 years : US $5 or equivalent in Indian rupees per head
4. For Photo Camera/ Video Camera: Rs. 5/- (Camera to be used without flash)

 

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