The Garden city of India, Bangalore has gone through several transformations over the period of time. It blends the modern technological era with historical era perfectly. Situated in the heart of the crowded city where one can see the IT professionals thronging to their companies, stands the magnificent Bangalore Palace.
One of the main attractions of the city, the Bangalore Palace (Kannada: ???????? ????? | Hindi: ??????? ?????) is an epitome of great architectural beauty. Also a preferred location for important events and cultural activities, the Palace attracts tourists in large numbers who appreciate the architectural brilliance of this royal palace.
Quick Menu: Bangalore Palace
Quick Facts
| Construction Started | 1874 |
| Construction Completed | 1878 |
| Property Owner | Maharani Pramoda Devi Wadiyar |
| Architectural Style | Tudor Revial Architecture |
| Coordinates | 12.9987°N 77.5920°E |
| Area | 454 Acres |
History of Bangalore Palace
The area where the current Bangalore Palace stands originally belonged to Rev. J. Garrett, the first principal of the Central High School. It was later purchased by the British Guardians of the then minor Maharaja Chamarajendra Wadiyar X in the year 1873 AD to help him with his education and administrative training.
It took 4 years for the initial construction of Bangalore Place to be completed. The construction started in April 1874 and was completed by 1878. Mr. Cameron of Lalbagh was administered the task of landscaping the palace.
The palace has gone through several additions and improvements over the subsequent years, such as addition of certain portions outside Durbar hall by Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wadiyar.
It is believed that King Chamaraja Wodeyar was charmed by the Windsor Castle of London during one of his trips and built the Bangalore Palace on those lines. One can find similarities of the palace to the castles of Normandy and England.
The possession of Bangalore Palace has gone through several hands. At present, the palace is under the ownership of Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar’s only son Srikanta Datta Narsimharaja Wadiyar.
Architecture of Bangalore Palace
Sprawling over an area of 454 acres, Bangalore Palace was built in Tudor Revival style architecture. With a floor area of 45,000 sq ft, the interiors of the palace is impressively decorated with floral motifs, cornices, wood carvings. The ceilings are adorned with relief paintings.
With Victorian, neo-classical and Edwardian style furniture, Roman arches and coat of arms gifted from the British; Bangalore Palace is furnished with structures from various parts of the world.
The palace boasts of 35 well maintained rooms including a swimming pool. A manual lift, imported stained glass and mirrors, wooden fans are some of the other features of the palace.
Interior Decor of Palace
The artistic brilliance of Bangalore Palace can be found in its captivating interiors. This two level palace has an open courtyard in the ground floor with seats made of granite covered with fluorescent blue ceramic tiles. A ballroom specially designed for holding private parties is also present in the ground floor.
A well decorated staircase leads the visitors to the main attraction of the palace, the Durbar Hall. This is the place where the king used to attend to his people. The wall is adorned with beautiful paintings and a huge elephant head in the hall is also worth admiring.
The Gothic style stained glass windows on one side and the beautifully colored walls in yellow are other prominent features of the Durbar hall. A separate area for ladies to witness the assembly proceedings can also be seen here.
Paintings are one of the main highlights of the hall. Paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, and some old paintings of Greek and Dutch can be seen in the interior walls of the hall. A dining table that belonged to the Diwan of Mysore, Sir Mirza Ismail is another attraction of the hall.
The Grounds of the Palace
The grounds of the Bangalore Palace were once used for conducting many public events including music concerts. Elton John, Enrique Iglesias, Don Moen, David Guetta, Mark Knopfler, Akon, Roger Waters are some of the famous artists who performed here.
The Palace grounds have also played host to some of the popular bands like Iron Maiden, Aerosmith, Backstreet Boys, Deep Purple, Textures, Amon Amarth, Lamb of God, The Black Eyed Peas, The Rolling Stones, Metallica, Michael Learns to Rock, Guns N’ Roses, The Prodigy, No Doubt, Sepultura, Scorpions,, Machine Head, Cradle of Filth.
As of now, the grounds are severely neglected. The activities on the grounds are restricted to parties conducted by the private companies that are controlled by the royal family.
The grounds complex is also equipped with an amusement park called Fun World. It is a fun filled place which can enjoyed by the visitors, especially children, where one can find various joy rides, water park and snow room.
Location & How to Reach Bangalore Palace
Bangalore Palace is centrally located between Sadashivanagar and Jayamahal. The nearest airport to the palace is Bangalore International Airport and it takes around an hour to reach the palace from the airport.
The nearest railway station to the palace is the Bangalore City Railway station which is just 4 km away.
There are a number of buses that ply around this area. 287, 287B, 287C, 287D and 287E are some of the BMTC buses which ply out of the central bus terminal. Auto-rickshaws and private car rentals in Bangalore are also easily available.
Bangalore Palace Entry Fees & Timings
The entry fees to the Bangalore Palace is Rs. 250 for Indians and Rs. 460 for Foreign tourists. Still Camera is charged at Rs. 685 and the fees for Mobile Camera is Rs. 300. The fees for carrying Video Camera is Rs. 1485.
Bangalore Palace is open from 10:00 AM in the morning to 5:30 PM in the evening on all days of the week.
One of the most popular attractions in the Garden city, Bangalore Palace is sure to mesmerize everyone with its captivating beauty. An amazing architectural masterpiece, this palace will leave one spellbound with its intricate carvings and beautifully crafted artwork.
Though the grounds are quite neglected, with utmost care and maintenance Bangalore Palace can remain to be an important historical site for years to come.