The Mysore Palace is the defining image of the city — an extravagant 1912 structure in the Indo-Saracenic style, its central dome flanked by identical corner towers, built for Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar after the previous wooden palace burned down. It was designed by Henry Irwin, the British architect who also built the Madras High Court, and took fifteen years to complete. Inside, the Durbar Hall is a cathedral of painted columns, stained glass, and carved teak, decorated for the Dasara ceremony with an opulence that reflects the maharaja's enormous revenues and his relationship with the colonial administration.
The palace is open daily, with separate entry for the outer grounds (free) and the main building (ticketed). Shoes must be removed before entering and bags must be deposited. The interior rooms display the maharaja's thrones, ceremonial costumes, ivory howdahs, and a collection of decorative arts that ranges from fine painting to ornate European furniture. It is busier on weekends and during festival periods, but the crowds are part of the experience — this is India's second most visited monument after the Taj Mahal and it earns that ranking.
Go on a Sunday evening or a public holiday for the illumination. The palace lights up at 7pm and stays lit for half an hour. The crowds outside the walls are good-natured and the effect, of all those yellow bulbs outlining every arch and finial against the dark sky, is genuinely extraordinary.