Friday, March 13, 2009

Mysore Palace

The Kingdom of Mysore is ruled by the Wodeyar dynasty from 1399 until the independence of India in 1947.The Wodeyar kings built a palace in Mysore in the 14th century, but this palace was partially damaged by a lightning strike in 1638. It was repaired and expanded, but fell into neglect by the late 18th century. It was demolished in 1793, and a new palace was built in its place in 1803. This palace was destroyed in a fire in 1897 during the wedding of Princess Jayalakshmanni. The regent of Mysore at the time, Maharani Kempa Nanjammani Vani Vilasa Sannidhana, commissioned a British architect, Henry Irwin, to build yet another palace in its place. The architect was directed to combine different styles of architecture in the construction of the palace. The construction was completed in year 1912.