Bangalore Palace, Bangalore - Timings, History, Best Time to Visit

At a distance of 4 km from Bangalore City Railway Station, Bangalore Palace is situated in the heart of Bangalore city, near Sadashiv Nagar. This is one of the best places of heritage in Karnataka, and among the top attractions you must include in Bangalore tour packages.

The Palace was first built by Rev. J. Garrett, who was the first Principal of the Central High School in Bangalore, now known as Central College. Spread over an area of 454 acres, the construction of the palace was started in 1862 and completed in 1944. In 1887, it was bought by the then Maharaja of Mysore Chamarajendra Wodeyar X. It is one of the most famous places to visit in Bangalore

During a visit to England, Chamaraja Wodeyar was inspired by the Windsor Castle in London and along similar lines, he built this palace in Tudor style. The Palace is famous for its elegantly carved woodwork. The interiors have awesome floral motifs, cornices, moldings, and relief paintings on their ceilings. Gothic windows, fortified towers, battlements, and turrets lend a great degree of magnificence to the Bangalore Palace. There are 35 rooms in the palace, along with a manual lift. The inner walls of the palace are also decorated with paintings from the 19th century.

The palace has a large open square courtyard with granite seats, a ballroom, the Durbar hall along with many paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, a dining table of the Diwan of Mysore, Sir Mirza Ismail, among the others. The Wodeyars were believed to be great hunters, and Jayachamaraja Wodeyar was considered to have hunted around 300 tigers and several elephants. One such elephant head is mounted at the entrance of the palace. Stools made of elephant feet, vases of the elephant trunk, and trophies of elephant hunting are displayed in the palace.

Once the residence of the Wodeyars, it now serves as the venue for various concerts, exhibitions, and cultural programs held in the city. Presently, Bangalore Palace is under the ownership of the descendant of the Mysore Royal Family, Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wodeyar. He opened the palace in 2005 for public viewing. The palace has recently undergone a renovation.

Timings: 10 AM to 5:30 PM

Entry Fee: Rs. 230 for Indians, Rs. 460 for Foreigners, Rs. 285 for Mobile Camera, Rs. 685 for Still Camera, & Rs.1485 for Video Camera