Mysore Palace

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Mysore Palace

Mysore Palace at night

Mysore Palace lit up in different ways.

The Palace of Mysore (Kannada: ಮೈಸೂರು ಅರಮನೆ) is a palace situated in the city of Mysore in southern India. It is the official residence of the Wodeyars - the erstwhile royal family of Mysore, and also houses two durbar halls (ceremonial meeting hall of the royal court).
Mysore has a number of historic palaces, and is commonly described as the City of Palaces. However, the term "Mysore Palace" specifically refers to one within the old fort. The palace was commissioned in 1897, and its construction was completed in 1912. It is now one of the most famous tourist attractions in Mysore. Although tourists are allowed to visit the palace, they are not allowed to take photographs inside the palace. Price of admission: Foreign tourists 200 Rs., Indians 20 Rs. All visitors must remove their footwear's to enter the palace.

Contents [hide] 1 History 2 Architecture 3 Special events 4 Unique rooms 5 Temples 6 Attractions 7 External links

[edit] History

The Kingdom of Mysore was 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 the Raja Wodeyar shifted his Capital to the island fort town of Sriranagapattana in 1610 and Mysore lost its importance as a seat of power. But this palace was partially damaged by a lightning strike in 1638. It was repaired and expanded by Ranadhira Kanteerava Narasa Raja Wodeyar. With the usurpation of the Kingdom by the Hyder in 1762 Mysore Palace further lost its importance. But Hyder son , Tipu Sultan demolished the entire fort town including the Palace in 1787 and used the fort material to build a new town near by known as Nazarabad (now part of the mysore City). Fourth Mysore war in 1799 brought an end to the reign of Tipu sultan and then Governor General of India, Lord Mornington ( later Marquis Wellesley and elder brother of Arthur Wellesley - who rose to become Duke of Wellington and is famously known as Iron Duke) decided to restore part of the conquest to the ancient Hindu Royal family and shifted the capital of the newly defined territory of Mysore Kingdom to Mysore.
Thus the scion of the Wodeyar, then five year old, Krishna Raja Wodeyar III was crowned as the new King in 1799 in a make shift premises within the destroyed fort. In due course the Nazrabad fort was dismantled an the material made its way back in building the Mysore fort once again. A new palace was built in its place by 1803. This palace was destroyed in a fire in 1897 during the wedding of Princess Jayalakshmanni.
The regent of Mysore, Maharani Vani Vilas Sannidhna, commissioned a British architect, Henry Irwin, to build yet another palace in its place. The construction was completed in year 1912. But slowly the beautification of the fort was also taken up and the inhabitants of the fort were slowly shifted out to newer Extension built outside. The present Public Durbar Hall wing was also added much later around 1940. Now Its a Good Tourists attraction in S.India

[edit] Architecture

The architectural style of the palace is commonly described as Indo-Saracenic, 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. The palace is surrounded by a large garden.
The three storied stone building of fine gray granite with deep pink marble domes was designed by Henry Irwin. The facade has seven expansive arches and two smaller ones flanking the central arch, which is supported by tall pillars.
Above the central arch is an impressive sculpture of Gajalakshmi, the goddess of wealth, prosperity, good luck, and abundance with her elephants.

[edit] Special events

Mysore Palace, illuminated for the Dasara festival.

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 other floats originate from the palace grounds.
Dasara is the most extravagant festival of Mysore. The Dasara festival is celebrated in the months of September and October of each year.
The festival celebrates and commemorates the victory of the great Goddess Durga, after she slew the demon, Mahishasura, and thereby, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil according to Hindu mythology. Some call her Chamundeshwari.
This festival has been celebrated by the Wodeyars at Srirangapatna from 1610 and in Mysore with great pomp from 1799 and the tradition still is 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 that two month period.

[edit] Unique rooms

The main gate of the palace

The south gate at dusk

• Ambavilasa or Diwan e Khas.

This was used by the king for private audience and is one of the most spectacular rooms. Entry to this opulent hall is through an elegantly carved rosewood doorway inlaid with ivory that opens into a shrine to Ganesha. The central nave of the hall has ornately gilded columns, stained glass ceilings, decorative steel grills, and chandeliers with fine floral motifs, mirrored in the pietra dura mosaic floor embellished with semi-precious stones.

• Gombe Thotti (Doll’s Pavilion)

Entry to the palace is through the Gombe Thotti or the Doll’s Pavilion, a gallery of traditional dolls from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The pavilion also houses a fine collection of Indian and European sculpture and ceremonial objects like a wooden elephant howdah (frame to carry passengers) decorated with 84 kilograms of gold.

• Kalyana Mantapa

The Kalyana Mantapa or marriage hall is a grand octagonal-shaped pavilion with a multi-hued stained glass ceiling with peacock motifs arranged in geometrical patterns. The entire structure was wrought in Glasgow, Scotland. The floor of the Mantapa continues the peacock theme with a peacock mosaic, designed with tiles from England. Oil paintings, illustrating the royal procession and Dasara celebrations of bygone years, make the walls more splendid.

Temple in the palace complex

[edit] Temples

The palace complex includes twelve Hindu temples. The oldest of these was built in the 14th century, while the most recent was built in 1953.
Some of the more famous temples are:

• Someshvara Temple, dedicated to God Lord Shiva
• Lakshmiramana Temple, dedicated to God Lord Vishnu
• Shwetha Varahaswamy Temple, dedicated to Lord Varahaswamy, one of the 10 incarnations of lord Vishnu

and many more.

[edit] Attractions

Bronze leopard at the gate

The Palace houses several rooms of importance. These include:

• Audience Chamber: This was Hall of Private Audience, where the king would confer with his ministers. It was also the chamber in which he gave audience to people deserving special attention.

• Public Durbar: The Diwan-e-aam was a public hall where the general population could meet the king at prescribed times with petitions.

• Royal wedding hall

• Armoury: The palace houses an armoury, which contains a collection of different types of arms used by the members of the royal family. These include weapons that were used in the 14th century (lances, cutlasses, etc), as well as weapons that were used in the early twentieth century (pistols, etc).

Appam & Egg Roast ( Appavum Mutta Roastum )

Appam & Egg Roast ( Appavum Mutta Roastum )

Appam is a popular dish of Kerala. Some consider making appam is a difficult task, but in reality it is not so. With a little bit care fluffy and tasty appams can be made easily at home. Many brands of instant appam mix is available in markets. But I would recommend to follow this recipe instead of instant appam mix.

Makes- 10

Ingredients for Appam

Raw Rice- 2 cups ( 400 g )

Grated coconut – 1 cup

Cooked rice- 2 tablespoon

Water - 1/4 cup or coconut water

Yeast solution

To prepare yeast solution

2 teaspoon dry yeast
Warm water -1/4 cup
Sugar – 2 teaspoon

Mix sugar and warm water. Add yeast and keep aside for 10-15 minutes or until a froth appears on the surface / yeast granules are dissolved and well risen. Always use fresh yeast. Yeast solution will be double in size after 20 minutes.

To prepare Appam batter:

Grind raw rice, grated coconut and cooked rice together. Batter should not be too watery. You can add 1/4 water /coconut water while grinding. Add yeast solution and mix it well. Keep aside for fermenting for 6 - 8 hours or overnight. Appam batter will be double in size after fermenting. Do not refrigerate appam batter during fermenting. Appachatti is used to make Appam.

1, Heat non stick appachatty.

2, Grease the appachatty with little oil.

3, Pour one ladleful of appam batter to the appachatty.

4, Lift the pan ( from the stove ) and slightly twist around to spread the batter in the pan to make circular shape .

5, Close appachatty with a lid and cook on low heat till the edges are golden brown. When the Appam is ready the edges resemble crisp lace and centre soft . Traditionally this is eaten with Stew/ chicken curry / egg roast/ coconut milk/ sugar .

Egg Roast ( Mutta Roast )

The mutta roast prepared and served in hotels are loaded with overdose of oil and chillies which may enhance the taste but is not good for health. Here I’ve tried to minimize both. While boiling the egg care should be taken not to over boiled the egg which will leave a black / unpleasant coating on the yolk. Some people prefer duck eggs. Another option is to add half cup of thick coconut milk in the final stage, which will give a completely different taste. Those who like vegetarian option along with appam can use soy chunks instead of egg. Other combination for appam is stew ( vegetable / mutton / chicken ) ...

Serves: 3

You will need

3 boiled eggs
2 tablespoon oil
6 onions, finely sliced
2 spring curry leaves
2 green chillies, slit lengthwise
1 - inch piece ginger, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup ( 100 ml ) water
1 teaspoon salt ( or to taste )

Spice powder:

1 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
2 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoon water

Mix spice powders with water and keep aside.

Method

In a pan or kadai, heat oil. Add sliced onions and fry till golden brown on a medium heat ( approximately 15 - 20 minutes ).

Add chopped ginger, crushed garlic, curry leaves and slit green chillies. Mix well and saute for 5 - 8 minutes.

Add diluted spice powders and saute for 5 - 8 minutes or till the raw smell goes.

Add 1 cup water ( 100 ml ) and salt. Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 20 minutes or until done ( the gravy thickens / fragrant / golden brown in color ).

Gently add boiled eggs and mix well with onion gravy ( eggs are well coated with onion gravy ) and cook for 5 minutes on a low heat.

Serve with Appam.

  

CHOPS DO PYAZA Be very careful when buying the lamb chops. Choose only the freshest ones as the soul of the dish depends on the quality of the meat. Do pyaza means ‘two onions’ or rather ‘double onions’ which refers to the two ways in which the onions are chopped. Preparation Time : 15 - 20 minutes Cooking Time : 45-60 minutes Servings : 4

INGREDIENTS Lamb chops (chaampan) 1 kilogram Onions 4 large Oil 10 tablespoons Cinnamon 1 inch stick Green cardamoms 10 Cloves 10 Garlic paste 2 teaspoons Ginger paste 2 teaspoons Coriander powder 1 tablespoon Roasted cumin powder 2 teaspoons Yogurt, whisked 6 tablespoons Red chilli powder 1/2 teaspoon Salt to taste Garam masala powder 1/2 teaspoon

METHOD Cut three onions in halves vertically and further slice them to get half rings. Chop the remaining onion. Heat oil in a thick-bottomed pan, add the sliced onions and sauté till they turn golden. Drain and spread them on absorbent paper. Add cinnamon, cardamoms and cloves to the oil remaining in the pan and stir fry on medium heat till fragrant. Add the lamb chops, a few at a time and stir-fry till they turn brown. Drain and place them in a bowl. Add chopped onion to the same pan and sauté till it turns golden. Add garlic and ginger pastes and sauté on medium heat till the oil surfaces. Add coriander powder and cumin powder and continue to sauté for half a minute. Add yogurt, one tablespoon at a time, and sauté till it blends well with the rest of the masala. Add the lamb chops, one and a half cups of water, red chilli powder and salt. Mix well and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and cook until the lamb is tender. This may take about forty five minutes. If the mixture becomes too dry add another half a cup of water. Add the fried onions and garam masala powder and mix well. Adjust seasoning. Continue to cook, uncovered, for another two to three minutes, stirring gently. Serve hot.

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