Mysore Palace (Amba Vilas)
The Illuminated Seat of the Wadiyars
Overview
Mysore Palace, officially Amba Vilas, is the ceremonial seat of the Wadiyar dynasty in Mysuru, Karnataka, India. The present palace was built between 1897 and 1912 to designs by the British architect Henry Irwin, after fire destroyed the earlier wooden palace, in an Indo-Saracenic style blending Hindu, Islamic, Rajput and Gothic elements. One of India's most visited monuments, it draws over four million visitors a year, and on Sunday evenings and through the Dasara festival its façade blazes with close to 100,000 light bulbs. MyTripMyTravel arranges escorted access and times the illumination.
Mysore Palace is the most flamboyant royal building in South India, a grey-and-pink Indo-Saracenic fantasy of domes, arches and a five-storey tower, built for the Wadiyars after fire consumed their old wooden palace in 1897.
Inside, the scale keeps climbing: the octagonal Kalyana Mantapa under a stained-glass peacock dome, the pillared Durbar Hall, the doll pavilion, and the golden throne brought out for Dasara. Then, at dusk on Sundays and throughout the ten-day Dasara festival, close to 100,000 bulbs outline the entire palace at once.
MyTripMyTravel runs the palace with an expert guide by day and, where the schedule allows, positions you for the Sunday-evening or Dasara illumination, the two very different faces of the same building.
At a glance
Mysore Palace (Amba Vilas) in brief
What to see
Highlights
Kalyana Mantapa
The octagonal marriage pavilion crowned by a stained-glass peacock dome and patterned floor.
Durbar Hall
The grand pillared audience hall overlooking the palace grounds.
The golden throne
The Wadiyar throne of gold, displayed to the public only during the Dasara festival.
Gombe Thotti
The 'doll's pavilion' gallery of ceremonial figures, howdahs and a golden howdah.
The illumination
The entire façade outlined by close to 100,000 bulbs on Sunday evenings and through Dasara.
Visitor information
Our tips
Time a visit around a Sunday evening or Dasara to catch the full illumination.
Leave cameras ready for the exterior, photography inside the palace halls is not allowed.
Socks help; you cross the palace on foot after removing shoes, and the stone gets hot.
An expert guide is worth it, the halls are dense with dynastic and Dasara history.
Good to know
Mysore Palace (Amba Vilas), your questions
When is Mysore Palace illuminated?
Every Sunday evening (roughly 7 to 7:45pm) and on public holidays, and spectacularly throughout the ten-day Dasara festival, when close to 100,000 bulbs light the façade.
Can you photograph inside the palace?
No, interior photography is prohibited; cameras are checked, and you photograph only the exterior and grounds.
Is the palace open every day?
Yes, it opens daily from about 10am to 5:30pm, including weekends.
How long does a visit take?
About 1.5 to 2 hours for the state halls, the Kalyana Mantapa, and the pavilions with a guide.
How old is the current building?
The present palace was built between 1897 and 1912 by Henry Irwin, replacing an earlier wooden palace lost to fire.
Visit with us
See Mysore Palace (Amba Vilas), properly.
A private, chauffeured visit with a licensed expert guide, timed for the best light and the smallest crowds. We fold Mysore Palace (Amba Vilas) into a wider Mysore and South India itinerary, built entirely around you.
- Skip the queue where possible, at the right hour
- Licensed local guide who brings the story to life
- Private car and chauffeur, door to door
Plan your trip
Plan a visit to Mysore Palace (Amba Vilas)
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