This article contains a list of heritage monuments and edifices in and around Mysore city. The city of Mysore features a number of historical structures built before the Indian Independence as well as modern classical-architecture buildings raised since then.
The history of Mysore city, in particular, and of the Deccan Plateau in general, spans across both the pre- and post-Independence eras. Mysore is believed to have been formed into a republic even before the mythical times of Medieval India. The regions in and around the Mysore belts find mentioning from Vedic scripts, where the region is termed as Mahishaka (the mighty/great kingdom).
Over the centuries, before and after the Common Era, the region was ruled by different, numerous dynasties, mostly South Indian ones, like the Rashtrakutas, the Western Chalukyas, the Hoysalas, and others, until it was ruled by the last dynasty, the Wadiyars, the government of whose kingdom was transferred to them by its superior predecessor, the Vijayanagara Empire, in 1399, and gradually, the Vijayanagara Empire itself declined to its entirety, resulting in the Wadiyar dynasty's being the very last principal Indian royal family to have ruled the South.
Most of the construction works undertaken by earlier empires and monarchies have either been completely destroyed over time, owing to rampages of the Deccan Sultanates, or have been dismantled by the following monarchies. However, most of the structures in Mysore City, and in fact, in the cities in the Kingdom of Mysore, which includes as close as Bangalore, Erode, Shimoga, Chitradurga, among others, were built between the early 1700s and the late 1940s, and are, hence, often attributed to the Wadiyars.
Since Mysore was the capital city of the kingdom for almost six centuries (excluding, of course, shifting the capital to Seringapatam for a brief period during Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan's rule), the Wadiyars were directly supervising the construction and progress of the city. Construction in other Mysore Kingdom cities were delegated to subordinates, like that of Bangalore to Kempe Gowda I (between 1510 and 1569 under Chamaraja Wodeyar II and Chamaraja Wodeyar III), Shimoga to Shivappa Nayaka (between 1645 and 1660 under Kanthirava Narasaraja I), et cetera. After the decline of strong subordinates and the influence of British rule, the Wadiyars became principal, direct rulers of Mysore Kingdom, with supervisors mostly being the Diwans (Prime Ministers) of Mysore and British agents. Therefore, while other cities attribute their progress to the subordinates of the Wadiyars, Mysore credits all its progress to the Wadiyars. After the abolishment of absolute monarchy, most of the structures are being used by the democratic government bodies, like the Indian Government's using Cheluvamba Vilas Palace as CFTRI, University of Mysore's using Jayalakshmi Vilas Palace as University Museum and Oriental Research Library as Museum Library, and the Karnataka Government's using several palaces for tourism attraction, just to name a few within Mysore city.
Year | Building | Name | Currently |
---|---|---|---|
Palaces | |||
1861 | Jaganmohana Palace | Currently, Shri Jayachamarajendra Arts Gallery and Jaganmohana Palace Arts and Crafts Museum | |
1905 | Jayalakshmi Vilas Palace | Now, Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion | |
1912 | Mysore Palace | Palace: temporary tenant: Government of Karnataka; owners: the royal family | |
1916 | Chittaranjan Palace | Currently, The Green Hotel, an eco-friendly hotel | |
1918 | Cheluvamba Vilas Palace | Currently, Cheluvamba Vilas Mansion; used by CFTRI | |
1921 | Lalithamahal Palace | Currently, The Lalitha Mahal Palace Hotel, a three-star hotel | |
1924 | Rajendra Vilas Palace | Now, a private palace of the royal family | |
Academic Buildings | |||
1840 | Hardwick High School | ||
1851 | Maharaja's College | ||
1876 | Marimallappa's High School | ||
1854 | Sadvidya Educational Institute | ||
1887 | Oriental Research Institute Mysore | A national library | |
1915 | Crawford Hall | University of Mysore | |
1917 | Maharani's College | ||
1917 | Chamarajendra Technical Institute | ||
1924 | Mysore Medical College | ||
Sri Chamarajendra Ursu Boarding School | |||
1927 | Yuvaraja's College | ||
1940 | D Banumaiah's Post-Graduation College | ||
1940 | D Banumaiah's College of Commerce and Arts | ||
Government Buildings | |||
1840 | DC Office | ||
1895 | Public Offices | ||
1899 | Law Court Buildings | ||
Public Buildings | |||
1870 | Railway Station | ||
1879 | Lansdowne Building | Commercial Complex | |
1884 | Town Hall | ||
1886 | Devaraja Market | Commercial Complex | |
1889 | Cheluvamba Hospital | ||
1918 | Krishnarajendra Hospital | ||
Religious Buildings | |||
1670s | Chamundeshwari Temple | ||
1810 | The Parakala Mutt | ||
1933 | St Philomina's Church | ||
1925 | Masjid E Azam | ||
Mysore, officially Mysuru, is the second-most populous city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the Kingdom of Mysore for almost six centuries. Known for its heritage structures, palaces, and its culture, Mysore has been called the "City of Palaces", the "Heritage City", and the "Cultural Capital of Karnataka". It is one of the cleanest cities in India according to the Swachh Survekshan.
The Wadiyar dynasty, also referred to as the Wadiyars of Mysore, is a late-medieval Indian royal family of former maharajas of Mysore from the Urs clan originally based in Mysore city.
The Kingdom of Mysore was a geopolitical realm in southern India founded in around 1399 in the vicinity of the modern-day city of Mysore and prevailed until 1950. The territorial boundaries and the form of government transmuted substantially throughout the kingdom's lifetime. While originally a feudal vassal under the Vijayanagara Empire, it became a princely state in British India from 1799 to 1947, marked in-between by major political changes.
Chamarajendra Wadiyar X was the twenty-third Maharaja of Mysore between 1868 and 1894.
Mysore Palace, also known as Amba Vilas Palace, is a historical palace and a royal residence. It is located in Mysore, Karnataka, India. It used to be the official residence of the Wadiyar dynasty and the seat of the Kingdom of Mysore. The palace is in the centre of Mysore, and faces the Chamundi Hills eastward. Mysore is commonly described as the 'City of the Palaces', and there are seven palaces including this one. However, the Mysore Palace refers specifically to the one within the new fort.
Mysore district, officially Mysuru district, is an administrative district located in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Mysore division. Chamarajanagar District was carved out of the original larger Mysore District in the year 1998. The district is bounded by Chamrajanagar district to the southeast, Mandya district to the east and northeast, Kerala state to the south, Kodagu district to the west, and Hassan district to the north.
Durbar is a Persian-derived term referring to the noble court of a king or ruler or a formal meeting where the king held all discussions regarding the state. It was used in South Asia for a ruler's court or feudal levy. A durbar may be either a feudal state council for administering the affairs of a princely state, or a purely ceremonial gathering, as was increasingly the case during British rule in India.
The maharaja of Mysore was the king and principal ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore and briefly of Mysore State in the Indian Dominion roughly between the mid- to late-1300s and 1950. The maharaja's consort was called the maharani of Mysore.
Mysore Dasara is a state festival in the state of Karnataka in India. It is a 10-day festival, starting with nine nights called Navaratri and the last day being Vijayadashami. The festival is observed on the tenth day in the Hindu calendar month of Ashvina, which typically falls in the Gregorian months of September and October.
The History of Karnataka goes back several millennia. Several great empires and dynasties have ruled over Karnataka and have contributed greatly to the history, culture and development of Karnataka as well as the entire Indian subcontinent. The Chindaka Nagas of central India Gangas, Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta, Chalukyas of Vengi, Yadava Dynasty of Devagiri were all of Kannada origin who later took to encouraging local languages.
The political history of the region on the Deccan Plateau in west-central peninsular India that was later divided into Mysore state and Coorg province saw many changes after the fall of the Hindu Vijayanagara Empire in 1565. The rise of Sultan Haidar Ali in 1761 introduced a new period.
The Mysore Commission, also known as Commissioners' Rule or simply the Commission Rule, was a period and form of government in the history of the Kingdom of Mysore and the neighbouring province of Coorg from 1831 to 1881 when British commissioners administered the kingdom due to the deposition of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar III and later during the minority of Yuvaraja Chamaraja Wadiyar X. A board of commissioners constituted the chief executive body and provincial head of the kingdom's government. The commission began with uninstallation of Krishnaraja Wodeyar III as King in 1831 and ended with investing Chamaraja Wadiyar X as the new maharaja in 1881.
The group of temples at the Amba Vilas Palace in Mysore were constructed during various periods by the kings of the Wodeyar dynasty who ruled the Kingdom of Mysore from about 1399 to 1947 A.D. These temples are protected monuments under the Karnataka state division of the Archaeological Survey of India.
Chamaraja Wodeyar I was the second raja of the Kingdom of Mysore from 1423, after his father's death, until his own in 1459. He was the elder son of Yaduraya.
Chamarajara Wodeyar II was the fourth raja of the Kingdom of Mysore from 1478 until 1513.
Chamaraja Wodeyar III was fifth raja of the Kingdom of Mysore and the last one to rule as feudal king under the Vijayanagara Empire. He reigned after his father's demise in 1513 until his death in 1553.
Chamaraja Wodeyar IV was the seventh maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the youngest son of Chamaraja Wodeyar III, the fifth raja of Mysore. He took over the kingdom at the age of 65 after his older brother's death in 1572 and ruled for four years until 1576.
Raja Wodeyar I was the ninth maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was eldest son of Chamaraja Wodeyar IV, the seventh maharaja of Mysore. He ruled from 1578, after his cousin Chamaraja Wodeyar V's death, until his death in 1617.
Chamaraja Wodeyar VI was the tenth maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore from 1617 after his grandfather Raja Wodeyar I's death that year until his death in 1637.
Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar is an Indian politician and a royal from the Wadiyar dynasty, currently serving as a Member of Parliament for Mysore since 2024. The great-grandson of Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, Yaduveer Wadiyar was adopted on 10 December 2013 by Pramoda Devi Wadiyar after the demise of her husband Srikantadatta Wadiyar. He was installed as the "Maharaja of Mysore" in a private ceremony in 2015.