Lalitha Mahal

Lalitha Mahal is one the famous and second biggest palace in the city of Mysore. Standing stunningly at a level higher than the normal ground level, the Mahal is an exemplary example of superb craftsmanship and intricate architecture and has been supposedly modelled to resemble London’s St. Paul’s cathedral.  Though was a palace when it was built, now it serves as a hotel bringing in good revenue for the owners and the state.

History

The Mahal can be traced back to 1921 to the rule of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV who planned the construction along with Mysore Maharaja for the sole purpose of accommodating the serving Viceroy of India. Subsequently, this started to be extended to other high profile guests from Europe and for influential political visitors.

Architecture

The Lalitha Mahal beautifully combines English and Italian style of architecture and can be classified as belonging to the Renaissance style. In its two levels, the palace has dance floors, marble staircases and magnificent French windows with a view of the Chamundi hills and Mysore city on either side. The Mahal is full of royal architectural elegance and is a clear example of the excellent taste of the then royalty.

The palace derives its glory from the stained glass domes, the finely laid tiles of mosaic, rich and artistic furniture and high quality Persian carpets that are found here. The places that served as dancing halls earlier complete with the wooden flooring, have now been converted to conference areas and are again an eye opener to the completely mastery of planner E.W. Fritchley and builder B. Munivenkatappa.

Best Time to Visit

Mysore can be visited all through the year, though the months of January and March might not be very comfortable.

Visitor’s Information

The roads leading to this Mahal are all very well placed where the visitors can drive down admiring the beauty of the Mahal right from the road.  With so many major roads branching out in all directions, the visitors get a feel that all roads lead into and out of the Lalitha Mahal.  No matter where the tourists have come from, they will find it easy to find connections.

How to Reach

Being in a very well connected zone, visitors hardly have any issues reaching this place.  The comfort and the ease of getting here have promoted this amongst the list of places to be visited in the state of Karnataka. Lalitha Mahal is not only connected well within all the major cities of the state, it has good connections to the neighbouring states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

By Air

In case of tourists who are flying in from India, then they can arrive at the Mysore airport. Though this has limited connectivity, finding daily flights from most important metros should not be difficult. For better connectivity and for tourists flying in from outside the country, Bengaluru airport would be ideal.  This can good connections and very good facilities and can even be rated amongst the busiest and best airports in India. This airport is almost 180 kms away from the Mahal.

By Rail

The train station of Mysore is very convenient and close to the Lalitha Mahal. The distance of the Mahal from the railway station is only 6kms and the Mysore railway junction is well connected with all south Indian cities, metros and other important cities across the country. The tourists can choose the option of arriving at the Mysore station and take a tour of the city that has many beautiful buildings apart from the Lalitha Mahal. Though travellers may find the trains to be full in the month of October owing to Dussehra, the other times should be easy.

By Road

Lalitha Mahal is on the T. Narsepur road that originates in Calicut in Kerala. It starts at Calicut then passes through Gundulpet, Nanjangud and then reaches T. Narsepur after reaching Mysore. The roadways are extremely well laid and connect major cities within Karnataka, so it is a pleasure to get to the Lalitha Mahal on the road. The capital city of Bengaluru is well connected and the government has started the construction of the Express Highway between the two cities to enhance the road connectivity.

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