| The central nave of this columnar hall
has beautiful stained glass ceiling, supported by metallic bow shaped
beams and bars. The ceiling and the walls have designs painted in blue,
red and gold colours.
There are twelve temples surrounding the palace within
the compound. Some of them are built in typical Dravidian style including
the Varashaswamy Temple with a gopuram that set the pattern for the later
Sri Chamundeswari Temple on Chamundi Hill. On special occasions,
religious ceremonies are still conducted in these temples.
The palace now under the supervision of the Department
of Archaeology and Museums of the Karnataka Government, has been converted
into a museum. The paintings and portraits, jewellery, royal costumes
and other items possessed by the Wodeyars are displayed on the ground
floor and a small collection of weapons on the upper floor. It is said
that the palace displays the largest collection of gold items quantity
wise. The 200kg gold royal throne of the Wodeyars with beautiful
artwork, is displayed during the Dussera festival. The palace is spectacularly
illuminated on Sunday nights, and during the festive season of Dussera.
There is a small private Museum at the back set up by
Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wodeyar, an ancestor of the Wodeyar rulers
as well as a member of the parliament who continues to reside here. |
Monuments 
On
the second floor, the 'Diwan-I-am' Durbar Hall 155 ft. long and 42 ft.
broad, has an ornate ceiling, a shining floor and many sculpture
pillars which are said to have been painted with gold. The frescoes depicting
eight manifestations of Goddess Shakthi (strength), Scenes from the Epics;
Ramayana and Mahabharata and an original painting of the renowned painter
Raja Ravi Verma are displayed here. There is an open balcony supported
by massive circular columns and a fine view of the Chamundi hills from
here. 
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