A Museum · Mysore, India
Jaganmohan Palace
The Deep Dive
Jaganmohan Palace in Mysuru was commissioned by Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar III, with construction beginning in 1856 and completed in 1861, to serve as an alternative royal residence after the original Mysore Palace was seized by the British-run Mysore Commission following the 1830 Nagar uprising. Built in an Indo-Saracenic style with three storeys of brick-and-mortar construction ornamented with fine woodwork and stonework, the palace became the primary royal residence between 1897 and 1912 while the main Mysore Palace was being rebuilt after a fire, and it hosted the Maharaja's own coronation in 1902 (presided over by Governor-General Lord Curzon) as well as the first Mysore Representative Assembly session in 1907 and early University of Mysore convocations. In 1915, Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV converted the palace into an art gallery, which opened to the public in 1950 and was renamed the Sri Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery in 1980 in honour of his successor. A prominent 1900 facade addition added a royal auditorium still used for cultural performances and exhibitions. Today the gallery, overseen by the erstwhile royal family (queen mother Pramoda Devi Wadiyar), is one of South India's most visited repositories of Mysore, Tanjore and Mughal-school painting, with in-house conservation facilities restoring its ageing canvases and murals.
Highlights
- ∞Indo-Saracenic palace built 1856-1861 for Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar III as an alternative royal seat
- ∞Served as the actual royal residence from 1897-1912 while the main Mysore Palace was rebuilt after a fire
- ∞Hosted the Maharaja's 1902 coronation ceremony presided over by Viceroy Lord Curzon
- ∞Converted into a public art gallery in 1915 by Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV; opened to the public in 1950
- ∞Renamed Sri Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery in 1980
- ∞Large holdings of works by Raja Ravi Varma, alongside pieces by Nicholas Roerich and Rabindranath Tagore
- ∞1900-era facade addition with a royal auditorium bearing religious motifs and miniature temple carvings
- ∞Still overseen by the Mysore royal family and maintains an active conservation laboratory
Notable works
- Various portrait and mythological paintings, Raja Ravi Varma (19th century)
- Himalayan landscape paintings, Nicholas Roerich (20th century)
- Works in the Shantiniketan/Bengal School style, Rabindranath Tagore and associated Bengal School artists (20th century)
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Own the masterpiece the museum guards. Every work held by Jaganmohan Palace, Mysore, India that we recreate is finished by hand on archival canvas, numbered as a strictly limited Heirloom edition and built to be inherited — from ₹50,000, delivered across India with white-glove care.