Lalitha Mahal, Mysore - What's so special about this Palace built for British Viceroy and now converted into Heritage Hotel near popular Nandi Hills in Karnataka State of India
When we talk about some of the most interesting Heritage hotels in India, Lalitha Mahal is one of the important properties. During one of my trips to Karnataka, we visited Lalitha Mahal Hotel for dinner and also took a tour of this beautiful property which was specially built for Viceroy of India to stay when he used to visit South India. Here we are sharing some some interesting details about this heritage hotel and some photographs. Above is a photograph of Lalitha Mahal Hotel in Mysore. Lalitha Mahal is largest mahal in Mysore after Mysore Palace. Currently it's part of ITDC heritage hotels. Let's continue with the post to know more about Lalitha Palace, why it's so special and how is it being maintained now by Government of Karnataka & a lot more...
Above photograph shows the ball room of Palace, which has been converted into the Dining Hall of the hotel, is a baroque hall with immensely high ceiling with domed skylights made of Belgian glass.
The Lalitha Palace was built in 1921 at the orders of His Highness Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, the Maharaja of Mysore for the exclusive stay of the Viceroy of India. It's built on a raised ground and the Lalitha palace was fashioned on the lines of the St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
The elegant Lalitha palace is painted pure white from outside. It was converted into a heritage hotel in 1974, when Ashok Group of the India Tourism Development Corporation took it over and ran until 2018. Later Lalitha Palace was transferred from Government of India to a unit of the Government of Karnataka. This place was anyway a significant place for Karnataka Tourism earlier as well.
I love shooting interesting roofs and Lalitha Mahal had lot of such opportunities, although I realised how difficult is to shoot huge roofs and ensure that symmetry is maintained. Above photograph is shot in one of the main restaurants at Lalitha Mahal hotel. We had our dinner here so I clicked it from my table, and if I remember correctly we chose to sit on the table which was centrally located in this restaurant. Grand ballroom is now dining hall of Lalitha Mahal.
The architecture of the Lalitha Palace reflects English manor houses and Italian Palazzos. It is a two storied structure. Decorative stained glass has been extensively used to enhance the elegance of the palace both in the exterior facades and in interiors doors, windows and ceilings. A lovely view of the Chamundi Hill to the left and the Mysore city in front of the palace is seen from the balcony upstairs.
Special cultural event was planned on that day for our group. Such event is planned for all Golden Chariot trips through Mysore.
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Above is photograph of main lobby of the hotel which is just next to the reception area. Every place in the hotel is huge - be it the size of the halls or pillar, height of stairs of the rooms/suites. Every place is very spacious.
These stairways of Lalitha Lahal are made up of Italian marble.
A swimming pool is now an additional provision in Lalitha Palace which was not there earlier. The elevator, carpeting and the Ottoman, upholstered with tapestry are treasured items in the palace. Don't miss last photograph of the post which shows elevator at Lalitha Palace.
Lalitha Mahal is located close to Chamundi hills in Mysuru city of Karnataka State of India.
Above if the photograph of suite which main specially built for the Viceroy of India.
The Lalitha palace has exquisitely designed viceroy room, a banquet hall, a dancing floor and an Italian marble staircase and also embellished with small ornamentations, which are said to be replicas from various palaces in Britain. The full length portraits of the Wodeyar Kings, Italian marble floors and Belgian crystal chandeliers, cut glass lamps, heavy ornate furniture, mosaic tiles and a couple of exquisite Persian carpets gives the palace its regal ambience.
With conversion of the palace into a heritage hotel, interiors have been modified to provide for modern conveniences but most of the earlier sections of the palace such as the dancing and banquet halls have been retained in their original elegance but adopted as dining halls and conference halls for holding meetings and conventions. These have polished wooden flooring and three stain glassed domes in the ceiling.
Above photograph is clicked inside one of the oldest lifts in the country which was installed in Lalitha Mahal when it was built. And it's kept like the same. The video below shows this elevator in a little better way, so check out this short video.
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Here is a brilliant video shared a lot of things with visually rich details.
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