Jaganmohana Palace is one of the oldest buildings in Mysore and is over a century and half old. Built in 1861, it housed the royal family when the old wooden palace was gutted in a fire in 1897.

The Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery popularly known as Jaganmohana Palace is a veritable treasure house of masterpieces created by some of the most outstanding artists and sculptors of the world. Paintings of Raja Ravi Verma of Travancore and the Russian Painter Svetoslav Roerich are on display. Paintings in the traditional Mysore Golden leaf style can also been seen here. The painting of 'Lady with the lamp' drawn by Haldenkar, titled the 'Glow of hope' is one of the best. Among the varied exhibits are musical instruments, antique furniture, sandalwood and ivory carvings. Housed in the historic Jaganmohana Palace, in the very heart of the city, the gallery is another throbbing tribute to the abundant love for fine arts, which was one of the hallmarks of the Mysore Royal family.

The visual effect of the edifice is enhanced by an appropriately deep foreground. The rich and eye-catching facade is composed of the three large openings with graduated end-bays punctuated with decorative pilasters. Among the surviving original features of the interior of the hall are, cusp-arched balconies and stained-glass window shutters and ventilators. The hall was also a royal auditorium for staging drama and other cultural activities exclusively for the members of the royal family. The existing facade, with a hall behind it, was added in 1900 on the occasion of the wedding of the young prince Krishanaraja Wodeyar, which served as the venue for formal events till the Durbar hall of the new palace was commissioned for such occasions and celebrations. The installation of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV was conducted here in 1902, which was attended by Lord Curzon, the Viceroy and Governor-General of India. The hall was also used for the annual meetings of the Representative Assembly of the then Mysore State and the convocations of the University of Mysore. The walls of the third floor are richly covered with interesting and colourful paintings relating to Krishnaraja Wodeyar III. On one side, his Dasara procession is displayed. The Maharaja is seen going in procession in a chariot drawn by elephants, one of the earliest authentic visual records of the Dasara celebrations.

The entrance hall at the ground floor contains a wide variety of art objects such as ceramic, porcelain and glass articles, drama clock of England, Japanese and Chinese wooden furniture and carvings, Omkar Nepalese bell, etchings and carvings of Roman culture, photographs of Dasara festival and so on. The gallery, situated in the heart of the city, is a tribute to the abundant love for the fine arts, which was a hallmark of the Royal family. Greeting cards depicting the paintings are sold at the gallery. Even today it continues to be a venue in the heart of the city for conferences and cultural programmes, which include annual music, dance and other cultural activities, including the Dasara cultural programmes. It has two huge wooden doors on either side of which are displayed the Dashavathara, or the ten incarnations of Vishnu. Among the art galleries in South India, the Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery of Mysore stands prominently because of its possession of very great paintings from the brush of the world famous artists - Rembrant, a similar of which are not found in any of the art collection in the world except Russia. Works of old masters like P.P. Rubans, Titan, Aless Caddy and miniature paintings by Gunov are also exhibited here. Valuable and rare art collections made by Col. Scott, a British Army Officer, who served in the British Army that fought against Tipu Sultan, were shifted from Srirangapatna to this gallery in 1950. The Indian artists whose paintings are displayed include those of Raja Rama Varma, brother of Ravi Varma, Ishwardas, Haldenkar, Subbukrishna and M. Veerappa.

Location:
About ten minutes walk from the Mysore city bus stand in the heart of the city.

Timings:
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.