Overview

Sri Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery, commonly known by its former name Jaganmohana Palace, is a former royal mansion, arts museum and auditorium, and formerly an alternative royal residence of the ruling maharaja of Mysore, located in Mysore, India, about 200m to the west of Mysore Palace. Began in 1856 and completed in 1861, the palace is one of the oldest modern structures in Mysore. The royal family would reside at the palace when renovations and construction works would be underway at Mysore Palace. The last time the palace was inhabited by the royal family was in 1897 when the old Mysore Palace burned down due to a fire accident. The ruling king at this time was Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV. History Over the Nagar uprising of 1830, Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar III was deposed and the Mysore Commission was instituted. At the same time, Mysore Palace was seized from the maharaja by the commission. In these circumstances, the deposed maharaja commissioned the building of a large mansion, with several public and private courtyards, for the use of his family and retainers at a site which was a short distance from the grounds of his old palace. Whereas the old palace looked like a stone citadel from outside but was mainly made of wood inside, the new palace was designed to have a lighter, more modern look and a more comfortable internal layout. It was thus built with brick and mortar, reflecting many architectural embellishments, often made of valuable woods and precious stones. After the commission was dissolved by the rendition of Mysore in 1881, the kingdom was restored to the next in line to the throne, Yuvaraja Chamarajendra Wadiyar X. The royal family moved to the old Mysore Palace, but Jaganmohan Palace continued to be used for ceremonial purposes and royal programmes (such as soirées of music, dance and poetry), presided over by the maharaja. In 1896, during the wedding celebrations of Princess Jayalakshmi Devi, the eldest sister of the ruling maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV, the old palace caught fire and was very seriously damaged. The decision was taken to demolish that structure completely and build a new palace. The construction of a new palace began in 1897 and lasted until 1912. During this interval, Jaganmohan Palace once again became the primary residence of the maharaja and his family. Both personal and official ceremonies, including the maharaja’s coronation in 1902 by George Curzon, the Governor-General of India, the maharaja’s daily durbar, and major ceremonies connected to Mysore Dasara would be held there. The first session of Mysore Representative Council was also held here in July 1907, presided over by the dewan V. P. Madhava Rao. The early convocations of the Mysore University were also held in this palace. In 1915, Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV converted the palace into an art gallery. In 1950, Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar placed the palace under a trust and opened it for public viewing. In 1955, by which time the Kingdom of Mysore had been subsumed into the Republic of India, the art gallery was enlarged with gifts of many precious articles by the maharaja. In 1980, Srikantadatta Wadiyar renamed the palace Sri Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery in his father’s honour. The palace is overseen by Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, the queen mother.