Mysore’s royal attraction, the century-old palace, can be viewed on Saturdays too in its illuminated glory.
The historic structure will be illuminated on Saturdays for one hour between 7 and 8 pm. Presently, it is lit up on Sundays and on days of public holidays for an hour during the same timings.
Following an announcement by the district in-charge minister Shobha Karandlaje, the Mysore Palace Board has taken a decision to illuminate the palace on Saturdays in future. In a release, the Board said it had taken the decision in order to provide more opportunity for tourists visiting Mysore from abroad and within the country and to attract more tourists.
Mysore palace is the star attraction for the tourists and a record number of tourists visit the majestic structure and view its royal grandeur inside and outside. Over 25 lakh tourists visit the palace every year. The weekend illumination is a major attraction for locals as well, besides tourists coming from all over the world. No other building in the country is so beautifully lit up as the Mysore Palace, throwing a magnificent and memorable golden hue in the backdrop of dark black sky.
The three-storied Rs 42 lakh structure in Indo-Saracenic style designed by English Architect Henry Irwin was built in 1912. It is illuminated with nearly a lakh of incandescent bulbs.
In her Republic Day address after unfurling the tricolour at the Chamundi Vihar Stadium on January 26, Karandlaje had said that the state government had decided to illuminate the palace on Saturdays also, while underlining the importance of Mysore as a tourist centre and the need to attract more visitors.
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The illumination of the Palace on one more day would benefit the weekend travelers visiting Mysore. Karandlaje, who is the minister for panchayat raj and rural development, added that the BJP government was committed to the development of Mysore as an educational hub with thrust on science, technology and tourism.
She reiterated the government’s commitment towards releasing Rs 100 crore towards development of Mysore every year to shore up the city’s infrastructure and tenders had already been invited for the works. “All civil and infrastructure works would be completed before Dasara,” said Karandlaje, who added that many more projects were in the pipeline.
The government had allotted 100 acres of land to establish a music university and similar educational institutions on biotechnology and information technology would be established in Mysore, she said and added that the standard of the University of Mysore would be elevated to the international level.