About Lalitha Mahal Palace:
The Lalitha Mahal Palace is situated 11kms from Mysore city on top of a small hillock. This Palace is set in the middle of sprawling terraced gardens. Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV commissioned this two-storied Palace in 1921. This Palace was built to exclusively to accommodate the Viceroy of India. E.W. Fritchley from Mumbai designed the Palace in the Renaissance style and included designs concepts from the Italian palazzo and English manor. This Palace meant for special royal guests has now been converted into a heritage category five-star hotel of India Tourism Development Corporation of the Government of India. The Palace has been maintained very carefully to keeps its grandeur intact. The central hall is decorated with life size portraits of the royalty of Mysore, lithographs portraying Tippu Sultan’s battles with the British. The walls and ceilings have beautiful motifs, the wooden shutters are intricately carved, and the wall panels are beautifully decorated too. Most of the old Palace furniture is being used in the hotel to this day, like four-poster beds, carved wooden cupboards, deep velvet covered armchairs and gilt framed Belgian mirrors. The viceroy room, banquet hall, dancing floor and an Italian marble staircase have been carefully maintained. The sprawling gardens have been reduced in size, as they are difficult to maintain. The hotel has maintained the Palace well and its splendour is intact to this day.
General Information about Lalitha Mahal Palace:
Location: Mysore
State: Karnataka
Capital: Bangalore
Language: Kannada, Malayalam, English
Temperature: Max 30˚C, Min 21˚C (summer), Max 21˚C, Min 11˚C (winter)
Best Season: November to April
How to Reach Lalitha Mahal Palace:
By Air:
The nearest airport to Mysore is Bangalore (139 km). All the domestic airlines in the country operate their flights to Bangalore from all the major cities in the country. Some international airlines too have flights to Bangalore. Bangalore is to have an international airport shortly.
By Rail:
Mysore is connected with a number of trains to Bangalore. The super fast luxury train the Shatabdi Express connects Mysore to Madras. The quickest and most comfortable way to reach Mysore is via Bangalore.
By Road:
Mysore is 139kms to the south west of Bangalore. The state highway that connects these two cities is very well maintained. Travelling from Bangalore to Mysore by road is a pleasant experience and will take about 3hrs. The Karnataka Road Transport Corporation has excellent bus service to Mysore. There are ordinary buses, semi-luxury buses and luxury buses operated by the Government of Karnataka. Every half an hour there is a non-stop bus to Mysore from Bangalore Bus Station. Corporations of other states and private tour operators have buses plying to Mysore as well. All these facilities have made Mysore extremely accessible by road.