SSC
The present Mysore Palace (Amba Vilas), built in the Indo-Saracenic style after the old wooden palace burnt down, was completed in:
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Answer: Option D — 1912
Detailed Solution
The present Mysore Palace (Amba Vilas Palace) in Mysuru, Karnataka, was completed in 1912, after the old wooden palace was destroyed by fire in 1897.
About the Mysore Palace:
- It was built between 1897 and 1912 for the ruling family of Mysore, after the old palace burnt down during the wedding celebrations of a princess in 1897.
- It was commissioned by the queen mother (regent) Maharani Kempananjammanni Devi, on behalf of her young son.
- It was designed by a British architect who designed many buildings in India.
- It is built in the Indo-Saracenic style, which combines Hindu, Mughal (Islamic), Rajput and Gothic (European) features.
- It has domes, arches, towers, colonnades and balconies.
- It is built of grey granite, with pink marble domes, and has a five-storeyed tower about 145 feet high.
- Inside, the palace has richly decorated halls, such as the Durbar Hall and the Kalyana Mantapa (marriage hall), with stained glass, carved doors, mosaic floors and paintings.
- It is illuminated with nearly 1,00,000 light bulbs on Sundays, public holidays and during the Dasara festival.
- It is one of the most visited monuments in India.
The Mysore Dasara:
- The palace is the centre of the famous Mysore Dasara festival (Navaratri), which is celebrated as a state festival (Nada Habba) of Karnataka.
- On Vijayadashami, a grand procession (Jamboo Savari) takes place, in which an elephant carries a golden howdah with the idol of the goddess Chamundeshwari.
About Indo-Saracenic architecture:
- It was a style developed by British architects in India in the late 19th century, combining Indian and Islamic elements with Victorian Gothic.
- Examples include the Victoria Terminus (Mumbai, partly), the Madras High Court, the Laxmi Vilas Palace (Vadodara) and the Gateway of India.
Other palaces of Mysore:
- Jagan Mohan Palace (now an art gallery).
- Lalitha Mahal Palace.
- Chamundi Hills temple, overlooking the city.
Why not the other options?
- ✗1897 was the year the old palace burnt down.
- ✗1799 was the year of Tipu Sultan's death.
- ✗1947 was the year of Independence.
Quick tip
Remember: Mysore Palace (Amba Vilas) = built 1897-1912 in Indo-Saracenic style (after the 1897 fire); centre of the Mysore Dasara (Jamboo Savari).
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This topic covers India's important monuments, temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras and pilgrimage sites, who built them and when, their architectural styles, and India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Questions ask who built a monument, where it is located, or which dynasty or style it belongs to. For example, the Qutub Minar was begun by Qutbuddin Aibak, and the Sun Temple at Konark was built by the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I. Revise the UNESCO World Heritage Sites as a list, noting the most recent additions. Practise the monuments and religious places questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.