The Jaganmohan Palace is one of the oldest buildings in Mysore. The king of Mysore, Krishnaraja Wodeyar III built the Palace in the year 1861. Like the Mysore Palace, the Jaganmohan Palace is a magnificent palace and was the home of the Wodeyars, the kings of Mysore.
The Mysore Palace was the original home of the Kings of Mysore. However, the palace burnt down in a fire and the construction a new palace began in 1897. Till the construction of the new palace in 1912, they used the Jaganmohan Palace as their home. A three-storied building, the palace is built in ancient Hindu style. In 1900, an external portico with a hall behind it was added to the palace. The portico has three entrances. The walls of the interiors are painted with murals, which are based on the Mysore school of painting. There is a family tree of the Wodeyars painted on the wall. The art gallery of the Palace is one of the richest collections of the artifacts in South India, which depict images and scenes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
The Jaganmohan Palace also has an auditorium, which is used during Dusshera for dance performances, music concerts and other cultural programmes. In the year 2003, a new hall was built to expand the art gallery in order to display the paintings.
