There is a story that when the fire broke out and destroyed the wooden Mysore Palace in 1897, the shrine to Lord Ganesha was surprisingly untouched. The shrine was later integrated into the reconstructed Palace and approached through a beautiful rosewood doorway with ivory inlay work from the corridor linking the main durbar hall with Ambavilasa. The exceptional splendour of the Mysore Palace immediately brings to mind the ancient heritage of the city’s crafting skills and this tour allows us to meet some of the artisans whose earlier generation have made this city the richer for their contributions of its creative spirit.
Remarkable for its rich cultural offerings, its royal heritage, architecture and literacy, laidback Mysore offers the visitor very excuse to linger.
Intrinsic to the splendour of Mysore’s palaces are the amazing contributions of the city’s artisans in terms of inlay work, stonework and paintings. Our tour takes us into the lanes and ancient bylanes where these artisans have plied their crafts for generations. We even get to meet some of these artisans first- hand and get an opportunity to try your hand at some of the arts under their guidance.
Woodwork and wood inlay are closely associated with the workmanship you encounter in these palaces. The woodwork comes in the form of all manners of tables, furniture and even panelling. Marquetry or inlay in the woodwork is another speciality. Under the patronage of Wodeyars rosewood inlay work became highly developed as an art form. Early records reveal that this art is over 400 years old. Rosewood, is predominantly is used in inlay work, along with mango, jackfruit, doodhi, champa, rubber, etc., Whitewood articles are mainly made out of either shivani or kadam wood. The beauty of Mysore inlay work is in the extent of detailing and intricacy of patterns. Typical articles made with inlay work are furniture, boxes, panels and wall hangings.