Palatial Disappointment!
My family and I just got back from a weekend in Mysore! Dad had a conference there, so we tagged along and stayed at new spa that has recently opened there! Talk about fancy! Most of the time, we lolled around at the hotel, ate, swam…etc, etc… but on Sunday, we went to see the Mysore palace and the art gallery.
The palace was really disappointing though… The building itself was clearly grand! Exorbitant really! A mixture of Hindu, Muslim and European architecture… there were these beautiful motifs, exquisitely made, that are beautiful on their own, but looked like such a mess when put together! Mom and I kept picking these little things to admire. Like a peacock motif, or a particular stained glass, or the inlay in a lovely doorway. But we both agreed that when it was all put together, it really looked a bit confused…
What was most disappointing though, was to see how badly the government seems to have maintained the place. There are badly cut out pieces of plywood that are just stuck in the wall… electrical wires sticking out of a skilfully carved tiger… wire meshes that block people from entering a courtyard… there even are these strong wires, that LEAD you through the court room, like they are trying to guide sheep in a queue!! It completely ruins the romance of the place.
Considering that it is supposed to be a heritage centre of India, it is really sad to see how badly the government maintains it! The place would really be better off in the hands of the descendants of the royal family!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The palace was really disappointing though… The building itself was clearly grand! Exorbitant really! A mixture of Hindu, Muslim and European architecture… there were these beautiful motifs, exquisitely made, that are beautiful on their own, but looked like such a mess when put together! Mom and I kept picking these little things to admire. Like a peacock motif, or a particular stained glass, or the inlay in a lovely doorway. But we both agreed that when it was all put together, it really looked a bit confused…
What was most disappointing though, was to see how badly the government seems to have maintained the place. There are badly cut out pieces of plywood that are just stuck in the wall… electrical wires sticking out of a skilfully carved tiger… wire meshes that block people from entering a courtyard… there even are these strong wires, that LEAD you through the court room, like they are trying to guide sheep in a queue!! It completely ruins the romance of the place.
Considering that it is supposed to be a heritage centre of India, it is really sad to see how badly the government maintains it! The place would really be better off in the hands of the descendants of the royal family!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On a brighter note, the art gallery was awesome! I will post a picture of this GORGEOUS painting by Ravi Verma we saw soon!!
posted by 
@ 4:50 am
2 Comments:
At 4:14 am, April 07, 2006,
Ranjana said…
Our wonderfully innefficient system is too busy acquiring MORE artifacts to fill its shitty museums with, to actually care about protecting the ones that are already there.
At 12:28 am, April 14, 2006,
sayantoni said…
i have given up talking about india's priceless heritage places being treated like pieces of shit..
Indian ppl need a mind make over!
and as for my tattoo.. i still want it! you have to see my design! its nice!!
Lol..
Post a Comment
<< Home