Skilled craftsmen polish the flawless curves of the pillars. The interior of the Bangalore Palace is being restored to its erstwhile glory — the mood is upbeat. A team of 50 workers has been on it with chisel and hammer over the last few months, putting into place the upholstery, woodwork, artifacts, paintings and landscaping. Sometimes, Srikanta Datta Narasimha Raja Wadiyar, the present scion of the Wadiyar rulers of Mysore, stops by to give instructions.
The work may be in progress, but visitors enjoy a guided tour of parts of the palace. In fact, as Wadiyar notes, the palace has been attracting tourists ever since he undertook its restoration in 2005. “The durbar and banquet hall are popular wedding venues,” he adds. With the facelift comes a souvenir shop.
It’s a Westerner who’s curating the palace — and there’s an interesting story behind it. During 1993-95, Christie’s was conducting a market survey to establish its office in India. As part of this, Michael Ludgrove, as head of the London-based auction houses’s India operations, did a valuation of the Mysore Palace library. “I was surprised to find such an extensive collection in an Indian palace,” says Ludgrove. “I kept in touch with Wadiyar. We met again in 2003 — when I began freelancing.” Today Ludgrove is the in-house restoration architect-curator of the palace.
The palace, with all its regalia, is under Ludgrove’s scrutiny and his observations are being compiled into a book, which will be ready by the yearend. The coffee-table book will unfold many interesting anecdotes. Like, the rules of snooker that were drawn up in Ooty and that crystal furniture was the hallmark of the Durbar Hall at the Bangalore Palace. The Palace Archives contain the original sketches of the architectural embellishment of Bangalore Palace in the 1930s done by the renowned Lazarus & Co.
As of now, Ludgrove offers glimpses into the world of the Wadiyars. “Mysore played an important role during the British rule and enjoyed a 21-gun salute. Princely states involved in indirect rule were classified by the number of guns used when paying honors to them and 21 guns was the highest honour,” he explains.
The palace is built of solid locally available granite and its interiors reflect church or ecclesiastical architecture — semi-circular arches, slender columns and ornate stain-glass windows. “From a distance,” notes Ludgrove, “the Bangalore Palace resembles the Windsor Castle, with its octagonal domes and porch.” The structure is based on the Regency architecture of 1830s created by Sir John Nash, an Anglo-Welsh architect.
Ludgrove is also chronicling the Wadiyar history, documenting the paintings at Mysore’s Jaganmohan Palace, besides restoring their other properties in Ooty and Mysore. Work is underway at the Rajendra Villas Palace, which may open next year. Woodcock Manor Hall in Ooty is also undergoing a facelift. Ludgrove in his draft proposal of Project Palace records, “Neville Chamberlain, who is credited with inventing the game of snooker, possibly at the nearby Ootacamund Club, also stayed here.”
The Wadiyar dynasty traces its lineage to 1399. They were the first rulers to own property in Ooty, according to Ludgrove.
The chronicler-restorer was raised in the family home in Agra, moved to London for higher studies and joined the Christie’s Department of Rare Books and Manuscripts in 1977. Over the next decade, Ludgrove hopped on to the luxury bandwagon, developed eclectic tastes and travelled the world. Moving to Australia in 1993 encouraged him to extend his expertise to related fields like Fine and Decorative Arts. He remains an Aussie at heart.
After all, it’s that move to Down Under that shot up his profile.
kavita@epmltd.com