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Soon, the inside of the palace will glitter too

Last Updated 09 April 2013, 20:24 IST

The golden glory of the inner walls and pillars of the Mysore palace, which was fading away over the years, is all set to be restored.

 Well-known Ganjifa artist Raghupathy Bhat is undertaking the restoration work of the pillars of the private durbar hall of the Ambavilas Palace and the walls of the ‘kalyana mantap’ (marriage hall). In fact, 80 per cent of the work has been completed by more than 20 artisans under Bhat.

The golden colour and glow of the 36 pillars in the private durbar had dimmed over the years, especially due to visitors touching them. The Palace Board has decided to undertake the restoration work so that the future generations get to see the architectural wonder in its attractive best.

The Board has asked Bhat to use only natural colours originally used for the pillars and the artworks on them. The task is being undertaken at a cost of Rs 3.5 crore, out of Rs 25 crore sanctioned for the development of the palace in the last budget.

The pillars are first washed with pure water. This is followed by a cleaning process using a decoction of several herbs. The pillars and walls are then given a coat of chemicals resistant to insects, silver fish and fungi. Repair work of the worn out parts is also undertaken.

Natural colours are prepared using certain types of roots, clays, leaves, tree barks, seeds and flowers. The gold leafing process (gilding the pillars and walls with gold beaten into thin sheets) is taken up after the process of coating them with natural colours is over.

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(Published 09 April 2013, 20:24 IST)

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