Mysore · Palace

Mysore Palace (Amba Vilas): timings, tickets and illumination

Mysore Palace, also known as Amba Vilas, is open every day from 10 am to 5.30 pm, according to the Mysuru Palace Board. Its timings page lists ₹150 for Indian adults, ₹1,000 for foreign adults and ₹70 for children aged 10 to 18. On Sundays and public holidays the palace is lit with 97,000 bulbs from 7 to 8 pm, and it is also illuminated during Dasara.

Entry~₹1000

The main landmark and the top attraction of Mysore is the Mysore Palace (also known as Amba Vilas Palace).

This may well be the most beautiful palace you will ever see. It genuinely gives you goosebumps. Even the palaces of North India rarely make such an impression. And when it lights up with thousands of bulbs in the evening, it's beyond any postcard.

A few facts:

- The palace is built in the Indo-Saracenic style, a blend of Hindu, Islamic, Rajput and Gothic Revival motifs. - The architect was the Englishman Henry Irwin. The current building was constructed in 1897–1912 on the site of the old wooden palace that burned down in 1897. - It is the official residence of the Wadiyar dynasty, which ruled Mysore for centuries.

How to visit:

- The palace is open daily, usually from 10:00 to 17:30. - Adult admission is around 120 rupees for Indian visitors and 1,000 rupees for foreign visitors (prices change from time to time); children pay less. - Inside, you must remove and check your shoes; photography in the halls is restricted. - The illumination is a must-see in its own right. The palace is lit with roughly 97,000 bulbs on Sundays and public holidays (usually a short window in the evening, around 19:00–19:45), and every evening during Dasara. Try to time your visit so you catch it glowing.

Tickets

Entry · Foreign visitors~₹1000

Entry · Indian citizens~₹120

Before you go

📷 No photos inside👟 Shoes removed

Mysore Palace timings

The palace is open every day from 10 am to 5.30 pm, and tickets are sold throughout those hours. The Palace Board gives no weekly closing day.

Temporary notice for Dasara 2026 only (valid until 19 November 2026). The Board's Dasara 2026 notice closes palace entry at these times:

5 October: closed 10 am to 1 pm (assembling the throne).
11 October: closed 10 am to 2 pm (rituals in the private durbar).
20 October: closed all day (Mahanavami and Ayudha Puja).
21 October: Vijaya Dashami, closed to regular visitors; entry only for holders of a Dasara pass or ticket.
19 November: closed 10 am to 12 noon (the throne is dismantled and returned to the throne room).

If your dates fall on one of these days, plan the palace for another day. After 19 November 2026 the regular daily hours apply.

Mysore Palace ticket price

Prices on the Palace Board's timings page:

Indian adults: ₹150.
Foreign adults: ₹1,000.
Children over 10 and under 18: ₹70.

Official sources disagree, so here is what each says. The card above shows ₹120 for Indian adults: that is the fee from the Board's revision of 25 October 2024, as reported by Star of Mysore (₹120 Indian, ₹1,000 foreign, ₹70 for ages 10 to 18). The timings page, checked on 8 October 2026, keeps ₹1,000 and ₹70 but gives ₹150 for Indian adults, so it is the most recent official figure. The Board's separate tickets page still shows the pre-2024 ₹100 for all adults and ₹50 for children; ignore it. The official site gives no price for children under 10; the 2024 press report said entry is free for them.

Tickets can be bought at the counters or online through the link on the official site, which also offers booking over WhatsApp. An online ticket is valid for six months from the date of purchase. The palace ticket does not include the evening sound and light show.

Illumination and the sound and light show

The palace is lit with 97,000 electric bulbs on Sundays and public holidays from 7 to 8 pm, and during the Dasara celebrations. Karnataka Tourism puts the Dasara figure at over 100,000 bulbs; the Palace Board's own number is 97,000.

On other evenings there is a 45-minute sound and light show on the history of Mysuru, with 15 minutes of illumination at the end. It does not run on Sundays or government holidays:

Kannada: Monday to Wednesday, 7 to 8 pm; Saturday, 8.15 to 9.15 pm.
English: Thursday to Saturday, 7 to 8 pm.

The timings page gives ₹100 for adults and ₹40 for children at the Kannada show, and ₹120 and ₹50 at the English one. Tickets are sold only at the Varaha Gate counter on the south side from 6.30 pm, and there is no refund if rain stops the show.

Temporary, Dasara 2026 only: the Board's notice cancels the show from 5 October to 1 November 2026.

✅ Rules inside: photos, shoes, guides

What the Palace Board lists for visitors:

Photography without flash is allowed. The card above says no photos; the official facilities page is the newer and more authoritative source.
Shoes come off. There is a free footwear stand.
No drones. The palace is a no-drone area.
Guides: government-approved guides work inside the palace. Neither the Palace Board nor Karnataka Tourism lists an audio guide, so do not count on one.
Guidebooks are sold in Kannada, English and Hindi.
Free on site: umbrellas, cycles for the garden and temples, wheelchairs and toilets; there is also drinking water. Parking is at the Varaha and Amba Vilas gates.

What to see inside

Highlights from the Palace Board's own list.

Public Durbar Hall

The large public hall, with an ornate ceiling and rows of sculpted pillars.

Amba Vilas, the private durbar

The hall where the king met his closest advisers on affairs of state. The Palace Board calls it Amba Vilas, the name the whole palace also goes by.

Kalyana Mantapa

The marriage pavilion: glazed tiled floor and a domed ceiling of stained glass. Its walls carry oil paintings of Dasara rituals and processions.

Portrait gallery and royal furniture

Paintings and photographs of the Wadiyar family, the casket room, carved doors and the golden howdah.

Golden throne

The jewel-encrusted golden throne is assembled and displayed only during Dasara.

Temples inside the fort

The walled complex has temples and shrines, including the Shwetha Varahaswamy temple, plus a residential museum in former living quarters.

Why it is called Amba Vilas, and who built it

The Wadiyar dynasty ruled Mysuru for nearly six centuries. An earlier palace on this site burned down in 1897, during the wedding of Princess Jayalakshammanni. The Queen Regent, Kempananjammanni Vanivilasa Sannidhana, then commissioned the British architect Henry Irwin to build a new one.

The present palace was built between 1897 and 1912 at a cost of ₹41,47,913. It is a three-storey building in the Indo-Saracenic style, with domed square towers at the cardinal points and a gold-plated dome about 145 feet above the ground. The name Amba Vilas comes from the private durbar hall inside.

How to reach and when to go

The palace is in the centre of Mysore. Karnataka Tourism names Mysore railway station and the city bus stand as the nearest transport. Public entry is through the Varaha and Amba Vilas gates on the south side; the timings page also lists the Jayarama Balarama gate on the north for tourists. The main gate, Jaya Marthanda, faces east.

To see both the interiors and the lights in one day, come on a Sunday or public holiday: see the interiors by 5.30 pm and catch the illumination at 7 pm. In October and November 2026, check the Dasara closure dates above first.

❓ FAQ

Why is Mysore Palace called Amba Vilas Palace?

The Palace Board gives the name Amba Vilas to the private durbar hall inside, where the king met his closest advisers, and the palace is known by the same name.

Who constructed the present Amba Vilas palace?

The British architect Henry Irwin, commissioned by Queen Regent Kempananjammanni after the old palace burned in 1897. It was completed in 1912.

Is Mysore Palace free entry?

No. The Palace Board lists ₹150 for Indian adults, ₹1,000 for foreign adults and ₹70 for children aged 10 to 18.

What time is the Mysore Palace illumination?

Sundays and public holidays, 7 to 8 pm, and during Dasara. On other evenings 15 minutes of lighting ends the sound and light show.

Is photography allowed inside Mysore Palace?

Yes, without flash, according to the Palace Board. Drones are not allowed.

Is there an audio guide at Mysore Palace?

The official sites do not list one. Government-approved guides work inside the palace.

Where is Amba Vilas palace located?

In the centre of Mysore (Mysuru), Karnataka. Visitors enter through the Varaha and Amba Vilas gates on the south side.

Sources (9)

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