The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Remembering the regal past

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Monday, Jul 07, 2008
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Remembering the regal past

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: The talk was not just about reminiscence of the Mysore Palace but a potpourri of history, personal legends and anecdotes. An experience that she cherishes even today, Urmila Devi Kotda-Sangani, the niece of late Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, the last Maharaja of Mysore, recounted her memories of the Mysore Palace recently during a talk on ‘Reminiscences of the Mysore Palace’. It was organised by the Bangalore International Centre (BIC) at the TERI Complex.

She said, “My memories of the Mysore Palace are mostly kaleidoscopic as we did not actually live there but only went there for our summer holidays.”

Zoo visit

Recalling the stay at the Summer Palace with her two elder sisters, she said: “Our favourite part of the holiday was visiting the Mysore zoo, and we always had a wonderful time.”

Talking of the cuisine at the palace, she said that it always employed Lingayat cooks, and everyone was strictly vegetarian. “The non-vegetarians had to stay at the Summer Palace where another cook prepared their food.”

Private collection

The talk was accompanied by a presentation of pictures from her private collection with rare images such as the wedding picture of her parents, late Thakore Saheb of Kotda-Sangani and the late Rani Saheb Vijaya Devi, sister of the late Jayachamaraja Wadiyar.

There were also pictures of late Chamaraja Wadiyar X in his tennis whites and of the earliest Dasara celebrations .

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