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| The Gun House, Mysuru mysoretrendz.com |
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| Gun House, Mysuru,masthmysore.com |
In India countless historical monuments are in a poor state because of lack of funds and care. Such places can be restored and converted into a public office or museum. This way the govt. can save the structure from crumbling down retain its old charm. In Mysuru city, the royal Wadiyar family had a plan to reopen a restaurant in a heritage building called The Gun House built in the early part of the 19th century. The move was a good one.
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| Karnataka state, S.India, pinrest.comAdd caption |
For several decades this structure, considered as one among the 200 monuments in this region, had been lying in a sate of sheer neglect. With no gates to protect it, the dilapidated condition of this building was quite obvious in the growth of thick wild weeds, bushes and vegetation all around it.
In September 2018, there were signs that this slowly crumbling site would see the light at the end of the tunnel at last. On Sept. 19, 2018 Bhoomi Puja was done to fix the main gate.of the Gun House and to clear the surroundings. According to the erstwhile royal family member they would reopen the Gun House Imperial Restaurant soon after completing major restoration and repair work, etc. In the 1970s it was once a famous dinning place with a music band and, for some reasons, it was closed later. Plans were afoot to revamp the old kitchen toilet facilities, etc.
A visitor to Mysore city can not miss the 110 year old red-colored building despite its small size, with white trimming, close to the famous Mysore palace. It is the Gun House, a legacy of colonial rule in the past, that blends European Baroque elements (of Italy; 17th century) with Tudor styled turrets of 19th century, the Slanting roof with domer windows in the central hall, arched opening with stonework frame in white and gabled roof with molded pediments in the front. It is on a land covering three and half acres. Located off Nanjanagud road, it once housed the armory and cannons of erstwhile Maharajah's for defense purposes.
Built in 1910, the Gun House did not serve any other purpose, so it was converted into a small museum displaying guns, different types of armory, etc once used by the Maharajah's Army. British military officials were posted in the Gun House for security reasons.
Glad this iconic heritage site in Mysuru will be active once again and the old timers are quite nostalgic about it.
https://starofmysore.com/gunning-for-gun-house-once-again/
https://starofmysore.com/gun-house-restaurant-will-open-doors-again-to-public/
