The Town Hall of Mysore, in Victorian style, in honor of great Dewan C.V. Rangacharlu

Mysore (Rngacharlu) Town Hall. Alamy.com

Mysore (Rangacharlu) Town Hall, Flicker.com

There are more than 120 monuments in and around Mysore city and many of them are well maintained by the state govt, with some exceptions. These monuments, particularly those stately colonial buildings, are a reminder of the glorious and affluent days of the Mysore kingdom under the rule of the royal family of the Wadiyars. Countless vintage buildings that are good examples of Indo-Sarasonic architecture came up during their reign.

Maharajah Chamarajendra Wadiyar en.wikipedia.org

The Town Hall in Mysore city is a majestic colonial building built by Maharajah Chamarajendra Wadiyar in 1884 in memory of Diwan Sir C. V. Rangacharlu, the first dewan of Mysore princely state after rendition in 1881 - transfer of administration of the kingdom to the rulers - the royal family of the Wadiyars. from the British. Earlier, the kingdom was under the direct control of the British Crown. The rendition was done after a lapse of 50 years in the wake of a series of severe criticism from the British medi.

Located close to the bus stand and the Mysore palace, the imposing old Victorian styled building made of brick and lime-sand mortar, has impressive four pairs of Corinthian columns that are topped by pediments with elaborate carved motifs. The sculpture of Hindu goddess Lakshmi flanked by a pair of elephants dominates the pediment. The Corinthian grand-columns supporting the heavy roof reflect the influence of Greece-Roman style of design with raised platform. The added attraction is the front part has attractive windows with Roman arch, shutters and sun-rise glazing. The parapet walls in the balconies are made of cast-iron grill-work with fine decoration. In the early stages, offices of the city government functioned here, but, presently, it is one of the major venues for hosting public and cultural events. It comes alive and vibrant during the ten-day Dasara festival, presided over by the royal family members.

Town Hall -Mysore Darara fstival, you tube

This heritage building underwent major renovation work way back in 2004 as part of an approved decision to renovate and conserve the heritage structures in and around Mysore and also Srirangapatna.

Tit-bits:

Dewan C.V.Rangacharlu, Mysore kingdom. starofmysore.com

This elegant town hall building is a great tribute to Sri C.V. Rangacharlu, who distinguished himself as an effective dewan of Mysore in the formative years. Driven by famine, the state's revenue was low a with a debt of about Rs. 8 lakh; so he took special efforts to improve the revenue to a safe level within a short period. To achieve it the dewan cut down the administrative expenses and closed down many jails and other govt. offices. His cost-effective methods improved the flow of revenue into the treasury. After joining the Mysore Civil Service in 1868, his promotion was quick, and he assumed the post of Comptroller of Mysore Palace. His contribution to the state of Mysore and its economy, besides first railway line, women's education, etc was unparalleled in the annals of Mysore history.

Sir Rangacharlu assumed dewanship on 25 March 1881, the same day Chamarajendra Wadiyar was installed as the Maharajah of Mysore. He was the 14th Dewan, assuming office after a lapse of 14 long years since his predecessor Arunachala Mudaliar's term in 1866. His stint lasted only two years and before stepping down from Dewanship on health grounds, he formed in August 1881 Prajapratinidhi Sabha - sort of council with representation from the public to listen to the people's grievances and had an Anglo Indian colony set-up at Whitefield, near Bangalore. He died at Madras on 20.1.1883. Before his retirement, concerned about Mysore's future development, he was the one who recommended his colleague and a dynamic administrator Sri K, Sheshadri Aiyar for dewanship who did a splendid job that made Mysore one of the well-developed and rich kingdoms.

https://navrangindia. blogspot.in/2018/05/diwan-c-rangacharlu-eminent.html

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/8274938273148772169/2185885470585142436

https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/others/citys-town-hall-is-poetry-in-stone/articleshow/60467104.cms

https://starofmysore.com/remembering-dewan-c-v-rangacharlu/