This is one gallery I wanted to visit in Mysore just to have a look at priceless Raja Ravi Varma originals that are exhibited here. And what an experience it was! Some dozen of Raja Ravi Varma originals are kept here, as well as some other beautiful paintings, including one by Gaganendra Nath Tagore, a relative of Rabindra Nath Tagore.
The paintings were delightful and highlights the true essence that is so typical of a Raja Ravi Varma original. What saddened me was the utter neglect with which the paintings are displayed. One Ravi Varma sports a small tear made by curious onlookers, and that’s a crying shame.
Most of the paintings are dusty and kept in ordinary rooms with no special lighting or temparuture control. the gallery also displays beautiful French crockery used by the Maharajas of Mysore as well as a beautiful French grandfather clock that depicts a moving scene of millitary parade at teh stroke of an hour. Quiete an experience, that one.