The
Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery in Mysore is considered one of the best
art galleries in South India because of its excellent collection of
paintings and artifacts that once belonged to the Wodeyars of Mysore.
The three-storied Jaganmohan Palace was converted into this art gallery
in 1875. The Jayachamarajendra art gallery has a remarkable collection
of Rembrandt paintings. This collection is so unique that such works of
Rembrandt can be found nowhere in the world except in Russia. The
western collection section of the museum has works by master like P.P.
Ruben, Titan, A. Caddy and miniature paintings by Gunoy. The gallery also has the rare and valuable art collection made by Col. Scott, a British Army Officer, who served in the British Army that fought against Tippu Sultan. But this collection was shifted to Srirangapatna in 1950. The gallery also boasts of a collection of Gravure prints by Britsih Army officers showing details of the Mysore wars against HyderAli and Tipu Sultan. One hall has exclusively been used to display the exquisite works of the famous Kerala prince -painter, Raja Ravi Varma. His paintings depict various incidents from the epics and these paintings attract a huge number of visitors to the Art Gallery.
On display at the gallery are traditional gold leaf paintings of the Mysore, Bengal and European Schools. This collection includes traditional paintings dating back to 1875. The other famous artists whose works are displayed at the gallery include Nikolav Roerich of Russia, Jiladin Ville of Germant, Sterling of England and Colton of Italy. The Indian artists displayed include Mysore K. Venkatappa, Raja Rama Varma who was the brother of Raja Ravi Verma, Ishwardas, Haldenkar, Subbukrishna and M. Verappa. M. Ramanarasaiah was the Palace artist and was responsible for the exhibits in the gallery. He was the curator of the gallery for a long time and has made a number of paintings of the Mysore royal family. Before him the renowned artist G. Venkatachalam was the Curator.
The walls of the third floor of the gallery are covered with rich colorful paintings relating to the reign of Krishnaraja Wodeyar III. On one side is depicted his Dasara procession. The gallery has one of the earliest authentic visual records of the Dasara celebrations in Mysore. The painting depicts Krishnaraja Wodeyar III going in procession in a charior drawn by elephants. On the adjacent wall a number of games are depicted, that arouse the curiosity of the observer. Games displayed include Devi Sayujya and Srikanta Sayujya, these games are played in such a way as to direct the thoughts of the players towards heaven.
The game of Indian chess has been very well depicted on this wall. Krishnaraja Wodeyar III was an expert at these games. He invented many new games that are depicted in the art gallery. This gallery has an excellent collection of musical instruments that is displayed on the second floor. The Maharajas especially Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV used many of these musical instruments. The gallery also houses some ornamental furniture, glass and Chinaware, sculptures and photographs. The art gallery is opposite the City Bus stand and at a walking distance from the KSRTC bus stand or Main Bus Stand.