Tourism industry wants UoM Museum in visitors’ tour plan

Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion that houses a folklore museum remains unexplored for lack of promotion

The scion of erstwhile Mysuru royal family, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, greeting visitors with flowers at the palace on Monday on the occasion of World Tourism Day. Organisers Jayakumar, B.S. Prashanth and C. Narayana Gowda were present.

Stakeholders of the tourism sector in Mysuru have set their eyes on promoting Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion on the Manasagangotri campus which houses a folklore museum with a rare collection of artefacts related to the folklore traditions of Karnataka.

On the occasion of World Tourism Day here on Monday, the stakeholders, including the Mysuru Travels’ Association, the Mysuru Hotel Owners’ Association and the Tourism Department had organised an event at the mansion, inviting Deputy Commissioner Bagadi Gautham, Mayor Sunanda Palanetra and Vice-Chancellor of University of Mysore G. Hemantha Kumar.

B.S. Prashanth, head, Karnataka Tourism Society, C. Narayana Gowda, president, Hotel Owners’ Association, Museum Director Manjunath and others were present.

The palace was constructed during the regime of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar for princess Jayalakshmi Ammani. It was acquired by the university in the 1950s to establish a postgraduate centre, and underwent comprehensive restoration work with funding from Infosys in 2002. It houses the folklore museum. The mansion is now again in need of restoration.

“We did the Tourism Day event specifically at the mansion as we wanted to promote the museum it houses. The mansion and its museum are unexplored by many tourists who are not aware of its presence,” said Mr. Prashanth.

The stakeholders have urged the Mayor to consider bringing VVIPs to the mansion for experiencing its value and promotion.

Mr. Prashanth said the stakeholders have urged the Deputy Commissioner to deploy a buggy at the entrance of the University on Bogadi Road for ferrying the tourists arriving there on Ambari, hop-on hop-off double-decker bus, for exploring the museum. “As the bus is not allowed inside the campus and the tourists have to walk a distance to access the museum, we have made the request,” he said.

The stakeholders have also urged the VC to permit tourist buses inside the campus for accessing the mansion only on Tuesdays as on this day the zoo is closed for visitors and the tourists have a time of at least one or two hours which they could spend exploring the museum.

“We are planning to submit a memorandum in this regard to the VC through the Karnataka Tourism Society. The VC has also been urged to fix an entry ticket for the museum so that the university gets regular revenue for its maintenance. Presently, the entry to the museum is free,” he said.

Earlier, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the scion of erstwhile royal family, greeted visitors to the palace with roses marking the World Tourism Day. MTA President Jayakumar, Mr. Prashanth, Mr .Narayana Gowda and others were present.