By N. Niranjan Nikam
The nearly 157-year-old Jaganmohan Palace, housing one of the finest art galleries in the world, is going hi-tech, as it will soon have Audio Guides to take the visitors through the various collections housed in the Gallery. It will also have its own Conservation Laboratory in the premises. “I have a very ambitious plan of setting up a Conservation Lab inside the Jaganmohan Palace premises itself. I am in touch with INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art Culture and Heritage) to repair and maintain the Art Gallery. It is to preserve the built heritage (building part) and material heritage (objects in the gallery) that I decided to approach the non-profit organisation,” said Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, speaking to Star of Mysore. The Laboratory has to be housed in the premises itself, as the Art Gallery requires constant monitoring and maintenance. The INTACH has the technical know-how to preserve the objects. “We cannot create another Jaganmohan Palace or the objects in it that my predecessors left behind. The only thing we can do is to preserve them and I will take whatever I have to do to preserve it,” she said.
