A two-year documentation project completed this month has systematically mapped 140 buildings in Mysuru dating from the Wadiyar court period and British colonial era, producing the city’s first comprehensive heritage register since Independence.

The project, a collaboration between the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC), the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) Karnataka chapter, and a team of 60 volunteer architects and historians, used drone photography, archival research, and oral histories to document each structure.

What Was Found

The 140 buildings include:

  • 23 bungalows built for British officers and their families between 1870 and 1940
  • 34 structures built or commissioned by the Mysore Maharajas, including dak bungalows, irrigation rest houses, and administrative offices
  • 18 schools and colleges constructed during the Dewanship of Sir M. Visvesvaraya
  • 11 railway-related structures including station buildings, a locomotive shed, and a water tower
  • 54 private residences in Indo-Saracenic, Neoclassical, and vernacular styles

Of the 140 buildings, 42 have been assessed as being at high risk from demolition or irreversible alteration due to commercial pressure, unclear ownership, or neglect.

The Heritage Walk Routes

Based on the survey, six self-guided walking routes have been designed through the old cantonment, the pete (market district), and the palace surroundings. Each route is accompanied by illustrated guides available for download.

The project team hopes the walks will generate civic interest and economic activity — through tourism — that creates a practical case for preservation.

Challenges Ahead

The survey is advisory. Karnataka does not have a state-level heritage conservation law, meaning listed buildings have no automatic legal protection. The MCC has passed a resolution requesting the state government to introduce such legislation.

“Documentation is the first step,” said the INTACH project lead. “Conservation requires political will and legal teeth.”