Manickyavelu Mansion
Discovering the existence of the National Gallery of Modern Art a year ago was one of the best things that ever happened to me on a bus ride. I was there the immediate next weekend and fell in love with the place. Since then I’ve visited the NGMA several times, but finally, a couple of Sundays ago, I managed to make a watercolour rendition of the beautiful Manikyavelu Mansion that houses the NGMA.
One of the surviving and well maintained bungalows in Bangalore, it exhibits artwork from some of the famous artists of our country, including Jamini Roy, M F Hussian and Tagore. From what I read in the Citizen Matters, the Manikyavelu Mansion once belonged to the royal family of Mysore. It was later owned by a mine owner, Raja Manikyavelu Mudaliar and then taken over by the Government of Karnataka in the late sixties. In the eighties, the Ministry of Culture received it in order to set up a modern art museum.
It’s a pleasant place to spend your time, if you have a couple of hours on hand. Getting to explore the bungalow while exploring different art work is an added bonus! The fee is a mere ten rupees and the coffee at the canteen is good. What is heart warming is that a building like this was saved and used for an excellent purpose, and this is one of the most admirable examples of what our city can do – progress while still saving our heritage.
Hi,
It is lovely to see your documentation of Bangalore’s heritage. You are welcome anytime to come over and spend time at our ancestral property on Cunningham Road and make as many sketches/watercolors as you like. We, as you, rue the passing into oblivion of Bangalore’s beauty and would love to have it saved for posterity. The Hat Works Boulevard is a small piece of Bangalore’s living history and we are, not unjustly, proud of it. (BTW I can promise you more than a “tin can” to perch yourself on while you are working!
Thanks Rumi!
I’ve been to The Hat Works Boulevard a couple of times already, and I’ve admired how the property has been converted to a beautiful dining and shopping experience. It’s one of those open spaces that you can instantly relax in, and it’s so easy to forget that there’s a bustling main road outside!
I’ll definitely come and meet you , and sketch as well. I’d would love to hear stories about the house from you!
Thank you for your kind words! Having grown up here, our home is a living entity to us and much much more than just a building….. so the stories about her are more than bountiful……… you are welcome anytime!