How Raj Vilas, a century-old Mysuru bungalow, embraced modern living

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A lush garden envelops Raj Vilas, built in the kingdom of Mysore between 1900 and 1910. | Photo Credit: Sameer Raichur

Raj Vilas has a story to tell. Mysuru’s century-old bungalow offers a compelling template for reinventing heritage homes without turning them into museums.

Its approach is neither to freeze an old house in time nor to erase it in the name of modern living. The restoration retains the bungalow’s architectural character, preserving its original materials, proportions and craftsmanship while adding functional spaces for contemporary living.

The bungalow was built in the kingdom of Mysore between 1900 and 1910; and was acquired in 1992 by Raja Chandra, father of Aditya Guru Dev and Samyukta Lakshmi and husband of Indirakshi Devi, the fourth daughter of the erstwhile Maharaja of Mysore, Jayachamaraja Wadiyar.

Raj Vilas was acquired in 1992 by Raja Chandra. | Photo Credit: Sameer Raichur

The bungalow was named Raj Vilas after Raja Chandra, while also playing on the word ‘Raj’, evoking the days of the British Raj.

The property, on Balkrishna Rao Road, was acquired from the family after whom the road is named.

The family rented it out until 2014, when they began planning to turn it into a boutique stay or vacation rental, since both families lived in Bengaluru. The renovation was intended to introduce modern amenities for guests while retaining the old-world charm of Mysuru.

But as the rigorous restoration progressed over nearly six years, the family grew attached to it and decided to turn it into a holiday home for their extended family. Raj Vilas is now a family abode, where the families retreat over weekends from Bengaluru. Today, the century-old edifice is at once old and new — the façade and front half of the bungalow have been retained while the rear portion was demolished and rebuilt from scratch.

Samyukta Lakshmi and Govi. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

A lush garden envelops the main bungalow, which features a traditional Mangalore tile pitched roof, 14 to 18-inch-thick load-bearing walls, monkey tops (A-shaped wooden or tiled window sunshades) and lime mortar finishes. The new extension houses three bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, a living room, kitchen, dining room and an open cut-out/ double-height area with a skylight. The older structure comprises the entrance portico, foyer, office room, a single bedroom and bathroom, along with a first-floor living area and a large terrace balcony.

When the restoration project began in 2019, Dev, who is in real estate, reached out to conservation architect Sanjog Shetty. Shetty decided that the only way to make the edifice comfortable for modern living was to restore the front of the bungalow while building a new rear portion.

The façade and front half of the bungalow have been retained while the rear portion was demolished and rebuilt from scratch. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

“We first studied the proportions and decided to keep the same dimensions and replicate the home in the new construction. The authenticity was important to Dev, and he helped during the research phase with books from his library,” says Shetty.

Aditya Guru Dev. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Sanjog Shetty. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

The original house used lime mortar (lime fermented with jaggery, with waterproofing provided by a resin from a local tree). “We found Mahesh Ninganna, a local contractor who had worked with the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), and was familiar with skilled labour who could use these materials,” says the architect.

S. Raghunath. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

“For our structural design decisions, we consulted S. Raghunath (retired professor of civil engineering, BMS College of Engineering), who has collaborated with INTACH on the conservation of heritage buildings, and specialises in masonry and load-bearing structures,” adds Shetty.

Original staircase is retained in the century-old Raj Vilas bungalow. | Photo Credit: Talib Chitalwala

The foundations of the old and new wings were kept independent to protect the structural integrity of both. Load-bearing walls were used in the new construction, while steel beams replaced wood where necessary to fortify the new Madras terrace roof (closely spaced timber beams layered with diagonal thin bricks and lime mortar). Terracotta flooring, including Basel Mission tiles from the early 1900s, was retained in some parts of the bungalow, while new terracotta tiles were used across the rest, except in the new bathrooms, which have patterned tiles.

“Earlier we used this home for events, but it had just one bathroom. Now, I go to Raj Vilas with my dog (Govi) for short trips and enjoy the space,” says Lakshmi, a documentary photographer and photojournalist.

During the restoration of the front portion, the entire old building was stripped and replastered with lime mortar, with every cornice and moulding retained and restored. One of the more challenging aspects of the restoration was altering the height of the roof on the top floor.

Raghunath explains how the roof was raised to create a more open floor plan. “All the tiles on the first-floor roof were removed after taking off the rafters and trusses (structural support). The exposed wall was cleaned up, and a new wall was constructed to match the profile of the old wall. We introduced a wall beam on top connecting the four resultant walls, and then you have the sloping roof with the Mangalore tiles on top of that.”

Pitched Mangalore tile roof on the first floor. | Photo Credit: Talib Chitalwala

All the wood used across the home during the restoration was repurposed from older homes demolished in the vicinity. Lime-based paints and primer were used to retain the breathable nature of the lime plaster. “The double-frame windows around the home were saved, and new ones mirrored the old aesthetic, with an added layer of mosquito mesh. The original walls were two-and-a-half bricks thick, which were slimmed down to two-brick-thick walls, giving us larger rooms while maintaining the same proportions,” says Shetty.

One of the most striking features within the interior, Shetty insists, is “a stately wooden staircase, the only one that connected the storeys originally”. The visual grammar of the well-ventilated large open space on the first floor is punctuated by a tall glass chandelier, visible from the ground floor as well. “The double-height space in the living area is all new construction, and all the railings and balustrades crafted later match the original staircase,” says the principal architect.

Kinnara dolls from Koppal, Karnataka. | Photo Credit: Talib Chitalwala

The interiors are interspersed with little touches that speak of both the place and its people. Handcrafted wooden Kinnala dolls (made by a 500-year-old craft cluster in Koppal, Karnataka) were chosen by Shruti Jaipuria, founder of Bengaluru-based MAIA Design, to highlight a forgotten art form.

Restored prints of Sri Tattva Nidhi. | Photo Credit: Talib Chitalwala

“We recreated a set of 12 frames from the Sri Tattva Nidhi (a treatise, in Kannada, on the iconography of South India’s divine figures, at the Mysuru Palace), based on a literary compilation by Krishnaraja Wadiyar III, Maharaja of Mysuru. We also recreated old board games and framed them,” says Jaipuria. The rooms are painted white, with a low border in colours inspired by four avian species, celebrating the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary in Mysuru and the client’s love of birdwatching — yellow for the yellow-throated bulbul, blue for the Indian roller, brown for the black-rumped flameback and pink for the painted stork.

Yellow room in Raj Vilas. | Photo Credit: Talib Chitalwala

Pink room in Raj Vilas. | Photo Credit: Talib Chitalwala

Shruti Jaipuria of MAIA. Design | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Kitchen by Oak Tree. | Photo Credit: Talib Chitalwala

Provenance plays a large role in how these buildings weather the vagaries of time, Shetty says. “These heritage buildings give character to a place. While Bengaluru used a lot of granite in its buildings, Mysuru has lime-based construction, and the Konkan coast uses laterite. Today, there’s a homogenisation of construction, with the same materials and signage. There must be an incentive to restore these heritage buildings so our cities can retain their architectural identities.”

The freelance writer is based in Chennai.

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