Dewan Poornaiah Bungalow to House Wax Museum

MYSORE: The Directorate of Archaeology and Museums  plans to open an art gallery to exhibit paintings of different artists who served during the period of Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, Hyder Ali, Tipu Sultan and British rulers at Dewan Poornaiah Bungalow, at Yelandur in Chamarajanagar district.  Records pertaining to correspondence made by Dewan Poornaiah will also be exhibited. To add new attractions, the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums has proposed opening a Wax Museum at the bungalow in which wax figures of Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, Hyder Ali, Tipu Sultan and Dewan Poornaiah will be made, said Director of Archaeology and Museums R Gopal.He said that they have entered into a lease agreement with Sukanya Poornaiah, wife of Raghavendra Rao Purnaiya and her sons Rajiv, Sanjeev and Madhav Purnaiya, the descendants of late Dewan Poornaiah residing on Crescent Road in Bangalore, to take possession of the bungalow given by the then Maharaja to Dewan Poornaiah. The purpose of the lease is only to set up a museum to protect the memory of the late Dewan, his possessions and artifacts. Hence, the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums recently took over possession of the two-storey structure. The lease deed is for 33 years and the Directorate will pay `1,000 as rent to the descendants of Purnaiya every year.According to the lease deed, the descendants are entitled to use and occupy a room and garage on the premises of the Bungalow, which will be constructed by Director of Archaeology and Museums on the backside of the proposed museum with a separate entrance. The authorities shall ensure that the said room is kept locked and not permit any person to occupy it, except the Poornaiah family members. This apart, Director of Archaeology and Museums has to remove all encroachments, including illegal constructions in and around the bungalow.  The state government declared the Bungalow a protected monument under the Karnataka Ancient and Historical Monuments Act and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1961, in 1994.

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