This is the Lalitha Mahal, built by the erstwhile Maharaja of Mysore to host his most important guest, the Viceroy of India. The Lalitha Mahal is now one of India’s most opulent hotels, a palace hotel that offers an experience of princely living in a real Maharaja’s palace. On a low hill, just outside the royal city of Mysore, stand a shimmering white palace – a splendid Italianate palazzo, double-columned and domed – set in sparawling terraced and landscaped gardens. This is the Lalitha Mahal Palace, built by the erstwhile Maharaja of Mysore to host his most important guest, the Viceroy of India.