Travel theme: the Mysore Palace, so pretty by day, so kitsch by night

This week, Ailsa‘s photo challenge theme is Luminous.

Mysore, in Southern Karnataka (South India), hosts a huge maharajah palace – a massive tourist attraction, visited by over 6 millions every year.

And every Sunday at exactly 7 pm, hundreds and hundreds of Indian families gather in front of the Palace to watch it become a theme park of the best kitsch, as 96,000 lights illuminate it all over its walls.

The next 45 minutes, while the lights are still on, is nothing but a parade of Indians who, one by one, pose in front of the illuminated Palace to get their photo taken.

I couldn’t not have my photo taken, like a good tourist!

Has anyone been recently? I visited it in May 2009 and haven’t returned since; I am assuming that nowadays, this must be a perfect place for tourists to take selfies!