India, Jan. 20 -- If you are ever privileged enough to gain ingress into two special rooms inside the Mysuru palace, otherwise closed to visitors, expect some stunning sights. Inside the first room is a priceless collection of weaponry from the erstwhile Mysuru arsenal, including chakras (razor-edged flat metal rings coated with cobra venom before launch), wagh nakh (tiger claws made of steel), inspired by those used by Chhatrapati Shivaji, a flexible 'belt sword', complete with buckle, used by Kanthirava Narasaraja Wadiyar in the 17th century, and swords that once belonged to Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan.

The second room makes you gasp for a different reason. When the lights come on here, you find yourself surrounded by a surreal menagerie...