A 7-foot-high & 4-foot-wide chair from Mysuru enhances UP Assembly’s grandeur
Mysore/Mysuru: The traditional Mysore-style art, which has patrons across the world, has added yet another feather to its cap.
The Speaker of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly has adorned a seven-foot-tall chair with a cushioned seat, crafted from rosewood and crowned with a canopy supported by ornate pillars. The emblem of the UP State has been affixed at the centre above the seating area.
The State emblem of Uttar Pradesh is a circular seal featuring the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers at Prayagraj, flanked by a pair of Matsya (fish) representing Oudh region and topped with a bow and arrow representing Lord Ram, who was born in Ayodhya. The ornate chair reflects a shift towards more traditional, symbolic and high-quality artisan-crafted furniture in the Legislative chambers.
The over seven-foot-high and about four-foot-wide chair will replace the existing ones. “It matches the grandeur of the Assembly better. The 403-member UP Assembly is the biggest among those of other States. There has to be grandeur and aura of Constitutional institutions,” a senior official from UP said.
Hands behind the chair
Khizer Ali Khan of R.K. Fine Arts and Crafts in Lashkar Mohalla, Mysuru, is the deft hand behind this artistic wooden chair.
Significantly, the specially crafted Speaker’s Chair of the Karnataka State Legislative Assembly at Vidhana Soudha served as the inspiration for this latest creation. Speaking to Star of Mysore, Khan said, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association had organised the All-India Speakers’ Conference in Bengaluru from Sept. 8 to 10, 2025.
Satish Mahana, Speaker of Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, who attended the Conference, was impressed by the intricate design of the Assembly Speaker’s Chair at Vidhana Soudha and expressed his desire to have a similar chair for UP Assembly Hall to that of Karnataka Assembly Speaker U.T. Khader.
Following this, Khader recommended that the Forest Department pursue the matter, and the task of carving the chair was eventually entrusted to Khan.
“U.T. Khader is the reason this work became a reality,” Khan said humbly, expressing his gratitude for the recognition of his capability.
A 12-member team of artisans worked day and night for three-and-a-half months to sculpt the structure. Khan also has to his credit the carving of the wooden structure at the main entrance of Karnataka State Legislative Assembly, Buddha Vihar at Kalaburagi, Speaker’s Chair at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi and several other handicrafts.
This post was published on February 9, 2026 6:42 pm