Founded in 1924[1] by Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV, it is the first medical college to be established in the Karnataka region and the seventh in India.

Since there were no medical institutions in the erstwhile Kingdom of Mysore, a scheme for giving medical education was started in 1881 under which carefully the selected students were given scholarship and sent to places like Madras and Bombay to undergo training and to return and work as "Hospital Assistants".

Trainees had to undergo a course for 4 years to qualify as a Licensed Medical Practitioner (LMP).

At the request and insistence of Sri Krishnadevaraja Wodiyar the college was shifted from Bangalore to Mysore in 1930.

The foundation stone was laid in 1930 by Sri Krishnadevaraja Wodiyar and the main building was constructed by Boraiah Basavaiah & Sons, a famous contractor of Mysore.