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Located
770m above sea level and 140 Kms from Bangalore, Mysore, the imperial
city, was the erstwhile capital of the Wodeyars. Also
known as the city of Palaces, Mysore has never failed to mesmerise
the tourists with its quaint charm, rich heritage, magnificent palaces,
beautifully laid-out gardens, imposing buildings, broad shady avenues
and sacred temples. |
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Mysore
is the erstwhile capital of Wodeyars, the rulers of Mysore State.
The Wodeyar family ruled Mysore since 14th century except for a short
period of 40 years when Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan were the rulers.
Today Mysore is one of the major cities of Karnataka. Mysore has emerged
as a thriving market for exotic sandalwood & incense, the Mysore silk
sarees and stone-carved sculptures. |
| Mysore
is certainly a charming, old-fashioned and undaunting town dominated
by the spectacular Maharaja's Palace, around which the boulevards
of the city radiate. Nearby is the city centre with the colourful
and frenetic Devaraja Market is inviting a stroll. |
| On
the outskirts of Mysore, Srirangapatnam still harbours architectural
gems from the days of the great Indian hero, Tipu Sultan, and the
magnificent Hoysala temple of Somnathpur lies little more than an
hour's drive away. |
Legend
In the
tenth century Mysore was known as "Mahishur", the town where the buffalo-demon
Mahishashur was slain by the goddess Durga. The word Mysore expands
to "Mahishasurana Ooru", which means the town of Mahishasura. It is
believed that during one of the wars between devils and demons on
the one hand and gods and goddesses on the other, the demon Mahishasur
(Mahishur) overpowered the gods. |
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goddess on seeing this, incarnated as the fireceful Chamundi or Chamundeshwari
and consequently, Mahishasura was killed by Her atop the Chamundi
Hill near Mysore. Ever since, the Mysore royal family has worshipped
Chamundeshwari as the palace deity. Hills dedicated to Her stand at
the eastern end of Mysore town to this day. |
| Visiting
Places: |
The Mysore Palace :
Once the residence of the Wodeyars, this structure is one of
the largest of its kind in India. Built in 1912 in the Indo
Saracenic style, this place excludes a grandeur that is unmatched.
The Golden Royal Elephant Throne, the Durbar Hall, the Kalyana
Mantap and the Gallery are the main attractions here. |
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The
Jaganmohan Palace:
This
is a converted art gallery which houses paintings that date back to
the late 19th century. Paintings of Raja Ravi Verma of Travancore
and the Russian Painter Svetoslav Roerich are on display. Paintings
in the traditional Mysore Golden leaf style can also been seen here
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Chamundi
Hill :
Perched
atop a hill is a 12th century temple of Chamundershwari. About 13
Kms from Mysore by road these is also a 1000 step walking track for
all those young at heart to try. The gigantic 4.8 meter tall monolith
of Nandi the sacred vehicle of Lord Shiva is a marvel to watch. Also
close to the temple stands a gigantic statues of the demon Mahishasura.
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Brindavan Gardens :
Built in 1924, this is India's first irrigation dam. Sir.M.Vishweswariah,
the engineer who designed and built this dam, has shown his
acumen in converting a dam site into a beautiful garden with
colourful fountains and ponds downstream. The dam is named after
the then Maharaja of Mysore, Krishnaraja Wodeyar, who financed
this novel project. KRS represents a marvel of civil engineering
achievement in pre-independence India and was among the first
in the world to use automatic sluice gates. Locally available
surkhi was used instad of importing cement from England (a scarce
commodity in those days). |
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| With
his slogan of "Industrialize or Perish," Sir. M.V. as he is better
known, this visionary engineer built not only the KRS dam but a whole
chain of generating stations and industries to modernise the then
princely Mysore state at the beginning of this century. Krishnaraja
Sagar also has an engineering (hydraulics) research station to study
water flow, control, and design of dams. |
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Brindavan
gardens is located 12 Kms north-west of Mysore city and has
rows-of colourful fountains. There is a boating pond to cross
the dam from the south bank to the north bank and at the northern
edge are the dancing fountains. Using advanced lighting techniques,
the fountains are made to jump and dance to the tune of music.
The dam is over 3 Kms long and is constructed at the junction
of three rivers - Kaveri, Hemavati and Lakshmanathirtha. This
site has been popularised over the years by the large number
of Indian/foreign films shot at this location.
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| Hotel
Ritz- K.R. Sagar is located in a pivotal postion overlooking the entire
gardens. The northern bank also houses a well established horicultural
nursery providing good variety of fruit/flowering plants. At 6.30
PM the garden lights up with fountains shining to different coloured
lights. The variety of flower beds glow in the light adding to the
charm. This spectacular sight makes Brindavan gardens unique and it
lasts till 8 PM every day (longer during week-ends). |
| K.R.
Sagar dam is well connected to Mysore by road and rail (Arasikere
line) There are many tourist buses going directly to Bangalore. This
dam has not only served as a model to several dams in India, but is
also a testimony to prove the superiority of surkhi (a mixture of
brick powder and lime) over cement, in dam construction. The best
season to visit KRS is June-July when the monsoon brings in plenty
of water which gushes through the sluice gates which open automatically
after the maximum head of 124 Feet is reached. The beauty of KRS can
be enjoyed all year long except during the summer months, when there
might be little water in the lake. |
| Surrounding
Places: |
Srirangapatna :
14 Kms
north east on the Bangalore Mysore highway, this island fortress was
once the capital of the warrior king Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan.
There are beautiful monuments that are well worth a visit. |
Nanjangud :
is 23
Kms of Mysore. This is an important pilgrim center and is famous for
its Nanjundeshwara Temple ( from which the place derives its name).
Built in the Dravidian style, the temple is one of its kind in Karnataka.
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Bandipur :
Situated
80 Kms from Mysore, the Bandipur national Park is one of the most
beautiful wide life centers in the country. Rare species of birds
and animals can be seen in their natural habitats. Bandipur has been
chosen by the WWF for their project tiger scheme to protect tigers.
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Ranganathittu :
4 Kms
from Srirangapatna and 18 Kms from Mysore is a bird sanctuary that
houses exotic birds. Birds from as far away as Siberia and even North
America make their home here. Crocodiles basking in the sun is also
a familiar sight. The best season to visit is between January and
March. |
