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The cultural capital of Karnataka
Experience the grandiosity and rich heritage of the city of Mysore
Known for its rich culture and history, Mysore, the capital city of Karnataka, is a treat for travelers, who crave to explore and know, rather than just admire the natural beauty of a place. As we reached Mysore, we chose to hop on to local mode of transportations to experience the city up and close, and explore it like a local. Mysore being a tourist place has a good rail and road connectivity. One can feel the richness of the city the moment one touches its periphery.
THE RICH HERITAGE
The first must-visit place of our trip was the Mysore Palace. To get to the skin of the history of the place, we hired a tour guide. He told us few interesting facts about the place such as: The city was ruled by the Wadiyar Dynasty from 1399 to 1761 and from 1799 to 1947. The rulers of the dynasty patronised the art and culture of the city.
They invented ganjifa (an ancient card game), brought together the modern Indian education system, where they opened new schools and started teaching English, and contributed to the architecture of Mysore, which now defines the city.
The beauty and grandiosity of the Mysore Palace is hard to capture with a DSLR camera. The entrance was surrounded by lush green gardens, which we later figured out was one of the common factors in every heritage building of the city. Elaborating more on the architecture of the place, our tour guide informed us that it is an amalgamation of Hindu, Rajput, Islamic and Gothic styles of architecture known as Indo-Saracenic. The grandiose structure has two durbar halls, where ceremonial royal court meetings were held. The palace also has 12 Hindu temples in its premises. The Mysore palace is also home to many exquisite artefacts. One can spend an entire day at the palace and not feel bored. Another thing that one must not miss here is the light and sound show, which is held in the garden area of the palace. The show, which entails a narrative of the history of the Wadiyar Dynasty, is held from 7pm to 7.45pm, from Monday to Saturday.
ST PHILOMENA’S CATHEDRAL
The next must-visit place in our list was the St. Philomena’s Cathedral. It is one of the tallest churches in Asia, whose foundation was laid by the Maharaja of Mysuru in 1933. The church serves as an excellent example of secularism. An astounding sight that one can witness in the church are the statues of women in sarees.
CHAMUNDI HILLS
Chamundi Hills, 13km east of Mysore, is home to the temple of Sri Chamundeswari, situated at the height of 3,489ft. The temple is believed to be some 1,000 years old, and it gives you an aerial view of the entire Mysore city. The panoramic view of the city from the temple at night is a treat for the eyes.
BRINDAVAN GARDENS
The last stop was the famous Brindavan Gardens. The garden has a symmetric design, which gives it an amphitheatre look. The garden is so beautiful that you can spend hours strolling and relaxing in its premises.
SHOPPING EXTRAVAGANZA
Mysore is known for its silk sarees; weaved by local artisans since centuries. You will encounter many shops selling these beautiful pieces of art. For a good shopping experience, one can head to the Ashoka Road, which is near to the Mysore Palace. One can also visit Devaraja market — one of the oldest markets of the city and an integral part of the life of every Mysorean. From here, you can also buy incense sticks, sandalwood and lots of rangoli colours. The market opens at 6am and shuts down by 8.30pm.
LOCAL CUISINES
It goes without saying that dosas and idlis rule every menu card here, but the variety that you get to enjoy is wide. In dosas, one must try Rava Dosa, Set Dosa and Steam Dosa to name a few. One thing that we had almost every day in breakfast was Thatte Idlis. Our lunch mainly included Kosambari (a typical south Indian salad), Tovve (a dal-vegetable curry), Huli (a local dal recipe), along with papad. You can try a whole lot of local cuisines at Ashoka Road, home to the oldest restaurants of the city.