Mysore - A city that maintains its traditions and rich heritage with a unique charm

I’ve been living in Bangalore for what feels like forever, and although Mysore is only about 150 kilometers away, my last visit to this heritage city was back in my high school days. Travelling between Bangalore and Mysore is incredibly convenient. Buses run round the clock connecting the two cities, and there’s a reliable train service between Bangalore City Junction and Mysore Junction. A good number of cabs also operate on this route, making the journey hassle-free. And if you prefer driving, the trip usually takes just four to five hours.

Mysore is the third largest and second most populated city of Karnataka. Situated right at the foot of Chamundi Hills, Mysore was once the capital of the Kingdom of Mysore. The rich cultural environment of Mysore has earned it the title as the Cultural Capital of Karnataka.

Mysore, locally known as Mysuru, was the prominent city of Karnataka prior to Bangalore. This mystical and mythological city derives its name from the buffalo headed demon Mahishasur who is known to have been slain atop the Chamundi Hills by Goddess Chamundeshwari, an avatar of Parvati. The 10-day Dussehra festival is organized every year to celebrate this victory of the good over the evil with great pomp and grandeur and people from every corner of the globe visit this city during the festival.

Though modernity has had its influence on the city, Mysore has managed to retain its old heritage, tradition and charm which has made tourism to be one of the most striving industry in the city. The city maintains its traditions, its rich heritage, glorious palaces, amazing gardens and magnificent temples; all of which oozes of a unique charm that attracts visitors to Mysore.

Mysore Palace

The city of Mysore is also known as “City of Palaces”, and hence, the palaces have to be an attraction for a tourist. Apart from the famous Mysore palace, which is also known as Ambavilasa Palace, the city boasts of Jaganmohan Palace, Jayalakshmi Vilasa, and Lalitha Mahal. The Mysore palace, is the seat of the Wodeyar maharajahs who ruled the kingdom from 1399 to 1950. 

The palace you see today was actually rebuilt in 1912 after a fire destroyed the first palace. The architecture reflects a fusion of styles from the  Hindu, Rajput, Islamic and Gothic styles  with domes, arches and towers creating the completed look. Located in the heart of the city, it has two Darbar halls, garden, and buildings. It is the official residence of the rulers of Mysore. All the mansions and palaces of Mysore are surrounded by beautiful  sprawling gardens with fountains.

When you are inside the palace, it really drips with extravagant luxury and fine details; and in  each room you would discover rich colours, fine paintings, elaborate architecture, fine wood carved doors, mosaic floors and stained glassed windows. 

On Sundays, public holidays and during the Dussehra festival the palace is spectacularly illuminated at 7pm however, especially at the weekends , don’t expect to have this palace to yourself as it gets really crowded.

Mysore Zoo

Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens, commonly known as Mysore Zoo, attracts a large number of visitors with its wide variety of flora and fauna. It sprawls over a huge area of 157-acres. It is one of the oldest zoos in India. 

The zoo is rich in natural vegetation and fortunately the animals here are free to move about in their spacious enclosures. The area is lush green and you will not feel tiredness as long as you walk within the shade. There are also enough benches to take rest at every corner. The zoo is well planned and clean; the explanations are written in an interesting way and the directions within the zoo is clearly marked.

This zoo was established by Maharaja Chamaraja Wodeyar in 1892. It is home to the largest number of elephants compared to any other zoo in India. Apart from elephants, some of the other exotic fauna includes striped Hyena, Jungle cat, Asiatic black bears, African Elephant. 

It is also the only zoo in India to host a Gorilla. Apart from this, the zoo is home to Bengal tiger, Indian wolves, giraffe, deer, antelopes, leopard, hippopotamus, rhinos, crocodiles, zebra, birds like peacocks, emu, ostrich, pelicans and many other animals and reptiles. 

One can sign up for the Mysore Zoo safari and explore the exquisiteness of the fauna and the flora because otherwise it will take a substantial amount of time to cover the whole area on foot. 

A very good feature of the zoo was that it runs an animal’s adoption scheme to encourage public to adopt an animal. You can by participate in the wellbeing of an animal of your choice by paying a fee. If you want to contribute, you can get the details from the zoo authorities.

St. Philomena’s Church
The massive church of neo-Gothic style is one of the biggest and most majestic churches of India. The amazing floor plan of the church resembles a cross. The 175 feet high twin spires of the church are visible from miles around. The glass stained windows of this church portray scenes of the events in the life of Jesus Christ like his birth, last supper, crucifixion and resurrection. 

This 200-year-old church attracts a lot of tourists very year. The church is dedicated to St. Philomena, a Grecian Princess who was martyred in the 4th century. It is said that she was the daughter of a Greek monarch, born after much prayer. As a child, she was very pious, and showed signs of greatness. When she was 13, her parents took her to Rome to obtain the favour of the Emperor, who, as it turned out, was enamoured by her beauty and wished to marry her. She refused, choosing instead to dedicate herself to God. As a result, she was imprisoned, tortured, and eventually, beheaded, in Rome. Her relics were found centuries later in one of the Roman catacombs, and, in 1926, Thamboo Chetty, the secretary of the Maharaja of Mysore, obtained one of these relics to house in the church by her name.

Apart from those who visit due to faith, many people visit the church to enjoy the architecture and explore the church. It is an interesting church indeed – dedicated to a Greek saint, built by a French architect, for the British soldiers, in the German style, paid for by a Hindu king!

We were in Mysore just for a day and the Mysore Zoo, Mysore Palace and St. Philomena's Church were the places that we covered as part of our exploration. But if you have one more day to spend then one shouldn't miss Chamundi Hills, Brindavan Gardens and the KRS Dam.

Chamundi Hills: The Chamundi Temple atop the hill is famous not only as a pilgrimage centre but also of tourist attraction. The temple can be either accessed by the road or 1008 steps that lead up to it. There is a huge statue of bull Nandi after the climb of 700 steps, and, the statue of Mahishasur, and goddess Chamundeshwari atop the hill. The hill provides a great panoramic view of the city of Mysore.  

Brindavan Gardens: Laid on the site of the KRS dam, the garden is famous for its symmetric plan, musical fountains, cascading water channels, just to name a few. As the sun goes down, the fountains are illuminated and they dance to the tune which is amazing sight. This park has been a background for many movie songs and scenes. 

Krishna Raja Sagara Dam: The KRS Dam which is built close to convergence of three rivers Cauvery, Hemavathi and Lakshmana Teertha, is the most important dam in southern parts of India. It was designed by the great engineer Sir M. Visvesraya and constructed in 1932. The dam which supplies water to most of the surrounding areas through its marvellous canals is a beautiful sight to behold when the water is let out. 

Mysore is also famed for its exceptional quality of Mysore Silk and a unique tradition of painting known as Mysore Painting. There are museums and art galleries to explore for all the art enthusiasts. This city offers quite a few mouthwatering delicacies like the Mysore Pak and Mysore Masala Dosa. 

Mysore is one of the cleanest cities in the country. It is also the cultural center of the state. Such a city having amazing tourism spots is not an unbelievable fact. Are you planning to visit Mysore in near future? The best time to visit is from October to March. This is the winter season of the state. The climate makes it more pleasing to visit and enjoy.  If you are visiting during peak season, make sure to pre-book all amenities including tickets to avoid last minute congestion.