Mysore

The moment I think of Mysore, I start to portray a beautiful picture in my mind, of the beautiful royal palaces and the very famous silk saris.  Sandalwoods are synonymous with Mysore and it lends a beautiful charisma to the city. Presently, it is Karnataka state’s second largest city and only 130 kilometres splits Mysore from the cosmopolitan city of Bengaluru.

The best time to visit Mysore is during October and November as the weather is at its most pleasant and the festival of Dussehra is celebrated in all its glory. The city is beautifully ornamented during this ten-day festival as it’s a huge affair here. At times, it gets crowded and becomes difficult to see around but I feel that’s the fun part of it.  Tourists from all across India and abroad come to Mysore during this time to witness the magnificent festivities.

Mysore was rated the second cleanest city in India in 2010 and the cleanest in Karnataka.

Mysore Palace was said to have been built nearly 1000 years ago. The palace contains both Hindu and Muslim styles and has Saracen, Dravidian, Roman and Oriental styles to it. Mysore palace is now one of the most famous tourists’ attractions in India after Taj Mahal. Today, the palace has been converted into a museum that houses imaginative collectibles and treasures, a unique collectible that is brought out only during the Dussehra festival is a 750-kilogram golden throne. The palace is at its stunning best on Sundays when around 96,000 bulbs light the palace upon its exterior. Believe me, that once in a lifetime experience is something that cannot  be forgotten easily.

 The other must see places in Mysore are the Karanji Lake, Philomena’s Church and the Jaganmohan Palace. Boat rides are something you must not miss when you visit the Karanji Lake. Moreover, this place also contains a wonderful butterfly and aviary park waiting to greet us.

Philomena’s Church is Beautiful and stunning glass paintings depicting the birth of Jesus Christ, his last supper, his suffering, his resurrection and his ascension prettify the walls of Philomena’s Church.

The Jaganmohan Palace was built in the year 1861 and a unique aspect of this palace is that it houses paintings painted in the traditional Mysore Golden leaf style.

Mysore often gets a bit sunny and one can’t possibly walk around but to worry. The auto-walas are friendly and one can easily communicate with them either in blunt English and sometimes Hindi if one has a problem speaking with the local language. There are many cab operators located throughout the city, whether you want to travel inside Mysore, or get on further- say to, Bylakuppe(one of my favourite) or back to Bangalore by car.

I remember clearly it hardly took us an hour to reach the beautiful town and engulf the beauty of the masterpiece, the golden temple. Bylakuppe is a small town located in the west of the Mysore district.

The town consists of a number of agricultural settlements / small camps close to each other and has a number of monasteries, nunneries, and temples in all the major Tibetan Buddhist traditions. The occupancy has slowly improved from a small village into a clean town. The weather is really good and one can move around, bargaining for beautiful silver chains and souvenirs for friends and relatives.

My fifth year in Mysore and this place still evokes curiosity in me. Mysore has about 180 parks and playgrounds. People prefer to walk around the many lakes which pepper the landscape like the central Kukarahalli Kere by the university where the beautiful journey around is about 4.5 kilometres.

And what better way to soak in Mysore than indulge in Mysore’s traditional breakfasts in Nalpad and mid-day meals in hotel RRR! Whether a steaming hot “dosa” with “sambhar” and a variety of “chutneys”, or that complete rice based South Indian meals with “Mysore Pak” for dessert, there’s no better way to learn Mysore than through your tongue!