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 Mysore
is the second biggest city in the State of Karnataka. It
lies 130 kms from the State Headquarters, Bangalore. It is
the erstwhile capital of the Mysore Maharajas, who ruled
Mysore State from this royal city. It is now the
headquarters of Mysore District with a population of over
seven lakhs. The chief language of the people, as in the
State of Karnataka, is Kannada and original Kannada is
spoken in this part of the area. It covers an area of more
than 40 sq.km. and is administered by the Mysore City
Corporation. Situated 763 meters above sea level surrounded
by hill ranges from north to south, it is known as the
'Garden City' and the 'City of Palaces'. The famous Chamundi
Hill, which is mythologically associated with the name of
the city, is to its southeast.
To the people
of India the word Mysore is synonimous with Sandalwood, silk
and fine inlay-work using ivory. It is the home of incense
sticks (agarbathi) dipped in sandalwood oil perfume base and
has two well known incense factories - the Aravinda Parimala
and the Vasu and Cycle brand (together these two account for
70% of the incense stick export from India). Mysore is also
the home of many well regarded musicians and artists. It is
even today the hub of the tourist map of Karnataka. Nearby
are several places of interest to visitors, some of these
are Brindavan Gardens, Srirangapattana, Rangana Tittu bird
sanctuary, Chamundi Hills, Nanjanagudu, Bandipur forest
reserve, Shivanasamudra falls, and Talakaadu.
Within the town are several places of interest. The grand
palace with its four arched entrances stands at the centre
of the town. Liberally covered with golden domes and home to
the most expensive royal chair (Simhasana), made of gold and
studded with diamond and precious stones, this palace rivals
the best in the world. During weekends the whole palace is
lit with thousands of lights, a great sight. Saint
Philomina's church is a fine cathedral dating back to the
18th century. The Venkatappa art gallary has inspired many
an artist and conducts courses in traditional painting,
drawing and woodwork. It is also the birth-place for the
Mysore wooden toys, which are exported worldwide.
Near the western gate is the Jayachamaraja art gallary (also
called Jagan Mohana palace) which houses some of the finest
paintings, art works and artifacts dating to several
centuries of rule by the Royal Wodeyar family. At the
eastern end, near Chamundi Hills is the Lalitha Mahal Palace
which is now a 5-star hotel. Visitors can enjoy the luxury
of staying in what was till recently the guest house for
royal visitors. Its main staircase built with white marble,
and its front-end gardens, make the Lalitha Mahal a place to
visit and enjoy. Close to it is the Mysore zoo, which
recently celebrated its hundredth birthday. Mysore has a
fine race course (horse racing) and the local "Taanga" a
horse drawn carriage that is still used by a some citizens.
The Mysore "taanga" has a comfortable leg space making it an
attractive but slower alternative to savour the beauty of
Mysore.
Mysore silk is well known for its quality and everlasting
lustre. The silk factory (Karnataka supplies 70% of India's
silk) and the Sandalwood factory (which extracts the
sandalwood oil) are located towards the south end of the
town. Both have over a century of tradition and still
produce what Mysore is well known for. Mysore had several
lakes, all of which have been dried and are being used as
open fields today. The Jeevanaraya katte near the Railway
station, Doddakere near the palace, Karaji kere near the zoo
gardens, stand testimony to the royal dynasties who took
keen interest in providing healthy drinking water to their
people.
If a vegetarian gourmet is on your mind, you have arrived at
the best town in India for it. Several restaurants boast of
a century long tradition in satisfying the appetites of the
citizens. Gourmet items such as set dosai, sagu masala dosai,
Madduru vadai are the by-word in Iyer hotel (also known as
galli hotel) located near V.V.Market. Indira Bhavan, Indira
Cafe, Ananda Bhavan are all decades old with very fine range
of vegetarian offerings (snacks and meals). Pai vihar and
Dasaprakash offer expensive but fine cuisines. Dasaprakash
has a chain of hotels in Bangalore, Ooty and Madras. The
Guru Sweet Mart at Statue Square serves everything from
Mysore-Pak (A local sweet made from gram-flour) to a wide
variety of sweetish and saltish snacks.
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