Tourist attractions in Mysore

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Mysore (pronounced /maɪˈsɔɚ/ in English (listen); to be renamed Mysuru) (Kannada: ಮೈಸೂರು) is the second largest city in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the headquarters of the Mysore district and the Mysore division and lies about 140 km (87 mi) southwest of Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka. The name Mysore is an anglicised version of Mahishūru, which means the abode of Mahisha. Mahisha stands for Mahishasura, a demon from the Hindu mythology. The city is spread across an area of 128.42 km² (50 sq mi) and is situated at the base of the Chamundi Hills. Mysore is one of the most important tourist centers of the Karnataka state of India. Mysore is also known as Palace City of India. [1] [2] [3] The Mysore Palace in the city is one of the most visited monuments in India, even beating Taj Mahal of India.[4]

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[edit] Attractions

Brindavan Garden Fountains at Night
Brindavan Garden Fountains at Night
  • Mysore Palace : is a palace situated in the city. It was the official residence of the former royal family of Mysore, and also housed the durbar (royal offices).The term "Palace of Mysore" specifically refers to one of these palaces, Amba Vilas.
  • Brindavan Gardens is a show garden that has a beautiful botanical park, full of exciting fountains, as well as boat rides beneath the dam. Diwans of Mysore planned and built the gardens in connection with the construction of the dam. Display items include a musical fountain. Various biological research departments are housed here. There is a guest house for tourists.It is situated at Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) dam.
Chamundi temple
Chamundi temple
  • Jaganmohan Palace : was built in the year 1861 by Krishnaraja Wodeyar III in a predominantly Hindu style to serve as an alternate palace for the royal family. This palace housed the royal family when the older Mysore Palace was burnt down by a fire. The palace has three floors and has stained glass shutters and ventilators. It has housed the Sri Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery since the year 1915. The collections exhibited here include paintings from the famed Travancore ruler, Raja Ravi Varma, the Russian painter Svetoslav Roerich and many paintings of the Mysore painting style.
  • Chamundi Hills is close to the palace city of Mysore. Its average elevation is 1,000 meters. A panoramic view of the city is seen from the top of the hills. Among other landmarks, you can see the race course, the Lalitha Mahal palace, Mysore Palace, Karanji and Kukkarahalli lakes. At dusk, the view of the city is especially beautiful, and on Sunday evenings and during the Dasara festival, the illuminated Mysore Palace glitters like gold.
Jaganmohan Palace, Mysore
Jaganmohan Palace, Mysore
  • St. Philomena's Church : is a church built in the honour of St. Philomena in the city of Mysore. It was constructed in 1956 using a Neo Gothic style and its architecture was inspired by the Cologne Cathedral in Germany. In 1926, Thamboo Chetty who was a secretary to the Maharaja of Mysore, Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar obtained a relic of the saint from Peter Pisani, Apostolic Delegate of the East Indies. This relic was handed over to Father Cochet who approached the king to assist him in constructing a church in honour of St. Philomena]. The Maharaja of Mysore laid the foundation stone of the church on 28 October 1933. In his speech on the day of the inauguration, the Maharaja is quoted to have said: The new church will be strongly and securely built upon a double foundation — Divine compassion and the eager gratitude of men.. The construction of the church was completed under Bishop Rene Fuga's supervision. The relic of Saint Philomena is preserved in a catacomb below the main altar.
The St. Philomena's Church in Mysore
The St. Philomena's Church in Mysore
  • Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion : This palace was built in the year 1905 by Chamaraja Wodeyar for his eldest daughter Jayalakshmi Devi. This mansion has three wings and contains a series of twin Corinthian and Ionic columns, regal pediments and oval ventilators. The mansion was originally built with a cost of Rs. 7 lakhs. This mansion was acquired by the Mysore University to house its post-graduate campus. It was renovated in the year 2002 from funding provided by Infosys foundation. The main hall in this mansion is the Kalyana Mantapa which has an eight-petal shaped dome with stained glass windows with a gold-plated Kalasha(tower) at the top. A new gallery called as Writer's Gallery has been created in the Kalyana Mantapa hall that will exhibit personal items, photographs, awards and writings of renowned writers of Kannada. A special illumination system has also been added to this heritage structure. This mansion is said to be the first university museum complex in the country.
Rail Museum at Mysore.
Rail Museum at Mysore.
  • Lalitha Mahal: is the second largest palace in Mysore. It is located near the Chamundi Hills, east of the city.The architect of this palace was Mr E W Fritchley. The palace was built by Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV in the year 1921 for the exclusive stay of the Viceroy of India. The palace is pure white in colour and is built in the style of Italian palazzo with twin Ionic columns and domes. It also has a sprawling terrace and landscaped gardens.
Elephant & calf in the Mysore Zoo
Elephant & calf in the Mysore Zoo
  • Rail Museum: This museum is located near the Mysore Railway station and is the second one of its kind established in India after the one at Delhi. This museum exhibits ancient locomotives and carriages some of which are still in working condition. Photographs and books related to railway are also present.[7]
  • Oriental Research Institute , formerly known as the Oriental Library, established in 1891 contains over 33000 palm leaf manuscripts .
  • Mysore Zoo : one of the oldest and most popular zoos in India. Located on the outskirts of Mysore, the zoo is home to a wide range of wild species. The official name for the zoo is Shri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens, though it is known commonly by its shortened name. Mysore Zoo is one of the city’s most popular attractions. It was established under royal patronage in 1892, making it one of the oldest zoos in the world.

[edit] Around Mysore

Open billed storks, Rangantittu B.S.
Open billed storks, Rangantittu B.S.
  • Srirangapatna : (also spelt Srirangapatna; anglicized to Seringapatam during the British Raj) is a town , situated a mere 13 km from Mysore city .The entire town is enclosed by the river Kaveri to form an island . The town takes its name from the celebrated Ranganathaswamy temple which dominates the town, making Srirangapattana one of the most important Vaishnavite centers of pilgrimage in south India. Srirangapattana became the de facto capital of Mysore under Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan. Other attractions include the Jumma Masjid (a Mosque) and the Daria Daulat Gardens. The Karighatta (Black Hill) and its temple of Lord Srinivasa is situated a few kilometres from the town. The deity is that of Kari-giri-vasa (one who resides on the black hill). The famous Nimishambha temple is located in the near by district of Ganjam. The summer palace of Tipu Sultan is also a very interesting place.
Shivanasamudra Falls
Shivanasamudra Falls
  • Shivanasamudra Falls : is the second biggest waterfall in India and the sixteenth largest in the world.[8] It is situated on the banks of the river Kaveri and is the location of the first Hydro-electric Power station in Asia, which was set up in the year 1902 [9] . This is a segmented waterfall. Segmented waterfalls occur where the water flow is broken into two or more channels before dropping over a cliff, resulting in multiple side by side waterfalls. It has an average width of 849 meters, a height of 90 m, and an average volume of 934 cubic meters / sec. Gaganachukki on the left is a large horsetail waterfall[10] and Barachukki (also spelled Bharachukki) on the right is a jagged crashing cascading waterfall. During the monsoon season this waterfall grows enormous, perhaps a thousand feet in width. The right waterfall is the Bharachukki.[11] . Asia's first hydro-electric power stations, still functional, is located at the waterfall.[12] This station was commissioned by the Diwan of Mysore, Sir K. Seshadri Iyer. The electricity produced here was initially used in the Kolar Gold Fields. Thus, Kolar Gold Fields became the first town in Asia to get hydro electricity.
  • Talakad : or Talakadu is a town on the left bank of the Kaveri river at a spot where the river makes a sharp bend. It is 45 km from Mysore .A historic site, Talakad once had over 30 temples that today are buried in sand. Now it is a scenic and spiritual pilgrimage center.[13] Here the eastward flowing Kaveri river changes course and seems magnificiently vast as here the sand on its banks spreads over a wide area.[14]
Temple Recovered from Sand Dunes at Talakadu
Temple Recovered from Sand Dunes at Talakadu

At Talakad sand covers the temples. Stone pillars, square at the base and made to fit into a wheel below the abacus, lie scattered about.[13] Among the temples of Talakad, the Pathaleshwara, Maruleshwara, Arkeshwara, Vaidyanathee-shwara and Mallikarjuna temples, the five Lingams believed to represent the five faces of Shiva, form the Pancha pathi and have become famous. [15] In honour of these five Shiva temples, a fair is held once every 12 years called Panchalinga Darshana, last held in 2006. The Panchalinga Darshana is held on a new moon day in the month of Karthika when two stars conjoin, the stars of Khuha Yoga and Vishaka. There is also a Vishnu temple, Keerthinarayana.

Inside the Golden Temple at Bylakuppe
Inside the Golden Temple at Bylakuppe
  • Bylakuppe : is the location of "Lugsum Samdupling" (established in 1961) and "Dickyi Larsoe" (established in 1969), two adjacent Tibetan refugee settlements, in the west of Mysore district . It consists of a number of small camps/agricultural settlements close to each other, and has a number of monasteries, nunneries and temples in all the major Tibetan Buddhist traditions. Most notable among them are the large educational monastic institution Sera, the smaller Tashilunpo monastery (both in the Gelukpa tradition) and Namdroling monastery (in the Nyingma tradition).Particularly well known among the temples is the spectacular Golden Temple which is also a major tourist spot in the area.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Welcome to the Palace City, City of Kings. Retrieved on 2008-02-20.
  2. ^ Mysore Palace Mysore - The city of Palaces. Retrieved on 2008-02-20.
  3. ^ Mysore - Palace City Guide,Palace City Mysore Guide,Mysore Palace. Retrieved on 2008-02-20.
  4. ^ R. Krishna Kumar (2007-08-17). Mysore Palace beats Taj Mahal in popularity. Retrieved on 2008-02-20.
  5. ^ An overview of the Regional Museum of Natural History is provided by National Informatics Centre. Regional Museum of Natural History, Mysore. Online Webpage of National Museum of Natural History. Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. Retrieved on 2007-04-10.
  6. ^ An overview of the Folk Lore Museum is provided by Mysore. Online Webpage of Karnataka Tourism Department. Tourism Department, Government of Karnataka. Retrieved on 2007-04-10.
  7. ^ An overview of the Rail Museum is provided by Staff Correspondent. Mysore Rail Museum celebrates silver jubilee. Online Edition of The Hindu, dated 2004-06-03. 2004, The Hindu. Retrieved on 2007-04-10.
  8. ^ Shivasamudra Falls. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
  9. ^ Shivanasamudra Falls comes alive. The Hindu (2007-07-19). Retrieved on 2008-02-15.
  10. ^ Gaganachukki falls photo of horsetail. Retrieved on 2006-11-10.
  11. ^ World Waterfall Database. Retrieved on 2006-11-09.
  12. ^ Shivasamudram is also famous for its hydro power station which was started in 1902 by Sheshadri Ayyar, a dewan of Mysore. This is said to be the first hydro power station in Asia and from here power was supplied to Bangalore in 1906 and then to Kolar Gold Fields and Mysore.. http://www.cauvery.com/shivasamudram.html.+Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
  13. ^ a b Temple tales. Deccan Herald. Retrieved on 2006-11-30.
  14. ^ Panchalinga Darshan: Sri Vaideshwara Temple. Retrieved on 2007-01-31.
  15. ^ Panchalinga Darshan. Retrieved on 2007-01-31.

Lalitha Mahal, Mysore

Entrance to the Ambavilas Palace, commonly known as Mysore Palace

Statue of the demon Mahishasura atop the Chamundi Hills

Karanji lake in Mysore

Ranganatha Temple

Painted stork colony, Rangantittu B.S.

Sculpture from Talakadu Lord Shiva Temple.

Temple Recovered from Sand Dunes at Talakadu