Mysore City Guide
Travel to Mysore is located in the South Indian state of Karnataka around 140 km from Bangalore. Also known as the fragrant city of Karnataka, Mysore tour mesmerizes the tourists with its charm and rich cultural heritage.
Mysore travel has never failed to mesmerize the tourists with its quaint charm, rich heritage, magnificent palaces, beautifully laid-out gardens, imposing buildings, broad shady avenues, sacred temples, fragrance of sandalwood, incense sticks and Mysore jasmine that provides great relief to your senses and soul. Mysore tour offers several tourist options and some of the most frequented are Brindavan gardens, Srirangapattnam, Rangana Tittu Bird sanctuary, Talakkadu, the Jagan Mohana Palace and the Chammundi Hills. Tour Mysore, a dream city that never lets down the visitors with its clean, light and easygoing environment.
Mysore gets its name from demon Mahisasura who was killed by Goddess Chamundeshwari on whose name a temple exists on the top of Chamundi Hills.
Places Worth-Visiting in Mysore
Mysore is famous for its palaces, gardens and planned markets. The beautiful Mysore Palace is a masterpiece meticulously planned and designed by the English architect Henry Irwin and is the home of the famous Wodeyars rulers. The palace provides you an enduring and spectacular view when illuminated with 97,000 electric bulbs shimmering against an inky black night. A priceless national treasure and the pride of a kingdom, the Mysore Palace is a must see for tourists visiting Mysore.
The Jaganmohan Palace is also worth visiting. It houses the Sri Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery, which displays famous painting, sculptures and musical instruments.
Other important tourist attractions in Mysore are Sri Jayachamarajendra Zoo, Chamundi Hills, Planet X, St. Philomena's Cathedral, Rail Museum, Folklore Museum, GRS Fantasy Park etc. The world famous Vrindavan Gardens is located on the KRS Dam, about 15 km from Mysore. The musical fountains here have fascinated visitors including people from film industries. A visit to the gardens will surely be an exhilarating experience for you. The festivals of Mysore provide the place an added attraction. You can enjoy Mysore Dussehra, very popular event in the region, celebrating the victory of good over evil.
Excursions from Mysore
Besides the place of interest in Mysore city, there are many tourist attractions and places of interest around Mysore such as
Somnathpur : The star shaped temple at Somnathpur is a splendid example of Hoysala architecture. It is embellished with a profusion of finely sculpted friezes and panels. The Somnathpur temple is well preserved and not to be missed.
Bandipur National Park : The Bandipur National Park has open forests and facilities for viewing wildlife from elephant back.
Talakad: Talakad is situated on the banks of the river Cauvery, near Mysore and is known for its sand dunes. There are a number of temples on the banks of the Cauvery in Talakad that are buried under the sand dunes and are excavated once in 12 years for special worship.
Shravanabelagola: Shravanabelagola is another place worth visiting while at Mysore. Shravanabelagola is famous for the monolith of Bahubali or Gommateshwara. There are two stony hills called Chandragiri and Indragiri. Chandragiri is famous for the Chandragupta Basadi built by the Gangas. Indragiri is famous for the Chavendaraya Basadi and the gigantic statue of Gommateshwara.
Biligiri Rangana Hills : Another interesting getaway from Mysore for nature enthusiasts is the Biligiri Rangana Hills popularly known as the B.R.Hills. Though these hills are famous for the ancient temple on top of the hills, it is also home to a lesser-known wildlife sanctuary.
Coorg : Situated at a distance of 120 kms, is a little hill-station that covers an area of 4102 sq km.
Melkote : Another important pilgrim center that is close to Mysore is Melkote or Tirunarayanapuram. Melkote is about 60kms from Mysore city and is located in a hilly region that comprises some of the oldest rock formations on earth.
Nanjangud : Another popular excursion from Mysore city is Nanjangud. Nanjangud is 25kms from Mysore. It is a holy place because of the Nanjundeswara or Srikanteswara temple. It is called Garalapuri because of this famous temple.
Shivanasamudra : Shivanasamudra is about 85kms to the east of Mysore. At Shivanasamudra the river Cauvery cascades down a deep rocky gorge in two breathtakingly beautiful waterfalls- Bharachukki and Gaganachukki. The sight of these two falls is enchanting and the best time to visit them is during the monsoon.
Weather
Mysore has a warm and cool climate throughout the year. The weather in winter is cool and the summers are bearable. The minimum temperature in winter is around 15 degrees Celsius and in summer the maximum temperature is around 35 degrees Celsius. Mysore gets most of its rains during the monsoon between June to September. Mysore average rainfall annually is around 86 cms.
Things to see
