Mysore was the capital of Wadiyar dynasty who ruled myrore from the 13 th century to the 20 th century (before 1950 ) as it was a princely state during the British Raj . Top places to visit in Mysore are Mysore Palace , chamundi Hills , Brindaban Garden , Mysore zoo , Jaganmohan Palace & Art Gallery , St. Philomena’s Church , Sand Museum , Melody World Wax Museum, Folk Art Museum and many more . Now it is the second biggest city in the Indian state of Karnataka .
This is a place which was mentioned in the Mythology, people believe that Goddess Durga killed Mahisasur in this place (Chamundi Temple ). Whereas St. Philomena’s Cathedral is one of the tallest and biggest churches in Asia. If you come here in the time of Dussera, it is one of the lively spaces in Karnataka . At that time there is lots of Elephants with people’s grand procession. This city has two special foods, like Mysore Masala Dosa and Mysore Pak . For its vibrant festival, food and Historical monuments, it is called the Cultural Capital of Mysore.
Mysore palace:
Mysore palace is one of the fascinating palace in Mysore which was the official residence of the kings of Wadiyar Dynasty and the place Maharaja’s Darbar . The first wooden palace was established here in the 14 th century , Later in the end of the 19 th century it was destroyed and a new (current ) palace was build in the year of 1912 . It is also called as Amba vilas palace .
It is a five-story building made of Granite and the floors and domes are build by marble. The roof has beautiful chandeliers and in the doors you can have beautiful wood carving. Every day in the evening it is eliminated with more than 100000 bulbs. In Dussehra time it was one of the major attractions of this city . Lots of decorated Elephants , classical dance and firecrackers make the moment majistic .
The palace is open everyday from 10:00 AM – 5:30 PM . The price of the Entry ticket of this palace is 100 INR for indian citizens and 300 INR for Foreign Tourists.
Chamundi Hills Mysore :
This 12 th century temple is a sacred and one of the touristy spot of Mysore for it’s beauty. It is situated 13 km from Mysore city at an elevation of 1000 meter.
According to the Hindu mythology in this place, godess Chamundeswari (a form of durga ) killed Mahisasur(a demon) . This temple’s gopuram is a seven-storied building and it is one of the beautiful part of the temple .
From this place you have the beautiful panoramic view of the Mysore city . This temple opens between 7:30 AM – 2:00 PM , 3:30 PM – 6:00 PM and 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM .
St. Philomena’s Church Mysore :
St. Philomena’s Cathedral is one of the biggest church of asia first build by Maharaja Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar III in 1843 . The name st philomena comes from a greek princes in the time of 3rd – 4th century . Her relics were under this church’s alter .
This church was built by a French architect Daly . The twin Tower of the church makes it more attractive . At a time 800 people can pray inside the church .
This church is open between 5:00 AM – 6:00 PM.
Brindaban Garden :
Brindaban Garden was established in the year 1927 by Mirza Ismail (The dewan of the Mysore king ). There is numerous flower and decorative trees which spread across three level. A german botanist choose the trees to plant .
This garden has two part the Northern Part and the southern Part . Both the parts are separated by the cuvery river .
The park is opened for general public between 6:00 AM -8:00 PM . Brindavan Gardens musical fountain opens between 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM .
Mysore Zoo :
Mysuru Zoo Is one of the oldest and prominent zoo in India , established in the year 1892 by the Maharaja Sri Chamarajendra Wadiyar X . This zoo spreads across 157 acres . This Zoo has Indian elephant , African Elephants , Tiger , lion , leopards, cheetahs, gorillas, chimpanzees, crocodiles, giraffes, zerbra and many more birds .
This zoo is opens between 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM . The ticket price of this museum is 100 INR for Indian Adults.
Karanji Lake:
Karanji Lake is situated in the middle of the city near to the Mysore Palace. This was built by the wadiyar kings to supply the drinking water for the residents . But now it is mainly a eco tourism park. It is a beautiful lake for boating and bird watching .
In this place , you can see Painted storks , pelicans , herons, cormorants , kingfisher birds and many more . There is a watch tower to spot the birds in this place .
Jaganmohan Palace & Art Gallery :
Jaganmohan Palace & Art Gallery was build by wadiyar king Krishnaraja Wodeyar III in 1861 . It has been the official residence of Royal family at the time of the reconstruction of the original Mysore palace.
Now it is one of the biggest art gallery in south Asia , having collection of painting over 2000 . The famous painter whose collection was kept here are Raja Ravi Verma , Sawlaram Haldenkar, Rabindra nath thakur , Svetoslav , Nikolai Roerich, Peter Paul Rubens and many more .
This palace is open between 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM and the price of the ticket is Rs 20 INR for adults and 10 INR for children.
Jaganmohan Palace & Art Gallery
Sand Museum :
Sand museum in Mysore is one of the unique of it’s type . It was established in the year 2014 by M.N Gowri . This museum has all together 115 sculptures.
The famous among this are Ganesha , devi chamundeswari , krishna counciling Arjun , laughing Buddha , Arabian nights , ancient Egypt and many more .
This museum is opened between 8:30 AM – 6:30 PM and the cost of the ticket is 40 INR for Adult .
Melody World Wax Museum :
Melody World Wax Museum is a unique types of museum where the founder Shreeji Bhaskaran in 2010 tried to create wax statue of people playing different musical instruments . This museum has 19 galleries and 110 life sized models.
It has the collection over 300 – 1500 musical instruments. In this museum has figures of some famous personalities like Mahatma Gandhi , Mysore Maharaja Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, and Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV.
This museum is opened between 9:30 am – 7:00 PM and the entry ticket price is 30 INR .
Folk Art Museum :
Folk art museum of Mysore is a collection of different musical instruments like string , percussion and wind. It has different types of Masks and costumes used in Kathakali Dance , puppets , different idols of king , queen , hermits and soldiers and also wood crafts of Karnataka.
This museum was opened in 1968 and have more than 6500 artefacts.
The museum opens between 10:15AM – 12:30 PM and 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM .
Mysore Dussera :
Dussera celebration in Mysuru is one of the biggest event not only in Mysuru but also throughout India . Locally it is called ‘Nadahabba’ . It is celebrated in the 10 th day of Navaratri or the Dasami of Bengali durga puja .
This all 10 days goes though multiple celebration like music , folk dance , Yakshagana , wrestling , fair and many more . The biggest festival is done in the Jamboo Savari where 12 elephants adorned with golden Howdah travelled through different parts of the city . It is a magical experience .
Summary :
Mysore is one of the oldest city in Karnataka and was the capital woodiyar dynasty . This is 1000 years old city where as it was mentioned in the Mythology where godess durga killed the Mahisasur . It gives some famous food like Mysore Masala Dosa and Mysore pak sweet . The other prominent place to visit in Mysore are Brindaban Garden , st philomona church , chamundi hills , Folk Art Museum and many more . This city is full of big big trees and weather is very good . Enjoy the place specially if you come in Dussera .
