Mysore -7 Best places to visit in the city of palaces.

The City of Palaces in India~ Mysore

It’s hard to miss the tales boasting of India’s regality and imperialism. Though cities like Jaipur and Lucknow have always been well known for their imperial past, Mysore has been the one hidden city, which is still has some hidden stories to tell to the world, especially about the grand royals that it once hosted.

The Hidden City of Palaces in India

The city of Mysore was home to one of the most majestic Indian kingdoms. The city had served as the capital of the Mysore Province, presently called as the state of Karnataka in India. It was ruled by the Wadiyar dynasty for nearly six centuries. While the reign doesn’t flourish anymore, the city does.

Mysore is the heritage hub of India that has the attention of all the tourists who wish to explore South India. It’s a small city that embraces its people with its pleasant weather in the day and lights up like a bride in the evening.

It is a city that is blessed with warm people but a cool climate. The majesty of its structures such as the Mysore palace shines with the serene green hills (Chamundi hills) in its backdrop. This destination is for every traveler who wishes to mix a little informative trip with that of a nature oriented one. One reason why Mysore stands out is because of its central connectivity with other hill stations such as Coorg, Ootie, Chikmaglur, Kannur, etc. No place that you want to explore in South is far from Mysore, be it a hill station or a beach place.

What makes it even more convenient and budget-friendly is the amazing public transport facility that the city offers, not just within the city but outside it as well.

With all the perks talked about, I’d say Mysore is a must-visit for tourists visiting South India. I shall further guide you to a list of places that cannot be missed visiting. They are all easily accessible through the public transport and each one of these hold a special place in the heart of Mysore.

Best places to visit :

1) Mysuru Palace

This historical structure holds grave significance not just in the books of Karnataka, but in that of India as well, and hence is the second most visited sight in India after Taj Mahal. It belongs to the royal family of the Wadiyar dynasty that once ruled the province. The palace has preserved the artifacts and armory of the royal kin, with a collection of 700-plus weapons. One of the most fascinating sights of the palace is that on a Sunday or a public holiday when it is illuminated by a 100,000 light bulbs from 7pm -8pm. It is such a scenic view to see the palace lighten up the entire city against the hills in the background.

It’s also a great time to try out your photography skills.

2) Chamundi Hills

These hills surrounding the city of Mysore are crowned with the famous and revered Chamundeshwari Tempe at its peak. This temple is considered as one of the most sacred temples of South India and so attracts a lot of localites as well as tourists. The hills can be reached either by a road route (bus or car) or a trail of steps that starts from the bottom and goes till the peak. This trail, comprising of 1000 plus steps, is usually used by people who go there to please the deity and pray for their wishes after having climbed all the steps. One-third of the way up is the Nandi Hill that has a high statue of Nandi (Shiva’s bull) that people worship.

3) Brindavan Gardens

These gardens are 19km North west to the Mysuru city but are easily connected to the public transport. These vibrant gardens are renown for the variety of flowers and plants grown there and the light-fountain that dances to the tune of Bollywood music. The view of the gardens is so beautiful and serene that it has also been used to shoot the scenes of various Bollywood movies. The best time is to visit in the evening when the sun is gone and the fountains are lightning and dancing.

4) Jaganmohan Palace

This comes only second to the Mysore Palace and was built in 1860’s as the royal auditorium to serve the need of the king who lived in the Mysore Palace right across the street. It is for these two magnificent structures that Mysore is also called as the City of Palaces. The Palace is now used for some high-end exhibitions and hangs some beautiful Indian paintings including those by noted artists such as Raja Ravi Verma and other Japanese artists. It is also adored for the Dushhera exhibitions it hosts.

5) Mysuru Zoo

The Mysuru Zoo is in very close proximity to the Mysore Palace and is so easily reachable too. It’s like an ordinary zoo but more beautiful with the pretty gardens set in it. Highlights include white tigers, lowland gorillas, giraffes, African elephants, chimpanzees and rhinos.

Must visit if you love animals and have some spare time to spend.

6) Karanji Lake

The lake is set at the foot of the Chamundi Hills, aggravating to the astounding scenic beauty of the lake. It was developed by one of the kings of Mysore. It is the largest lake in the state of Karnataka with the total area of about 90 acres. Karanji qualifies as one of the best tourist places in Mysore as it is also a home for different birds that make your visit to this lake all the more blissful and exciting.

7) Bandipur National Park

Although not a part of the city, Bandipur National Park is the most engrossing weekend getaway from Mysore. It is one of the oldest national parks of the country and is located 77 kms away from the city, going towards Ooty. It’s situated in the Nilgiris and together with 2 other biospheres in Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, it forms India’s biggest biosphere reserve called as “Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve”. It houses a plethora of species ranging from tigers to elephants. The National Park is a fun tourist spot for all the nature and wildlife lovers. The density of the beauty of the flora and fauna will surely encompass you.

Apart from the mentioned above, there are various other attractions that Mysore offers. One of these is the celebration of the Hindu festival, Dushhera with grandeur and pomp. Mysore has a long history of embracing this festival that goes back four centuries. The whole city dwindles with lights for 10 days of celebration and invites a number of worshipers and tourists. Another thing that has given Mysore world-fame is the exorbitant training campus of Infosys, the tech-giant. The campus is set in the arena of 337 acres and hence, Infosys’ global education centre is the world’s largest corporate university. This awe-striking campus is designed by a very famous Italian architect who has not left any stone unturned to bowl over the visitors at the centre.

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All in all, Mysore is a beautiful place to satisfy your travel-thirst. It offers a unique, rich combination of culture and nature. Moreover the city is still un-explored by the tourist and is surely a lesser known as the city of palaces than its peer Jaipur. The best time to visit the city is during Darara festival (Oct-Nov each year).

Make your plans to visit Mysore, the City of Palaces, in 2020 and experience the flamboyant imperial heritage.

Check out the, Glorious city of Rajasthan ~JAIPUR

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