Tourist attractions in MysoreFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mysore Palace in the day

Mysore 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 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 Red Fort, Qutb Minar in 2006.[4]

Contents

1 Attractions

o 1.1 Palaces

o 1.2 Gardens

o 1.3 Museums

o 1.4 Places of worship

o 1.5 Wild Life

o 1.6 Libraries

o 1.7 Featured Products

2 Around Mysore

3 Gallery

4 See also

5 References

6 External links

Attractions[edit]

Schematic tourist map of Mysore

Palaces[edit]

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.

Lalitha Mahal : is the second iss 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 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.

Jaganmohan Palace  : was built in 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.

Jaganmohan Palace, Mysore

Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion  : This palace was built in 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 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.

Gardens[edit]

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.

Brindavan Garden Fountains at night

Happy Man Park : The Happy Man Park near Kamakshi Hospital,

some three kilometres from the railway station, is a very popular

hangout of children and parents. The park is quite compact in size but

contains a mini zoo and many hens and ducks roam around the lawns

freely. The park is landscaped with a little stream and ‘wooden’

bridges. Some kind of radio or music is played through little

loudspeakers scattered around the park. The park is open from 4.30pm

to 9.00pm and the crowd is quite big around 6.00pm. It is also open for

a while in the morning for the benefit of joggers. The main attraction of

the park is a statue of a ‘Happy Man’ with a pot belly representing the

unhealthy eating habits of the Mysorean people.

Butterfly park in Karanji lake: This consists of a medium sized bird

park, boating and very good children play area.

Parks, Gardens & children play areas: Mysore has about 180 parks

and playgrounds. Most of the residential areas have their own small

parks: e.g. Ambedkar Park in Jayanagar a southern city district has a

500 metre perimeter footpath. The newly built Andolan Circle Park has

a walking track that takes five minutes for one round. This park is near

Kuvempu Nagar in South Bangalore. But many Mysoreans prefer to

walk around the many lakes which pepper the landscape such as the

central Kukarahalli Kere by the university where the journey around is

about 4.5 kilometres. Another is the Lingabudhi Kere which has a

beautiful footpath with bamboo forests and again takes more than 20

minutes for one round. This park it is a desirable neighbourhood to the

southwest called Rama Krishna Nagar, 5 km away from the city centre.

Museums[edit]

Regional Museum of Natural History : This museum is located on the

banks of the Karanji lake in Mysore and has exhibits related to

biological diversity, ecology and geology of Southern India.[5]

Folk Lore Museum : This museum is located in the University of

Mysore campus and exhibits over 6500 folk art and crafts from all over

the state of Karnataka.[6]

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]

Rail Museum at Mysore.

Wax Museum - Melody World : This non-govt museum is based on

music and musical instruments, this, one-of-its kind in the world wax

museum exhibits over 100 life-size wax statues and over 300 musical

instruments categorized in various bands and stage settings.

Representing Stone Age to Modern instruments, some of the bands

displayed are of Indian Classical North & South, Punjabi Bhangra,

South Indian, Jazz, Rock, Middle East etc. It was established in

October 2010. It is open everyday from 9.30am until 7.00pm and

located at #1 Vihara Marga, Sidhartha Layout, Mysore.

Mysore Sand Sculpture Museum: This yet to start sand Sculpture

Museum is situated on Chamundi hill road.

Places of worship[edit]

Chamundi Hills  is close to the palace city of Mysore. Its average

elevation is 1,000 metres. A panoramic view of the city is seen from the

top of the hills. Among other landmarks, you can see the racecourse,

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.

Chamundi temple

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 Gothicstyle 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 St. Philomena is preserved in a catacomb below the main altar.

Open to visitors from 8:00AM to 5:00PM.

The St. Philomena's Church in Mysore

Wild Life[edit]

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.

Elephant & calf in the Mysore Zoo

Libraries[edit]

Oriental Research Institute , formerly known as the Oriental Library,

established in 1891 contains over 33000 palm leaf manuscripts .

Featured Products[edit]

Mysore Silk

Hand-made wood art

Around Mysore[edit]

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 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. TheKarighatta (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

nearby district of Ganjam. The summer palace of Tipu Sultan is also a

very interesting place.

Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary  : is a small Bird Sanctuary,being only

0.67 km². in area, and comprises six islets on the banks of

the Kaveri River. Ranganthittu is located near the historic town of

Srirangapatna. The islets came into being when a dam across the

Kaveri river was built in the 18th century. The ornithologist Dr. Salim

Ali observed that the isles formed an important nesting ground for

birds, and persuaded the Wodeyar kings of Mysore to declare the area

a wildlife sanctuary in 1940.The islands are host to numerous small

mammals, including Bonnet Macaque, colonies ofFlying Fox and

common small mammals like Common Palm Civet and Indian Gray

Mongoose and the monitor lizard.The Mugger Crocodile or Marsh

Crocodile is a common inhabitant of the riverine reed beds. Roughly

around 180 birds[8] have been observed here till date. Breeding water

birds include Painted Stork, Asian Openbill Stork, Common

Spoonbill, Woolly-necked Stork, Black-headed Ibis, Black-headed

Ibis, Lesser Whistling Duck, Indian Shag, Stork-billed Kingfisher and

other common birds like egrets, cormorants, Oriental Darter,

and herons. The Great Stone Plover, and River Tern also nest here.

The park is home to a large flock of Streak-throated Swallows.

Shivanasamudra Falls

Shivanasamudra Falls  : is the second biggest waterfall in India and

the sixteenth largest in the world.[9] 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 1902.[10] 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[11] 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.[12] Asia's first hydro-electric power stations, still functional,

is located at the waterfall.[13] 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 pilgrimagecenter.[14] Here the

eastward flowing Kaveri river changes course and seems magnificently

vast as here the sand on its banks spreads over a wide area.[15]

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

theabacus, lie scattered about.[14] 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.[16] 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 atBylakuppe

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.

Gallery[edit]

Lalitha Mahal, Mysore

 

Entrance to the Ambavilas Palace, commonly known as Mysore Palace

 

Statue of the demonMahishasura atop theChamundi Hills

 

Karanji lake in Mysore

 

Ranganatha Temple

 

Painted stork colony, Rangantittu B.S.

 

Sculpture from TalakaduLord Shiva Temple.

 

Temple Recovered from Sand Dunes at Talakadu

See also[edit]

Ooty

Culture of Mysore

Bangalore

Karnataka

Tourist attractions in Bangalore

Tourism in Karnataka

Mysore Natural History

References[edit]

1. ̂  "Welcome to the Palace City, City of Kings". Retrieved 2008-02-20.

2. ̂  "Mysore Palace Mysore   — The city of Palaces" . Retrieved 2008-02-

20.

3. ̂  "Mysore   — Palace City Guide,Palace City Mysore Guide,Mysore

Palace". Retrieved 2008-02-20.

4. ̂  R. Krishna Kumar (2007-08-17). "Mysore Palace beats Taj Mahal in

popularity". The Hindu (Chennai, India). Retrieved 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

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. Archived from the

original on 2007-02-28. Retrieved 2007-04-10.

7. ̂  An overview of the Rail Museum is provided by Staff Correspondent

(2004-06-03). "Mysore Rail Museum celebrates silver jubilee". Online

Edition of The Hindu, dated 2004-06-03 (Chennai, India: 2004, The

Hindu). Retrieved 2007-04-10.

8. ̂  http://www.mysorenature.org/mandya-sector/ranganathittu-bird-

sanctuary

9. ̂  "Shivasamudra Falls". Retrieved 2006-11-11.

10. ̂  "Shivanasamudra Falls comes alive". The Hindu (Chennai, India).

2007-07-19. Retrieved 2008-02-15.

11. ̂  "Gaganachukki falls photo of horsetail". Retrieved 2006-11-10.

12. ̂  "World Waterfall Database". Retrieved 2006-11-09.

13. ̂  "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

2008-02-22.

14. ^ a b "Temple tales". Deccan Herald. Archived from the original on

2006-07-19. Retrieved 2006-11-30.

15. ̂  "Panchalinga Darshan: Sri Vaideshwara Temple". Retrieved 2007-

01-31.

16. ̂  "Panchalinga Darshan". Retrieved 2007-01-31.

V

T

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Mysore topics

Kings Wadiyar dynasty

Chamarajendra Wadiyar X

Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV

Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar

Srikanta Wadiyar

Religious

Dasara

Vijayadashami

Chamundi Temple

Palaces

Mysore Palace

Jaganmohan Palace

Lalitha Mahal

Rajendra Vilas

Jayalakshmi Vilas

Art and CultureMysore painting

Ganjifa

CuisineMysore pak

Masala Dosa

Museums and Institutions

Chamarajendra Academy of Visual Arts

Regional Museum of Natural History

Folk Lore Museum

Rail Museum

Oriental Research Institute

Personalities

Kuvempu

B. V. Karanth

R. K. Narayan

R. K. Laxman

Gopalakrishna Adiga

U. R. Ananthamurthy

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Kingdom of Mysore

Mysore Zoo

St. Philomena's Church

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See also

Aihole

Badami

Bijapur

Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram

Hampi

Incredible India

Kerala backwaters

Palaces in Rajasthan

Pattadakal

Taj Mahal

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External links[edit]

Official Mysore Tourism Web Site

Official Election Website of Mysore www.mysoreelections.com

Mysore Nature

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