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The former kingdom of the Wodeyars

is a grand, historic city that surprises
you with its interesting regal heritage
WHY GO?
Its probably the most vibrant city in South India,
with magnificent monuments, popular markets
and a history of yoga and ayurveda. Mysores
economy is booming, too, with sandalwood, silk
and incense production putting it on the map.

WHAT IS THERE TO DO?

MINI GUIDE October 2012

Mysore,

Karnataka

With so many things to do in Mysore,

it wont be surprising if you lose
count. There are more than
enough sights, including the
Rail Museum, St Philomenas
Cathedral, the Chamundi Hill
and, best of all, the majestic
Mysore Palace. The sweet
and savoury dishes here
are terrific, such as Mysore
pak, a sweet delicacy thatll
have you coming back for more.
Left: The Mysore Palace is dazzling
when lit up
Right: The Mysore Zoo is a must-see
on a visit to the city

See & do

Sleep

BEST FOR PALACES 1

The royal Mysore Palace
or Maharajas Palace has
luxurious interiors, with frescoes
and some of Raja Ravi Varmas
paintings. Photography is
prohibited (00-91-821-2421051;
mysorepalace.gov.in; 10am
5.30pm daily; ` 40 adult, child
below 10 free).
BEST FOR MUSEUMS
The Rail Museum exhibits the
Rail Story, which tells of how
the royals rode the railways
in the past. The main attraction
is the Maharanis saloon, built
in 1899 (KRS Rd; 9.30am 6.30pm
Tues Sun; ` 5 adult, ` 2 child).

Tear out page here then fold along the dotted lines

BEST FOR TEMPLES 3

Located at the top of Chamundi
Hill at an altitude of 1,062m,
Shri Chamundeswari Temple
was named after the Goddess
Chamundeswari. It provides
a great view of the city below.
This temple has a gigantic 40mhigh gateway or gopuram (00-91821-2590027; mysorechamundi
temple.com; 7.30am 2pm,
3.30pm 6pm, 7.30pm 9pm).

The Shri Chamundeswari Temple

is an architectural delight

BEST FOR CHURCHES 4

St Philomenas Cathedral,
an example of Neo-Gothic
architecture, can be easily
recognised by its exquisite
stained-glass windows (00-91821-2563148; St Philomena St;
5am 6pm, English mass
7am; free).
BEST FOR ART GALLERIES 5
Located in the Jaganmohan
Palace, Jayachamarajendra
Art Gallery houses some
rare musical instruments and
traditional Mysore gold-leaf
paintings (00-91-821-2423693;
Jaganmohan Palace Rd; 8.30am
5pm; ` 20 adult, ` 10 child).

While the Parklane Hotels 6

exterior is a little utilitarian,
its rooms are extremely
comfortable, especially given
the low price. Its also very
conveniently located next to
the Mysore Palace (00-91-8214003500; parklanemysore.com,
parklanemysore@yahoo.com;
2720, Harsha Rd; from ` 1,800).
The Royal Inn 7 is ideally
located, close to the citys major
sights. It is an efficient business
hotel with conference facilities
(00-91-821-2415127; royalinnmysore.com, info@royalinnmysore.com; 435, KRS Rd,
Metagalli; from ` 2,200).
The Green Hotel 8 is possibly
Mysores quirkiest. Rooms are
named and designed along
themes like Bollywood, Small
Bollywood, Marigold and Writing
(00-91-821-4255000; green
hotelindia.com, thegreenhotel@
airtelmail.in; Chittaranjan
Palace, 2270, Vinobha Rd,
Jayalakshmipuram; from ` 3,250).
The world-class Windflower
Spa and Resort 9 is a rare,

Fold 1

The rooms at the Green Hotel

are cosy and quaint

Bali-style hotel, known for

its stylish rooms and quality
fine-dining restaurant
(reservations: 00-91-80-41142408;
thewindflower.com, reservations
@thewindflower.com;
Maharanapratap Rd, Nazarbad;
from ` 5,100 with breakfast).
Originally built as a residence
for British visitors of the Maharaja
in 1920, the Royal Orchid
Metropole 10 is a four-star
hotel showcasing the heritage
of this city (00-91-821-4255566;
royalorchidhotels.com, rooms@
royalorchidhotels.com;
No 5 Jhansi Lakshmibai Rd;
from ` 5,700).

TURN OVER FOR MAP AND NUMBER LOCATIONS

MINI GUIDE
Mysore, Karnataka
Mysore
Train
Station

S e a
Bay of Bengal

MYSORE

Eat & drink

I n

a n

The sweet shop Bombay

Tiffanys 11 is great for snacks
and sweets, especially the local
delicacy, melt-in-your-mouth
Mysore pak, made of ghee, sugar
and besan, golden-yellow
in colour and displayed as
compressed bricks (Sayyaji Rao
Rd; 7.30am 10pm; Mysore
pak ` 200/ kg).
Located on the BangaloreMysore highway, Kamat
Lokaruchi 12 serves authentic
Karnataka vegetarian snacks,
such as the chilli bajji, the neer
dosa and the maddur vada, all
delightfully deep-fried (00-919008555933; Janupada Loka,
Archakrahalli, Ramanagara,
Bangalore Mysore highway;
maddur vada ` 20).
The unassuming restaurant
at the Parklane Hotel 13
offers a surprising variety
of dishes spanning Indian,
continental, Italian, Mexican
and Chinese cuisine. Weekends
are a real treat with barbeque
nights (00-91-821-2430400;
parklanemysore.com;
2270, Sri Harsha Rd,
mains from ` 40).

GETTING THERE
The nearest airport is in Bangalore.
Most airlines fly to Bangalore from
all major metros. Minimum return
fares start at ` 4,000. Travelling
by road on the Bangalore-Mysore
highway is a convenient way to
get to Mysore (140km south-west
of Bangalore), and should take up
to three hours.
THE COST

15

New Statue
Circle

LOW

Naz
arba

#
6 13

Harsha #
Rd

Victo
r Alb

d Ma
in Rd

ert R
d

i lg
iri
Rd

Hardinge
Circle

u-N

Maharaja's
Palace
#

Andaman
Sea

d
aR
upt
rag
d
n
Cha

o Rd

Krishnaraja
(KR)
Circle

Gandhi
Sq

South Gate

Try the excellent South Indian fare

at Kamat Lokaruchi

Youll find classic Andhra-style

food at Hotel RRR 14 , where one
of the best dishes is the hot veg
thali, served on a banana leaf.
Some good non-vegetarian
options are also available
(00-91-821-2441979; Gandhi
Square; 11am 11pm; mains
from ` 40)
The intriguing cane-themed
multi-cuisine restaurant at Pai
Vista, Gufha 15 , offers brilliant
food and fast service but the
main attraction here is the
ambience, which is reminiscent
of an Indiana Jones film (00-919945615420; paihotels.com;
35/A Bangalore-Nilgiri Rd).

ng
alu
r

A r a b i a n

Sardar
Patel Rd

Be

Narayan
a Sha

Jhansi
Lakshm
i Bai Rd

5
CHAMARAJAPURA
Ramavila
s Rd

INDIA

#
14

Essentials

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Devaraja
Market

Devaraj Urs
Rd

CHINA

PAKISTAN

11

d
ri R
r u-Nilg i

Vinoba
(Siva
ramp
et) Rd

KR Hospital Rd

Ashoka Rd

Dhanvan ri Rd
th

See
bai
ah R
l Ram
d
aiah
( KR
) St

stri Rd

Diw

R
's
an Koth
wa

12

Bengalu

10

Sleep

Nehru Circle

Uma Talk
ies R
d

th ri R
d

Irwin Rd

KT St

Government
Hospital

St
ao
ha R

nvan

Rd
Rao
yaji
Say

Dh a

Vishvesrivarajah Circle
H a n u ma n t

KR

Rd

Sayaji
Ra

Irwin Rd

Playing Fields

Eat & drink

Karnataka
Tourism

See

HIGH

DIFFICULTY OF TRAVEL
LOW

HIGH

WHEN TO GO
Mysore is at its best around the
festival of Dussehra (September
October), when the Mysore
Palace is completely illuminated
and the city itself becomes
a carnival with concerts, dance
performances and cultural
events from all over India.

A boat ride in the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary is a great way to get around
and see as much wildlife as possible

Side trip
Situated on one of the three
islands of the Cauvery River, the
Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary
is a great place for bird watching
(19km north of Mysore). The best
time to see the storks, spoonbills,
cormorants, egrets and ibises
is either early in the morning
or late afternoon on a boat ride.
Crocodiles, pelicans, hornbills
and other birds and animals can
also be found here. Keep your
ears open for the chirping of the
many birds flying around. There
is also a restaurant located within
the premises

of the park. Be sure to pack your

binoculars if you plan on visiting,
and wear earth-coloured clothes
that will help you blend in with
your surroundings (00-91-8212481159; 8.30am 6pm; entry
` 25, boat ride `100).
FIND OUT MORE
Lonely Planet India is great
for information on Mysore.
Full of useful tips and
suggestions, it also carries
a map. For more, log
on to inmysore.com.
For more details, log on to
lonelyplanet.com

WORDS: RAGHAV BIKHCHANDANI PHOTOGRAPHS: HIMANSHU PANDYA, AKSHATA VIVEKA JOSHI, CORBIS, GETTY

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