Mysore Palace
Built in Indo-Saracenic style, with domes, turrets, arches, and colonnades, the
palace is a treasure house of exquisite carvings and works of art from all over
the world. Known as Amba Vilas Palace, it was designed by Henry Irwin, the British
consultant architect of Madras state, and completed in 1912 on the site of the old
wooden palace that was destroyed by fire in 1897. The majestic Durbar Hall with
its ornate ceiling and sculpted pillars, and the Marriage Pavilion with its chandeliers,
cast-iron pillars, and Belgian stained glass arranged in peacock designs in the
domed ceilings are the main attractions. Make sure you see the magnificent jewel-studded
golden throne, the pride of the Wodeyars and the symbol of their sovereignty, displayed
here during the Dussehra festival in October.
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Sri Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery
The Jaganmohan Palace converted into an Art Gallery in1875 exhibits paintings, which
date back to that period. Paintings of masters like Raja Ravi Verma of Travancore
and the Russian painter Svetoslav Roerich are on display.
Location: About ten minutes walk from the Mysore city bus stand in the heart of
the city
Timgings: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
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St. Philomena's Church
A beautiful Cathedral St. Philomena's Church, built in imposing Gothic style with
stained glass windows and lofty towers is a truly majesticsight. Never missto see
the illuminated church in the evening. The church was consecrated on 28th October
1956.
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St. Bartholomew’s Church
Compared to St Philomena’s Church, St Bartholomew’s is small and unobtrusive. It
is located just a couple of minutes away from the city bus stand. It dates back
to 1832 and is dedicated to Satin Bartholomew, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ,
believed to have visited India. The officers of the British administration used
St. Bartholomew’s as their main place of worship. Decorated with teakwood, the interior
of the church is noted for its marble altar and large stained glass window, representing
St Bartholomew. The church also has a royal connection. Members of the British royal
family attended the St Bartholomew’s Church on two occasions—Prince Albert Victor
attended a service in 1889 and in 1906 the future King George V did likewise.
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Zoological Garden
Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens was established in 1892. Maharaja Chamaraja
Wodeyar, one of the architects of modern Mysore, established the Zoological Garden.
He was a lover of nature and was responsible for creating many parks and gardens.
The Zoo Garden was created in a portion of the Summer Palace or Pleasure Palace
in the eastern part of Mysore City. Initially, the Zoo covered an area of 10 acres
of the Summer Palace. The Maharaja engaged the services of Mr. G.H. Krumbeigal,
German landscaper and horticulturist, who had created the beautiful and the famous
Brindavan Gardens in Krishnarajasagar and the Cubbon Park in Bangalore. It is considered
as one of the best in India and ranks high in zoological circles as a major archive
in conservation of wild life. It is situated at the foot of Chamundi Hill. It has
beautiful landscape and good vegetation cover resembling that of natural environment.
It has to its credit the breeding of rare animals and largest mammals in captivity.
Hence, it is grouped under `A' class category zoos in India.
The Mysore Zoo is famous for rare animals bred in captivity, which are housed in
lush, green surroundings.
This zoo has about 35 species of ornamental plants and 85 species of trees from
India and abroad beautifying the landscape of the zoo, thus providing the most natural
environment to the captive animals. It is home to some 2,000 animals belonging to
different species, fascinating among them being the royal Bengal tigers, giraffe,
Indian and African elephants, white tiger, lions, rhinos, Nilgiri langur, Himalayan
brown bears, hippopotamus, peacock, parakeet and others. The Zoo Authority of Karnataka
manages the Zoo.
Timings: Daily 8.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. (Tuesday-Holiday)
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Kishkindha Moolika Bonsai Garden
Located on Nanjanagud Road is the Avadhoota Datta Peetham Ashram with high walls
and constant buzz of devotees throughout the day. However, in one corner of the
Ashram and usually deserted is the bonsai garden. Over three decades in development,
the garden is touted to be the biggest bonsai garden in the country. On display
are over 250 bonsai specimen collected from all over the world as well as grown
and nurtured at the site. They are placed in an oriental garden setting with pebbled
paths and tiny water bodies. The garden has some rare varieties of casuarinas and
some marine bonsai. It is said to have been designed with various aspects in mind
including zodiac signs, stars, notes in Indian music and Indian sages.
Timings: Daily 8.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. (Tuesday-Holiday)
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Rail Museum
The Railway Museum at Mysore, India is an outdoor exhibit of vintage locomotives.
It was setup in 1979 by Indian Railways and is the second such museum after the
National Railway Museum in Delhi. The museum is situated opposite the Central Food
Technology and Research Institute on Krishnaraja Sagar road. In addition to the
locomotives it has a gallery of photographs and paintings depicting the growth of
railways in India. Railway signals and lights are also displayed. The museum also
has a battery-operated mini-train for children which makes a small ride in the grounds
of the Museum.
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Regional Museum of Natural History
The Regional Museum of Natural History at Mysore, was inaugurated on 20th May 1995.
It was undertaken by the Government of India, Ministry of Environment and Forests.
The museum is located on the banks of Karanji Lake, with the Chamundi Hills visible
in the background. It is now a landmark in the city. The museum exhibits Plants,
Animals and Geology of the Southern Region of India. The galleries emphasize the
conservation of nature and natural resources while depicting ecological interrelationship
among plants and animals. Visually challenged students can feel the exhibits of
animals on the premises. The museum provides an extracurricular activity for schools
and promotes environmental awareness.
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Folklore Museum
This small museum located in the Mysore university campus in the Manasagangothri
campus in the The Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion. north-east of the city centre. The
museum was founded in 1968. Among the exhibits is a superb collection of carved
wooden figures from Karnatakan villages, decorative masks and ceremonial head wear
and a display of leather shadow puppets used to perform stories from the Ramayana
and Mahabharata - similar to the wayang Kulit of Java in Indonesia. There are also
wooden puppets, including one of a 10 - headed demon Ravana. As a folklore museum
it not only showcases items but also elements of music, dance and drama.
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Postal Museum
Located inside the Postal Training Center in Nazarbad, the Postal Museum is one
of the most unusual and rare museums in the country. It depicts the country’s over
one and half century’s history. On display is an array of paraphernalia that relate
to the postal tradition such as bells and poles used by Post Runners (post carriers
who ran from place to place and used bells to attract attention) and leather water
bags used to keep water cool. There’s a philately section with stamps from various
eras. Besides there are badges, spears, shiny red post boxes, Morse code equipment,
weights and measures, uniform worn by postmen, collection pouches and sling bags
are also on display.
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Oriental Research Institute
The Oriental Research Institute (ORI) at Mysore, is a research institute which collects,
exhibits, edits and publishes rare manuscripts in both sanskrit and kannada. Formerly
it was known as the Oriental Library. The Oriental Library was started in 1891 on
instructions from Chamaraja Wodeyar, the then Maharaja of Mysore State. It is located
at one end of the road Krishnaraja Boulevard, in the architecturally attractive
Jubilee Hall built in 1887 to commemorate the golden jubilee of queen Victoria`s
accession to the British throne. It was a part of the Department of Education until
1916, in which year it became part of the newly established University of Mysore.
The Oriental Library was renamed as the Oriental Research institute in 1943.
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Rangayana
For theatre buffs there cannot be a better and bigger place than Rangayana, a cultural
and performing art space. Located on sprawling grounds, this is more of a cultural
complex. A lovely auditorium, a library, an exhibition space, a bookstore and a
cafe form a part of the complex. Rangayana has three aspects—a professional
repertory, a training school and a research division. Apart from plays and other
performances, it holds training programmes and workshops in acting as well as other
related aspects, such as direction, music and stage setting among others. Rangayana’s
theatre festivals are very popular, especially the 6-day long Bahuroopi which showcases
not just traditional plays but various kinds of performances including narratives
and folk forms. In addition, other prominent fests are the Dasara theatre fest and
fests for children, colleges and professional repertory companies. There are also
workshops, seminars, talks and lectures, food fests and handicraft expos which are
held on the sidelines of these fests..
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Devaraja Market
Located in the central and old part of Mysore, Devaraja Market supposedly goes back
a few centuries. From the time of Tipu Sultan, a market in some form is believed
to have existed here. Long and rectangular in structure, this market is a covered
one. It is noisy, vibrant, colourful and seems to buzz with organised chaos. Though
there are many entrances, the main ones are located at either end. As you enter,
you will be assaulted by the combined fragrances of vegetables, fruits and flowers,
each of which occupies a specific section. It is fascinating to see spirals of lush
green betel leaves and strings of colourful flowers, which are interspersed with
shops selling incense sticks, household articles, mounds of turmeric and vermilion,
and souvenirs. The outer perimeter is taken up by regular establishments, among
which are a couple of sweet shops specialising in the famous Mysore Pak.
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Karanji Nature Park
Known for its thousands of different varieties of Butterflies. This is also know
as butterfly park.Karanji Lake situated on the way to Chamundi Hills behind Mysore
Zoo, houses the first & biggest aviary and also the first butterfly park. Karanji
Lake is often visited for boating facilities available for one and all. This lake
is open for public on all days except Tuesday between 10 am to 6 pm. It is advisable
that visitors should insist on wearing lifesaving jackets while opting for boating
facilities.
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Kukkarahalli Lake
Kukkarahalli Lake , Amidst Manasa Gangothri campus, situated is a beautiful lake,
which is frequently visited by bird watchers, health conscious people and nature
lovers. This lake is also visited by varieties of migratory birds during winter
and to watch those birds is feast to ones eyes. The lake is very near to the railway
station and bus stand.
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Lingambudi Lake
Towards the southwestern part of Mysore lies Lingambudi tank or lake, considered
to be among city’s oldest and renowned lakes. Its biggest claim to fame is the incredible
number of birds, some 250 species, which call it home. The lake is surrounded by
an unusual variety and diversity of flora which is probably the reason why it is
popular with winged creatures, some of which are known to be on the endangered list.
It also gets a fair share of seasonal migratory birds, such as painted storks, spot-billed
pelicans and whistling teals. Similar to other lakes in the city, Lingambudi also
has a path that runs around the water body, which is predictably a hit with walkers
and joggers. The place also finds favour with naturalists and herbalists owing to
the herbal park that is located on the lake’s banks.
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Brindavan Gardens.
19 kms North-West of Mysore is the famous reservoir Krishnarajasagar Dam and the
fabled Brindavan Gardens with its dancing fountains. Here are varieties of decorated
fountains, illuminated at night by colourful lights.
This is India's first irrigation dam, built in 1924. Sir. M. Vishweswariah, the
engineer who designed and built this dam, has shown his acumen in converting a dam
site into a beautiful garden with colourful fountains and ponds downstream. The
dam is named after the then Maharaja of Mysore, Krishnaraja Wodeyar, who financed
this novel project. Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) represents a marvel of civil engineering
achievement in pre-independence India and was among the first in the world to use
automatic sluice gates. There is a boating pond to cross the dam from the south
bank to the north bank and at the northern edge are the dancing fountains. The dam
is over 3 kms long and is constructed at the junction of three rivers - Kaveri,
Hemavati and Lakshmanathirtha
The Musical fountain is of special interest, which present spectacular harmony of
water, colours and music. The Gardens are illuminated on Wednesday (7.00 p.m. to
7.55 p.m.) and on Saturday and Sundays (7.00 p.m. to 8.55 p.m.)
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Balmuri
On the way to K.R.S. from Mysore City, 3 Kms away from the main road, there are
two beautiful small waterfalls, which are the hot spots for students and nature
lovers. People visiting Balmuri get an opportunity to visit an ancient Ganesh temple
in the vicinity.
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Chamundi Hills
Chamundi Hills can be viewed from all the corners of Mysore City. Atop the hill
abode of Goddess Chamundeswari, an incarnation of Goddess Durga. Goddess Chamundeswari
is the presiding deity of Mysore and the family Goddess of the Maharajas. Goddess
Chamundeswari is the fierce form of Shakti who vanquished the demon Mahishasura.
According to this story Mysore was ruled by the demon-king Mahishasura, so called
because he was a buffalo-headed monster. Hearing to the prayers of Gods and Goddess
to save them from the monster, Goddess Parvathi, (consort of Lord Siva), took birth
as Chamundi or Chamundeswari and killed the monster. Hence, came the name of this
place - Mahishuru, the city of demon Mahisha. After killing the demon, the Goddess
resided atop the Chamundi Hills where she is worshipped with reverence and devotion.
Mysore Dasara is the celebration of this victory of good over evil. However, the
original name of the hills is 'Mahabaladri Hills' and it derived the name Chamundi
Hills at a later period, after 17th century. Dodda Devaraja Wodeyar, is said to
have built the steps for the convenience of the pilgrims. It's a pleasant trip to
the top past a huge Nandi, Shiva's bull, takes about thirty minutes. A statue of
the demon Mahishasura from whom the city got its name, attracts as soon as you are
atop the hills. The magnificent Nandi, carved from a single piece of black-granite
in 1659, is an object of worship himself, adorned with bells and garlands and tended
by his own priest
From Mysore city 13 kms from by Road. OR 1000 odd steps from the foot of Chamundi
Hills.
Timings: For Darshana and Pooja 7.30 am to 2.00pm and 3.30pm to
6.00pm and 7.30pm to 9.00pm
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