Best time to visit : September to March
Irreplaceable royal grandeur, captivating architecture and intriguing culture make Mysore one of the top tourist destinations of India. Located at the footsteps of Chamundi Hills in the South India state of Karnataka, the city has immense historic, religious and cultural significance and boasts of timeless heritage that can fascinate any age group. Apart from numerous must visit places at Mysore, the rich arts, festivals and traditions, mouth-watering cuisines and outstanding shopping experience make it the city a class apart. Mysore, popular mainly for cultural and heritage tours and also for many exciting excursions, experiences moderately hot summers and pleasant winters, while the monsoons may accompany heavy rainfall.
Facts
Mysore is righteously called the Cultural Capital of Karnataka because of its unmatchable ethnicity. The city is famous worldwide for its paintings, silk garments, rosewood inlay work, grand festive celebrations and superlative architecture. It is also called the City of Palaces owing to some fabulous royal structures representing the bygone era of Mysore Kingdom. Sych is the magnificence of the city that its cuisines (Mysore Pak), silk garments (Mysore silk saree) and arts (Mysore Style of Painting) share its name. The grandiose processions carried out in the city during Dussehra Festival are world-famous. Mysore also enjoys standing among India’s cleanest and most well-planned cities.
A huge variety of South India preparations entice the visitors at top class restaurants in Mysore. Dosa, idli, sambar, upma, rasam (also called Mysore rasam), uppittu, bajji, uthapam and flavoursome chutneys are rich in aroma and taste. Bisibele bath, raagi mudde, chitranna, vangibath, gojju, towe and many such cuisines can keep your taste buds busy and satisfied. Top the list with scrumptious desserts like Mysore Pak (a must try), chiroti, obbattu and shavige payasa. Hotel Ramya, Bombay Tiffany’s, Gayathri Tiffin Room, Madhva Bhavan and Hotel Mylari are some good places to enjoy different dishes.
One should compulsorily obtain tourist information about shopping in Mysore to make this awesome experience even more valuable. Look for extremely mesmerizing Mysore silk sarees and other garments prepared from top grade silk. Devaraj Urs Road accommodate the best shops for these items. Visit Mysore City Market to shop for some fabulous varieties of incense sticks, perfumes and jasmine flowers. One thing you would like to take home is the superior quality sandalwood oil known for its fragrance. Equally worthwhile are the artefacts prepared from sandalwood and rosewood that act as wonderful decors. Teakwood handicrafts and ganjifa paintings are other good items. Sayaji Road and Ashoka Road have shops selling many of these items.
Nearby Places:
- Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary (about 18 km.): Home to beautiful avifauna consisting of egrets, darters, painted storks, herons and spoonbills. Bird lovers can also plan visit to the nearby Kokkare Bellur village (about 70 km.) known for the populations of pelicans and storks.
- Srirangapatna (about 22 km.): Very popular Mysore getaway, known for Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace and many historic monuments.
- Talakad (about 49 km.): An interesting place with nearly 30 mysteriously sand-covered temples.
- Bandipur National Park (about 78 km.): Popular as a tiger and elephant reserve and is also a protected area for sandalwood trees.
- Bylakupee (about 83 km.): Among the top tourist places near Mysore is this Tibetan settlement (largest outside Tibet) with many popular Buddhist monasteries
- Nagarhole National Park (about 90 km.): Famous for its valleys, waterfalls, streams and dense forests, the park is famous for safaris to explore species like elephant, gaur, four-horned antelope, sloth bear, bonnet macaque and more.
- Kodagu (about 118 km.): Also called Coorg, this beautiful hill station has attractions like Abbey Falls, coffee and spice plantations, temples, historic monuments and wildlife attractions.
Ooty in Tamil Nadu (about 125 km. and a popular hill resort) and Wayanad in Kerala (about 120 km. and well-known for landscapes and wildlife) are two spectacular tourist destinations near Mysore. Excursions can also be planned to Nanjangud, Mahadeshwara Hills, Sravanabelagola, Siddapur, Biligiri Ranagana Hills and Hassan.