Mysore

Once the cultural capital of South India - Mysore, is today a city of sacred temples, palaces and art. The city remains to be a charm for all the lovers of art. Mysore has always remained as one of the favorite tourist spots with the its rich cultural heritage, elegant temples and scenic places. As the years pass by, Mysore is slowly becoming a part of the IT revolution in the country. The city's IT-destination tag is yet another feather in its cap.

Mysore was the political capital of the Wodeyar dynasty which ruled the state of Karnataka for some 150 years till the independence of the country from the British. These kings were great patrons of art and culture and Mysore was the cultural capital of the south under the rule of the Wodeyars. The Wodeyars made the Dasara festival an event.

To showcase the rich culture and heritage of the town. Even to this date this celebration of the Dasara which is a 10 day celebration during the month of Oct/ Nov is a spectacular event to watch. Also the key attraction of Mysore is the festival Dussehra which is a 10 day festival which ends with a Grand procession called Jamboo Savari (elephant ride in the local language !). People flock from all over tthe world to view this spectacular event. Nowadays, there is a special train called Shatabdi Express (Centenary express) which connects Chennai (Madras), bangalore and Mysore.

Unlike the lighting of other structures, the Mysore palace has its lighting in a different way. The palace is outlined with huge arrays of lighting instead of light being projected on the structure!. This special lighting is what attracts thousands of visitors from all over. Mysore has every thing geographically ! A river Cauvery flows by Mysore, across which the Krishna Raja Sagar Dam (KRS for short) is built.Sir M Vishweshwariah was one of the most renowed engineers during his tenure. He is the architect of The world famous Brindavan Gardens. The famous Brindavan Gardens is also situated next ot the same Krishna Raja Sagar dam. The dam is named after the then Maharaja who was instrumental in its construction Krishna Rajendra Wodeyar.

A hill called Chamundi hills atop which a temple is located for the godess Chamundi.On the way to the hill top, a statue of 'Nandi' the bull is situated. This is the biggest stone statue of its kind and is carved out of a single monolithic rock ! To the right is the statue of Mahishasura the demon, whom godess Chamundi killed according to the legend.This statue is located at the top of the Chamundi hills and the name for 'Mysore' comes from his name.

Durbar Hall of Palace shows the beautiful interiors of the palace. There are many more wonders and works of art inside the palace all depecting the grandeur of the bygone era. There are many more palaces in and around Mysore. Prominent among them are the Rajendra Vilas Palace atop Chamundi hills and the Lalitha Mahal Palace which is now a five star hotel.