Language Settings
Select Website Language

GDPR Compliance

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service.

Mysuru Royal City of Palaces, Sandalwood and Dussehra Lights

4 hours ago

5

0

Plan a trip to Mysuru, Karnataka: the illuminated Amba Vilas Palace, Chamundi Hill, silk and sandalwood markets, and the grand Dussehra season.

Some Indian cities shout; Mysuru hums. The former seat of the Wadiyar dynasty in southern Karnataka carries its royal past lightly, in avenues lined with rain trees, in the scent of sandalwood drifting from workshops, and in a skyline crowned by the domes of Amba Vilas Palace. Clean, walkable and far calmer than Bengaluru three hours to the north, Mysuru rewards travellers who slow down - and it reaches full theatrical pitch during Dussehra, when the whole city turns into a stage of lights and processions.

Why go to Mysuru

Mysuru is heritage you can actually move through. This was a princely state that poured its wealth into palaces, gardens, art schools and civic institutions, and much of that survives in daily use rather than behind glass. It is also a city of makers: mysore silk woven with real gold zari, sandalwood carving, and Mysore agarbathi (incense) that scents homes across India. Add a mild plateau climate, a compact centre and a famously relaxed pace, and you have one of South India's most livable short-stay destinations - equally good as a standalone trip or a base for Coorg, Nagarhole and the Nilgiris.

Top things to see and do

Start at Amba Vilas Palace, usually just called Mysore Palace, an Indo-Saracenic confection of domes, arches and stained glass rebuilt in the early 20th century. Time your visit for a Sunday evening or a public holiday, when tens of thousands of bulbs outline the entire structure and it glows like a jewellery box. Inside, look up at the Kalyana Mantapa's peacock-motif glass ceiling and the ornate Durbar Hall.

Climb - or drive - up Chamundi Hill, which rises about 1,000 metres over the city and is topped by the Sri Chamundeshwari Temple, dedicated to the goddess who gives Mysuru its name. Roughly a thousand stone steps lead up past the giant monolithic Nandi bull, a favourite half-way pause. The summit gives sweeping views over the city grid below.

Back in town, dive into Devaraja Market, a warren of stalls piled with marigolds, bananas, kumkum powder in rainbow pyramids and fragrant heaps of jasmine. Photographers love the light here in the early morning. Then set aside time for St Philomena's Church, one of India's tallest, with soaring neo-Gothic spires, and the Jaganmohan Palace art gallery for its collection of Raja Ravi Varma paintings. Families should add the leafy Karanji Lake with its aviary and the fountains of Brindavan Gardens below the Krishnaraja Sagar dam, a short drive out of town.

Don't leave without eating. Mysuru is the birthplace of the buttery Mysore masala dosa and the melt-in-the-mouth sweet Mysore pak - try the latter at a traditional sweet shop near the market. Filter coffee here is a ritual, not a beverage.

Best time to visit

The sweet spot is roughly October to February, when days are pleasant and evenings cool. The headline event is Dussehra (Nadahabba), the state festival celebrated over ten days around September-October. It culminates in the Jumboo Savari, a grand procession in which a caparisoned elephant carries the golden idol of goddess Chamundeshwari through the streets, followed by a torchlight parade. If you want the illuminated palace at its most spectacular, this is the season - but book accommodation well ahead, as the city fills up. Monsoon months bring greenery and fewer crowds but occasional heavy showers; peak summer can be hot and glaring.

Getting there

Mysuru is exceptionally easy to reach. Frequent trains connect it with Bengaluru, including comfortable fast services, and the road via the Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway has cut driving time considerably. The nearest major airport is in Bengaluru, from where you can take a train, bus or taxi; Mysuru's own small airport has limited domestic connections. Within the city, autorickshaws and app cabs are plentiful, and the historic core is genuinely walkable.

Where to stay

For atmosphere, several former royal properties and heritage hotels sit in leafy grounds near the palace and racecourse - grand staircases, high ceilings and colonial-era charm. Mid-range travellers will find plenty of comfortable hotels around the palace and the Devaraja Market area, keeping the main sights within walking or a short auto ride. Budget lodges cluster near the railway and bus stations. Wherever you stay, aim to be reasonably central so you can catch the palace lights on foot in the evening.

Local tips

Buy silk and sandalwood from government-run emporiums or established shops if you want assured quality; genuine Mysore silk carries a silk-mark tag, and real sandalwood is expensive for a reason. Carry socks for temple visits, since floors get hot underfoot. Finally, tackle Chamundi Hill early: start the temple climb at dawn to beat both the heat and the queues, then reward yourself with a filter coffee on the way back down.

Mysuru travel guide, Mysore Palace, Chamundi Hill, Mysuru Dussehra, Karnataka tourism, Devaraja Market, Mysore silk, things to do in Mysuru

Click here to Read More
Previous Article
Toor Takes Shot Put Silver, Misses Asian Games Gold Hat-Trick
Next Article
Gangtok & North Sikkim Monasteries, Lakes and the Permit Trail

Related Travel Updates:

Are you sure? You want to delete this comment..! Remove Cancel

Comments (0)

    Leave a comment