Mysuru (Mysore)

What is Mysuru famous for?

The city of Mysore is mainly famous for housing magnificent palaces, majestic temples and beautiful gardens. The place is home to a number of festivities like the Dasara Festival, which is known to all. Apart from traditional silk sarees and turbans, this 2nd cleanest city of the country of India attracts tourists for its rich culture and tradition as well as sandalwood products. The quaint charm of the place has always enthralled its visitors.

Location of Mysuru

The cleanest city of the south western state of Karnataka is geographically located at 12° 18' N and 76° 39' E. Situated at Chamundi Hill's base, Mysore covers the southern part of the state.

Has Mysuru got any other name?

Mysore is commonly known as the "City of Palaces". Besides that, the name of the city is the anglicized version of the word "Mahishuru", which refers to the "abode of Mahisha". The city is even regarded as the "Sandalwood City" for its specialty in sandalwood products.

Area of Mysuru

The city covers a total area of 128.42 sq. km.

Standard Trunk Dialing code Mysuru

The Standard Trunk Dialing (STD) code of Mysore is 0821.

Languages of Mysuru People

Though Kannada forms the main language of the city, still other languages used in Mysore are Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and English.

Climate of Mysuru

The location of the city on the undulating tableland of the Deccan Plateau at 770 m above the level of the sea makes Mysorians experience a moderate type of climate throughout the year. The place has got the following distinctive seasons:

By Roadways: Proximity to the National Highway 212, which connects Mysore to the neighboring states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala as well as other roads like State Highway 17, 33 and 88 link the city to Bangalore, H. D. Kote and Madikeri. Buses, the most popular and economical transportation, are run by K. S. R. T. C. (Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation). Besides tongas, a special kind of transport in the city, Mysorians even use auto-rickshaws for local transport.

By Rail: Mysore City Railway Station, the main railway station of the city links the place to the other parts of the country. Apart from Shatabdi Express, the fastest train serving the city, Mysore can be reached by numerous other trains run by the Indian Railways.

By Airways: The Mysore Airport or the Mandakalli Airport, the new and sole airport in Mysore mainly serves the city. Kingfisher Airlines is one of the major airlines operating from this airport. However, the place can even be reached via the Bangalore Airport, which is very close to Mysore.

Places of interest in Mysuru

The city of Mysore mainly attracts people during the festive season of Dasara, which is a 10 days' festival. However, the city being home to a number of tourist attractions is visited by tourists throughout the year. The place houses some of the majestic palaces, beautiful temples, well-decorated gardens, serene lakes and many other tourist places. To explore this cultural capital of Karnataka, one needs to visit the following places:

1. Palaces in Mysuru: Having been home to a number of Royal families, Mysore is dotted with numerous palaces and mansions, which still reflect the bygone era. Some of them have even been turned to art galleries so as to showcase the then royal lifestyle. To name a few of those palaces are:
   
   • Mysore Palace or Ambavilas Palace
   • Cheluvamba Mansion
   • Lalitha Mahal Palace
   • Jaganmohan Palace
   • Jayalakshmi Vilas
   • Karanji Mansion
2. Temples in Mysuru: Besides being the "city of palaces", Mysore can even be regarded as a place of temples for housing some of the renowned age old temples of south India. Located mostly around the palaces or within the forts, these temples give an idea about the Dravidian architecture. Some of the most visited temples of the city are:
   
   • Chamundi Temple
   • Gayathri Temple
   • Kodi Bhairava Temple
   • Lakshmiramana Swamy Temple
   • Mahabaleshwara Temple
   • Nanjanagud Temple
   • Someswara Temple
   • Trinesvaraswamy Temple
3. Lakes in Mysuru: The serene and beautiful lakes located within Mysore add on to the beauty and calmness of the place. Surrounded by lush greenery, these lakes are the perfect picnic spots. To keep yourself away from the city life, you can visit any of the following lakes:
   
   • Kukkaranahalli Lake
   • Karanji Lake
   • Lingabudi Lake
4. Museums in Mysuru: The museums and art galleries of the city exhibits the rich history and culture of the city. To know about the history of Mysore and to get an idea of the socio-cultural life of Mysorians, one needs to visit some of the following museums and art galleries:
   
   • Sri Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery
   • Folk Arts Museum
   • Mysore Railway Museum
   • Private Residential Museum
   • Regional Museum of Natural History
   • Melody World (Wax Museum)
5. Parks in Mysuru: The city has got around 180 parks. Some of these parks are even used by the Mysorians for jogging. Some of the well known parks or gardens of Mysore are as follows:
   
   • Brindavan Gardens
   • Ambedkar Park
   • Andolan Circle Park
   • Happy Man Park
   • Mysore Zoological Gardens
6. Hill Stations in Mysuru: Mysore's location near the Chamundi Hills has taken the place nearer to some of the beautiful hill stations. If you want to breathe fresh air, the following are the best places to visit in and around the city:
   
   • Chamundi Hills
   • Madikeri Hill Station
   • B. R. Hills
   • Himavad Gopalaswamy Hill

Other tourist attractions in Mysuru

Apart from the ones mentioned earlier, the "City of Palaces" has got many other tourist attractions, which contributes to the beauty of Mysore. The splendor of the place can even be known by visiting the following places:

• Balmuri and Edmuri Waterfalls
• St. Philomena's Church
• Bylakuppe Buddhist Golden Temple
• Shivanasamudra Waterfalls
• Bandipur National Park
• Nagarhole National Park
• Melkote Wildlife Sanctuary
• Kokrebellur Bird Sanctuary
• Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary

People, who are interested in the history of any place, need not miss the historical places in the close proximity of the city. Some of the known historical places of visit around Mysore are mentioned below:

• Somanathapura
• Srirangapatna
• Talakad

Shopping Destinations of Mysuru

Mysore is famous for its craftwork of sandalwood as well as silk products. People who are fond of shopping, needs to visit the market places of the city to explore the varied products offered by the place. Some of the items, which a shop lover can never miss to buy from Mysore are:

• Silk sarees and turbans
• Sarees made of crepe silk
• Artifacts made of sandalwood, teakwood and rosewood
• Mysore eggplant or badane
• Incense sticks or agarbathies
• Ganjifa paintings

Famous cuisine in Mysuru

Being located in the southern part of the nation, Mysore cuisine is mainly based on rice. The world famous Idli and Dosa are the specialty of the place. The different restaurants in the city offers mouth-watering variety of Dosas along with other dishes like Uthapam, Sambar Vada, Playas, Kosambri, Huli, Chitranna, Vangibath etc. The favorite dessert items of Mysore include Chiroti, Pak, Obbattu and Shavige Payasa. Besides these, the city restaurants even serves Indian, Chinese, Italian and continental cuisine. To name a few of the restaurants in the city are:

• Hotel Mylari: Located at Ittigegud on the Nazarbad Main Road, Hotel Mylari is famous for serving Dosa and other vegetarian south Indian snacks. This restaurant even serves coffee.
  
  
• Hotel RRR: Situated at Gandhi Square in Mysore, this restaurant is known for its delicious non-vegetarian Mughlai food. Biriyani is one of the specialties. The location of Hotel RRR near Woodland Theatre adds on to the crowd of the place.
  
  
• Corner House: Corner House attracts people from all age group for its varied flavors of ice creams. This nice ice cream parlor is located at Vontikoppal.
  
  
• Tina's Cafe: Tina's Cafe is famous for serving home-cooked Indian food amidst its artistic decor. This cafe is situated at Gokulam Main Road.
  
  

The city of Mysuru has even got outlets of some of the renowned brands like:

• Cafe Coffee Day
• Barista
• Dominos
• Pizza Hut
• Pizza Corner
• Edelweiss Austrian Cafe

Last Updated on 30 September 2011