Mysore, India's 'City of Palaces'

[Ram Theurkar]

Jim Ankan Deka



The cultural capital of India's northern Karnataka state, this ancient city of just over a million people is packed with both colonial an royal history, famous for its magnificent palaces, beautiful gardens and exceptional architecture. 

History of Mysore 

It's believed that the city's origins stretch back to the reign of Emperor Ashoka in the 2nd century BC. name Mysore is a corrupted version of “mysooru”, which is taken from the word “Mahishasurana Ooru”, which means the town of Mahishasura in Kannada, the local language. Mysore became the headquarters of the Wodeyar dynasty in 1584 AD, and since then there has been no turning back.

Mysore Culture

Kannada is widely spoken language in Mysore, and its population includes Hindus, Muslims, and Christians. Dasara is the famous festival of Mysore, it is the last day Navaratri called as Vijayadashami. It is believed that Vijayadashami denotes the victory of truth over evil and was the day when the Hindu goddess Chamundeshwari killed the demon Mahishasura.

Places to Visit

Karanji Lake: A huge lake is located at foot of famous Chamundi Hills called as Karanji Lake. This lake was constructed by the King of Mysore, karanji lake cover the area of 90 acres. This lake area features butterfly park, boating point, children’s corner and India’s largest walk-through aviary.

Mysore Palace: One of India's most popular tourist the former residence of the local royal family was built during the British Raj in the year 1912. It's reknowned for its unique Indo-Saracenic architecture, designed by the English architect- Henry Irwin, with a fantastic blend of Hindu, Gothic, Muslim and Rajput styles.

Brindavan Gardens: One of the cit's most famous tourist sites, its sprawls over a 150 acres, with gardens built across river Cauvery and below Krishnaraja Sagar Dam. Brindavan Gardens is spread over sixty acres. Brindavan Gardens has well-manicured lawns, shrubs, trees, flower beds and fountains.

Mysore Zoo:  Established in 1892, it's iconsidered one of India's best. Officially called the Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens, it covers an area of 157 acres and is located near the palace in Mysore. This zoo is home to a wide range of species that includes gorillas, chimpanzees, African rhinos, tapirs, baboon, emus, langurs, ring-tailed lemurs, binturongs, leopards, and more.

Some other famous places like Chamundi Hills, St Philomena’s Church, Lalitha Mahal, Somnathpur Temple, Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, Jaganmohan Palace, and many more can be visited by hiring bangalore to mysore cab services.

Mysore situated at a distance of 150 km from Banglore, this short jouney with bangalore to mysore cab services makes an amazing roadtrip. Mysore also offers beautiful handicrafts made from sandalwood and rosewood, bangalore to mysore cab booking helps to cover all these beautiful aspects of the famous historical city. Also don’t miss the popular sweet Mysore pak dripping with ghee.