Mysore - A Historical Place

The Palace of Mysore (Kannada: ಮೈಸೂರು ಅರಮನೆ) is a palace situated in the city of Mysore in southern India. It is the official residence of the Wodeyars - the erstwhile royal family of Mysore, and also houses two Dunbar halls(ceremonial meeting hall of the royal court).

Mysore is commonly described as the City of Palaces, however, the term "Mysore Palace" specifically refers to one within the old fort. The Wodeyar kings first built a palace in Mysore in the 14th century, it was demolished and constructed multiple times. The current palace construction was commissioned in 1897, and it was completed in 1912 and expanded later around 1940.

Mysore palace is now one of the most famous tourist attractions in India after Taj Mahal with more than 2.7 million visitors. Although tourists are allowed to visit the palace, they are not allowed to take photographs inside the palace. Price of admission for foreign tourists is 200 INR., and for Indians - 20 INR. All visitors must remove their footwear to enter the palace.

Chamundi hills :The Chamundeshwari Temple is located on the top of Chamundi Hills about 13 km from the palace city of Mysore in the state of Karnataka in India. The temple was named after Chamundeshwari , the fierce form of Shakti, a tutelary deity held in reverence for centuries by Mysore Maharajas.

Museums

Chamarajendra Art Gallery

The Jagmohan Palace, built in 1902 to mark the coronation ceremony of Krishnaraja III, now houses the Chamarajendra Art Gallery. It houses an interesting collection of disparate objects including antique furniture, musical instruments, ceramics and ivory. On the top floor, there is a splendid collection of musical instruments as well as magnificent paintings by the renowned 19th century artist Raja Ravi Verma of Kerala.

Manasa Gangotri

The western part of the city houses Manasa Gangotri the campus of Mysore University. There are two most visited sites the Oriental Research Institute (ORI) and the Folklore Museum. The ORI houses a collection of Sanskrit manuscripts, while the Folklore museum has one most important ethnographic collection of South Indian toys, puppets, and household objects as well as two wooden chariots. Don’t miss these sites while you are at Mysore.

Srirangapatna

Srirangapattana or Srirangapatna is a small town of historic, religious and cultural importance located 13 kms away from Mysore city. Known to the British as Seringapatam, this island fortress in the Kaveri River enjoys some historic significance as the site of the battle between the British and Tipu Sultan, the “Tiger of Mysore”. The British finally killed Tipu Sultan and captured the city in 1799. The town had a polygonal bastion, constructed by the French engineers, appointed by Tipu. Today none of the structures within the fort survive except the bathing ghats and the ramparts. The temples, mosques and palaces are worth seeing here.

Gumbaz

To the south of Daria Daulat Bagh is the Gumbaz, the tombs of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan. The walls of the chambers are decorated with the tiger-strips motif favoured by Tipu. The Viceroy, Lord Dalhousie in 1855 had gifted ebony and ivory doors to this extraordinary monument.