Sights in Mysore
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Maharaja's Palace
The fantastic profile of the walled Indo-Saracenic Maharaja's Palace, the seat of the maharajas of Mysore, graces the city's skyline. An earlier palace burnt down in 1897 and the present one, designed by English architect Henry Irwin, was completed in 1912 at a cost of Rs 4.5 million.
The palace's interior - a kaleidoscope of stained glass, mirrors and gaudy colours - is undoubtedly over the top, but it includes awe-inspiring carved wooden doors and mosaic floors, as well as a series of historically interesting paintings depicting life in Mysore during the Edwardian Raj. Hindu temples within the palace grounds include the Sri Shweta Varahaswamy Temple; its gopuram (gatewa…
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Rail Museum
A must-see. Located behind the train station, this museum bears testimony to the stylish way in which the royals rode the railways in the past. The chief exhibit is the Mysore maharani’s saloon, a wood-panelled beauty dating from 1899. There are also five steam engines, each with its own story, and a sprinkling of instruments and memorabilia from the Indian Railways’ chequered past.
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Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery
Built in 1861 as the royal auditorium, the Jaganmohan Palace, just west of the Maharaja’s Palace, houses the Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery, where large crowds gather to check out a collection of kitsch objects and regal memorabilia. The collection includes some fantastic and rare musical instruments, Japanese art, and paintings by the noted artist Raja Ravi Varma.
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Sri Chamundeswari Temple
At a lofty height of 1062m, on the summit of Chamundi Hill, stands the Sri Chamundeswari Temple, dominated by a towering 40m-high gopuram (entrance gateway). It’s a fine half-day excursion, offering spectacular views of the city below; you can take bus 201 (Rs10, 30 minutes) that rumbles up the narrow road to the summit. A return autorickshaw trip will cost about Rs250.
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Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya
A branch of the Bhopal-based Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, this museum functions primarily as a cultural centre and exhibition space showcasing arts from rural India. Housing excellent rotating exhibitions and a souvenir shop, the centre organises two-week workshops in traditional art forms, which are open to the public.
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Mysore Palace
Among the grandest of India’s royal buildings, the fantastic Mysore Palace was the former seat of the Wodeyar maharajas. The old palace was gutted by fire in 1897; the one you see now was completed in 1912 by English architect Henry Irwin, at a cost of Rs4.5 million.
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Karanji Lake Nature Park
Karanji Lake Nature Park is a place to spy on sundry bird species, including great and little cormorants, purple and grey herons, egrets, black ibises, rose-ringed parakeets, green bee-eaters and painted storks, as well as several kinds of butterfly.
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Jayalakshmi Vilas Complex Museum
This museum, housed in a grand mansion, specialises in folklore. A wooden puppet of the 10-headed demon Ravana, leather shadow puppets, rural costumes and a 300-year-old temple cart are part of its curious collection.
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Mysore Zoo
Mysore’s zoo, set in pretty gardens on the eastern edge of the city, dates from 1892. A range of primates, tigers, elephants, bears, birds and rhinos live here.
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St Philomena’s Cathedral
The beauty of towering St Philomena’s Cathedral, built between 1933 and 1941 in neo-Gothic style, is emphasised by beautiful stained-glass windows.
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Government House
Dating from 1805, Government House, formerly the British Residency, is a Tuscan Doric building set in 20 hectares of gardens.
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Statue of Maharaja Chamarajendar Wodeyar
Built in 1920, this statue stands in front of the north gate of the Maharaja's Palace and faces the 1927 Silver Jubilee Clock Tower.
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