Mysore the royal city of Karnataka is located at a distance of 145 kilometers from the capital city of Bengaluru. It is well conned with plenty of train (Majestic Railway station) and bus services (Majestic Bus stand) that cost about $2 or less. The youth hostel (near MARUTI TEMPLE in Saraswatipuram) in the city offers highly cost-effective accommodation. Or the tourists may opt for the budget hotels near the railway station. Nearby restaurants offer the best of South Indian foods at less than $2 per meal and $1 per breakfast.
Key Tourist Attractions
The key tourist attractions of Mysore are the palace, art gallery, zoo, market, railway museum, Dufferin Clock Tower, St. Philomena’s Church, and Karanji Lake near to Jockey Quarters. Nearly all of them are at a distance of less than 1Km to 3Km from the central city bus stand. The royal palace being the closest is located right next to the bus stand.
· Palace: The palace was constructed in the year 1912 after fire destroyed the wooden old fort. The architecture is based the famous Indo-Saracenic style. The public durbar, armory, marriage hall, doll pavilion, and the music hall are some of the best attractions of the palace. Life-size oil paintings from Raja Ravi Verma, sandalwood & ivory doors, wall & ceiling designs, and the classical interior architecture are the key features of the palace.
· Art Gallery: The art gallery is located very close to the palace and it is accessible by walk. Constructed in 1861, the former retreat palace (turned into art gallery) is base on Hindu style of architecture. It is home to collections of paintings, artifacts, weapons, jewelry, musical clocks, coins & currencies, and craft.
· K.R.S Dam: The K.R.S dam is located at a distance of 21.2 kilometers from the central city bus stand. The state transport city buses offer economical transport services to the dam. The reservoir dam built (1924) across river Cauvery can hold 93.4 TMC FT of water. The dam also contains a 75 acres BRINDAVAN garden and a dancing fountain.
· Chamundi Hill: The Chamundi hill is located at a distance of 12.9 kilometers from the central city bus stand. It is accessible by the state-owned city bus services. The Hindu temple is dedicated to the divine Goddess named CHAMUNDESWARI (the Slayer of CHANDA and MUNDA demons). The giant statue of MAHISHASURA (also slain by the goddess) is another tourist attraction of the hill, apart from the BULL statue.
Nearby Tourist Attractions
The nearby tourist attractions (accessible by the state-owned bus services) are the Dzongkar Choede Monastery (near Bylakuppe-Buses to Kushal nagar from suburb bus stand), Srirangapattana (city bus), Coorg, Cauvery origin, bird sanctuary, and the shivanasamudra falls.
Mysore is one of the safest places for the tourists. It is also the cleanest city in South India with no pollution. The tourists can enjoy their stay in the economy class hotels that offer hygienic food, water, and accommodations. Small and medium-sized restaurants are the best places to taste the authentic Mysore Cuisine.
