Mysore also called as ‘Mysuru‘ is the cultural city of Karnataka and having many beautiful places to visit near Mysore with in 50 kms which spreads the fragrance of Mysuru Dasara, Mysuru pak, Mysore Silk, Mysuru Peta all over the world.

History of Mysore (Mysuru)

Earlier to November 1, 1973 the Karnataka state known as Mysore State and was renamed as Karnataka by Shri Devaraj Urs, the then Chief Minister of Karnataka. Now Mysore city is the administrative headquarter of the District and also regional headquarter of Mysore Division. The city is famous for the Dasara Festival also known as the Navaratri which usually falls on September or October month every year. Main Attraction of the Dasara festival in Mysore is Jambu Savari, on Vijayadashami, the procession will be held in Mysore City, on that day Idle of Goddess Chamundi will be placed inside Golden Mantapa, on top of decorated Elephant. Before Independence Mysore Wodeyar (Odeyar) dynasty kings use to sit inside the decorated Golden Mantapa on top of the decorated Elephant and use to lead the procession. But after the Independence, Goddess Chamundi idle replaced the King’s place.

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The City is also famous for Mysuru Zoo, Mysore Palace (Amba Vilasa Palace). During Dasara or Navaratri Mysore palace is decorated with nearly 97,000 bulbs, this trend is continued during public holidays and Sunday’s too.

According to legend the name Mysore is derived from “Mahishasura”, Sanskrit meaning of Mahisha  is Buffalo, In ancient days Mahishasura ruled this very city , could take any form at his will, including buffalo, was very cruel and used to torture Devas who lives in heaven and rishi’s who lives in hermitages, especially in the forest, to seek relief from him, rishi’s and deva’s went to Kailas , home of Lord Shiva and pleaded him , but he expressed his inability, then god’s and rishi’s pleaded Parvathi, wife of Lord Shiva, she slayed him in the avatar of Mahishasura Mardini form of Chamundi, later days , when Odeyar Dynasty started ruling this area, they accepted Mahishasura Mardini as their family god . There is another theory exist behind naming “Mysore” is the mentioning the “Mysooru” in the Copper Plate which date’s goes to 862 AD, and in later centuries especially 11 and 12^th centuries this area was known as “MAISURUNADU”, and later it took its Anglicised form as “Mysore”.

Mysore District not only hold rich heritage, it also hold the rare and prestigious distinction of yielding of the largest number of inscriptions available in the state. The earliest mention of the Mysore in recorded history goes back to Asoka, at the end of Third Buddhist council, a team of Buddhist Monks were dispatched to Mahisha Mandala, for propagating Buddhism. At later stages Shatavahana Dynasty, Ganga Dynasty, Rashtrakuta Dynasty, Chalukya, Hoysala, Vijayanagara Dynasties ruled over the place, subsequently, the rise of Mysore goes hand in hand with Mysore Odeyar Dynasty, the rise and rise of this dynasty made city popular among all over the world. The Contribution of Odeyar Dynasty is significant for the development of the city, because they ruled the state with Mysore as capital until Mark Cubbon changed capital from Mysore to Bangalore for administrative convenience.

List of Places to Visit near Mysore within 50 kms

1. Mysore Palace
2. Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS Dam)
3. Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens
4. Manasa Gangotri Clock Tower
5. Mysore zoo
6. St.Philomina Church
7. Regional Museum of Natural History
8. Chamundi hill
9. Rail Museum
10. Brundavan Garden
11. Srirangapattana
12. Ranganatittu Birds Sanctuary
13. Biligiri Ranga Hills
14. Chunchanakatte Falls

Places that should not forget to visit in Mysore:

The Mysore Palace (Palace of Mysore)

Being the second largest city of Karnataka state, Mysore City is an abode of The Palace of Mysore (Amba Vilasa Palace): The Palace of Mysore is the official residence of Mysore Royal Family the Wodeyar Dynasty which ruled the state from 1399 AD to 1947. Palace Consists of the Golden Throne, Number of temples, two durbar halls and surrounded by a large green courtyard.

Mysore City consists of total seven palace’s including Amba Vilasa palace. Which is constructed by Rajarshi Krishnarajendra Wodeyar IV. Part of the palace occupied by the royal family as residence and restis placed under government supervision. Amba Vilasa Palace is one of the most attractive tourist destinations in India.

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The then Regent of Mysore, Her Majesty Vani Vilasa Sannidhana and her son The then maharaja of Mysore state His Highness Shri Krishnarajendra Wodeyar (Odeyar) commissioned Henry Erwin to construct the new palace in the place of old palace, which was burnt and turned to ashes. The construction of the palace started in 1897 and finished in 1912. The construction cost of the palace 41, 47,913 rupees. Magnificent masterpiece is constructed with fireproof technology. The resultant is a magnificent masterpiece Amba Vilasa palace, which attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every day across the world.

The architecture of Mysore Palace

Raghuvulu Naidu with Henry Irwin studied and visited Delhi, Madras and other royal palaces of the day and finally fell on love with Indo-Saracenic Architecture. The Domes especially are in this architecture. Mysore Palace is three story architecture, and domes especially is 145 feet height above the ground level are five store buildings.

The palace consists of Golden Thrown which is of 750 kg and will be available for public view only during Dasara Celebration. During other time, will be dismantled and kept safe in Vaults. This masterpiece is a child of Singannacharya, Throne is made up of fig wood and studded with precious stones, gold, and silver. Golden Throne is the main attraction of the Dasara Celebration, During Dasara time Royal family hold private Durbar. Other Parts of the palace are Gombe Totti and Kalyana Mantapa.

Jagan Mohana Palace

Construction of this palace was completed in 1861 by Krishna raja Wodeyar III, and was used as royal palace by the then Royal family, now this palace converted into an Art Gallery. Now this palace holds the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, Roerich and other notable painters. This is one of the seven palaces in Mysore City.

Mysore Zoo

Mysore Zoo showcases love on animals of Mysore Wodeyar Dynasty. This was established as the private Zoo of Royal family, later handover to Government of Karnataka. The official name of this zoo is Shri Chamarajendra Zoological Garden. Under the Royal patronage, it was established in the year 1892.

St.Philomina Church Mysore

According to philomina.org the church constructed in the year 1956 and is one of the largest churches in India. St.Philomina Church It has been constructed in the Gothic Style and is inspired by Cologne Cathedral Germany. Maharaja of Mysore laid down the foundation for the church in 1933.

Regional Museum of Natural History

Regional Museum provides the rare insight of the regional history of nature and the natural world. It is situated on the banks of Karanji Lake and feet of Chamundi hill.

Rail Museum

Rail Museum situated near the railway station and is second of kind established in India after first one established in New Delhi.

Nearest Tourist Places to Visit in Mysuru:

Brundavan Garden Mysore

Brundavan garden is a garden located in Mandya District. It is just 24 km away from the Cultural city Mysore. Brundavan Garden is constructed in the downside of the Krishna Raja Sagara Dam by the then Dewan of Mysore Sir Mirza Ismail. Brundavan Garden is basically terraced garden, construction of this Garden is started in 1927 by the Department of Horticulture and is known as the Krishnarajendra terrace Garden. Today the garden occupies as much as space as 60 acres. The musical fountain is the main attraction in the garden.

Chamundi Hills Mysore

The Chamundi hill is 14 KM away from the palace city Mysore and an average elevation of this hillock is 1000 meters. Chamundi Hill is named after Chamundi, believed to be an incarnation of Parvathi, wife of Lord Shiva. Chamundi attracts a large number of devotees across all over the world. Lord Chamundi also get reverence and respect from Mysore Royal Family and is also the guardian of Mysore Maharajas. Halfway to a temple near steps, Statue of Nandi of 16 feet monolith structure which was gifted by Dodda Deva raja Wodeyar in 1659, he also constructed 1000 steps to reach hillock of Chamundi.

Srirangapattana Mysore

Srirangapattana is the abode of Lord Shri Ranganathaswamy and is just 13 km away from Mysuru City. Srirangapattana is an island and entirely enclosed by River Kaveri. Srirangapattana is one of the important pilgrim centres for Vaishnavates. Srirangapattana served as the capital of the Mysore Kingdom under Hider Ali and Tippu Sultan. Other attractions of the Srirangapattana is Daria Daulat Garden and Jumma Masjid.

Ranganatittu Birds Sanctuary

You might bethinking “How can I plan Mysore for 2 days? or How can I explore Mysore in one day?” Refer the below FAQ and you”ll get some ideas and suggestions.

Frequently Asked Questions about Mysore

How can I visit Mysore places in one day?

You can cover Mysore all places within one day before that you need to plan of visiting and time spending on each places then you can manage to cover the places within one day.

Which is the best place for one day trip in Mysore?

Covering full of Mysore places in one day is bit difficult, you can cover it based on your time spend on each places. The best places have been listed here:

1. Mysore Palace
2. Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens
3. Manasa Gangotri Clock Tower
4. Mysore zoo
5. St.Philomina Church
6. Regional Museum of Natural History
7. Chamundi hill
8. Rail Museum
9. Brundavan Garden
10. Srirangapattana
11. Ranganatittu Birds Sanctuary
12. Biligiri Ranga Hills
13. Chunchanakatte Falls
14. Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS Dam)

What are the important places in Mysore?

Mysore has many beautiful places covered by. You can cover those places within 2-3 days if you manage the time as per your time schedule. The most important places are mentioned here. They are Mysore Palace, Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS Dam), Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens, Manasa Gangotri Clock Tower, Mysore zoo, St.Philomina Church, Regional Museum of Natural History, Chamundi hill, Rail Museum, Brundavan Garden, Srirangapattana, Ranganatittu Birds Sanctuary, Biligiri Ranga Hills, Chunchanakatte Falls, GRS Fantasy Park and many more.

How many days are enough to cover Mysore places?

As per my experience minimum 3 to 4 days required to cover all the places of Mysore. You’ll be sight-seeing and learning about an architecture and natural heritage beauty. Also, can be covered the place within 1 or 2 days, but you’ll be tired and you can learn general information of the places. I believe, just visiting the places without learning their history is no use.

Which is famous in Mysore??

I suggest you to visit all the places which you can cover in your visit time period. Main thing everyone must visit to Mysore Palace.

Thank you!

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