Nov 03, 2006 09:50 AM
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My brother and I signed upfor a package tour from Bangalore to Mysore-Ooty-Conoor. The problem with the package tours is that they halt at most of the shops/stores which is good for travel agents as they probably get a percentage of the sale.
The first halt was at Srirangapatna, which is home to the SriRanganatha Swamy temple which dates back to 9th century A.D. The pillars of the temple indicate the age of the temple and so does the statue of the Lord which is pretty big. This place also used to be the capital of Tippu Sultan. The guide also pointed us to the tomb of Tippu while driving through the town. From there we went to Mysore which is about 30 minutes drive.
One thing that I find odd about Mysore is the name of the place being derived from the asura(demon) Mahishasura. The first stop at Mysore was the Mysore Palace which was built in 1912 and is a mixture of Hindu, Muslim and other styles. The palace is lit during the Dassera time and looks visually stunning during the night time. This used to be the residence of the Wodeyar dynasty of the Mysore state. There was a brief stop at the St. Philomena's Church which is a pretty tall structure with gothic styling.
From there we headed to the Chamundeshwari temple, which is atop the Chamundi Hills at a height of about 3000 ft. It is here that one can get a view of the statue Mahishasura. One can get a good view of the Mysore city from the top of the hill as well as a good look of the Lalith Mahal palace. There's a huge image of Nandi on the hill.
The last stop in Mysore was the Brindavan Gardens which is located at the KR Sagar Dam. The main feature is the dancing fountains at the gardens. Most of the old movies used to be shot here back in the 60's and the 70's, I guess now, it's just a tourist spot.
Compared to Bangalore, Mysore has a lot more sight seeing places with good climate. But the condition of the roads is not the same as in Bangalore though the highway connecting Bangalore to Mysore has been improved very much. Defintely a must visit.
