Mysuru (Mysore)

A royal city of South India: nearly 100,000 bulbs light up Mysuru Palace on Sunday nights, plus the Dasara procession, Chamundi Hill and the birthplace of Ashtanga yoga.

Mysuru (Mysore) lies on the Deccan Plateau in southern Karnataka, India, at an altitude of about 770 m and about 145 km from Bengaluru. It was the capital of the Wadiyar dynasty from 1399 to 1947 and still has a wealth of palaces, tree-lined boulevards and royal buildings; it is famous for sandalwood, silk, the Mysore pak sweet and Ashtanga yoga. The climate is mild: October to February is the coolest and most comfortable; Mar–May is hot; Jun–Sep is the monsoon season. The 10-day Dasara festival each Sep–Oct lights up the palace every night and ends with a procession of elephants carrying a golden howdah – the peak of the year, so book accommodation early. The city's core is Mysuru Palace and its surroundings – Devaraja Market, Jaganmohan Palace and St. Philomena's Church – with Chamundi Hill, the zoo and Karanji Lake to the southeast. About 20 km north, the island town of Srirangapatna (temples, Tipu Sultan's summer palace and mausoleum), Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary and Brindavan Gardens combine into a day trip; to the east, Somanathapura, Talakad and Shivanasamudra Falls make another day trip; to the south, Nanjangud, Bandipur National Park and Gopalaswamy Betta (about 80 km away) can be visited as a day trip or with a night in the reserve. Getting there: from Bengaluru it takes about 2–3 hours by expressway or train (Shatabdi/Vande Bharat); Mysuru Airport has few flights. Get around town by Uber/Ola or a hired car. Allow 2–3 days, and include a Sunday if you want to see the palace illuminations. Note: remove your shoes and cover shoulders and knees in temples; photography is not allowed inside the palace; be wary of people in the market who offer to show you around and push sandalwood oil and spices.

Top sights

• Mysore Palace (Amba Vilas) – One of India's most popular palaces, an Indo-Saracenic royal residence. On Sunday evenings, nearly 100,000 lights come on at once.
• Chamundi Hill & Chamundeshwari Temple – A sacred hill 1,060 metres high on the edge of the city. The temple on the summit is dedicated to the goddess who protects the royal family…
• Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangapatna – A thousand-year-old Vishnu temple on the river-island town of Srirangapatna. The island also preserves fortress ruins from the time of Tipu…
• Chennakeshava Temple, Somanathapura – A star-plan Hoysala temple from 1268, part of the UNESCO-listed Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas, with exceptionally fine stone carvings.
• Nandi Statue, Chamundi Hill – A giant bull statue carved from a single stone, halfway up the steps of Chamundi Hill. Carved in the 17th century, it stands nearly 5 meter…
• Devaraja Market – A century-old market where pyramids of coloured spice powders, jasmine garlands and bananas capture the spirit of everyday Mysuru.
• Daria Daulat Bagh – A teak summer palace completed in 1784, its outer verandas covered in murals of Tipu Sultan's battlefield victories.
• Gumbaz, Srirangapatna – The white onion-domed mausoleum where Tipu Sultan and his parents rest, its ebony doors inlaid with fine ivory work.
• Brindavan Gardens & KRS Dam – Terraced gardens below KRS Dam, where the evening musical fountain light show is Mysuru's classic night out.
• St. Philomena's Cathedral – A neo-Gothic cathedral with twin spires nearly 55 metres tall, modelled on Cologne Cathedral and counted among Asia's tallest churches.
• Jaganmohan Palace (Sri Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery) – An 1861 royal palace now serving as an art gallery, with paintings by Raja Ravi Varma and the famous Lamp-Bearing Woman.
• Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens (Mysore Zoo) – A century-old zoo founded by the royal family in 1892, set among shady trees, with gorillas, giraffes and white tigers.
• Karanji Lake – A city lake at the foot of Chamundi Hill, with what is said to be India's largest walk-in aviary, a butterfly park and boat rides.
• Kukkarahalli Lake – A century-old irrigation lake beside Mysore University, where the lakeside path is a favourite for morning joggers and birdwatchers.
• Mysuru Rail Museum – India's second railway museum, displaying steam locomotives and a royal saloon built for the Maharani of Mysuru.
• Lalitha Mahal Palace – A white palace built in 1921 with a dome modelled on St Paul's Cathedral in London, now a palace hotel where afternoon tea can be booked.
• Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary – A bird sanctuary on a cluster of islands in the Kaveri River, where boat trips bring you close to pelicans nesting and crocodiles basking.
• Talakadu – The ancient Western Ganga capital buried by sand dunes on a bend of the Kaveri River, with several temples of a thousand years old peeking…
• Shivanasamudra Falls – A large waterfall where the Kaveri River splits into two, Gaganachukki and Barachukki, roaring at full force during the monsoon.
• Melukote – A Vaishnavite holy town on a rocky hill, where the Yoga Narasimha Temple at the summit and the ancient stepped tank make striking photos.
• Bandipur National Park – A tiger reserve 80 km south of Mysuru, where official safari vehicles take you in search of tigers, Asian elephants and leopards.
• Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta – A hilltop temple about 1,450 metres up inside Bandipur reserve, often wrapped in mist, with views over the forest.
• Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion – A princess's mansion completed in 1905 on the University of Mysore campus, now the Karnataka Folk Museum.
• KSIC Mysore Silk Factory – A state-run silk factory founded by the royal family in 1912, where you can watch the famous Mysore silk saris being woven on jacquard loom…
• Srikanteshwara Temple, Nanjangud – A grand Shiva temple on the banks of the Kapila River, with a gateway tower about 37 metres high, known as the 'Kashi of the South'.
• Mysore Sand Sculpture Museum – An indoor sand sculpture museum at the foot of Chamundi Hill, with about 150 sculptures recreating the Dasara procession and Indian myths.
• GRS Fantasy Park – A water and amusement theme park on the northern outskirts of Mysuru, popular with local families at weekends and good for kids.
• Gommateshwara Statue, Shravanabelagola – A sacred Jain site where a 17-metre standing statue of the naked ascetic Bahubali is carved from a single block of granite, one of the larg…

Where to eat

• Original Vinayaka Mylari – Established in 1938, this small eatery is famous for its fluffy, soft Mysore dosas slathered with fresh butter, serving…
• Hotel Hanumanthu – A legendary Mandi Mohalla eatery operating since 1930, famous for its mutton pulao cooked in large cauldrons over firew…
• Gayatri Tiffin Room (GTR) – A long-standing vegetarian eatery south of Mysore Palace, featuring self-service and famous for its butter masala dosa…
• Hotel RRR (Gandhi Square) – An iconic Andhra-style restaurant near Mysore Palace, serving spicy meals on banana leaves for lunch, renowned for its…
• Guru Sweet Mart – A historic sweet shop next to Devaraja Market, run by descendants of the inventor of Mysore Pak, perfect for buying edi…
• The Old House – A vegetarian Italian restaurant housed in a converted heritage home, featuring garden seating, wood-fired sourdough piz…

Itineraries

• Bengaluru, Mysuru, Ooty & Coorg – Loop from Bengaluru to see the royal city, ride the mountain toy train, and stay in the coffee hills.
• Karnataka Dynasty Heritage Trail – Travel south to north to see Mysuru, Hoysala temples, Hampi, Badami, and Vijayapura.