Mysore (it's all sore!)

I’m petitioning the local government to change the name to My___sore, so we tourists can just fill it in. Myfeetsore (from walking barefoot through the palace), Myheadsore (from all the blaring horns), Mybacksore (from a fits&jerks drive from Bangalore)… The possibilities are really endless and I hope you’ll sign the petition.

So, I’ve promised it, and I’ll start to deliver. I don’t yet have jeweled elephants – but I do have temples, palaces, and monkeys.

The morning started early with a 7am departure with my driver (Syed). It was fascinating to see Bangalore outside my 3km ride from hotel to office. It’s the best and worst of everything you hear – from cows hanging out on sidewalks (I named the first one “Mary”… I tried naming the rest, but soon gave up as they overtook me)… to the pureness of the market model where people rise and go get ingredients for the day’s meals from local farmers a few streets away… to the sea of trash that makes one wonder HOW people could just throw things into the street (THEIR street!)… Bangalore is most definitely an interesting juxtaposition of new world technology – with the booming IT industry here – mixed with third-world tendencies promulgated by a lack of public works infrastructure to manage the masses and inadequate sustenance programs to manage the poverty. (Can’t help it – sometimes my Public Policy background rears its ugly head.)

So on toward Mysore! Our first stop was at a couple of historic Sultan palaces and temples, just off Bangalore-Mysore Road. The first (former) palace had been in ruins for years and was now protected by the government. The grounds were gorgeous and the inside of this former glory made better than expected photos. This is also the place I spotted my first monkeys – aren’t these cute, hanging out at the corner over the entrance?

The next temple, though, was probably one of my favorites. And I almost didn’t let the driver stop there because it was about 2km from the other and I just had no interest in repeating what I’d just seen. This one was quite beautiful and the grounds smelled of jasmine. That’s because the main temple housed the ceremonial remains of the family responsible for that Sultan family and the gravesites remained covered in jasmine by members of the Sultan’s community (all the land around these temples were still owned the Sultan’s family and lived and worked by members of that religious community). When we left this temple to return to the main road, we had a bit of a roadblock – a flock of sheep…

Our next stop was a recommendation by one of the staff at work… Ranganathittu is a bird sanctuary managed by the Mysore Wildlife & Game Department. The setting was just gorgeous and well worth the trip.










We also went to Brindavan Gardens. To be honest, I wouldn’t recommend it. My driver was absolutely insistent that we go, but it reminded me of a defunct amusement park – complete with empty vendor stalls, empty parking lot, and general disrepair. On top of that, you had to climb a huge honkin’ hill. When you arrived at the top o’ the mountain, there was a splendid view of the valley filled with gardens. There was also what looked like a great old (think antiquity, not crumbling) hotel. Might have been nice if I had been one of the Conde Nast crowd on the hotel veranda with a few days to stroll the gardens… but for a stop-off on an already crowded day-trip, it just didn’t have the value considering what it took to get there.









The city of Mysore was teeming with excitement. The festival period of Dasara was underway. The king had taken his throne yesterday to officially kick off the festival period (a 775kg solid gold behemoth, thought to be the largest in India). The markets were full of fresh flowers – primarily marigolds and jasmine. The palace was ready for “the big show” – which unfortunately happens tomorrow night… (Oh, well. I have my luggage – nothing can possibly be wrong from here. :-) )

The Palace was just beautiful. Below are a few pictures of the outside of the palace and of the identical temples flanking the four corners of the property. Unfortunately, visitors weren’t allowed inside the palace with a camera. Not kidding – I had to give it up… check it in at a storage kiosk – so I don’t have any pix of the absolutely stunning interior of the palace. The outside, though, is nothing to be ashamed of.


By the way, the King is the king of Karnataka [pronounce: car-naught-ih-kuh] – the state in India where both Bangalore and Mysore exist. Apparently, Mysore was the original capital city of the state but that changed to Bangalore sometime in the 1950s. So Mr. King has the big palace back home in Mysore but he also maintains a little hovel here in Bangalore (creatively known as Bangalore Palace). Apparently Mr. King has no children – therefore, dreadfully, no clear heir to pass on the kingdom to. As fate would have it Mr. King also frequents The Grand Ashok (my hotel), as he likes the Indian restaurant here. Apparently he was here just last week. This could be my lottery ticket, folks! A childless king…. 13,000 miles away…. I’ve eaten here four nights in a row now – no King yet, but I’m still hopeful.


So – I’ve mentioned it’s the Dasara festival period. In my international travels, I’ve come to believe that the best real flavor of an area can be found in their local markets. Now I agree the outside of these markets are often layered with counterfeit purses and other knockoff items. But peel back the layers, climb inside, and you’ll soon see a hub of the community. Devaraja Market did not fail to impress. The locals were in full regale – out shopping for Dasara. The market was in bad shape physically (not unexpected) but still hummed with activity. There were beautiful marigolds being mounded and arranged in nearly every stall. The scent of jasmine floated through the air. And of course, there were other ethnic delights from fresh banana leaves to watercolor pigments for painting. It was definitely the shortest stop of the day (15 minutes, max) – but it very likely may have been my favorite.