#56: A Visit To Mysore - The Cultural Capital Of Karnataka

Mysore (officially known as Mysuru) lies at the foothills of Chamundi Hills in the state of Karnataka, India. It was ruled by the Wadiyar Dynasty who were the patrons of culture and art, in the 1760-1770s. They helped in the cultural growth of this beautiful city due to which it's also known to be the Cultural Capital Of Karnataka. It's famous for the Mysore Palace and the beautiful silk sarees. If you are intrigued by culture, tradition and art , you're going to fall in love with this amazing city. It has a lot to offer to all it's curious visitors. I've already been here twice and wouldn't mind visiting it again!

To all the readers who have already been here, I hope this blog will take you down the memory lane. And for those who haven't, I hope that you'll add it to your bucket-list. Here's a list of places and things to do that you might consider while visiting Mysore :

* Karanji Lake : The Karanji Lake lies next to the Mysore Zoo and is a home to at least a dozen peacocks and the most colorful hens! Not just that, on one of it's side lies the butterfly park as well. And on the other, there's a small but clean lake where you can go boating. If you love nature, you'll definitely love the park. Lush greenery everywhere with colorful flowers around. Oh, you can go cycling as well. This is the closest I've ever come to a peacock. They are not locked up as you see in a zoo. In fact, they'll be walking right beside you!

If you are interesting in knowing more about the place or to see more pictures, here's my blog about Karanji Lake :
https://steemit.com/travel/@hungry-nomad/a-visit-to-karanji-lake-mysore

* Chamundi Hills : Climb up the Chamundi Hill to visit the temple and to catch the sunset. The entire city can be seen from the top and when the sun goes down and the lights are lit, the view of the city is simply amazing. You might find a long queue to visit the temple as it's always crowded. But don't let that get in the way of having a good time here. Do try the local food items and delicacies being sold right outside the temple.

* The Sand Museum : India has only 1 sand museum presently and guess where it is? That's right, Mysore. I had seen it in pictures before, and for some reason it didn't feel real. I was pretty skeptic about the images, assuming them to be photoshopped maybe. So I decided to check it out myself. Looking at the image below, I'm sure you'll realize how wrong I was :D

If this grabbed your attention and you wish to see more of these mind-blowing sand work, check out my blog :
https://steemit.com/india/@hungry-nomad/a-visit-to-the-only-sand-sculpture-museum-in-india

* Mysore Palace : This palace was built by Henry Irwin, a British architect on the orders of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV and his mother. It's architecture is so unique and admirable, that once you see it, you wouldn't mind standing in a never-ending queue to get the inside glimpses of the palace. In front of the palace lies beautiful gardens and a huge empty space where the subjects used to gather to meet their King.

* Rail Museum : This is the only place on my list which I couldn't cover. Due to lack of time and this museum being situated on the other corner of the city, I missed it. The museum has put some really old engines on display. The locomotives and the gallery shows the gradual growth of railways in India. This place doesn't attract a lot of visitors as there's not much to see.

[Credits : Google]

* Mysore Zoo : The Mysore Zoo is a home to over 160+ wide range of species! Spread across an area of 157 acre, it's one of the oldest and most popular zoo in India. Apart from animals like tigers, lions, giraffe etc., the zoo is famous for the white rhinoceros and green anacondas! To be honest, snakes give me the creeps so I didn't even enter the snake house. Keep your strength intact before entering. You're going to need it.

* Try The Tanga Ride : Right outside the Mysore Palace you'll find these Tangas. They'll take you on a 10min ride on it, around the palace and drop you back to the same spot. There are the fancy ones as well. If you're looking for a photoshoot , try the chariots :)

* Garden Park : As the name suggests it's just a garden but is well maintained and clean. If you have time to spare and are looking for a place to just sit and relax, try visiting this garden. Beautiful flowers, green grass and small water works summarize this place. It is usually crowded in the evening and is more popular among the local residents.

Special Mention :

* Infosys Training Institute : This is not a tourist spot! Since my brother was undergoing training here, I had gone to visit him. Trust me, it's no less than any other popular places around. Located on the outskirts of the city, it's spread over a vast area and you wouldn't be able to cover the entire campus in a day. I just wanted to add this in the blog to show the architecture of the main building. It was so beautiful that I couldn't resist sharing it :)

So, that's pretty much it. I think I was able to mention all the popular spots. It's a beautiful city and if you get a chance, I do hope my blog was convincing enough for you to add this place on your must-visit list. If you've been here and know any place that I missed out, let me know in the comments below. And if you liked the blog, do follow for many more travel stories to come :)

Cheers!

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!steemitworldmap 12.2958 lat 76.6394 long Mysore d3scr