Mysuru
Mysuru kept what other cities lost: its palace lit by a hundred thousand bulbs, its silk and sandalwood trades, and the memory of Haidar Ali and Tipu Sultan, who nearly stopped the Company here.
1399
The Wodeyars
A chieftain's line takes Mysore.
1761
Haidar Ali
The commander seizes the state.
1799
Srirangapatna
Tipu falls defending his island capital.
1881
Rendition
The Wodeyars return as model princes.
3 days in Mysuru
Day 1 — The palace
- Morning
- Benne dosa at the Original Vinayaka Mylari in Nazarbad, then Amba Vilas Palace at its 10am opening: the Kalyana Mantapa's stained-glass ceiling, the Durbar Hall's painted pillars and the Dasara procession paintings.Original Vinayaka Mylari · Mysore Palace
- Lunch
- Andhra-style banana-leaf meals at Hotel RRR on Gandhi Square.Hotel RRR
- Afternoon
- The Jaganmohan Palace art gallery, the 1861 palace with Raja Ravi Varma's oils and the famous 'Glow of Hope' painting.Jaganmohan Palace Art Gallery
- Dinner
- Firewood-cooked mutton pulav at Hotel Hanumanthu in Mandi Mohalla, open since 1930.Hotel Hanumanthu
- Evening
- The palace illumination — about 97,000 bulbs — on Sunday and holiday evenings, or the palace sound and light show on other nights.
Good to knowThe illumination usually runs for under an hour from 7pm on Sundays and public holidays; it lasts every night during Dasara. Shoes are left at the palace entrance and photography inside is restricted.
Day 2 — The old city and its trades
- Morning
- Devaraja Market's jasmine garlands, kumkum pyramids and banana stalls, then a walk down Sayyaji Rao Road past the clock towers and the 1884 Rangacharlu Town Hall.Devaraja Market · Sayyaji Rao Road heritage walk
- Lunch
- Mysore pak warm from Guru Sweet Mart, run by descendants of the palace cook said to have invented it, then dosa at Gayathri Tiffin Room in Chamundipuram.Guru Sweet Mart · Gayathri Tiffin Room
- Afternoon
- The Karnataka Silk Industries factory, where Mysore silk is spun, dyed and woven with real gold zari, then the Cauvery Arts & Crafts Emporium for sandalwood and rosewood inlay.Karnataka Silk Industries factory
- Dinner
- A thali or chaat at one of the old restaurants along Sayyaji Rao Road.
- Evening
- St Philomena's Cathedral, its twin Neo-Gothic spires lit at dusk.St. Philomena's Cathedral
Good to knowThe silk factory is closed Sundays and is free to visit. Buy silk with the government silk mark and sandalwood only from government emporiums, as fakes are common.
Day 3 — Srirangapatna
- Morning
- Srirangapatna, Tipu Sultan's island capital 20 km north: the fort walls and the 1799 breach, the Ranganathaswamy temple and the dungeon where British officers were held.Srirangapatna
- Lunch
- A South Indian meal on the island, near the fort walls.
- Afternoon
- Daria Daulat Bagh, Tipu's teak summer palace painted with the battle of Pollilur, then his tomb at the Gumbaz. End at the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary for a boat ride among nesting storks and crocodiles.
- Dinner
- Back in Mysuru for dinner near the palace.
- Evening
- The musical fountain at Brindavan Gardens below the 1932 Krishnarajasagar dam, on the way back.Brindavan Gardens
Good to knowDaria Daulat Bagh is closed on Fridays. Ranganathittu is best from June to November, the nesting season.