Mysore Travel Guide

Mysore Travel Guide

The city of Mysore is the second largest in the state of Karnataka and is considered to be the cultural capital of the state. The kingdom of Mysore was ruled for a long time by the Wodeyars and the art and architecture of the place reflect their tastes attracting tourists from all over India and abroad. To relish all the beauties of Mysore, Mysore travel guide will help a lot.

Mysore is famous not only for its palaces but also for Dasara festival, Mysore silk saris, sandalwood and the sweet named Mysore pak. Though tourism is the major activity here, there is also a tremendous growth in the industry of information technology. The city is well connected with other parts of India by buses and trains and it boasts the first private radio station in the country.

Mysore became a sovereign state under the leadership of King Narasaraja Wodeyar in 1637. Later it was ruled by the de facto rulers Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan. After their death, Wodeyars served as the puppet kings in the hands of British. The municipality of Mysore was established in 1888. During the rule of Wodeyars, many palaces were built in different parts of the city.

Mysore has two rivers namely Kaveri River and Kabini River and many lakes such as Kukkarahalli Lake, Karanji Lake and Lingambudhi Lake. The average rainfall of the city is 804 mm with a maximum temperature of 38.5 degree Celsius and minimum temperature of 7.7 degree Celsius. The Mysore city corporation has been awarded Nagara Ratna award in 2011 for being the second best city municipal corporation.

Mysore is the second most populous city of Karnataka with a population of 887,446 n 2011. Weaving, sandalwood carving, bronze work and lime and salt production are some of the traditional industries of the city. The Mysore Sandalwood Oil Factory was established in 1917. Many major industrial companies such as Larsen & Toubro, Infosys, Wipro and J. K. Tyres are located here.

Mysore also serves as a seat of education in Karnataka. The University of Mysore was established in 1916, the sixth of its kind in India and the first in Karnataka. The National Institute of Engineering the second oldest engineering college in Karnataka was established in 1946 and the Mysore Medical College was established in 1924.

The Dasara festival is celebrated here for ten days and on the tenth day the Dasara procession is held on the streets of the city. This city of palaces has many palaces namely Amba Vilas Palace, Jaganmohan Palace, Lalitha Mahal, Jayalakshmi Vilas and Rajendra Vilas. The paintings of the Mysore School of Arts are seen on the walls of these palaces.

The trend of traditional and modern way of life preserving the cultural heritage of the land have made Mysore a must see place in Karnataka. The city is easily accessible by train and buses and so there is no wonder in the tourists haunting this place. A good Mysore travel guide guides them to have enough fun during their stay.

Mysore Important Websites

Mysore Emergency Numbers

Last Updated: 30/06/2012