Mysore is approximately 185 km and a 3.5-hour drive from Bengaluru airport. The drive is smooth once you escape Bengaluru traffic.
The route has multiple outlets of Cafe Coffee Day and a local chain, Adyar Ananda Bhavan AKA A2B, for short breaks. Adyar Ananda Bhavan serves North and South Indian veg. food. In the morning, they serve only South Indian breakfast. Prefer this for good food, ample parking space, children’s play area and relatively cleaner loo options.
A cup of filter coffee and a humble dosa were just enough to keep us going.
Hotel Ruchi the Prince, was our accommodation for the next 2 days. Post check-in formality, lunch, and a couple of hours of rest, we were all set to explore Mysore.
Our first day’s itinerary included,
- Mysore Palace
- Mysore Sand and Sculpture Museum
- Sri Chamundeshwari Temple
Mysore Palace:
We started with the Mysore Palace to catch a glimpse of the lifestyle of maharajas. You can explore on your own or take an audio-visual guide to get more details of various points of interest inside the palace. Palace illumination on every Sunday and on all public holidays from 7 PM to 7:30 PM provides a good photo opportunity.
Approx Time: 1 to 1.5 hrs.
Related Links:
Mysore Sand and Sculpture Museum:
Next stop was Mysore Sand and Sculpture Museum en route to Chamundi Hills. This artistic museum houses more than 100 sculptures based on various themes like religious epics, fairy tales, history, wildlife, culture, etc.
Approx Time: 15-20 mins.
Related Links:
Sand and Sculpture Museum on TripAdvisor
Sri Chamundeshwari Temple:
Located on the top of Chamundi hills, Sri Chamundeshwari Temple is a place of worship of goddess Durga. There is also a statue of Mahisasur, from which Mysore has got its name.
Besides the temple, there is a place from where you can have a panoramic view of the city, but the untrimmed plants obstruct the views. There is another spot around a KM down the temple which has much better, unobstructed views of the city.
Approx Time: 2 Hrs, including an hour of to and fro travel. Time taken at the temple relies on rush, which is higher on Sundays, holidays, and the festive season.
Related Links:
Sri Chamundeshwari Temple Official Site
Sri Chamundeshwari Temple on Wikipedia
Sri Chamundeshwari Temple on TripAdvisor
The evening was well spent with a candlelight dinner at the sprawling lawns of the hotel. Garden with a nicely done landscape, flowing stream in between, ghazals on a big projected screen, combined with good North Indian fare, was more than enough to retire for the day.
More than food, it is the ambiance that makes this place worth considering if you happen to be in Mysore.
Next: Day 2 – Mysore Zoo and Vrindavan Garden
Previous: Pre-Trip Musings
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