The Maharaja's Palace is one of the important sights in Mysore. Built in Indo-Saracenic style with domes, turrets, arches and colonnades,the Palace is a treasure house of exquisite carvings and works of art from all over the world. Intricately carved doors open on to luxuriously furnished rooms. The majestic Durbar Hall has an ornate ceiling and many sculpted pillars. The magnificent jewel studded golden throne of the Wodeyars is displayed here during the Dasera festival. Illuminated on Sundays and public holidays ,the palace presents a spectacle of breathtaking beauty.
Brindavan Gardens
Located at the KR Sagar Dam [Kannambadi], Brindavan Gardens is one of the best gardens in South India. Spread over 150 acres, Brindavan Gardens has since the 1960s provided the backdrop for many Indian films. Special attractions include the 'Dancing Fountains'. In Dec 2004 the entire garden was revamped with new fountains and lights.A well known 335 metres high landmark,Chamundi Hill can be reached by a 13 km road or by climbing up the 1,000 steps laid out by the Mysore Maharaja in the 17th century.
Half-way up along the stone steps is Nandi, Lord Shiva's Bull, a majestic 4.8 metre monolith.At the top is the 12th century temple of Chamundeshwari, the patron goddess of the Wodeyars.Close to the temple is the gigantic statue of the demon Mahishasura. The summit offers a panoramic view of Mysore's lakes, parks and palaces.
St. Philomena's Church
A beautiful Cathedral, reminiscent of medieval architectural style,is one of the largest churches in the country. Built in the gothic style,the Church is an imposing structure with stained glass windows and lofty towers
Mysore Zoo
The Mysore Zoo was set up under royal patronage in the nineteenth century. Its fauna includes rare and exotic species which are housed in lush, green surroundings. The Zoo is famous for breeding some very rare animals in captivity.
Nugu reservoir ocuupies the northern part of the Nugu Wildlife Sanctuary. It is built across the Nugu River, a tributary of the Cauvery.The Nugu Wildlife Sanctuary lies to the north of Bandipur National Park. Nugu Reservoir is in Beerwal of H D Kote taluk.
Taraka Reservoir has been built across river Taraka near village Penjahalli in Mysore. The catchment area is nearly 300 sq km. It is 1,273 m long and 32 m high.
Sangam, 3 km south of Srirangapatna,The place is also called as ‘Parashuram Kshetra’ because Parashuram is said to have performed sin-cleansing holy dips here. This quiet place has shrines of Parashuram, Maruti and a newly built Basaveswara temple.
Sera is a beautiful village situated close to the town of Kushalnagar and forms a part of the Tibetan refugee settlement area.The village serves as a healthy place to live and has a clean atmosphere. The people of the village speak Tibetan. It houses two monasteries with around 5,000 monks.
Balamuri:Is 20 km from the city of Mysore. River Cauvery flowing down from the Krishnarajasagar reservoir, takes a graceful deviation at Balamuri, flowing towards the ancient town of Srirangapatna.
Chunchanakatte Falls is located at at Chunchanakatte in Mysore District of Karnataka. This fall cacading about 20 m is a magnificent attraction.
Arabithittu Wildlife Sanctuary: 14 sq km, Arabithittu Wildlife Sanctuary, established in 1985.The area has scrub forests and plantations and is surrounded by agricultural fields.Leopard, fox, spotted deer, wild pig, porcupine, hare and common mongoose are the fauna spotted here.
Bandipur National Park, a tiger reserve, is situated 65 km away.The land is a combination of chains of hills, hillocks, and watercourses. The vegetation in the park includes scrubs, tropical dry deciduous forests, and moist mixed deciduous forests.
Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the districts of Mysore.The sanctuary is occupied by dry deciduous forests and some patches of scrub forest. Inhabitants include tiger, leopard, elephant, wild pig, sambar, spotted deer, barking deer, four-horned antelope.The sanctuary is known for its masheer fish. Besides, trekking trails, birding trails, rock climbing sites and angling pools are available.
Nugu Wildlife Sanctuary is situated north of Bandipur National Park.It covers about 30 sq km and the northern part of the sanctuary is occupied by the Nugu Reservoir.October to April is ideal to visit the sanctuary.
Chamundi Hills is located about 10 km from Mysore. The 2000-year-old Chamundeswari Temple is located right on top of the hill. The Nandi, a famous monolith with a height of 4.8 m, is located halfway up the hill.
Karapur Forest nestles on the Southern fringes of Karnataka’s Nagarahole National Park. River Kabini flows through this forest.
Karighatta is a small hillock, on the banks of the river Lokapavani, which is 20 km away from the city of Mysore and 6 km from Srirangapatna.The temple atop the hill dedicated to Lord Srinivasa, attracts thousands of people every year. There are lots of long and sharp grasses known as ‘Dharbe’ around the temple.
Kuderu Jain Temple is positioned at Kuderu village of Tirumakudalu Narasipur (T Narasipur) Taluk in Mysore District in Karnataka.The temple enshrines the idol of Bhagvan Adinatha in the padmasana posture.
Jagmohan Palace: Placed at the west of Mysore Palace in Mysore, Jagmohan Palace showcases antiques and Wodeyar memorabilia, including weird and wonderful musical machines, rare instruments and paintings by Raja Ravi Varma.
Godly Museum:The museum displays the advantages of practising raja yoga. It also explains about the divine consciousness centered in the universe which radiates and manifests through the saints. Another nearby attraction is the statue of the demon Mahishasura. The museum also displays a series of paintings depicting the various stages of spiritual life.
Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya:The museum is intended for the preservation of traditional Indian art and culture. It also serves as a cultural center for all those who are interested in learning the rural arts of India. The displayed items include examples of both old and new handicrafts and various art works such as Gujarati embroidery and Rajasthan terracotta sculpture.
Kodi Bhairava Temple is one of the most popular temples of Mysore district. This temple stands in the compound of the Mysore Palace. The temple is known by this name, as it is located on the weir of Devaraya Sagara, a dried-up tank popularly known as Doddakere.
Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens,
Which has emerged as one of finest zoos in the country to breed a wide range of animals in captivity, has embarked on a new venture to set up a state-of-the-art Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre.The zoo would become the first in the country to have an emergency mobile service to rescue animals fighting for life and cater to animals in and around Bandipur, Brahmagiri, Kanakapura, Madikeri and other wildlife sanctuaries.
The Art Gallery
The Jaganmohan Palace was converted into an art gallery in 1875 and exhibits paintings which date back to that period. The artists of that time used natural vegetable and mineral dyes. The famous traditional Mysore 'gold leaf ' paintings are also exhibited in the gallery, as are oil paintings of contemporary artist like Raja Ravi Varma and Svetoslav Roerich.
Around Mysore
Daria Daulat Bagh Tipu's Summer Palace,built in 1784,is located here.Made of teak,this Indo-Sarcenic structure has ornate and beautiful frescos.It is now a museum and tells eloquently of Tipu's valor and his losing battle against the British.
Fort
It is here that Tipu charged at the British soldiers with his legendary sword.An obelisk in the fort marks the place where he fell -betrayed by his own men.The fort holds within it,a mosque and the Ranganathaswamy Temple.Outside the fort is the Gumbaz,Tipu's tomb with splendid ebony doors inlaid with ivory.
Nearest Visiting places:
- B R Hills
- Brindavan Gardens
- Bylakuppe
- Chamundi Hills
- Channapatna
- Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta
- Kabini
- Kokarebellur
- Melkote
- Nagarhole National Park
- Nanjangud
- Nimishambha
- Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary
- Shivasamudram
- Somnathpur
- Srirangapatna
- Talakad
- Bandipur National Park
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KarnatakaDistrict 
