Mysore

“Always try different things in life and try to take decisions in the nick of time”.
This quote of Steve Jobs inspired us to get off to Mysore .

Some how managed to get Raghu's car few hours before ....and Prashanth as usual was ready for
game and we 3 finally set off on 19th May 2007 @ around 7:00AM from B'lore towards Mysore
without having any preplanned schedule.

Try to catch by NICE junction through Kanakapura road n get in touch to Mysore road SH18.
Have Breakfast @ Kamath's near Janapada Loka which is around 50 KM from B'lore.
Try out early morning buffet which costs around 60 INR with unlimited food.
Reached Srirangapatnam, which is about 30 KM form Mysore @ around 9:30 AM .
Places to see :
1: Sangam - spot where Cauveri and some other 2 rivers club n dance to the beats of nature. Try out Teppa(a small boat made of bamboo) ride which cost 10 INR.
2: Gumbaz – A well built marble architecture where Tippu Sultan's family rests in peace, including Hyder Ali's tomb.
3: Tippu's Summer Palace – Made up of wood n amazing paintings on wall.U will even find Tippus sword n some other belongings like his royal dress, coins, thrown etc..

Then v entered the fort area which had.
1: Ranganathswamy Temple – Ancient temple with amazing Hoysala Arcitecture.
2: Colonel Dungeon – This is the place where Tippu kept his prisoners.
3: Then a place where Tippu's dead body was found.
All these places r well maintained n the parking costs u around 20 INR in each spots which will
costs u around 100 INR but u can compromise for good roads n well maintained gardens.
Then moved to Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary which is around 10 KM from Mysore.
This 0.6 Sq.KM bird sanctuary situated in the bank of river Cauvery. About 25 different types of Birds, Marsh Crocodiles and water dogs also find here. The best time to see is between April to Nov. It costs u around 25 INR for a boat ride with guide.

Moved to Mysore @ around 2:00 had a tight lunch n visited to St. Philomena's Church ,this
church has amazing architecture of roman style.
Then checked out Zoo which costs 25 INR,
SUGGESTION : Well this is one of the best Zoo in Asia, well maintained with lots n lots varieties of animals and birds. Since it takes lot more time to cover the entire Zoo, so checkout the Zoo map first and visit those animals n birds which u have never seen before. U can ever hire a battery driven vehicles available in site Zoo, if u need to cover the whole Zoo.

Then got up with my friend Ajay who helped us to hire a hotel room @ city center. Hotels r
easily available but for ur precaution try to book ur rooms.
He took us on a ride of Mysore city well its truly a drivers paradise with no traffic n good roads.
Had a good hangout on Chamundi Hills which is 8 KM from Mysore where u can get a 365
degree sneak preview of Mysore from top. The best timepass is to count couples hanging out here n there. Well after the couple count the great Mahishasura (a large demon)statue will b waiting to greet u on hill top it is bcoz of this demon that Mysore got its name. Do visit a large Nandi and Chamundeswari on top coz half of the young crowd gets settled here n there.
Got down back to town n visited Dasara exhibition zone.
Day 2 : 20th May 2007
Had a good tight breakfast @ the famous Mylari hotel , well it will b a bit tough to get seats
since the seating capacity is just 20 & its world famous in Mysore our friend Ajay guided us the
route...coz even its pretty tricky to find the original Mylari as in n around u may find duplicate one. Idly n Dosa r the only items available here.
Visited Mysore palace – This is a must visit spot n will cost u 20 INR only.
This palace was build around end of 19th Century @ a cost of 15Laks. Its amazing architecture
comprising of its painting, marble floors, wooden ceiling embroidery, furnitures n the court room with gold coated pillers.

Moved to Somanathpura this place is around 40 KM from Mysore n well maintained by
Archaeological Survey of India(ASI). It has a beautifully constructed Keshava temple built @ 12th century by the Hoysalas. The entry costs u 5 INR only. Its a must visit spot.
Returned back to Mysore n visited Karanji Lake .The entry costs u 10 INR. This place has an
amazing cage where u will b let in to check out birds in their natural habitat. It even has boating n a butterfly island. But the only drawback is u need to walk around 2 KM to get to reach as vehicles r prohibited in the park area.


@ around 5:00 left Mysore n got back to Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS). The root cause of Cauveri
dispute.
Places to see here Aquiraum, Brindavan Garden , Musical fountain & not to miss the giant
KRS DAM iteslf. U can even have a look @ the parking area as it is one of south India's biggest
parking area(Check out the snap,bottom-center)

Headed back to our base Bangaluru @ 7:00 PM with a BANG...
NOTE: We did not cover any modern day hang outs like commercial shopping areas, Bowling alleys, Fun parks etc..etc...such spots r available in Mysore but would b waste if u go from B'lore to Mysore to visit these spots as such places of modern entertainment r available in B'lore itself.
The total cost of 460 KM tour was 1200 INR inclusive of travel, stay n food.
Special thanks to Raghu for his car and driving our car throughout our 460 KM journey . And Ajay for guiding in and around Mysore.