Srirangapatna - Mysore - KRS Dam

About Mysore and Srirangapatna: Mysore is the second largest city in the state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of the Mysore district and the Mysore division and lies about 146 km southwest of Bangalore. The name Mysore is an anglicized version of Mahishūru, which came from Mahishasura, a demon from Hindu mythology and ruler of the area. Mysore also lends its name to the Mysore mallige, the Mysore style of painting, the sweet dish Mysore Pak, the Mysore Peta (a traditional silk turban) and the garment called the Mysore Silk Saree.
Srirangapatna, a town in Karnataka, is place of great religious, cultural and historic importance. Although situated a mere 19 km from Mysore city, Srirangapatna lies in the neighbouring district of Mandya. The entire town is enclosed by the river Kaveri to form an island. While the main river flows on the eastern side of the island, the Paschima Vaahini segment of the same river flows to its west.

Duration of the Trip: It was a 1 day trip from Bangalore. We started at 6’o clock at morning and return back to Bangalore by 1 at night.

Transportation: We had booked a Indica from City Taxi by calling 08041488888. They had some package for Bangalore - Srirangapatna – Mysore –Bangalore which cost us Rs 3000/-. Other than this, there are options to book any package from the local travel agencies which cost Rs. 700/- to 800/- per person in bus and Rs 1000/- to Rs 1500/- per person by car.

Details of The Trip: We started from Bangalore at 6 am in a Saturday morning. We had our breakfast in a restaurant called Kamath on Mysore road, which is a good place for having authentic South Indian breakfast. Then again our journey started.

The first place what we visited was Sangama, the place where three holy rivers Kaveri, Kabini and Hemavati have amalgamated. One special attraction of that place is typical coracle boat used in rural areas. People can go to the main Sangam point of the three rivers using those boats.

Temple in Sangama

Coracle boat at Sangama | pic courtesy : Google Image

 Then we headed to The Mausoleum of Tipu Sultan, the place where Tipu Sultan lies buried with his relatives and also close army personnel. It was quiet, serene and peaceful place. The graves beneath the trees on the magnificent lawns added to the peace. The main hall is having three tombs, one is of Sultan Tipu and rests two are of his parents.

The Mausoleum of Tipu Sultan

Tomb of Tipu and his Parents | pic courtesy : google image

 Sri Ranganath Swamy Temple is one of the most important Vaishnavite shrines in South India. It was built in 9th century, later improved by the Hoysala and Vijayanagar kings. The temple is a tribute to Lord Ranganatha (Vishnu).

Sri Ranganath Swamy Temple

Main attraction of Srirangapatna is the Dariya Daulat Palace, the summer palace of Sultan Tipu that is set amidst beautiful gardens called Daria Daulat Bagh. Tipu Sultan built this palace in 1784 and ruled Mysore from here for a short time.The palace is built in the Indo-Sarcenic style in mostly made of teak-wood. The palace has a rectangular plan and is built on a raised platform. Now the place is a museum of Tipu’s belongings.

Dariya Daulat Palace

Dariya Daulat Palace

Before heading to our next spot, Mysore Palace we had our lunch in a restaurant on the way. I can’t recall the name. Food was good over there.

The Palace of Mysore is the official residence of the Wodeyars - the erstwhile royal family of Mysore. The Wodeyar kings first built a palace in Mysore in the 14th century; it was demolished and constructed multiple times. The current palace construction was commissioned in 1897, and it was completed in 1912 and expanded later around 1940. This palace is now one of the most famous tourist attractions in India after Taj Mahal. The architectural style of the palace is commonly described as Indo-Saracenic, and blends together Hindu, Muslim, Rajput, and Gothic styles of architecture. It is a three-storied stone structure, with marble domes and a 145 ft. five-storied tower. The palace is surrounded by a large garden.
Although tourists are allowed to visit the palace, they are not allowed to take photographs inside the palace. The palace is separated in two parts. One section is used as the residence and the other part is the main durbar. The Palace houses several rooms of importance. These include:
• Audience Chamber: This was Hall of Private Audience, where the king would confer with his ministers. It was also the chamber in which he gave audience to people deserving special attention.
• Public Durbar: The Diwan-e-aam was a public hall where the general population could meet the king at prescribed times with petitions.
• Royal wedding hall: A hall where all the marriages of royal family used to held.
• Armoury: The palace houses an armoury, which contains a collection of different types of arms used by the members of the royal family. These include weapons that were used in the 14th century (lances, cutlasses, etc.), as well as weapons that were used in the early twentieth century (pistols, etc.).
For me the special attraction of the palace was the huge collection of the paintings of that time. One will literally feel himself a part of those times while seeing the paintings.
Price of entry for Indian tourists to the main palace is Rs. 40/- and in the residence palace is Rs. 35/- . All visitors must remove their footwear to enter the palace. The visitors can higher guide for the better knowledge of in and out of the palace. In both the palaces there is an option to rent an audio device for Rs 200/- in the main palace and Rs 170/- in the residence palace.

Main Gate of Mysore Palace

Front View of the Palace

Side view of the Palace

Bronze Leopard in front of Palace

Another Gate of Palace

There is a temple inside the palace campus. One will find lots of elephants, camels also in the campus which carries the royal feel with them till days. Every Sunday the palace is decorated with lights, which is an awesome view on its own. We missed the same as we went in a Saturday.

Temple inside the Palace Campus

Elephant in the Palace Campus

Camel in the Palace Campus

Palace with Lights | pic courtesy : google image

Chamundi Hills

is a place in Mysore with lots of mythological values. According to legend, the demon Mahishasura, king of the area that is currently Mysore, was killed by the Goddess Chamundeswari after a fierce battle. The hills are named after the goddess, and a temple, Chamundeswari Temple honors her in the hills. The temple has a beautiful idol of the goddess. The temple has always been patronised by the rulers of Mysore. A panoramic view of the city is seen from the top of the hills.

Chamundeswari Temple

View from Chamundi Hills

View from Chamundi Hills

There is a long stairway leading to the top of the hill. There are 1,180 steps in all, and climbing the first 600 steps takes some effort. Regular buses are available to the Chamundi hills from the central bus stand and personal vehicles are also allowed to go till the top now days. On the way to the top, we passed the large monolithic Statue of Nandi, the bull and stops at the Mahishasura Statue.

Mahishasura Statue

Statue of Nandi | pic courtesy : google image

Mysore Zoo or Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens is a 245-acre zoo. It was established under royal patronage in 1892, making it one of the oldest zoos in the world. Of late the zoo is thriving on the adoption scheme introduced a few years ago. I was too excited to know that Anil Kumble has adopted a giraffe calf and an Asiatic lion and Srinath has adopted a jaguar while Zaheer Khan has paid Rs. 1 lakh for a tiger (Cricket is everywhere after all  ). The zoo is having a huge range of animals, birds, snakes and reptiles which includes Giraffe, Royal Bengal Tiger, White Tiger, Lion, Zebras, Chimp, Baboon, Indian Rhino, Black buck, Spoted Deer, Swamp Deer, Bison, Nilgai, Lepords, Sambar herd, Mithun, Wallaby, Tapir, Lemur, Kingcobra, Russell’s Viper, Python, Turtle, Crocodile, Painted Stork, Pelican, Night Heron, Ibirs, Mute Swan, Emu, Ratel and many more.

After a long day spent in between history and mythology, KRS Dam and Brindavan Garden brings us back to current days. KRS or Krishna Raja Sagara, is the name of both, a lake and the dam that causes it. The dam was built across river Kaveri in 1924. Apart from being the main source of water for irrigation in the most fertile Mysore and Mandya, the reservoir is the main source of drinking water for almost the whole of Bangalore city. The Brindavan Gardens is a show garden that has a botanical park, with fountains, as well as boat rides beneath the dam. Diwans of Mysore planned and built the gardens in connection with the construction of the dam. KRS Dam was the first to install automated Crest gates during 1920 and Brindavan Garden was the first in India to display a musical fountain. The show for musical fountains starts at 7 pm. every evening and continues for an hour. Depending on the sunset, timings may vary for the musical show.

KRS Dam

Fountain in Brindavan Garden

Musical fountain in Brindavan Garden

Ticket for each person is Rs. 50/-
With this our pleasure trip came to an end and we headed back to Bangalore.

Disclaimer: We went for this trip in July’2009. There are chances that price and timings has got changed. Please check with cabs service providers or travel agents about current timings and rates.
I have tried to provide as much as details is possible for the trip. For any further clarification please feel free to contact me @ dutshilpi@gmail.com.