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THE FRAGRANT SANDALWOOD CITY
Located 770m above sea level and 140 Kms from Bangalore, Mysore, the
imperial city, was the erstwhile capital of the Wodeyars. Also known as
the city of Palaces, Mysore has never failed to mesmerise the tourists
with its quaint charm, rich heritage, magnificent palaces, beautifully
laid-out gardens, imposing buildings, broad shady avenues and sacred
temples.
Mysore is the erstwhile capital of Wodeyars, the rulers of Mysore State.
The Wodeyar family ruled Mysore since 14th century except for a short
period of 40 years when Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan were the rulers. Today
Mysore is one of the major cities of Karnataka. Mysore has emerged as a
thriving market for exotic sandalwood & incense, the Mysore silk
sarees and stone-carved sculptures.
Mysore is certainly a charming, old-fashioned and undaunting town
dominated by the spectacular Maharaja's Palace, around which the
boulevards of the city radiate. Nearby is the city centre with the
colourful and frenetic Devaraja Market is inviting a stroll.
On the outskirts of Mysore, Srirangapatnam still harbours architectural
gems from the days of the great Indian hero, Tipu Sultan, and the
magnificent Hoysala temple of Somnathpur lies little more than an hour's
drive away.
LEGEND
In the tenth century Mysore was known as "Mahishur", the town
where the buffalo-demon Mahishashur was slain by the goddess Durga. The
word Mysore expands to "Mahishasurana Ooru", which means the
town of Mahishasura. It is believed that during one of the wars between
devils and demons on the one hand and gods and goddesses on the other, the
demon Mahishasur (Mahishur) overpowered the gods.
The goddess on seeing this, incarnated as the fireceful Chamundi or
Chamundeshwari and consequently, Mahishasura was killed by Her atop the
Chamundi Hill near Mysore. Ever since, the Mysore royal family has
worshipped Chamundeshwari as the palace deity. Hills dedicated to Her
stand at the eastern end of Mysore town to this day.
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