Mysore Reviews - Mysore - A treasure trove

Food, sight-seeing and shopping
Food - I am not a very choosy person when it comes to food. For me just about anything goes. But inspite of being so accommodative about food, I personally felt, food was not palatable out here. Starting from the roadside stalls to the big restaurants, from meals to casual snacks, I personally felt, that no where did I get food which I could say - 'Hmmm that tasted good. ' The dishes available mostly comprise of the south Indian variety - idli, chutneys, dosas, etc. I am a major fan of masala Dosa and had read rave reviews of Mysore masala Dosa, but we never got any when we actually went there. Maybe we should have scouted some more hotels, but in the 3,4 we checked, we never got any delicacy which was indigenous to the place. Bisibele bath was another thing which we wanted to have- but we never managed to get it in any of the hotels. :( One food item I would strongly recommend is tea from the road side stall and pot tea at Dasaprakash hotel. If you happen to be a tea lover, I am sure, the taste of this is going to stay with you. And I should not forget to mention Magai Special Pan at a stall close to Gandhi Circle. This Magai Special Pan consists of a lovely combination of 2 betel leaves containing some amazing concoction, held together by a tooth pick, a clove and a cherry :) Its generally refrigerated which heightens the taste of the same. Sight seeing - One should be pretty nimble footed to cover the entire array of places around Mysore - No no - one does nt have to walk around :) The place has so much to offer that each day is full with lotssss of places to visit. We started the first day with a trip to Chamundi hills. After paying obeisance to Goddess Chamundeshwari, we went forth to the Nandi temple. The monolith statue of the bull out here is supposed to be built over night! Post that, we proceeded to Mysore Palace which consumed 90 minutes. After a quick lunch we covered the town of Srirangapatnam. Here the places of importance are Dariya Daulat Bagh - Tipu Sultans summer palace, Tipu Sultans tomb and his place of death. Apart from these, I would also recommend a drive to Sangam where north and south Kaveri meet,The Ranganathaswamy temple and The Nimishamba temple. The Nimishamba temple is revered by the local populace, but is not covered by most tour operators. Situated on the banks of the Kaveri, this temple is worth a visit. She is supposed to redress the grief of the devotee in a minute!! With the Kaveri flowing gently beside the river and a whole bunch of fruit and vegetable vendors selling their wares on the banks with the setting sun as the background, this place fills a person with an old world charm. The second day at Mysore consisted of a trip to the Buddhist monastery at Bylakuppe. The place transported us to an all together different world. One felt actually transported to Tibet. The Golden Temple was awe inspiring. The statues of the Bodhisatvas instated in the temple, had a grandeur which could be felt through the eyes only - the pics we took were nothing compared to the sight we beheld! We proceeded to Nisargardhama and Dubare forests, each holding a verdant stretch with the spirited Kaveri bifurcating the view. Have satiated ourselves with the view of pristine nature, it was time to venture forth to Madikeri and the Abbey falls. We were dead tired at the end of the 2nd day which entailed nearly 12 hours of tour. Phew!! The third day we went forth a trip to Somanathpura. The Somanathpura temple out here is an architectural wonder and a ASI protected site. The intricate carvings took our breath away. The carvings would have seemed more feasible on a softer surface like wood - but seeing them manifest so easily over rock!! That was SOMETHING.... When we reached the city of Mysore from Somanathpura, we took a tonga ride to St Philomena s Church. The entire visit was filled with fun and little moment which will remain etched in my mind for ever!

Activities & things to do
One MUST- Try the guided tour of the Mysore Palace. For the cynics eking out 100 Rs. might not be necessary enough to see a palace whose beauty is un missable. But I would suggest, rather than taking a guide, it might be a good idea to get head sets from the operators near the entrance. Visitors are provided with a head set and a keypad, on which we can click on the number of the exhibit. It gives the visitor a detail idea of the significance of the item/place. Rotate the prayer wheels at the Bylakuppe monastery. This is not a part of the traditional tourists plan of action. And the prayer wheels happen to be on the back side of the temple, for which many people do not get to do it. But I feel, a walk through the rear of the temple, makes one savor some more exotic pines and figs and also gives one a chance of savoring an integral part of the tradition of Buddhism. Get into the small boats at Sangam. These boats are pernicious means of travel and are pretty exciting to be in. DOOO visit the Somanathpura temple. Its worth the effort.

Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc.
Travel tips - Meter system is used to calculate the fares in auto with the minimum fare being Rs 14. Please insist on going by meter. Its not a very big place, but auto drivers might try to dupe tourists by insisting that a said place is very far. Always insist on paying by meter. There are many popular places like the zoo, art gallery, numerous lakes which we had to give a miss for the lack of time. English and Hindi is moderately understood by the people of Mysore. How to reach- Mysore is easily accessible by rail as well as road. From Bangalore its hardly a 2 hours drive. From Chennai its an over night travel of some 8-10 hours. The Chennai - Mysore Shatabdi zaps through in 7 hours and being a Shatabdi express, travel in the same is pretty exciting. Do try this as a travel option if going from Chennai. General information- If you have a whole lot of time, then make a detail chart of the places you might want to cover. You can plan an over night halt at Coorg in any of the resorts out there. Another off the beaten track option would be to book a forest resort some where in Dubare or on KR hills. At Coorg, covering Talacavery takes a bit of time, so incase you want to cover that, staying over night at Coorg is a good option. If you have the time to spare, one can undertake a visit to Halebid and Shravanabelagola as well. Mysore has much more to offer than one can take in!