Maybe it’s my ignorance but I haven’t heard about Mysore until I was checking places to go in India. Mysore was the capital of Vijayanagara Empire/ Kingdom of Mysore/ Tipu Sultan for more than 300 years and carried a quite important role until the state capital had been changed to Bangalore in 1831.
Local market, Mysore Palace, Chamundashvari Temple, Chamundi Hill are the most important landmarks of the city. 3 out of 4 days I was in the city, Tina (my German backpacker friend) and I were walking around the market looking for a shalwar kameez :) or some random stuff to buy. Mysore had really good options no doubt however as I still had a long way to go, I preferred not to buy anything.
Mysore Palace by day & night
The Kingdom of Mysore was ruled from here, then the area has been the capital of Tipu Sultan empire until the British took over and put the Maharaja back in control in 1804. There has been 4 major wars in this area.From the obvious English to French, from Nizam army (who ruled in Hyderabad) to Swiss armies there were many different nations attended the wars on the Mysore fields.
Local Market in Mysore
Mysore, itself, can be considered as a big city, at least bigger than what I had expected. It has a population of one million and planned to expand with the new high speed train constructed to Bangalore.
Chamundashvari Temple & Sunset at Chamundi Hill
Around Srirangapatna kids & Ox-cart Makers
On my last day, on Sunday morning, we decided to see around Mysore and head to Srirangapatna which is around 19 km away from Mysore city. Of course our dearest host Stephen has joined us.
A religious ceremony by Kaveri river & Monkeys welcoming us
Srirangapatna, a small island surrounded by Kaveri river had been the capital of Tipu Sultan Empire as it had a more defendable situation. There was the fort, the palace, the mosque, the temples, all the possible touristic attractions however the village/city has been preserved quite well. I was not able to see any touristical resort or big hotels but locals only.
One of the most interesting I had experienced in India so far was the Bathing Ghats by Kaveri. Locals come and spend their Sundays to wash their clothes and themselves after a weekend in one of the temples nearby. Then you can be a part of the daily life of Hindus, you can see followers praying in their spiritual ceremony Pujas, or wash themselves in Kaveri or healing “patients” who suffer from various diseases including strokes.
Life by the Water around Kaveri River
I was not allowed to take pictures of the religious ceremonies or the healing process however in the 2 months i spent in India -in total- this was the time that I felt closest to the local/rural Indians.
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