Mysore

Mysore is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is known as the Cultural Capital of Karnataka.

Mysore is believed to have been established sometime in the eleventh century, and became the capital of a small kingdom around 1400, which was a tributary of the Vijayanagara empire until its fall in 1565. Shortly thereafter the Wodeyar family took control of the kingdom. From the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries, the Woyedar capital alternated between Srirangapattana (Seringapatam) and Mysore. The Mysore Kingdom grew to include most of the southern part of modern-day Karnataka. After the defeat of Tipu Sultan of Mysore in 1799, the British installed his nephew on the throne, and Mysore became a princely state in British India, and the capital was moved to Bangalore after 1834. The kingdom was acceded to India after its independence in 1947, and became Mysore state in 1950, which was later enlarged and its name changed to Karnataka.

One of the best (some would say worst) times to visit Mysore is during the annual nine-night, ten-day Dussera or Dasara or Navaratri festival, which usually occurs in early October.

University of Mysore (named Manasa Gangotri) one of the oldest universities in India is located in this city. Other institutions include the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Defense Food Research Laboratory (DFRL).

Mysore is also called the City of Palaces, as there are many palaces situated in the city. A few of them are:

• The main Mysore Palace

• Rajendra Vilas (also called the summer palace situated on top of the Chamundi hills)

• Jaganmohana Palace

• Jayalakshmi Vilas (now in the University of Mysore premises)

• Lalitha Mahal (now converted to a hotel)

Even though the Government of Karnataka is now looking after the Mysore palace, a small portion of the palace has been given to the Royal family to live in.

Table of contents

1 Attractions 2 Nearby Places 3 Noted people who have worked in Mysore 4 Noted people who were born in Mysore 5 External links

Attractions

• The Mysore Palace
• The Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) dam across the Kaveri river and the adjoining Brindavan Gardens
• The Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens known popularly as Mysore Zoo
• The Chamundeswari Temple and Nandi the Bull (on the Chamundi Hills)
• The Natural History Museum
• The Railway Museum

Nearby Places

• Srirangapattana (referred to in old English documents as Seringapatam)
• The Nilgiris mountain range
• The Bandipur National Park
• The Nagarhole Bird Sanctuary, now a National Park
• Rangantittu Bird Sanctuary
• Kabini: rated among the top five wildlife resorts in the world by Tatler's Travel Guide
• Somnathpura is an ancient temple town has a temple of historical & archealogical importance

Noted people who have worked in Mysore

• Sir M. Visweshvarayya. He was the chief architect of the Krishna Raja Sagar dam.
• Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.
• R. K. Narayan.
• K. V. Puttappa.
• C. D. Narasimhaiah.

Noted people who were born in Mysore

• Kamala Markandaya, novelist.
• J. Jayalalithaa (born 1948), Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

External links

• Mysore City Corporation
• Mysore Dasara
• University of Mysore
• Star of Mysore, an English evening newspaper.
• BSNL, Mysore