I’m a traveller who likes to visit sights that are on the beaten track, especially if I haven’t visited the country before.  However, I’ve been to India three times now and I have always visited the more unknown places. This itinerary will come in handy if you also like to visit sights that are off-the-beaten-track for most western tourists.

My total stay in Mysore was two weeks. You’re reading a four day itinerary because most of the time I was there I was working. This is just a compilation of the sights I think are worth visiting if you’re solely there to travel.

Day 1: Mysore

Let me throw some history your way to start things off. Mysore is the historic headquarters of the Wodeyar maharajas. Now here’s where things get interesting (even though this has nothing to do with this post): apparently, a curse has been placed on the Wodeyars 400 years ago. A curse which still seems to effect the family today. “May Talakadu become a barren land, Malangi turn into a whirlpool and may Mysore kings never beget children”. 400 years since, the Wodeyars have birthed male children only in alternate generations. If a king ended up not having a son, his younger brothers’ progeny would be crowned the heir.  A royal baby boy was born recently which seems to have finally broken this curse. OK, let’s get back to the main story.

Mysore Palace
Why did I tell you the story about the Wodeyars? I wanted to give you a bit of an idea of the history of the city and the history of its palace. Mysore Palace was the former seat of the Wodeyar maharajas and it’s one of the main sights that’s worth visiting here. The building you see today has been built in 1912, because the old structure was destroyed by a fire at the end of the 19th century.

I’m not generally a fan of palaces, although if you’ve seen the photos of the Hermitage in St. Petersburg you know I won’t shy away from one. I don’t really go looking for them either. What enticed me to visit Mysore Palace are the stories of its interior. The Lonely Planet promises: “a kaleidoscope of stained glass, mirrors and gaudy colours”. The statement that its interior is a bit over-the-top followed after that. Sign me up!

The description rings true, and it’s an incredibly colourful building. I enjoyed roaming around the different rooms for two hours. There’s plenty of space for all the tourists to explore the building inside – it never feels crowded (even though this is the second most visited sight of India after Taj Mahal).

It’s a different story on the outside. Here people are pushing each other out of the way to first buy the tickets at counter one, and then to deposit their shoes at counter two. Don’t be daunted by these scenes, it will get better inside.

Mysore Palace undergoes a tremendous transformation by night. In the weekend, all the buildings will light up. It’s more impressive than it sounds and it’s definitely worth a visit, if only for the atmosphere. There will be music playing in the background, people will be ooh-ing and aah-ing and at the same time it will feel incredibly serene.

Chamundi Hill
Another nice stop on the first day is Chamundi Hill. My colleague (who is a marathon runner) will tell you to walk up the steps of this 1062m high hill, but I’ll tell you to take a taxi instead.

On the summit of this hill you’ll find Sri Chamundeswari Temple. I didn’t enter, so I have no idea what it’s like inside. There’s also a statue Mahisasura, the Buffalo Demon, who was killed by a manifestation of the goddess Durga. This event is now celebrated in a 10-day festival in the city of Mysore. Don’t forget to ask the taxi to stop at the Nandi (Shiva’s bull) half-way down the hill.

Rail Museum
If it wouldn’t have been closed, I would’ve visited the Rail Museum as well. This museum is located behind the train station and it shows the stylish way in which the royals rode the railways in the past.

St Philomena’s Cathedral
I visited St Philomena’s Cathedral solely because I remember the eye rolls I received from a friend of mine when we visited Kozhikode together and I insisted on visiting the churches. It made me want to visit even more Indian churches, because… Why not?

Day 2

Road Trip to Belur, Halebidu & Shravanabelagola
I felt like I had seen plenty of Mysore on the first day, so I figured it was time to go on a road trip on the second day. There are several options when it comes to day trips, but I enjoyed my itinerary because it consisted of the perfect mix of culture & nature.

The road trip to Belur, Halebidu & Shravanabelagola is easy to do within one day. The Hoysala temples at Halebidu and Belur are unique. These temples are the height of one of the most artistically exuberant periods of India. It’s a treat to walk around the buildings in order to investigate the carvings from up-close. The detail on them is phenomenal. Shravanabelagola is a huge statue on top of a hill, which is worth a climb (if you’re not sore from climbing up Chamundi Hill when you didn’t heed my advice).

Read more about this day trip here: Belur, Halebidu & Shravanabelagola – A Day Trip from Mysore

Day 3

Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary
In order to bring some nature into the mix, I visited the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary on the third day. A sanctuary might sound like a peaceful place, but it’s far from that since the first thing I saw was a pelican disappearing under water due to a hungry crocodile. Other than that, my visit there was pretty uneventul. It’s worth taking a boat trip to see the birds from up close.

Read more about this half day trip here: Mysore – Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary

Srirangapatna
Ranganathittu is close to Mysore, but it’s even closer to Srirangapatna. So I thought it would be a great opportunity to add this historical city to my itinerary as well.

I just told you a bit of the history of the Wodeyars in Mysore. Srirangapatna is built on an island and located 16km away from Mysore. This town was the unofficial capital of most of southern India in the 18th century. This is where the ruthless ruler Tipu Sulan lived. Unfortunately for him, his reign ended during an epic war against the British.

I did a drive-by of the city and the traces of the fort are still clearly visible.

Tipu’s summer palace is a little bit outside of the city but also worth a visit. It’s mostly built out of wood, and it has gorgeous decorations that cover the whole building. The murals on the wall depict the life of Tipu and his campaigns against the British.

Day 4

Bylakuppe Tibetan Monastery
I figured it was time for something completely different on the fourth day. It was time to “leave” India and head for Tibet for a few hours. Bylakuppe is home to one of the first camps for Tibetan refugees in southern India.

Nowadays it’s worth a visit, because refugee camp is now a full-fledged settlement. It has all the sights and sounds of a Tibetan city (I assume, since I haven’t visited Tibet yet). There are an abundance of orange-robed monks walking around the area, and the coloured temples are mesmerizingly beautiful – not to mention the delicious momos that are up for grabs in the restaurant.

Read more about this day trip here: Bylakuppe – A Photo Diary of a Tibetan Settlement in India

Where to Stay?

I stayed in the Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Mysore for one night. This hotel is a proper treat. It has a gorgeous swimming pool, great sauna facilities, delicious food and a great bathroom (why I was happy with this particular room is a story I will never tell you).

I usually don’t stay in high-end hotel chains, apart from when I’m travelling through India or the Middle East. I can’t afford these hotels in Europe, so when they are a bit more sensibly priced like they are in the aforementioned regions, I like to splurge.

What Did I Miss?

What didn’t I miss? I had such a hard time compiling this itinerary, and even though I’m really happy with the results – I wouldn’t have minded staying longer to do more. If I travel to Mysore again, I’d like to visit Bandipur National Park to try to spot tigers. That would probably be highest on my list. Other sights would include Chikmagalur and Coorg, both areas renowned for their stunning natural sights and waterfalls. Closer to Mysore I would like to visit the Brindavan Gardens. These gardens feature in many local movies, and it’s apparently a treat to visit them in the evening when the area is fully lit up.

Conclusion

I’m well aware that most people simply pass through Mysore to visit other destinations. The route I can imagine most people will take would be from Kerala to Bangalore in order to catch a flight back home or to another location. I would challenge these “transit” travellers to stay in Mysore a bit longer. There’s so much to do and see and I’m incredibly happy with the time I had to spend there.

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