India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (208 page)

ESSENTIALS

Getting There
& Away
Trains from Bengaluru (3 hr.) and Hassan (for Hoysala heartland; 2–3 hr.) pull in regularly at the
railway station
(
131
or 0821/242-2103), situated at the intersection of Jhansi Laxmi Bai Road and Irwin Road. Frequent and comfortable AC Volvo buses ply the road between Mysore and Bengaluru (Rs 250) starting from the main bus-stand; journey takes approximately 3 hours. For Rajiv Gandhi National Park and Coorg, your best option is to hire a car. (
Note:
If traveling by own vehicle, set aside an hour to visit the 400-year-old Banyan tree en route to Mysore, spread over a hectare (4 acres)—plenty of tourists but worth the detour.)

Visitor Information
For information, visit the
Karnataka Tourist Office
(Mayura Yatri Niwas, JLB Rd., near railway station;
0821/242-3652;
daily 6:30am–8:30pm).

Getting Around
Negotiate
taxi
prices in advance, or hire a vehicle for the day (recommended if you wish to visit the Keshava Temple; expect to pay Rs 835 for half day and Rs 1,100 for full day).
Auto-rickshaws
are cheap and plentiful; you can either insist that the driver use his meter (Rs 15 at the start) or fix a price upfront; the latter is likely to get you to your destination quicker (see chapter 3). Don’t pay for any taxi or vehicle without first checking its condition. You can organize a car through your hotel travel desk, but it’s likely to be more expensive (Rs 835–Rs 1,100).

Guided Tours & Travel
Agents
Operating since 1976,
Seagull Travels
(8 Best Western Ramanashree Hotel Complex, Bengaluru-Niligiri Rd.;
0821/252-9732,
or 0821/426-0054 and -3653; fax 0821/252-0549;
www.seagulltravels.net
; daily 9:45am–8:45pm) handles a wide range of travel needs, including ticketing, taxi arrangements, and individually packaged tours (although prices can fluctuate arbitrarily). Seagull can also help arrange your trip to the popular government-owned Jungle Lodges and Resorts across Karnataka. Another local travel agent is
Skyway International Travels
(3704/4, Jhansi Laxmibai Rd.;
0821/244-4444;
fax 0821/242-6000;
www.skywaytour.com
; [email protected]).

WHAT TO SEE & DO

Besides Mysore’s most famous palace, the Maharajah’s Palace, and Keshava Temple, you might want to visit
Jagan Mohan Palace
(west of Mysore Palace, Dewan’s Rd.; Rs 10; daily 8:30am–5pm), which once served as the royal auditorium. The building now exhibits South India’s oddest assortment of kitsch memorabilia from the massive private collection of the Wodeyars. Southeast of downtown (3km/2 miles away),
Chamundi Hill
is where you can join throngs of huffing-puffing pilgrims, some of who recite or read Hindu verses along the way (going by car is also an option). Stop first at the
Shiva Temple,
where devotees circumambulate the statue in a clockwise direction while a friendly priest dishes out sacred water and dollops of vermilion paste. The summit of the hill is very active with pilgrims come to pay their respects to Durga. You can buy a
darshan
ticket from the computerized ticketing booth and join the queue for a peek at the deity inside
Sri Chamundeswari Temple
(3:30–6:30pm); or you can wander around the hilltop exploring smaller temples, many of which serve as bases for bright-robed grinning
sadhus
(holy persons) wanting to sell you a private photo opportunity. Near the Race Course is the
Karinji Lake
(8:30am–5:30pm), a particularly beautiful spot during the early morning and evening when you get to see a large number of birds—it also has a Butterfly Park for which you need a good reserve of patience and luck. Half an hour away from the city center, the
Brindavan Gardens
(park open from 10am–-8pm; light and fountain timings: 7–8pm summer, 6:30–7:30pm winter) are quite a sight—make sure you go in the evening when hundreds of lights make it very magical and get a taste of quintessential Indian joviality when a lone fountain at the end of the gardens breaks into a “dance” set to Indian film songs. You can also stay on at the
Royal Orchid
(
0823/6257-257;
www.royalorchidhotels.com
; Rs 5,000 Queen–Rs 6,000 King doubles): superbly located, overlooking the gardens on one side and the dam with the river Cauvery on the other side. Modern and antiquated simultaneously, it’s a nice option if you want to explore the gardens in the morning and enjoy lazing over a book or beer.

Finally, no trip to Mysore is complete without getting lost in the dizzying scents of jasmine, musk, sandalwood, frangipani, and incense as you wander through the city’s vibrant
Devraj Market
. Mysore is also famous for its silk and sandalwood oil, and you can witness the production of both by taking a side trip to Vidyaranyapuram, 15 minutes away. For an escorted tour of the
Government Silk Weaving Factory,
call
0821/248-1803
(visiting hours daily 9–11am and 12:15–3:30pm; shop hours 9:30am–7pm); the
Government Sandal Oil Factory
is right next door (daily 11:30am–4pm). If time is short, you can also hop into
Cauvery Arts and Crafts Emporium
(Sayaji Rao Rd.; 10am–6pm) which is like a one-stop shop for all that Mysore has to offer. Although not open to casual visitors, an absolute eye-opener is the astonishing
Infosys Global Education Centre
(
0821/240-4101
) on the outskirts of the city—a world class campus spread over 135 hectares (335 acres) for budding IT trainees, it stands as a striking contrast to the stereotype of ramshackle educational institutions across the country. Use all contacts, pull all strings to set foot inside!