Mysore

Continuing on my travel blog, next in the list is Mysore. The heritage city is where I started my professional career and I enjoyed every bit of it. Mysore is known for its palaces and the famous Chamudeshwari Temple.

Mysore is located in the southern state of Karnataka and one of the biggest cities of the state. Mysore has got a domestic airport and the nearest international airport in the Bangalore International airport. Mysore is easily reached from Bangalore and the journey takes around 2 to 3 hours.

Mysore is well connected by Bus and Train to most important places of the country.

The most important aspect of the city is it is one of the cleanest cities in India only next to Mohali. The climate is Mysore is hot in the summer and it gets cold during the winter.

Below are some of the most important places to be seen in Mysore

Mysore Palace, beautifully lit at the night

The Mysore Palace: The well-known Mysore Palace is the official residence of the erstwhile royal family, the Wodeyars. The palace is built in the heart of the city and it is huge and grand. Any one visiting the palace for the first time will certainly be in awe given the majestic construction and size. A person needs atleast 3 hours to see the whole of this palace. Inside the palace is the rich artifacts, prizes and gifts given to the Rajas and most beautiful of them all is the durbar hall, something similar to court. The paintings on the wall certainly add attraction to the already beautiful palace. The palace is best seen during the Dussera when the famous 10 day Dussera festival takes place here. The palace will be lit beautifully and it will be a treat to watch the elephants decorated with various ornaments.

Mysore Zoo: One of the attractions of the city is the Mysore Zoo. It is beautiful and the major attraction is the Gorilla. Mysore Zoo is the only zoo in India which has Gorilla. The zoo is closed on Tuesdays and it is not far away from the palace.

Chamudeshwari Temple: The famous Chamundeshwari Temple on top of the Chamundi Hills should certainly be on the list of must see places in Mysore. Certainly one of the most beautiful temples I have seen. On top of the hill gives a beautiful panoramic view of the city. On the way to temple is the big Nandi the bull which is believed to be growing in size.

Brindavan Gardens

Brindavan Gardens: One of the earliest and most beautiful gardens of India, the Brindavan Gardens. It is located near the Krishna Raja Sagar dam in the outskirts of Mysore. The best time to visit the garden is in the evening when it is pleasant and one can witness the dancing fountain late in the night. When I visited the place, it was bit dirty with plastic covers and I hope the authorities have taken corrective actions and have cleansed the garden. Its high time plastic is banned within the garden premises or at least enough dust bins be provided so that the public do not pollute the beautiful garden.

Devaraja URS Road: The road which leads to the palace is the place to be in the evening. Buzzing with people everywhere, this is the place for shopping in Mysore. The famous Mysore Silk is sold in almost every shop that is there in this road. Some of them are government subsidies while some are private shops.  Apart from this, there are lots of places to eat (both veg and non veg) in and around this place.

Tipu Sultan Summer Palace

Srirangapatnam: The land of Tipu Sultan, Srirangapatnam is hardly 30 mins drive from Mysore and certainly the place to be. There are loads of places to see here like the Tipu Sultan Palace, the Ranganathar temple, sangamam, the place where Tipu Sultan’s body was found by the British, the underground prison, Gumbaz (the tomb of Tipu Sultan, Hyder Ali and his mom) and Nimishambal Temple.  Atleast 3/4^th of the day is required to see the whole of this place and I would suggest reaching this place in the morning. On visiting the place one would get to know the valor of the ‘Tiger’ Tipu Sultan and his father Hyder Ali.

Travelling with in Mysore is easy as it is not as big as Bangalore and lots of autos are available and should be enough to cover all the places. However, I would suggest not to hire auto to Brindavan Gardens and Srirangapatnam as they will charge exorbitant prices to these places.

Mysore is best visited in the month of October during Dussera when one can see the palace at its best. The climate during January and February is superb and is an ideal time for those who do not mind missing the Dussera festival.

Chennai

I have been waiting for too long to start blogging on my travel. However I never wanted to create a new blog when already I have one. My blog is like a mixed bag which includes articles on some of the topics which I love mainly sports, politics, movies, music and of course some of my personal life. I have already written about my travel experience, but this will be the start of series of all the places I have visited. My travelogue is entirely based on my experience, what I loved and some travel tips.

I was wondering about how to start this and I found that there is nothing better than Chennai to start with. So let’s start with Chennai, my home town (city).

Chennai previously called as Madras is the capital of southern state of India, Tamil Nadu. It is one of the biggest cities and oldest cities in India. The Chennai day, the day the city was founded is on August 22^nd. The city was the capital of the then state of Madras during the British regime and subsequently it was changed to Tamil Nadu meaning the land of Tamils. Tamil is widely spoken language here, but people do understand English very well.  

Chennai has got a mixture of heritage and modern outlook and some of the buildings stand testimony to it. Below are some of the places that one must visit when they are on a trip to Chennai

Sun Rise at the Marina Beach

Marina Beach: Whenever someone says Chennai and the first thing that comes to everybody’s mind is the famous Marina Beach. This the world’s second longest beach with a distance of 13KMs. The beach is beautiful and efforts have been made to make this a litter free zone. People from all walks of life enjoy their evening stroll in the beach and the place will be crowded in the evenings especially during the weekends. One should not miss the Bajji which will be sold in the every nook and corner of the place. This place is around 3 to 4KMS from the famous Anna Salai and is easily accessible from all corners of the city.

Temples/Church/Mosques: Chennai is one city in India which boasts some of the biggest and ancient temples of India. Temples like Parthasarathy Temple at Triplicane, Ashtalakshmi Temple at Besant Nagar, Kabaleeshwarar Temple at Mylapore, Kaalikambal Temple at Georgetown are not only big but also ancient and adds lots of historic significance to the city. The Basillica of the National Shrine of St.Thomas is one of the 3 churches in the world to have built over the tomb of Apostle of Jesus Christ this one being St.Thomas. The big Mosque at Triplicane is one of the oldest mosques in the city.

Fort St.George: This houses the TamilNadu Legistlative assembly and secretariat. This was the first fortress of the English in India.  The fort campus also has a Church St.Mary’s, Wellesly Museum and a flag post which is the tallest in India.

Guindy National Park: Probably the only national park in the country within the city limits. It houses various reptiles like the crocodiles and snakes. Chennai is also famous for the Arignar Anna Zoological Park which is one of the biggest in India.

Museum: The government museum at Egmore is certainly should be on the agenda of any one visiting Chennai. It is one of the largest in Asia and 2^nd oldest museum in India.

Shore Temple, Mahabalipuram

Mahabalipuram: A 2hrs drive on the east coast road from Chennai is the famous Mahabalipuram. This is one of the UNESCO World heritage site and has got some of best sculptures of Pallava Kingdom. The Shore Temple, Krishna’s butter ball, 1000 pillar hall are some of the famous sculptures one should not miss on their trip to Mahabalipuram. The drive on the east coast road runs parallel to the Bay of Bengal is bliss especially the morning drive.

Chennai also gives one a unique shopping experience which houses some big shopping malls like Express Avenue, Spencers Plaza, Chennai City Center and also the more famous and crowded Ranganthan Street at T.Nagar and Pondy Bazar.

Chennai being a cosmopolitan city hosts a variety of cuisines. South Indian, North Indian, Chinese, Western, Italian are widely available in Chennai.

How to get going:

Chennai has got one of the best public transports in India. All the places said above are very well connected through the local Bus and Train services. Koyambedu Bus Terminus is the central bus terminus which houses all the moffusil busses and buses to most part of the city.

Autos: Chennai Autos are widely available at any part of the city and at any time. However, they are the most notorious and demand huge amount of money even for a distance of 1 to 2 KMs.

Call Taxis are also widely available across the city and is said to be safe given the amount of traffic in Chennai.

Chennai is best visited in the month of December to February as there will not be any rains and the weather will be relatively less hot. Also in December one can witness the Margazhi Music festival and dance festival.