The Fragrant Sandalwood City :
Located 770m above sea level and 140 Kms from Bangalore, Mysore, the
imperial city, was the erstwhile capital of the Wodeyars. Also known as the
city of Palaces, Mysore has never failed to mesmerise the tourists with its
quaint charm, rich heritage, magnificent palaces, beautifully laid-out
gardens, imposing buildings, broad shady avenues and sacred temples.
Mysore is the erstwhile capital of Wodeyars, the rulers of Mysore State.
The Wodeyar family ruled Mysore since 14th century except for a short period
of 40 years when Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan were the rulers. Today Mysore is
one of the major cities of Karnataka. Mysore has emerged as a thriving
market for exotic sandalwood & incense, the Mysore silk sarees and
stone-carved sculptures.
Mysore is certainly a charming, old-fashioned and undaunting town dominated
by the spectacular Maharaja's Palace, around which the boulevards of the
city radiate. Nearby is the city centre with the colourful and frenetic
Devaraja Market is inviting a stroll.
On
the outskirts of Mysore, Srirangapatnam still harbours architectural gems
from the days of the great Indian hero, Tipu Sultan, and the magnificent
Hoysala temple of Somnathpur lies little more than an hour's drive away.
Legend :
In the tenth century Mysore was known as "Mahishur", the town
where the buffalo-demon Mahishashur was slain by the goddess Durga. The word
Mysore expands to "Mahishasurana Ooru", which means the town of
Mahishasura. It is believed that during one of the wars between devils and
demons on the one hand and gods and goddesses on the other, the demon
Mahishasur (Mahishur) overpowered the gods.
The goddess on seeing this, incarnated as the fireceful Chamundi or
Chamundeshwari and consequently, Mahishasura was killed by Her atop the
Chamundi Hill near Mysore. Ever since, the Mysore royal family has
worshipped Chamundeshwari as the palace deity. Hills dedicated to Her stand
at the eastern end of Mysore town to this day.
