Mysore at A glance

Mysore (Kannada: Maisuru) is the second largest city in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the headquarters of the Mysore district and the Mysore division and lies about 146 km (91 mi) southwest of Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka. The name Mysore is an anglicized version of Mahishūru, which means the abode of Mahisha. Mahisha stands for Mahishasura, a demon from the Hindu mythology. The city is spread across an area of 128.42 km2 (50 sq mi) and is situated at the base of the Chamundi Hills.

Mysore is famous for the festivities that take place during the Dasara festival when the city receives a large number of tourists. Mysore also lends its name to the Mysore mallige, Mysore style of painting, the sweet dish Mysore Pak, Mysore Peta (traditional silk turban) and the garment called the Mysore silk saree.
Until 1947, Mysore was the capital of the Kingdom of Mysore which was ruled by the Wodeyar dynasty, except for a brief period in the late 18th century when Haidar Ali and Tipu Sultan took power. The Wodeyars were patrons of art and culture and have contributed significantly to the cultural growth of the city, which has led to Mysore earning the sobriquet Cultural capital of Karnataka.

According to Hindu mythology, the area around Mysore was known as Mahishūru and was ruled by a demon, Mahishasura.[2] The demon was killed by the Goddess Chamundeshwari, whose temple is situated atop the Chamundi Hills. Mahishūru later became Mahisūru and finally came to be called Maisūru, its present name in the Kannada language. The anglicised form of the name is Mysore. In December 2005, the Government of Karnataka announced its intention to change the English name of the city to Mysuru. This has been approved by the Government of India but the necessary formalities to incorporate the name change are yet to be completed.

Statue of the demon Mahishasura atop the Chamundi HillsThe region where Mysore city stands now was known as Puragere till the 15th century. The Mahishūru Fort was constructed in 1524 by Chamaraja Wodeyar III (1513–1553), who later passed on the dominion of Puragere to his son Chamaraja Wodeyar IV (1572–1576). Since the 16th century, the name of Mahishūru (later Mysore and changed again to Mysuru by the Government of Karnataka on November 1 2007) has been commonly used to denote the city. During the rule of the Vijayanagara Empire, the Mysore Kingdom under Wodeyars, served as a feudatory. Mysore was the center of the Wodeyar administration till 1610 when Raja Wodeyar ousted the Vijayanagara governor at nearby Srirangapatna and made it his capital. With the demise of the Vijayanagara Empire in 1565, the Mysore Kingdom gradually achieved independence and became a sovereign state by the time of King Narasaraja Wodeyar (1637). When the kingdom came under the rule of Tipu Sultan, he demolished much of Mysore town to remove any traces of the Wodeyar rule. After Tipu Sultan's death in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War in 1799, the capital of the kingdom was moved back to Mysore. The administration was looked after by Diwan Purnaiah, since the Wodeyar king Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar was a minor. Purnaiah is credited to have been responsible for many improvements in the Mysore city, mainly in relation to public works. In 1831, Mysore lost its status as the administrative centre of the kingdom when Mark Cubbon, the British commissioner, moved the capital to Bangalore. However it regained this status in 1881, when the British handed the power back to the Wodeyars. The city remained the capital of the Wodeyars till 1947 with Mysore Palace as the centre of administration.


Entrance to the Ambavilas Palace, commonly known as Mysore PalaceThe Mysore municipality was established in 1888 and the city was divided into 8 wards. In 1897, an outbreak of bubonic plague killed nearly half of the population of the city. With the establishment of the City Improvement Trust Board (CITB) in 1903, Mysore became one of the first cities in Asia to undertake a planned development of the city. When the Quit India Movement was launched in the early 1940s, Mysore city also played a part in it. Leaders of the independence movement like H. C. Dasappa and Sahukar Channayya were at the forefront during the agitations. The Maharaja's College hostel was the nerve centre from where the movement was controlled in the Mysore district and the Subbarayana Kere ground was an important location for public demonstrations.

After the Indian independence, Mysore city remained as a part of the Mysore State under India. Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar, the then king of Mysore, was allowed to retain his titles and was nominated as the Rajapramukh of the state. He died in September 1974 and was cremated in Mysore city. Over the years, Mysore has become well known as a centre for tourism and the city has remained largely peaceful, except for occasional riots related to the Kaveri river water dispute.

How to reach CIIL, Mysore

A. Bangalore to Mysore:

I. Airport: Bangalore International Airport Ltd is approximately 40 Km from Bangalore City Junction and the Majestic Bus Stand. Given Below are the options you can take to reach CIIL.

1. If you are arriving in a group, you can hire a prepaid cab from BIAL (Bangalore          Airport) to CIIL, Mysore. Approximate cost would be INR 2000 – 2500.
2. If you are in a group, you can also hire a Prepaid Cab from BIAL to Bangalore City Junction railway Station or the Majestic Bus stand. The above mentioned Station & the Bus stand are on the either side of the main Road, i.e., close to each other. How to proceed further has been mentioned below in II & III.
3. Or you could take Volvo Bus services (AC) from the Airport (BIAL) to the Bangalore City Junction railway Station or the Majestic Bus stand. Bus no BIAL 9 is available every 20- 30 minutes from the Airport. How to proceed further has been mentioned below in II & III.

II. Railway Station: Bangalore City Junction is the Central Station of Bangalore city. There is multiple numbers of trains to the Mysore from Bangalore. Most of the express trains have 3 tier AC & 2 tier AC sleeper coaches and non AC 3 tier sleeper coaches. Airconditioned Chair car are available some trains. Passenger Trains are available with non AC seating.
 

Please refer the Indian railways website http://www.indianrail.gov.in/inet_metro_trns.html for additional information before booking the tickets.


III. Bus service: Majestic Bus Stand is the major Bus Station of the city and is placed right opposite the Bangalore City Junction railway station. Given below are the options you have ;

1. There are Volvo AC buses every 30 Minutes to Mysore Bus stand. The bus service is named IRAVATA. It takes about 3hrs to reach.
2. There are AC express Busses from the stand to Mysore - Sheetal service. Approximate time to reach is three and half hrs
3. There are also super deluxe busses which are non AC to Mysore. Approximate time to reach is three and half hrs.

B. Mysore Station / Bus Stand to CIIL, Mysore:

1. At Station or the Bus Stand, please approach the Pre-Paid auto counters only.
2. Please mention the Stop as "BM Hospital". The CIIL is right opposite the Hospital, on the other side of the road. Approximate auto charge would be INR 40.
 

Note:

1. For those who reach Bangalore on 1st evening/ 2nd early morning and are interested in sightseeing, can contact the tourist counters at the Airport or the Station or the Bus stand. There you can rent taxis/ public busses for the sightseeing from Bangalore to Mysore. Please make sure that the drop should be at Mysore Stand after visiting Vrindavan Gardens.

2. In case of any enquiry related to travel advice, please contact :
Dr. Y Sridhar Reddy,
Coordinator for the festival,
CIIL, Mysore.
#91-0821-2345096


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