Mysore is located at 770 m above sea level and 135 km from Bangalore at 12.18N and 76.42E. One of the best (some would say worst) times to visit Mysore is during the annual nine-night, ten-day Dusseraor Dasara Navaratri festival, which usually occurs in early October.

Mysore is also called the City of Palaces, as there are many palaces situated in the city. A few of them are:

• The main Mysore Palace.
  
• Rajendra Vilas (also called the summer palace situated on top of the Chamundi hills).
  
• Jaganmohana Palace.
  
• Jayalakshmi Vilas (now in the University of Mysore premises).
  
• Lalitha Mahal (now converted to a hotel).
  

Even though the Government of Karnataka is now looking after the Mysore palace, a small portion of the palace has been given to the Royal family to live in.

Attractions

• The Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens known popularly as Mysore Zoo.
  
• The Chamundeswari Temple and Nandi the Bull (on the Chamundi Hills).
  
• The Natural History Museum (adjoins Karanji Lake).
  
• The Railway Museum.
  
• Kalamandira (Rangayana adjoins Kalamandira).
  
• Kukkarahalli Lake.
  
• Pushpakaashi (Flower garden).
  
• Manasagangotri (Mysore University campus).
  
• Karanji Lake.
  
• Mysore Silk Factory.
  
• St. Philomena's Church.
  
• Rangayana
  

History

Mysore is believed to have been established sometime in the eleventh century, and became the capital of a small kingdom around 1400 , which was a tributary of the Vijayanagara empire until its fall in 1565 . Shortly thereafter the Wodeyar family took control of the kingdom. From the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries, the Woyedar capital alternated between Srirangapattana(Seringapatam) and Mysore. The Kingdom of Mysore grew to include most of the southern part of modern-day Karnataka. After the defeat of Tipu Sultan of Mysore in 1799 the British installed his nephew on the throne, and Mysore became a princely state in British India , and the capital was moved to Bangalore after 1834 . The kingdom was acceded to India after its independence in 1947 , and became Mysore state in 1950 , which was later enlarged and its name changed to Karnataka.

Festivals

Dasara festival celebrations are held in Mysore in great pomp and splendour, The festival is marked by religious and cultural events including a procession, music concerts (classical), lighting of the palace lights, lights on Chamundi hills and a exhibition (fair).

Nearby Places

• Srirangapattana (Seringapatam), an island fortress-city that also served as the capital of the Kingdom of Mysore.
  
• Karigatta (hill which is located near srirangapattana ).
  
• The Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) dam across the Kaveri river and the adjoining Brindavan Gardens.
  
• The Nilgiri Hills.
  
• Bandipur National Park.
  
• Madumalai Forest.
  
• Nagarhole National Park.
  
• Rangantittu Bird Sanctuary.
  
• Kabini River Resort: rated among the top five wildlife resorts in the world by Tatler's Travel Guide.
  
• Somnathpur is an ancient temple town having a temple of historical & archeological importance.
  
• Balamuri and Edamuri (back waters of river kaveri).
  
• Himavad Gopalaswamy hill.
  
• Biligirirangana Betta (Hill).
  
• Kunthi hill.
  
• Melukote.
  

Educational and Research Institutions

• University
  
• University of Mysore.
  
• Karnatak Open University.
  
• Central Research Institutes
  
• Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI )
  
• Defense Food Research Laboratory (DFRL)
  
• Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL)
  
• Rare Materials Project (RMP)
  
• Engineering Colleges
  
• Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering (SJCE)
  
• National Institute of Engineering (NIE).
  
• Vidya Vikasa Engineering Institute of Technology (VVIT)
  
• Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering (VVCE)
  
• Medical Colleges
  
• Mysore Medical College
  
• JSS Medical College
  
• Dental Colleges
  
• JSS Dental College
  
• Farooquia Dental College
  
• Pharmacy Colleges
  
• JSS College of Pharmacy
  
• Farooquia College of Pharmacy
  
• Law Colleges
  
• JSS Law College
  
• Vidyavardhaka Law College
  
• Sharada Vilas Law College
  
• Arts, Commerce and Science Colleges
  
• Maharaja's College
  
• Maharani's College
  
• Yuvaraja's College
  
• Mahajana college
  
• Marimallappa's College
  
• JSS College
  
• Regional College of Education
  

Access

• Rail: Mysore is the rail junction for the district, and rail lines connect Mysore to Bangalore to the northeast via Mandya , to Tamil Nadu to the east, and to the rail junction at Hassan to the northwest, to Chamarajanagar via Nanjangud to the south east.

• Air: Now defunct, the Mandkalli Airport is situated at around 4 miles from the city. The nearest accessible airport is thus at Bangalore.
  

Inter City Transportation

A bus service connects areas within the city and adjoining villages.

Mysore District

Mysore District is bounded by Mandya district to the northeast, Chamrajnagar district to the southeast, Kerala state to the south, Kodagu district to the west, and Hassan district to the north. It has an area of 6,268 sq km, and a population of 2,624,911 (2001 census), an increase of 15.04% from 1991.

Mysore District lies on the undulating table land of the southern Deccan plateau, within the watershed of the Kaveri River , which flows through the northwestern and eastern parts of the district. The Krishna Raja Sagar Reservoir, which was formed by building a dam across the Kaveri, lies on the northern edge of the district. Bandipur National Park is located in Mysore District, and Nagarhole National Park lies partly in Mysore district and partly in adjacent Kodagu District.