The Royal City of Mysore

February 26, 2010

It was a wonderful weather when we reached the city of Mysore in Karnataka state of South India. The city wore a somber and sleepy look at thirty past six in the morning. The pavement vendors and hawkers were busy selling mysore mallige jasmines. Yeshtu beku.. mulaana..maara..? How much you want, a foot or meter length of flower chain? Though it was only a week ago that the city’s grand event of Dussera festival was over, the pomp and fervor didn’t appear to have decreased in any way.  We traced the address of my cousin Suresh who works in CFTRI, a premier food research institute. It was a home far away from home when we reached his house. After a decade and half we made it again. The tour schedule was immediately sketched and not a minute was wasted. We planned to cover the farthest places in the first leg. Shravanabelagola, Hassan, Halaybeedu, Belur, Nanjangud, Chamundi hills, Lalitha Mahal, Krishnaraja sagar, Srirangapatna, Wodiyar Palace, Zoo, were listed out. For elders, Shravanabelagola hill would be challenging to climb on small frictionless steps and due to the risk of slippery path, the visit to the abode of Gomateshwar was dropped. Suresh took me around the massive corridors and through well maintained lawns of the Cheluvamba Mansion palace that houses the CFTRI.

Got ready by six the next morning and started the journey towards Hassan district. Suresh and his wife Vatsala were courteous and looked after us with hospitality. Our first destination was Halaibeedu, a historic town once ruled by King Vishnuvardhana of Hoyasala dynasty. The Archaeological Survey of India has declared the structures as heritage monuments. All temple structures resembled hindu and jain architecture, proving that it was a time around 12^th century that Jainism flourished. The sculptures are so intricate and designs endlessly run along the outer walls of the temple. It is hearsay that since all sculptures resembled live models, they began to speak. To stop it, the sculptors themselves had mutilated the sculptures. This was evident in all portions of the temple. Other version goes that the mutilation was deliberately done during the Mughal invasion. Lord Hoyalsaleshwara seated inside is the mute witness. Whatever it is, the outcome of those pieces are really amazing in the computer era.

The pillars, roof carvings, windows and majestic mammoth Nandi bull are carved and chiseled to perfection on a decagon model platform on which the structures are seated. An awesome visual treat to the absolute! All sculptures had numerous mythological incarnations of Vishnu, Shiva, Mahishasura-marthini, Dasavatharam, vocal concerts, court dancers, music festival, battle field, taming of animals and up to latest inventions like scooter and space astronauts. A close-up of the sculptures would reveal the nuances of the art and the pains-taken efforts of the stone craftsman. Imagine what type of tools they should have used for intricate carvings. Visually we were taken back to the ancient period. Soon Vatsala alerted time ayuthu, begara banni. Time up, please make it fast. With our souls on the lawns of Halaibeedu, we had to move.

Hotel Vishnu served a decent lunch to Indians and foreigners. Our next stop was Belur. This is a pilgrim town and has an ancient vaishanavite temple of Lord Chennakesava Perumal and his consort Goddess Mahalakshmi. The total structure on a massive land is almost a replica of the Halaibeedu. The temple tower or gopura is aesthetically south Indian. The prasada or holy food was so delicious.

In the evening we headed to Krishnaraja sagar Dam. The evening crowd was unusual at the entry point and went unregulated. At night, the Brindavan garden was impressive with spectacular flowers, color fountains, musical dancing fountain, and boating. We had a visual treat and merged with the oneness of the colors of nature. The mega dam built by Sir Vishwevaraya stands testimony to the engineering marvel. Being a voracious shutterbug, I went on clicking the shots. When I rested on the lawns with satisfaction of having covered all, the colors and fountain lights went off at 8 PM, signaling the visitors to leave. With surveillance cameras viewing around, the police whistled and vacated the remaining people. The cool breeze that brushed my eardrum gave a jerky feel of autumn. With a grand sumptuous dinner at Hotel Orchid, we packed off for the day. I was busy showing and replaying the snaps and videos shot.

At morning, the breakfast menu had pongal, dosa and vada with Mysore sambar and chutney. With fairly filled stomach, we drove to Nimishamba temple in Srirangapatna town. The river Cauvery plying through the temple ghat tempted me for a dip. The bamboo coracle attracted tourists was a short ride. Goddess Nimishamba was divinely seated with generous look to save devotees who surrender at her feet. The local farmers assembled near the river to sell their farm produce of fresh vegetables and fruits.

In the return phase, we took a leisurely visit to Daria Daulat summer palace of Tipu Sultan. The palace exhibited various personal belongings used by the Tiger of Mysore like royal robes, weapons, furniture, ornaments, armoury, minted coins, sketches of his sons, wall paintings of battle scene etc. The palace garden was so peaceful and stood remote from the Bangalore-Mysore highway. The official palace of Tipu was cordoned within a fence and what remained were few scattered granite slabs of the erstwhile palace. Interestingly, some few feet away, the birth house of his foe, Krishnaraja Wodeyar (1794 AD) stands in excellent condition as if built yesterday. The drive road ahead leads to the famous temple of Lord Sri Ranganatha. The history recorded that Tipu, a Muslim, was an ardent devotee and has donated grants to this temple. His palace stood at the vicinity of the Hindu temple. The one that struck me while returning was a tablet that said ‘The body of Tipu Sultan was found here’. The Gumbaz houses all the graves and tombs of the royal family members of Tipu. With a sad note we pushed out of the fort town area for the next destination.

The Chamundi Hill and the tall tower with glowing golden kalasams was photographers delight. I was little upset when rain clouds appeared but soon it was swept away allowing the yellow rays of sun to bathe the glory. On the return journey down hill, the dotted houses and paddy fields engulfed the thoughts of joy. Lalith Mahal was clearly visible at a distance though it had to be reached on another route. The royal vignettes were meticulously captured in my digital camera and checked often.

The final round that evening was to the Mysore palace, Amba Vilasa. The grandeur of a century old lavishly built palace (1897-1912, British architect) is well maintained. The present scion and descendents of the family live at the private portion of the palace on the rear side. The shimmering structure and domes were elegantly decorated with electric bulbs. The golden glow of the palace in radiance was simply superb. The inner palace is decorated with wall paintings done by Raja Ravi Verma and the grand connoisseur is the gems studded gold throne of the erstwhile maharajah at the Durbar hall. We missed the ‘Dussera’ royal procession at the palace grounds.

We wondered at the royal houses that bustled a few centuries ago. A glimpse into the history of Mysore is really mind blowing and rocking. We have a lot more to explore next time at the right season.

By road: Buses are frequently available from Bangalore, Chennai, Mangalore, Coimbatore and Erode.

====== Photos and article by author S.Chandrasekar, Email: chandruselva@yahoo.com