Mysore is located in the foothills of the Chamundi Hills about 145.2 km (90 mi) towards the southwest of Bangalore and spread across an area of 152 km2 (59 sq mi). Mysore City Corporation is responsible for the civic administration of the city, which is also the headquarters of the Mysore district and the Mysore division.
It served as the capital city of the Kingdom of Mysore for nearly six centuries from 1399 until 1956. The Kingdom was ruled by the Wadiyar dynasty, with a brief period of interregnum in the late 18th century when Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan were in power. The Wadiyars were patrons of art and culture. Tipu Sultan and Hyder Ali also contributed significantly to the cultural and economic growth of the city and the state by planting mulberry trees introducing silk in the region and fighting 4 Anglo-Mysore wars against the British. The cultural ambiance and achievements of Mysore earned it the sobriquet Cultural Capital of Karnataka.
Etymology :
The name Mysore is an anglicized version of Mahishūru, which means the abode of Mahisha in the vernacular Kannada. The common noun Mahisha, in Sanskrit, means buffalo; in this context, however, Mahisha refers to Mahishasura, a mythical demon who could assume the form of both human and buffalo, who, according to Hindu mythology, ruled the ancient parts of the Mysore Kingdom, known in Sanskrit as Mahíšhaka, centered at Mahishapura. He was killed by the Goddess Chamundeshwari, whose temple is situated atop the Chamundi Hills, after whom it is named. 'Mahishapura' later became Mahisūru (a name which, even now, the royal family uses), and finally came to be anglicized as Mysore by the British and Maisūru/Mysuru in the vernacular Kannada language.
History :
The site where Mysore Palace now stands was occupied by a village named Puragere at the beginning of the 16th century. The Mahishūru Fort was constructed in 1524 by Chamaraja Wodeyar III (1513–1553), who passed on the dominion of Puragere to his son Chamaraja Wodeyar IV (1572–1576). Since the 16th century, the name of Mahishūru has commonly been used to denote the city. The Mysore Kingdom, governed by the Wodeyar family, initially served as a vassal state of the Vijayanagara Empire. With the decline of the Vijayanagara Empire after the Battle of Talikota in 1565, the Mysore Kingdom gradually achieved independence, and by the time of King Narasaraja Wodeyar (1637), it had become a sovereign state. Seringapatam (modern-day Srirangapatna), near Mysore, was the capital of the kingdom from 1610. The 17th century saw a steady expansion of its territory and, under Narasaraja Wodeyar I and Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar, the kingdom annexed large expanses of what is now southern Karnataka and parts of Tamil Nadu, to become a powerful state in the southern Deccan.
Geography :
Area and extent :
Mysore is located at 12.30°N 74.65°E and has an average altitude of 770 meters (2,526 ft). It is spread across an area of 128.42 km2 (50 sq mi)at the base of the Chamundi Hills in the southern region of Karnataka. Mysore is the southernmost city of Karnataka and is a neighboring city of the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the south, flanked by the state cities Mercara, Chamarajanagara, and Mandya. People in and around Mysore extensively use Kannada as a medium of language. Mysore has several lakes, such as the Kukkarahalli, the Karanji, and the Lingambudhi lakes. Mysore has The Biggest 'Walk-Through Aviary' called Karanji Lake in India. In 2001, total land area usage in Mysore city was 39.9% residential, 16.1% roads, 13.74% parks, and open spaces, 13.48% industrial, 8.96% public property, 3.02% commercial, 2.27% agriculture, and 2.02 water. The city is located between two rivers: the Kaveri River that flows through the north of the city and the Kabini River, a tributary of the Kaveri, that lies to the south.
Climate :
Mysore has a tropical savanna climate (Aw) bordering on a hot semi-arid climate (BSh) under the Köppen climate classification. The main seasons are Summer from March to May, the monsoon season from June to October, and winter from November to February. The highest temperature recorded in Mysore was 39.4 °C (103 °F) on 4 April 1917, and the lowest was 7.7 °C (46 °F) on 16 January 2012. The city's average annual rainfall is 798.6 mm (31.4 in).
Culture :
Mysore is well known for the festivities that take place during the period of Dasara; the state festival of Karnataka. The Dasara festivities, which are celebrated over a ten-day period, were first introduced by King Raja Wodeyar I in 1610. On the ninth day of Dasara, called Mahanavami, the royal sword is worshipped and is taken on a procession of decorated elephants, camels, and horses. On the tenth day, called Vijayadashami, the traditional Dasara procession (locally known as Jumbo Savari) is held on the streets of Mysore which usually falls in the month of September or October. The idol of the Goddess Chamundeshwari is placed on a golden mantapa on the back of a decorated elephant and taken on a procession, accompanied by tabla, dance groups, music bands, decorated elephants, horses, and camels. The procession starts from the Mysore Palace and culminates at a place called Bannimantapa, where the banni tree is worshipped. The Dasara festivities culminate on the night of Vijayadashami with a torchlight parade, known locally as Panjina Kavayatthu.
How To Reach :
1 . By Road :
Mysore is connected by National Highway NH-212 to the state border town of Gundlupet, where the road forks into the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. State Highway 17, which connects Mysore to Bangalore, was upgraded to a four-lane highway in 2006, reducing travel time between the two cities. A project was planned in 1994 to construct a new expressway to connect Bangalore and Mysore. After numerous legal hurdles, it remains unfinished as of 2012. State Highway 33 and National Highway 275 connect Mysore to H D Kote and Mangalore respectively. The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and other private agencies operate buses both within the city and between cities. A new division of KSRTC called Mysore City Transport Corporation (MCTC) has been proposed. Within the city, buses are cheap and popular means of transport, auto-rickshaws are also available and tongas (horse-drawn carriages) are popular with tourists. Mysore also has a 42.5-kilometer (26.4 mi) long ring road that is being upgraded to six lanes by the MUDA. Mysore has implemented an Intelligent Transport System (ITS) to manage its city buses and ferrying commuters.
2 . By Train :
Mysore railway station has three lines, connecting it to Bengaluru, Mangalore, and Chamarajanagar. The first railway line established in the city was the Bengaluru–Mysuru Junction meter gauge line, which was commissioned in 1882. Railway lines that connect the city to Chamarajanagar and Mangalore are unelectrified single track and the track that connects to Bengaluru is electrified double track. Mysore Railway Junction comes under the jurisdiction of the South Western Railway Zone. Within the city limits of Mysuru, there are two small stations in the line which connects Chamarajanagara. They are Ashokpuram and Chamarajapuram. Trains run from Mysore Junction to Bangalore railway station every ten minutes. The fastest train to serve the city is the Shatabdi Express.
3 . By Air :
Mysore Airport is a domestic airport and is located about 10 km (6 mi) south of the center of the city. It was built by the kings of Mysuru in the early 1940s. The nearest International airport is Kannur International Airport in Kannur which lies about 168 km (104 mi) away from Mysuru city.