Mysore--To the Market and the Maharaja Palace

K: Yesterday we traveled to the historic city of Mysore from Bangalore, a 90-mile journey. It took at least an hour and a 1/2 to travel through the sprawling city of Bangalore (8.5 million people) and another 2 hours due to irritating speed bumps every quarter to half mile. I am not convinced the speed bumps do much to slow the madness of the traffic.

Mysore owes its name to the mythical Mahisuru, a place where the demon Mahisasura was slain by the goddess Chamundi. Mysore is also known as the city of palaces. I believe there are 17 palaces but only the grandest is open to the public. The Maharaja's Palace is truly stunning with its Indo-Victorian architecture.

Today was a full day of sightseeing--the palace, the market, the monks, the monkeys, the statues, the sculptures, the stores. And when we came upon a golf course, I just had to snap a photo of a golfer in action.


V: Mysore was a marvelous stop for us. The Maharaja's Palace is, I think, more splendid and glorious than Versailles in France. The open rooms, beautiful glass and woodwork and paintings were inspiring. It lacks the garden grounds of Versailles, but I love much more the open feel to the palace, the flow from one grand hall to the next. Of course, we could only take photos of the outside of the palace.

And thanks to Morgan, our fine driver, for showing us the heart and soul of the Mysore market. Colorful pyramids of fragrant spices, cartons of fresh vegetables and high piles of fruits made us wish we had a kitchen to cook in!
How I wish we had more fresh, open-air markets in the USA, instead of supermarkets!

Mysore was indeed much more than I anticipated. It was an excellent place to experience.

Oh, see that little black elephant rosewood sculpture? If all goes well, it'll be shipped to Philly, and stand in the living room, as a fine memento of Indian travels!