Mysore - The Royal city famous for silk and sandalwood
. Wodeyars ruled Mysore state from 1399 until the independence of India in 1947.
The main tourist attractions in the city are Mysore Palace,
St Philomena's church, Sri JayaChamarajendra Art Gallery, Clock tower, Sri Chamarajendra Zoological garden, Chamundi hills & Nandi statue (13 km), the Lalitha Mahal palace, Rail museum, Srirangapatna and the Brindavan gardens.
St Philomena's church : Presently St Joseph's cathedral, St Philomena's church Mysore, is one of the highest Gothic churches (55 m) in India. It is 3 km from the city. The cross shaped church was designed by Dally, a French similar to Germany's Cologne cathedral. It has high vaulted ceiling. The church can accommodate 800 people and having French stained glass windows depicting scenes from the birth of Christ, the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection and the Ascension of Christ.
The church has an underground chamber below the main marble altar having a sleeping posture statue of St. Philomena from France, as well as a relic of the saint obtained from Peter Pisani, Apostolic Delegate of the East Indies in 1926. The relic is preserved at the centre of a beautiful shield. There is also a statue of Christ which lies beyond the altar.
Annual feast is on 11 August. No inside photography. There is daily Masses in English, Kannada and Tamil. The church is open from 5 am to 6.30 pm.
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Saint Philomena is a saint and martyr of the Roman Catholic Church. She is said to have been a young Greek princess martyred in the 4th century. The remains of a teenage girl no older than 14 were discovered on May 24, 1802 in the Catacombs of Saint Priscilla at the Via Salaria in Rome.
Mysore Palace will be lighted from 7 to 8 pm on Sundays. The palace was commissioned in 1897, and its construction was completed in 1912. It was designed by Henry Irwin, a British architect. The palace has majestic stained glass Royal wedding hall, Silver doors and cannons. Palace is a three storied stone structure, with marble domes and a 145 ft five-storied tower. The palace is surrounded by a large garden.
Palace is the venue for the famous Mysore
Dasara festival, during which leading artists perform on a stage set up in the palace grounds. On the tenth day of the festival Vijaya Dashami, a parade with caparisoned elephants and other floats originate from the palace grounds. It is celebrated in September / October.
The festival celebrates and commemorates the victory of the great goddess Durga (Chamundeshwari), after she slew the demon, Mahishasura, and thereby, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil according to Hindu mythology. Palace is illuminated with more than 10,000 lights during the Dasara festival.
Ambavilasa or Diwan e Khas : This was used by the king for private audience and is one of the most spectacular rooms. Entry to this opulent hall is through an elegantly carved rosewood doorway inlaid with ivory that opens into a shrine to Ganesha. The central nave of the hall has ornately gilded columns, stained glass ceilings, decorative steel grills, and chandeliers with fine floral motifs, mirrored in the pietra dura mosaic floor embellished with semi-precious stones.
Gombe Thotti (Doll’s Pavilion) : Entry to the palace is through the Gombe Thotti or the Doll’s Pavilion, a gallery of
traditional dolls from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The pavilion also houses a fine collection of Indian and European sculpture and ceremonial objects like a wooden elephant howdah (frame to carry passengers) decorated with 84 kilograms of gold.
Kalyana Mantapa : The Kalyana Mantapa or marriage hall is a grand octagonal-shaped pavilion with a multi-hued
stained glass ceiling with peacock motifs arranged in geometrical patterns. The entire structure was wrought in Glasgow, Scotland. The floor of the Mantapa continues the peacock theme with a peacock mosaic, designed with tiles from England. Oil paintings, illustrating the royal procession and Dasara celebrations of bygone years, make the walls more splendid.
The palace complex includes twelve Hindu temples. The oldest of these was built in the 14th century, while the most recent was built in 1953. Main temples are Someshvara Temple, dedicated to God Lord Shiva and Lakshmiramana Temple, dedicated to God Lord Vishnu.
The palace armoury collection is of different types of arms used by the members of the royal family, which includes lances, cutlasses, pistols, etc.
Entry is from 10 am to 5 pm with a fee of Rs 20 (Rs 200 for foreigners). No photography inside the Palace. Maharaja's residential museum is in the same compund. Entry Rs 20 with no photography.
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