Mysore/Mysuru is the cultural capital of Karnataka state in India, and I am from the cultural capital of Kerala, Thrissur (had to mention the similarities!). It is the little things in a new place that makes you feel the city, the vibes it provides. My stay in Mysore was almost for a month and this blog is about the first impressions of those little things that made the Mysore experience for me.
The first thing noticeable in Mysore is the clean city with wide roads and with a green canopy. Most roads have trees on both sides. And when I say roads are wide here, at least compared to other cities in India, Mysore has really wide roads. I can’t stress enough on this I guess. However, the driving is as crazy as in any other Indian city.
Most of the roundabouts here are decorated with plants and a statue in the middle is a common sight. You are to come across many of them driving around the city.
From what I have experienced, Mysore has a very conservative lifestyle. It is a family-oriented lifestyle which is mostly based on strong religious values too. Mysore has a good mixture of religious Hindu and Muslim population. And this can be very evident from the clothing, religious institutes, “kolam”s and many other tiny things that will catch your attention.
There are "Kolam"s drawn permanently (with paint) in front of some houses, which is are normally drawn fresh every day with rice flour otherwise.
It is not a good choice to go outside at night, being a female especially. Me and my friend had a not-so-good experience coming back late, not so late though. Guys passing comments, weird stares and following our two-wheeler became something normal after a point. This was not a pleasant experience of Mysore though.
In general, people are really nice and helpful. To reach some famous tourist attractions, you’ll have to take roads that go through the rural area. There you can find a very different lifestyle. The people are really friendly there. Milking cows on the roadside and drying crops on the roadside are few of the common sites in the villages.
The whole city is planned in such a way that there no unused space. The houses here are built close to each other. When I say close, I mean some houses don’t even have outer walls, like the walls of houses are attached. This is not so normal to me at least.
And it is not the case with just houses. Shops, streets, and every other area has the same structuring. But they do have spacious and green public parks, a lot of them.
Mysore has many restaurants around which provide different cuisine. One restaurant chain that I found at different places is "Pearl restaurant". They have many options in chicken dishes. There are many Arabic food outlets too in Mysore, many of them were open from the evening though.
Mysore has an active evening street food culture and Gobi Manchurian seem to be a star food here, which is basically cauliflower. Another interesting thing I found in Mysore is they put the carrot in Pani Puri. Yup, I was a little bit offended to see that but it is just one different option available here.
Mysore having many farmers and food growers around the city provides fresh vegetables and fruits to the market. You can get fruits and vegetables at a cheaper price than in other cities. The fresh fruit juices can get as cheap as 20 or 15 INR. Not to forget the sugar cane juice and tender coconuts available around most corners.
Dry fruits also seem to have a lower price in Mysore, though you have to find the right place to shop.
You need to have a helmet on even if you are sitting at the back of a two-wheeler. This is different than the other states in India. But, in Karnataka helmet is mandatory for both rider and passenger.
The main public transportation in Mysore is bus service. There is good bus connectivity to most of the places. However, the boards on the buses read in Kannada which is a little difficult if you don’t know the language. You can always check the bus number to catch the right bus. Since I didn’t use bus service in Mysore I am not able to comment on that. This site can be of help tracking the buses, I hope.
The rental services like Drivezy and Zoom cars are available for two wheeler and four wheeler rentals, and are the best ways to get around the city. Both these services are accessible online and that makes life much easier.
There are OLA and Uber services which makes your life easier. Unfortunately, OLA drivers tend to cancel on you most of the time. Have no idea why but we had few incidents where the driver just canceled at the last moment.
There are many local markets in Mysore where you can buy locally produced items. Mysore being famous for Sandalwood have a variety of products based on sandalwood and sandalwood oil. Silk Sarees and incense sticks are also famous in Mysore markets.
One thing to keep in mind before going for shopping is that plastic carry bags are banned in Mysore (the whole of Karnataka state actually). So, carry a shopper bag or else shops provide paper and cloth bags.
"Loyal world" and "More" are the chains that you can find in most of the places in Mysore of you're looking for grocery or stationary supermarkets. There are three malls in Mysore if you're looking for a particular brand. Forum mall, Mall of Mysore and Garuda Mall, though Garuda mall seems to be open just for the PVR.
Mysore is a major tourist attraction in the state of Karnataka. Starting with Mysore palace, there are many beautiful architectures to be visited in Mysore. Even the normal temples on the roadside are filled with carvings and sculptures.
The main attractions of Mysore are the Mysore Palace, Brindavan garden, horse rides through the city, lakes, bird sanctuaries and so on. The importance given to different art forms is also reflected with various performances organized in Mysore.
Mysore has many gardens. One of the famous ones is the Brindavan garden and there are many others you get to see if you roam around the city. Not just gardens, there are parks attached to these gardens too.
And in the parks, there are facilities to exercise too. They are accessible to the public and visitors which makes these parks a perfect place to work out or just go for a jog.
There are many who come to Mysore just t attend the yoga classes, majorly those who are aspiring yoga teachers. Ashtanga yoga class in Mysore is one of the famous institutes. The yoga classes also add to the tourism industry in Mysore.
Mysore as a city is safe to travel but not at night. And by night I mean around 7 or 8 PM. Do not recommend solo trips after this time. There are a few reasons for it. The guys following our two-wheeler, stares, comments and such things was not a fun experience. Maybe this is different in different parts of the city, but the places we have been to all had a similar experience.
But, don’t make this scare you. Mysore receives a lot of tourists and I am sure there must be something to about this.
Weather in Mysore was really pleasant, I spent most of my days in January here. It gets during the day time and cools down by the evening. The mornings were cold, at least to my highly cold sensitive body. Highly recommend carrying a jacket and blanket if you are visiting in winter months.
Mysore is a great place to visit for its tourist attractions, nature, and yoga classes. It is a calm and clean city that is best suited to get away from a busy life. These are my first impressions of Mysore. In the coming blogs, you can read more about the places I could visit in Mysore.
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