About Mysore
The city of Mysore is aptly called the "Sandalwood City". As the visitor enters this city of gardens and avenues of flowering trees, he is greeted by aromas of sandalwood,rose,jasmine and other fragrance. It stands by a hill named after the Goddess Chamundi.
Mysore is quiet and placid unlike the industrial and cosmopolitan capital city of Bangalore. The aura of grandeur and royalty is still there in Mysore,the official capital of the erstwhile Maharajas. Wherever you are in Mysore, you find the reflection of the lavish ways of the former royal rulers. Every edifice stands with a palatial touch - be it the city railway station or a government office or any institution. Buildings with vaulting archways and majestic domes are a common sight in Mysore.
The best time to visit Mysore is during Dasara (September-October). The Dasara time is one of great splendor and magnificence. The entire city wears a bright new look for 10 days, bathed in light, joy and colour. On the tenth day (Vijaya Dashami),the former Maharaja leads a procession through the streets of the city, seated in a golden howda on an elephant, headed by camels and accompanied by caparisoned elephants, horses, palanquins, silvercoaches and standard-bearers with silken banners. After sunset, a review is held at the Bannimantap Maidan amidst a blaze of lights. For Mysoreans Dasara is both a royal as well as a religious festival.
Sandalwood oil, agarbathis and incenses manufactured in Mysore are exported all over the world. There are innumerable craft centers dealing in a wide range of ivory, sandalwood, rosewood and teak carvings and furniture.
