Places of interest at Short Distance from Mysore
   

Mysore Palace
St.Philomena Church
Chamundi Hill Temple
Lalitha Mahal Palace
Chamarajendra Art Gallery
Folklore Museum
Railway Museum
Brindavan Garden
Mysore Zoo
CFTRI
Other Tourist Places

Bandipur Game Sanctuary

Bandipur Game Sanctuary

Situated at a distance of about 80 km from south of Mysore by road on the Mysore-Ooty road, at an altitude of about 1025 metres above sea level. Buses ply to this place from Mysore and Ooty. It has a rich variety of wild life, such as elephant, bison, sambhar, spotted deer, panthers, tigers, bears, peacocks, leopards, etc. Artificial salt licks are maintained at various places in the sanctuary where it is possible to watch the animals. Riding elephants and trucks are stationed here by Government for use of visitors to go round the sanctuary. There are Forest Lodges for reservation for which the Field Director, Project Tiger, Government House Complex, Irwin Road, Mysore (Ph. 2480901) may be contacted.

General Information of Belur and Halebid

General Information of Belur and Halebid

The sheer intricacy of the workmanship on the windows, pillars and entire stone facades in the town of Bhaktapur, Patan and Kathmandu, is unimaginable. The stone carvings on the temples of Belur and Halebid left me breathless as well. Square foot after square foot of stone was covered in the figures of the most amazing grace.

About 150 km from Mysore, the construction of this temple began even before the temple at Belur, but it could not be completed even after 80 years of construction. The twin Shiva temples with their common platform and garbhagrihas, one beside the other, have a common broad navranga. One of them houses the Vishnuvardhana Hoysaleshwara Linga and the other the Shanthaleshwara Linga. Both temples are complete with a main sanctuary, chambers, a colonnaded hal facing a pavilion that holds the seated figure of the sacred Nandi Bull. What surprised me most was that the grounds of the temple, with its 12 and 13th century sculpture, including Lord Ganesha and Nandi, are a varitable archaeological museum. Some of the most renowned carvings and friezes include the Bhishma Pitamah on a bed of arrows, Lord Rama hunting down the golden deer and Lord Krishna with his flute. The outer walls too are covered with artistic work of the highest quality.

Most of these have been carved out of a single block of stone. I spotted many halfdone panels - just the outlines chiselled on the stone - next to the completed ones. The artisans apperently droppred their tools when they heard of the impending invasions and fled.

Belur and Halebid

Belur and Halebid

155 km from Mysore, Belur is famous for the Hoysala temples of the 12th Century. Sri Channakeshava temple, built in 117 AD with fine bracket figures carved in stone, attracts a large number of visitors. 16 km from Belur is Halebid. The exquisite carvings of the temple here are the main attraction to the visitor.
In Belur, there is a Tourist Pavilion. For reservation, the Executive Engineer, P.W.D., Hassan, may be contacted. For reservation of Travellers Lodge (Class I), the Reservation Manager, India Tourism Development Corporation, Hassan, may be contacted. In Halebid there is a Class II Travellers Bangalow. For reservation, the Assistant Engineer, P.W.D., Halebid, may be contacted.

Biligiri Rangana Hill

Biligiri Rangana Hill

Situated about 120 km from Mysore City via Chamarajanagar, the Hills (highest point is 5091 feet above sea level), are thickly wooded. Elephants, bison, deer, sambar, etc can be found in the BRT wild sanctuary. On the top of the hill is the temple of Biligiri Ranganathaswamy, built in the Dravidian style of architecture. There is a guest house maintained by the temple authorities. Regular bus service is available from Mysore City to the Hills.

Channapatna

Channapatna

Situated about 59 km from Bangalore on the way to Mysore or 79 km from Mysore by road, is Channapatna. It is noted for lacquerwares and toys. The Government Spun Silk Mill and the Central Silk Research Institute are located here. About 5 km before reaching Channapatna on the Mysore-Bangalore road is Malur. Here, there is the temple dedicated to Sri Apprameyaswamy .

Gomatagiri

Gomatagiri

Gomatagiri, popularly known as Shravanagutta, is a small hillock at a distance of about 18 km from Mysore on the Mysore- Mercara Road. There stands a beautiful statue of Gomateswara, 5 metres high, carved out of a single granite rock. From the top of the hillock, one can have a beautiful view of Krishnarajasagar and Chamundi Hill at Mysore.

Gopalaswamy Betta

Gopalaswamy Betta

80 km from Mysore. This hill is traditionally called as Kamaladri. Situated in one of the chains of western ghats, it is a fine hill resort. The height is 4, 769 feet. On the top of the hill is Sri Gopalaswamy temple.