My last visit to Mysore bore some scarring memories. One of them was the endless walk at Brindavan Garden to see a musical fountain. It is an experience I would not like to re-live ever.
And so it was no surprise when this time I revisited Mysore, I steered clear of Brindavan Garden. But my memories of Mysore Palace and Srirangapatna became even more vivid.
Srirangapatna is about 130 kilometres away from Bangalore and 20 kilometres from Mysore. It is a historic town which became the capital when Tipu Sultan ruled a major part of south India. A quick visit to three places that are related to the ruler- Jamia Masjid (built in 1787), the place where Tipu Sultan’s body was found, and Colonel Bailey’s Dungeon.
I found the water prison of Bailey’s Dungeon most fascinating. This is where he would imprison British officers. The prisoners would be chained to the stone slabs on the walls, in a standing position. Thereafter, water was released and filled upto their necks, to torture them further. It has been named after Colonel Bailey, who died here in 1782.
Mysore Palace needs no introduction. The construction of this Indo-saracenic palace begun in 1897 and it was built to become the royal residence of Mysore. During Mysore Dasara the palace is illuminated brilliantly. Hence it attracts a large influx of travellers from world over. Even on a regular day though, hundreds of visitors frequent the palace and its magnificence never fails to impress.
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Good to know
-I was told that there are restrictions in photographing Mysore Palace, however, I didn’t face any.
Read: Photo Story: The Golden Touch of Suryagarh, Jaisalmer
Have you been introduced to Mysore Palace’s grandeur?
Note: This trip to Srirangapatna and Mysore was made possible by SST/TVS Motors.
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Amrita Das
I have been a travel and culture independent journalist. My bylines have appeared in many publications worldwide including National Geographic Traveller India, Lonely Planet Magazine India, The Indian Express and World Travel Magazine. A fellow of Media Ambassadors India-Germany 2019 program by Robert Bosch Stiftung and Centre for Media Competence, University of Tübingen. Currently, I am the photo editor for RoundGlass Sustain, a wildlife and conservation e-publication. I live in India.
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The Durbar Hall was always my favourite whenever I visited — I always used to remark that it would make a wonderful skating rink! Lovely photos as always :)