Mysore
Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Indian English Template:Infobox settlement Mysore (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell), officially Mysuru (Template:IPA), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the Kingdom of Mysore for almost six centuries (Template:Daterange). Known for its heritage structures, palaces (such as the famous Mysore Palace), and its culture, Mysore has been called the "City of Palaces", the "Heritage City",<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the "Cultural capital of Karnataka".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is the second-most populous in the state and one of the cleanest cities in India according to the Swachh Survekshan.
Mysore is situated at the foothills of the Chamundi Hills. At an altitude of Template:Convert above mean sea level, the city of Mysore is geographically located at 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is about Template:Convert southwest of the state's capital, Bangalore, and spreads across an area of Template:Convert (city and neighbouring census towns).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The population of the city combined with its neighbouring towns in its metropolitan area is about 1,288,000 in 2023.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Most of the city's development during modern times could be attributed to the maharajas of Mysore and the Wadiyar dynasty, who were patrons of art and culture. Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, when they were briefly in power in succession, also contributed significantly to the economic growth of the city and the kingdom by planting mulberry trees and silk in the region, and fighting four wars against the British. In present days, the Mysore City Corporation is responsible for the civic administration of the city.
During the Dasara festivals, Mysore receives hundreds of thousands of tourists from around the world. The city is also the namesake to various art forms and culture, such as Mysore Dasara and Mysore painting; foods such as the sweet delicacy Mysore pak; breakfasts like Mysore Dosa and Mysore Masala Dosa; brands such as Mysore Sandal Soap and Mysore Paints; and styles and cosmetics such as Mysore peta, a traditional silk turban, and the Mysore silk saris. Mysore is also known for betel leaves and its own special variety of jasmine flower fondly referred to as "Mysore mallige". Tourism is a lifeline industry for the city alongside the traditional industries. Mysore's intracity public transportation includes bus and intercity public transportation includes rail, bus, and air.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Etymology
[edit]The name Mysore is an anglicised form of Mahiṣūru,<ref name="orig" /> which means "the abode of Mahiṣa" in the vernacular Kannada. The common noun Mahiṣa, in Sanskrit, means buffalo; in this context, however, Mahiṣa refers to Mahishasura, a mythical daemon who could assume the form of either a human or a buffalo, and who, according to Hindu mythology, ruled the ancient parts of Mysore Kingdom, known in Sanskrit as Mahiṣaka, centred at Mahiṣapura.<ref name="orig">Template:Cite news</ref> He was killed by the goddess Chamundeshwari, whose temple is situated atop the Chamundi Hill, after whom it is named. 'Mahishapura'<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> later became Mahisūru (a name which, even now, the royal family uses), and finally came to be rendered as Mysore by the British and Maisūru (Mysuru) in the vernacular Kannada language.<ref name="dejagou">Deve Gowda Javare Gowda (1998), p. 82.</ref>
In December 2005, the Government of Karnataka announced its intention to change the English spelling of the city to Mysuru.<ref name="ann">Template:Cite news</ref> This was approved by the Government of India in October 2014, and Mysore was officially renamed, along with twelve other cities, on 1 November 2014.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
History
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The site where Mysore Palace now stands was occupied by a village named Puragere at the beginning of the 16th century.<ref name="rice1876" />Template:Rp The Mahishūru Fort was constructed in 1524 by Chamaraja Wodeyar III (1513–1553),<ref name="rice1876">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp who passed on the dominion of Puragere to his son Chamaraja Wodeyar IV (1572–1576). Since the 16th century, the name of Mayashūru has commonly been used to denote the city.<ref name="rice1897">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp The Kingdom of Mysore, governed by the Wodeyar family, initially served as a vassal state of the Vijayanagara Empire. With the decline of that empire after the Battle of Talikota in 1565, the Mysore Kingdom gradually achieved independence, and by the time of King Narasaraja Wodeyar (1637), it had become a sovereign state.<ref name="kamath2001">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp Seringapatam, near Mysore, the present-day Srirangapatna, was the capital of the kingdom beginning in 1610.<ref name="rice1876" />Template:Rp The 17th century saw a steady expansion of its territory and, under Narasaraja Wodeyar I and Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar, the kingdom annexed large areas of what is now southern Karnataka and parts of Tamil Nadu, to become a powerful state in the southern Deccan.
The kingdom reached the height of its military power and dominion in the latter half of the 18th century, under the de facto rulers Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan. The latter demolished parts of Mysore to remove legacies of the Wodeyar dynasty.<ref name="rice1876" />Template:Rp During this time, the kingdom of Mysore came into conflict with the Marathas, the British, and the Nizam of Hyderabad, leading to the four Anglo-Mysore wars, success in the first two of which was followed by defeat in the third and fourth. After Tipu Sultan's death in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War in 1799, the capital of the kingdom was moved back to Mysore from Seringapatam,<ref name="kamath2001" />Template:Rp and the kingdom was distributed by the British to their allies of the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War. Part of the kingdom was annexed into the Madras Presidency, another to the Nizam of Hyderabad. The landlocked interior of the defeated kingdom of Mysore was turned into a princely state under the suzerainty of the British Crown,<ref name="kamath2001" />Template:Rp with the five-year-old Wodeyar Krishnaraja III as titular ruler and with Purnaiah, who had served under Tipu, as chief minister or diwan and Lt. Col. Barry Close as Resident. The British took control of Mysore's foreign policy and insisted on an annual tribute for maintaining a standing British army at Mysore.<ref>Kamath, Suryanath U., A Concise history of Karnataka: from pre-historic times to the present (Bangalore: Jupiter books, 1980, OCLC 7796041), p. 249</ref><ref>Kamath (2001), p. 234</ref><ref>Venkata Ramanappa, M. N., Outlines of South Indian history: with special reference to Karnataka (Delhi: Vikas Pub. House, 1975, Template:ISBN), p. 225</ref> Purnaiah is credited with improving Mysore's public works.<ref name="kamath2001" /> In 1831, claiming there was maladministration, the British took direct control of the princely state.<ref>Kamath (2001), p. 250</ref><ref>Venkata Ramanappa, M. N. (1975), pp. 229–231</ref> For the next fifty years, the kingdom of Mysore was under the direct rule of British Commissioners,<ref>Venkata Ramanappa, M. N. (1975), pp. 231–232</ref> and in 1831 the city of Mysore lost its status as the administrative centre, when the British Commissioner moved the capital to Bangalore.<ref name="kamath2001" />Template:Rp
In 1876–77, towards the end of the period of direct British rule, Mysore suffered from the Great Famine of 1876–1878, in which nearly a fifth of the population died.<ref>Lewis Rice, B., Report on the Mysore census (Bangalore: Mysore Government Press, 1881), p. 3</ref> In 1881, Maharaja Chamaraja Wadiyar X was given control of Mysore, in a process called rendition, but with a resident British officer and a diwan to handle the Maharaja's administration,<ref name=K250254>Kamath (2001), pp. 250–254</ref> and the city of Mysore regained its status as the capital.<ref name="kamath2001" />Template:Rp The Mysore municipality was established in 1888 and the city was divided into eight wards.<ref name="rice1897" />Template:Rp In 1897 an outbreak of bubonic plague killed nearly half of the population of the city.<ref name="plag">Template:Cite news</ref> With the establishment of the City Improvement Trust Board (CITB) in 1903, Mysore became one of the first cities in Asia to undertake planned urban development.<ref name="citb">Template:Cite news</ref> Public demonstrations and meetings were held there during the Quit India movement and other phases of the Indian independence movement.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Until the independence of British India (which did not include Mysore) in 1947, Mysore remained a Princely State within the British Indian Empire, with the Wodeyars continuing their rule.<ref name=K250254/> After Indian Independence, Mysore city remained as part of the Mysore State, now known as Karnataka. Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar, then king of Mysore, was allowed to retain his titles and was nominated as the Rajapramukh (appointed governor) of the state with a £20,000 payment.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He died in September 1974 and was cremated in Mysore.<ref name="crem">Template:Cite news</ref>
Over the years, Mysore became well known as a centre for tourism; the city remained largely peaceful, except for occasional riots related to the Kaveri River Water Dispute.<ref name="tour" /> Among the events that took place in Mysore and made national headlines were a fire at a television studio that claimed 62 lives in 1989,<ref name="fire">Template:Cite news</ref> and the sudden deaths of many animals at the Mysore Zoo.<ref name="mz">Template:Cite news</ref>
Geography
[edit]Area and extent
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Mysore is located at Template:Coord and has an average altitude of Template:Convert.<ref name="clim">Template:Cite book</ref> It is spread across an area of Template:Convert<ref name="swm">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Rp at the base of the Chamundi Hills in the southern region of Karnataka. Mysore is the southernmost city of Karnataka and is a neighbouring city of the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the south, flanked by the state cities Madikeri, Chamarajanagara, and Mandya. People in and around Mysore extensively use Kannada as a medium of language. Mysore has several lakes, such as the Kukkarahalli, the Karanji, and the Lingambudhi lakes. Mysore has The Biggest 'Walk-Through Aviary' called Karanji Lake in India. In 2001, total land area usage in Mysore city was 39.9% residential, 16.1% roads, 13.74% parks and open spaces, 13.48% industrial, 8.96% public property, 3.02% commercial, 2.27% agriculture and 2.02 water.<ref name="cdp">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Rp The city is located between two rivers: the Kaveri River that flows through the north of the city and the Kabini River, a tributary of the Kaveri, that lies to the south.
Climate
[edit]Mysore has a tropical savanna climate (Aw) bordering on a hot semi-arid climate (BSh) under the Köppen climate classification. The main seasons are Summer from March to May, the monsoon season from June to October and winter from November to February.<ref name="clim" /> The highest temperature recorded in Mysore was Template:Nowrap on 25 April 2016, and the lowest was Template:Nowrap on 16 January 2012.<ref name="hight">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="imd">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="lowt">Template:Cite web</ref> The city's average annual rainfall is Template:Convert. Template:Weather box
Rainfall
[edit]As per Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre, Mysore taluk has been divided into 4 hoblis. In 2022, the rainfall received by these hoblis are as follows:
- Mysore - Template:Convert
- Elivala - Template:Convert
- Jayapura - Template:Convert
- Varuna - Template:Convert <ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref>
Overall, Mysore taluk received 67% of excess rainfall in the year 2022.
Demographics
[edit]Template:Historical population
Template:As of, Mysore city had an estimated population of 920,550 consisting of 461,042 males and 459,508 females, making it the third most populous city in Karnataka<ref name="popu7">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="popu4">Template:Cite web</ref> Mysore urban agglomeration is the second largest urban agglomeration in the state<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and is home to 1,060,120 people, consisting of 497,132 males and 493,762 females.<ref name="popu7"/> According to 2011 census, Mysore was the largest non-metropolitan city in India and had the highest basic infrastructure index of 2.846.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Mysore was estimated to have crossed 1 million in 2017 making it a metropolitan city.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> For the year 2022, the projected population of Mysuru Metropolitan Area, which includes Mysore City Corporation, Hootagalli City Municipal Council, and Bogadi, Srirampura, Rammanahalli and Kadakola Town Panchayats is 1,261,000,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> as per the United Nation's World Urbanization Prospects - 2018.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The gender ratio of Mysore is 1,000 females to every 1,000 males and the population density is Template:Convert. According to the census of 2001, 73.65% of the city population are Hindus, 21.92% are Muslims, 2.71% are Christians, 1.13% are Jains and the remainder belong to other religions.<ref name="reg">Template:Cite web</ref> The population exceeded 100,000 in the census of 1931 and grew by 20.5 per cent in the decade 1991–2001. Template:As of, the literacy rate of the city is 86.84 per cent, which is higher than the state's average of 75.6 per cent.<ref name="popu7"/><ref name="popu1">Template:Cite web</ref> Kannada is the most widely spoken language in the city. Approximately 19% of the population live below the poverty line, and 9% live in slums.<ref name=kahurithsis>Template:Cite thesis</ref> According to the 2001 census, 35.75% of the population in the urban areas of Karnataka are workers, but only 33.3% of the population of Mysore are.<ref name="pop">Template:Cite web</ref> Members of Scheduled castes and scheduled tribes constitute 15.1% of the population.<ref name="pop" /> According to the National Crime Records Bureau of India, the number of cognisable crime incidents reported in Mysore during 2010 was 3,407 (second in the state, after Bangalore's 32,188), increasing from 3,183 incidents reported in 2009.<ref name="crm2010">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="crm2009">Template:Cite web</ref>
The residents of the city are known as Mysoreans in English and Mysoorinavaru in Kannada. The dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over the sharing of Kaveri river water often leads to minor altercations and demonstrations in the city.<ref name="kave">Template:Cite news</ref> Growth in the information technology industry in Mysore has led to a change in the city's demographic profile; likely strains on the infrastructure and haphazard growth of the city resulting from the demographic change have been a cause of concern for some of its citizens.<ref name="chag">Template:Cite news</ref>
Administration and utilities
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The civic administration of the city is managed by the Mysore City Corporation, which was established as a municipality in 1888 and converted into a corporation in 1977. Overseeing engineering works, health, sanitation, water supply, administration and taxation, the corporation is headed by a Mayor, who is assisted by commissioners and council members.<ref name="cdp" />Template:Rp The city is divided into 65 wards and the council members (also known as corporators) are elected by the citizens of Mysore every five years.<ref name="corpo">Template:Cite news</ref> The council members, in turn, elect the mayor. The annual budget of the corporation for the year 2011–2012 was Template:INRConvert.<ref name="budget">Template:Cite news</ref> Among 63 cities covered under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, Mysore City Corporation was adjudged the second-best city municipal corporation and was given the "Nagara Ratna" award in 2011.<ref name="awar">Template:Cite news</ref>
Urban growth and expansion is managed by the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA), which is headed by a commissioner. Its activities include developing new layouts and roads, town planning and land acquisition. One of the major projects undertaken by MUDA is the creation of an Outer Ring Road to ease traffic congestion.<ref name="orr">Template:Cite news</ref> Citizens of Mysore have criticised MUDA for its inability to prevent land mafias and ensure lawful distribution of housing lands among city residents.<ref name="domi">Template:Cite news</ref> The Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation is responsible for electric supply to the city.<ref name="cescom">Template:Cite news</ref>
Drinking water for Mysore is sourced from the Kaveri and Kabini rivers.<ref name="cdp" />Template:Rp The city got its first piped water supply when the Belagola project was commissioned in 1896.<ref name="bela">Template:Cite news</ref> Template:As of, Mysore gets Template:Convert of water per day. Mysore sometimes faces water crises, mainly during the summer months (March–June) and in years of low rainfall.<ref name="cris">Template:Cite news</ref> The city has had an underground drainage system since 1904. The entire sewage from the city drains into four valleys: Kesare, Malalavadi, Dalavai and Belavatha.<ref name="cdp" />Template:Rp In an exercise carried out by the Urban Development Ministry under the national urban sanitation policy, Mysore was rated the second cleanest city in India in 2010 and the cleanest in Karnataka.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The citizens of Mysore elect five representatives to the Legislative assembly of Karnataka through the constituencies of Chamaraja, Krishnaraja, Narasimharaja, Hunsur and Chamundeshwari.<ref name="assem">Template:Cite news</ref> Mysore city, being part of the larger Mysore Lok Sabha constituency, also elects one member to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament. The politics in the city is dominated by three political parties: the Indian National Congress (INC), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Janata Dal (Secular) (JDS).<ref name="assem" />
Economy
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Tourism and IT are the major industries in Mysore. The city attracted about 3.15 million tourists in 2010.<ref name="tourin">Template:Cite news</ref> Mysore has traditionally been home to industries such as weaving, sandalwood carving, bronze work and the production of lime and salt.<ref name="histin">Template:Cite journal</ref> It has many big IT companies like Infosys and Wipro. The planned industrial growth of the city and the state was first envisaged at the Mysore economic conference in 1911.<ref name="histin" /><ref name="mec">Template:Cite web</ref> This led to the establishment of industries such as the Mysore Sandalwood Oil Factory in 1917 and the Sri Krishnarajendra Mills in 1920.<ref name="rao1927" />Template:Rp Mysore has emerged as an industrial hub in Karnataka next to Bangalore. Mysore is part of the Bidar-Mysore Industrial Corridor. Major drivers of the economy are tourism, finance, manufacturing and industry which includes chemicals, petrochemicals, machinery, automobile, engineering, textiles and food processing sectors. A new industrial corridor plan is underway between Mysore and Bangalore.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
For the industrial development of the city, the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) has established four industrial areas in and around Mysore, in the Belagola, Belawadi, Hebbal and Hootagalli areas.<ref name="indarea">Template:Cite web</ref> One of the major industrial areas near Mysore is Nanjangud which will be a satellite town to Mysore. Nanjangud industrial area hosts a number of industries like AT&S India Pvt Ltd, Nestle India ltd, Reid and Taylor, Jubiliant, TVS, and Asian Paints. Nanjangud Industrial area also boasts being 2nd highest VAT / Sales Taxpayer which is more than Template:INRConvert after Peenya which is in state capital Bangalore. JK Tyre has its manufacturing facility in Mysore.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The city has emerged as a hub of automobile industries in Karnataka.
The major software companies in Mysore are Infosys, ArisGlobal, Larsen & Toubro Infotech, Excelsoft Technologies and Triveni Engineering.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The growth of the information technology industry in the first decade of the 21st century has resulted in the city emerging as the second largest software exporter in Karnataka (Template:As of), next to Bangalore.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Mysore also has many shopping malls, including the Mall of Mysore which is one of the largest malls in India and Karnataka. Retail is also a major part of the economy in Mysore.
Mysore also hosts many central government organisations like CFTRI, DFRL, CIPET, BEML,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> RMP (Rare Material Project), RBI Note printing Press and RBI Paper Printing Press.
Culture
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Referred to as the cultural capital of Karnataka, Mysore is well known for the festivities that take place during the period of Dasara; the state festival of Karnataka. The Dasara festivities, which are celebrated over a ten-day period, were first introduced by King Raja Wodeyar I in 1610.<ref name="das">Template:Cite journal</ref> On the ninth day of Dasara, called Mahanavami, the royal sword is worshipped and is taken on a procession of decorated elephants, camels and horses.<ref name="das" /> On the tenth day, called Vijayadashami, the traditional Dasara procession (locally known as Jumboo Savari) is held on the streets of Mysore which usually falls in the month of September or October. The idol of the goddess Chamundeshwari is placed on a golden mantapa on the back of a decorated elephant and taken on a procession, accompanied by tabla, dance groups, music bands, decorated elephants, horses and camels.<ref name="das" /> The procession starts from the Mysore Palace and culminates at a place called Bannimantapa, where the banni tree (Prosopis spicigera) is worshipped.<ref name="das" /> The Dasara festivities culminate on the night of Vijayadashami with a torchlight parade, known locally as Panjina Kavayatthu.<ref name="das" />
Mysore is called the City of Palaces because of several ornate examples in the city. Among the most notable are Amba Vilas, popularly known as Mysore Palace; Jaganmohana Palace, which also serves as an art gallery; Rajendra Vilas, also known as the summer palace; Lalitha Mahal, which has been converted into a hotel; and Jayalakshmi Vilas.<ref name="pal">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp The palace of Mysore burned down in 1897, and the present structure was built on the same site. Amba Vilas palace exhibits an Indo-Saracenic style of architecture on the outside, but a distinctly Hoysala style in the interior.<ref name="pal" />Template:Rp Even though the Government of Karnataka maintains the Mysore palace, a small portion has been allocated for the erstwhile royal family to live in. The Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion was constructed by Sri Chamaraja Wodeyar for his daughter Jayalakshammanni. It is now a museum dedicated to folk culture and artefacts of the royal family.<ref name="ion">Template:Cite news</ref>
The Mysore painting style is an offshoot of the Vijayanagar school of painting, and King Raja Wodeyar (1578–1617 CE) is credited with having been its patron.<ref name="gesso">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Rp The distinctive feature of these paintings is the gesso work, to which gold foil is applied.<ref name="gesso" />Template:Rp Mysore is known for rosewood inlay work; around 4,000 craftsmen were involved in this art in 2002.<ref name="rose">Template:Cite news</ref> The city lends its name to the Mysore silk sari, a women's garment made with pure silk and gold zari (thread).<ref name="silk">Template:Cite web</ref> Mysore Peta, the traditional indigenous turban worn by the erstwhile rulers of Mysore, is worn by men in some traditional ceremonies. A notable local dessert that traces its history to the kitchen in the Mysore palace is Mysore pak.
Mysore is the location of the International Ganjifa Research Centre, which researches the ancient card game Ganjifa and the art associated with it.<ref name="ganjifa">Template:Cite news</ref> The Chamarajendra Academy of Visual Arts (CAVA) offers education in visual art forms such as painting, graphics, sculpture, applied art, photography, photojournalism and art history. The Rangayana repertory company performs plays and offers certificate courses in subjects related to theatre.<ref name="cava">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="sponsor">Template:Cite news</ref> Kannada writers Kuvempu, Gopalakrishna Adiga and U. R. Ananthamurthy were educated in Mysore and served as professors at the Mysore University.<ref name="writers">Template:Cite news</ref> R. K. Narayan, a popular English-language novelist and creator of the fictional town of Malgudi, and his cartoonist brother R. K. Laxman spent much of their life in Mysore.<ref name="rkn">Template:Cite journal</ref> Template:Clear Template:Wide image
Tourism
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Mysore is a major tourist destination in its own right and serves as a base for other tourist attractions in the vicinity.<ref name="tour">Template:Cite journal</ref> The city receives many tourists during the ten-day Dasara festival.<ref name="dastou">Template:Cite web</ref> One of the most visited monuments in India, the Amba Vilas Palace, or Mysore Palace, is the centre of the Dasara festivities.<ref name="numerouno">Template:Cite web</ref> The Jaganmohana Palace, The Sand Sculpture Museum the Jayalakshmi Vilas and the Lalitha Mahal are other palaces in the city.<ref name="palaces">Template:Cite web</ref> Chamundeshwari Temple, atop the Chamundi Hills, and St. Philomena's Church, Wesley's Cathedral, Karanji lake are notable religious places in Mysore.<ref name="tour" />
The Mysore Zoo, established in 1892,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the Karanji, Kukkarahalli and the Blue Lagoon Lake are popular recreational destinations. Blue Lagoon is a lake with a mini-island located behind the KrishnaRajaSagar (KRS) water dam, from which it is mesmerising to watch the sunset and sunrise.<ref name="tour" /><ref name="lakes">Template:Cite web</ref> Mysore has the Regional Museum of Natural History, the Folk Lore Museum, the Railway Museum and the Oriental Research Institute. The city is a centre for yoga-related health tourism that attracts domestic and foreign visitors, particularly those who, for years, came to study with the late Ashtanga vinyasa yoga guru K. Pattabhi Jois.<ref name="yoga">Template:Cite web</ref>
A short distance from Mysore city is the neighbouring Mandya District's Krishnarajasagar Dam and the adjoining Brindavan Gardens, where a musical fountain show is held every evening. Places of historic importance close to Mysore are Mandya District's Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangapatna. And other historical places are Somanathapura and Talakad.<ref name="tour" /> B R Hills, Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta hill and the hill stations of Ooty, Sultan Bathery and Madikeri are close to Mysore. Popular destinations for wildlife enthusiasts near Mysore include the Nagarahole National Park, the wildlife sanctuaries at Melkote, Mandya and B R Hills and the bird sanctuaries at Ranganathittu, Mandya and Kokrebellur, Mandya.<ref name="wildto">Template:Cite web</ref> Bandipur National Park and Mudumalai National Park in Tamil Nadu, which are sanctuaries for gaur, chital, elephants, tigers, leopards and other threatened species, lie between Template:Convert to the south. Other tourist spots near Mysore include the religious locations of Nanjanagud and Bylakuppe and the waterfalls at neighbouring districts of Mandya's Shivanasamudra.
Transport
[edit]Road
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Mysore is connected by National Highway 212 (India) to the state border town of Gundlupet, where the road forks into the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.<ref name="nh">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Rp State Highway 17, which connects Mysore to Bangalore, was upgraded to a four-lane highway in 2006, reducing travel time between the two cities.<ref name="sh17">Template:Cite web</ref> A project was planned in 1994 to construct a new expressway to connect Bangalore and Mysore. After numerous legal hurdles, it remains unfinished Template:As of.<ref name="nice">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="nice2012">Template:Cite web</ref> State Highway 33 and National Highway 275 which connect Mysore to H D Kote and Mangalore respectively.<ref name="sh">Template:Cite web</ref> The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and other private agencies operate buses both within the city and between cities. A new division of KSRTC called Mysore City Transport Corporation (MCTC) has been proposed. Within the city, buses are cheap and popular means of transport, auto-rickshaws are also available and tongas (horse-drawn carriages) are popular with tourists.<ref name="tonga">Template:Cite web</ref> Mysore also has a Template:Convert long ring road that is being upgraded to six lanes by the MUDA.<ref name="jnnurm">Template:Cite web</ref> Mysore has implemented Intelligent Transport System (ITS) to manage its city buses and ferrying commuters.<ref name="its">Template:Cite news</ref>
RTO code of Mysore West is KA09<ref name="RTO"/> and Mysore East is KA55.<ref name="RTO">Template:Cite web</ref>
Trin Trin PBS
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A public bicycle-sharing system, Trin Trin, funded partially by the United Nations is popular mode of transport.<ref name="Trin-Trin">Template:Cite web</ref> It is a government project. It is the first public bike-sharing system throughout India. The key objective of Trin Trin is to encourage local commuters, as well as visitors, to use the bicycle in preference to motorised modes of travel and thereby help scale down the multifarious environmental and road-traffic hazards, enhance conveyance convenience, and make local daily commutes economical for the common citizen.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Rail
[edit]
Mysore railway station has three lines, connecting it to Bangalore, Mangalore, and Chamarajanagar. The first railway line established in the city was the Bangalore–Mysore Junction metre gauge line, which was commissioned in 1882.<ref name="comm">Template:Cite web</ref> Railway lines that connect the city to Chamarajanagara and Mangalore are unelectrified single track and the track that connects to Bengaluru is electrified double track.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Mysore Railway Junction comes under the jurisdiction of South Western Railway Zone.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Within the city limits of Mysore, there are two small stations in the line which connects Chamarajanagara. They are Ashokpuram and Chamarajapuram.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The fastest train to serve the city is the Shatabdi Express which goes to Chennai via Bangalore.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A satellite terminal is planned at Naganahalli to reduce congestion in the main railway station. On 20 June 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation to upgrade the present city railway junction. The Template:INR project envisages construction of another three platforms, four pit lines and four stabling lines to make nine platforms. Additionally, the Naganahali station will be expanded with a coach complex and MEMU hub, and two more platforms to reduce congestion in the city railway junction.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Air
[edit]
Mysore Airport is a domestic airport and is located near the village of Mandakalli, 10 kilometres south of the centre of the city.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was built by the kings of Mysore in early 1940s.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Mysore Airport currently serves the city of Mysore and is connected to multiple domestic locations including Chennai<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Hyderabad. The current runway is not able to handle big flights and hence a runway expansion is about to take place expanding the runway from 1.7 km to 2.8 km and will be upgraded to international airport after the expansion.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The nearest International airport is Bangalore Airport.
Education
[edit]
Before the advent of the European system of education in Mysore, Agraharas (Brahmin quarters) provided Vedic education to Hindus, and madrassas provided schooling for Muslims.<ref name="rao1927">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp Modern education began in Mysore when a free English school was established in 1833.<ref name="hd">Template:Cite web</ref> Maharaja's College was founded in 1864. A high school exclusively for girls was established in 1881 and was later renamed Maharani's Women's College.<ref name="maharan">Template:Cite web</ref> The Industrial School, the first institute for technical education in the city, was established in 1892; this was followed by the Chamarajendra Technical Institute in 1913.<ref name="rao1927" />Template:Rp While the modern system of education have made inroads, colleges such as the Mysore Sanskrit Pāthaśhāla, established in 1876, still continue to provide Vedic education.<ref name="rao1927" />Template:Rp
The education system was enhanced by the establishment of the University of Mysore in 1916.<ref name="univ">Template:Cite journal</ref> This was the sixth university to be established in India and the first in Karnataka.<ref name="univ" /> It was named Manasagangotri ("fountainhead of the Ganges of the mind") by the poet Kuvempu. The university caters to the districts of Mysore, Mandya, Hassan and Chamarajanagar in Karnataka. About 127 colleges, with a total of 53,000 students, are affiliated with the university.<ref name="colun">Template:Cite web</ref> Its alumni include Kuvempu, Gopalakrishna Adiga, S. L. Bhyrappa, U. R. Ananthamurthy and N.R. Narayana Murthy. Engineering education began in Mysore with the establishment in 1946 of the National Institute of Engineering, the second oldest engineering college in the state.<ref name="nie">Template:Cite news</ref> The Mysore Medical College, founded in 1924, was the first medical college to be started in Karnataka and the seventh in India.<ref name="mmc">Template:Cite web</ref> National institutes in the city include te Central Food Technological Research Institute, the Central Institute of Indian Languages, the Defence Food Research Laboratory, and the All India Institute of Speech and Hearing.<ref name="cdp" />Template:Rp The city houses a campus multi-campus, multi-disciplinary private deemed university, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Universities
[edit]| Established | University | Type | Level | Specialisation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1916 | University of Mysore | Public | Undergraduate, Post-Graduate, and Doctoral Research | Multi-disciplinary |
| 1948 | National Institute of Engineering | Private | ||
| 1996 | Karnataka State Open University | Public | ||
| 2008 | Karnataka State Music University | Public | Undergraduate and Post-Graduate | Music |
Autonomous institutes
[edit]| Established | Institute | Type | Commissioning Body/Affiliation | Level | Specialisation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Mahajana Law College | Private | Affiliated to Mysore University | Undergraduate, LLB | Law |
| 1924 | Mysore Medical College & Research Institute | Public | Affiliated to Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences | Undergraduate, graduate, post-graduate, and doctoral research | Medicine |
| 1928 | Yuvaraja's College, Mysore | Public | University of Mysore | Basic Science | |
| 1946 | National Institute of Engineering | Government-aided private | Affiliated to Visvesvaraya Technological University | Undergraduate, post-graduate | Engineering |
| 1950 | Central Food Technological Research Institute | Public | Set up by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research | Research and development | Food technology |
| 1961 | Defence Food Research Laboratory | Set up by the Defence Research and Development Organisation | Defence and contingency food technology | ||
| 1963 | Regional Institute of Education, Mysore (NCERT) | Government | Affiliated to University of Mysore | Undergraduate, Post-graduate and Research in the field of Teacher Education | Educational Training and Research |
| 1966 | All India Institute of Speech and Hearing | Public | Commissioned by the Central Ministry of Health and Family Welfare | Undergraduate, graduate, post-graduate, and doctoral research | Audiology, speech, and hearing |
| 1945 | Sarada Vilas College | Private | Affiliated to Mysore University | Undergraduate, Graduate, LLB, Pharmacy | Educational |
| 1997 | Vidya Vardhaka College of Engineering | Private | Affiliated to Visvesvaraya Technological University | Undergraduate, Post Graduate, Research and Development | Engineering |
Media
[edit]
Newspaper publishing in Mysore started in 1859 when Bhashyam Bhashyacharya began publishing a weekly newspaper in Kannada called the Mysooru Vrittanta Bodhini,<ref name="bb">Template:Cite web</ref> the first of a number of weekly newspapers published in the following three decades.<ref name="bb" /> A well-known Mysore publisher during Wodeyar rule was M. Venkatakrishnaiah, known as the father of Kannada journalism, who started several news magazines.<ref name="fathe">Template:Cite web</ref> Many local newspapers are published in Mysore and carry news mostly related to the city and its surroundings,<ref name="local">Template:Cite web</ref> and national and regional dailies in English and Kannada are available, as in the other parts of the state. Sudharma, the only Indian daily newspaper in Sanskrit, is published in Mysore.<ref name="only">Template:Cite web</ref>
Mysore was the location of the first private radio broadcasting station in India when Akashavani (voice from the sky) was established in the city on 10 September 1935 by M.V. Gopalaswamy, a professor of psychology, at his house in the Vontikoppal area of Mysore, using a 50-watt transmitter.<ref name="gs">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="mal">Template:Cite web</ref> The station was taken over by the princely state of Mysore in 1941 and was moved to Bangalore in 1955. In 1957, Akashvani was chosen as the official name of All India Radio (AIR), the radio broadcaster of the Government of India. The AIR station at Mysore broadcasts an FM radio channel at 100.6 MHz,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Gyan Vani broadcasts on 105.6.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> BIG FM, Radio Mirchi and Red FM are the three private FM channels operating in the city.<ref name="fm1">Template:Cite web</ref>
Mysore started receiving television broadcasts in the early 1980s, when Doordarshan (public service broadcaster of the Indian government) started broadcasting its national channel all over India. This was the only channel available to Mysoreans until Star TV started satellite channels in 1991. Direct-to-home channels are now available in Mysore.<ref name="dth">Template:Cite web</ref>
Sports
[edit]The Wodeyar kings of Mysore were patrons of games and sports. King Krishnaraja Wodeyar III had a passion for indoor games. He invented new board games and popularised the ganjifa card game.<ref name="board">Template:Cite news</ref> Malla-yuddha (traditional wrestling) has a history in Mysore dating back to the 16th century.<ref name="wres">Template:Cite web</ref> The wrestling competition held in Mysore during the Dasara celebrations attracts wrestlers from all over India. An annual sports meeting is organised there during the Dasara season too.<ref name="dassp">Template:Cite web</ref>
In 1997 Mysore and Bangalore co-hosted the city's biggest sports event ever, the National Games of India. Mysore was the venue for six sports: archery, gymnastics, equestrianism, handball, table tennis and wrestling.<ref name="ng">Template:Cite web</ref> Cricket is by far the most popular sport in Mysore.<ref name="crictoi">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="cric">Template:Cite web</ref> The city has five established cricket grounds.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Javagal Srinath, who represented India for several years as its frontline fast bowler, comes from Mysore.<ref name="js">Template:Cite web</ref> Other prominent sportsmen from the city are Prahlad Srinath, who has represented India in Davis Cup tennis tournaments; Reeth Abraham, a national champion in the heptathlon and a long jump record holder; Sagar Kashyap, the youngest Indian to officiate at the Wimbledon Championships; and Rahul Ganapathy, a national amateur golf champion.<ref name="tenn">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="reeth">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="golf">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="toisagar">Template:Cite web</ref> The Mysore race course hosts a racing season each year from August through October.<ref name="race">Template:Cite web</ref> India's first youth hostel was formed in the Maharaja's College Hostel in 1949.<ref name="yh">Template:Cite web</ref>
Notable people
[edit]- Srimushnam Srinivasa Murthy (1923–2009), Gandhian Freedom Fighter and Kannada writer
Sister cities
[edit]- Cincinnati, Ohio, United States (2012)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>"Cincinnati adds new sister city Template:Webarchive". WLWT (11 July 2012) Retrieved on 28 October 2016.</ref><ref>"Green signal for Mysore-Cincinnati pact". The Times of India (4 August 2012). Retrieved 26 November 2012.</ref>
- Nashua, New Hampshire, United States (2016)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
See also
[edit]- C V Rangacharlu Memorial Hall
- List of cities in India by population
- Mahisha kingdom
- List of tourist attractions in Mysore
- Mysuru Local Planning Area
- Largest Indian cities by GDP
References
[edit]Bibliography
[edit]- Template:Cite book
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External links
[edit]Template:Commons Template:Wikiquote Template:Wikivoyage