Mysuru - The Royal City of Karnataka

Mysuru also known as the Royal City of Karnataka is usually the go-to weekend holiday destination for people from Bangalore and cities close-by. But other than the regular touristy places like Chamundi hills, Palace and Zoo, very less people would have explored other lesser known off beat places in this calm city. 

In my blog, I will be sharing some interesting spots you can explore on a 3-day trip to Mysore.

Day 1

We reached Mysuru around noon and hopped onto an auto for a drop to our hotel. The auto driver was kind enough to ask us if we are interested in seeing places around Mysuru. Then he connected us another auto driver who asked our plan, agreed us to show the 3 places we wanted to see at Rs 300 and drop us back to hotel in the evening for which we also agreed instantly. We had lunch at the hotel, and he picked us up from hotel at around 3 PM.

Our first stop was the Melody World Wax Museum. 

Melody World Wax Museum

For the first time I did not research about a place and just went with the local expert’s recommendation. I was initially skeptical entering this museum thinking that it would be similar to any other Wax museum around the world with wax statues of famous celebrities. But upon entering there I was totally amazed with the collection of worldwide musical instruments they have here.  

Melody World Wax Museum is one of the popular sightseeing places of the city conceptualized based on the theme of music and to mark a tribute to all the musicians around the world. Lady at the museum told us that there are around 300 musical instruments procured from across the globe. There are around 110+ life size wax statues placed in different settings of bands and stages showcasing some of the popular bands like Jazz, Punjabi Bhangra, Chinese, Tribal, Middle East and many more.

Guinness World Record Sea Shell Art Museum

This museum marks its entry into the Guinness World Record for the largest Sea Shell Sculpture of Lord Ganesha along with various other sea shell artifacts and different art forms by Mysorean Smt. Radha Mallappa. Totally there are 160 models on display, and she has spent near Rs 4 Crore to make these lovely pieces. Apart from this, the other 2 major attractions were Taj Mahal and St Philomena’s church beautifully recreated with seashells.

Sand Museum

This is located at just around 50 meters distance from Sea Shell Museum. So you can club these 2 easily. I had already visited this last time during my Kabini trip. But loved watching the sand art for the second time as well. More details and pictures in my blog posted earlier (Sand Sculpture Museum Mysore).

Shuka Vana

This place is a paradise for bird lovers and it has set the Guinness world record for ‘most bird species in an aviary’. It is located in the serene premises of Avadhoota Datta Peetham.

Established in 2012, Shuka Vana is a rehabilitation center for birds, and it houses around 2000+ species of birds. After entry ticket photography is not allowed. But it's totally worth visiting this place. Please note that photography is not allowed inside the aviary. But there is a provision of feeding birds and taking photographs with them at a cost of Rs 300/200 for a group clicked by official photographers. We had a great time here and tried our best to spend time with birds till the security came whistling announcing the closing time of the aviary.

Photography is not allowed beyond this point. But the experience you are going to get inside is worth cherishing

Once we were out of Shuka Vana, in the same premises there is a Hanuman temple too. We next visited this temple and offered prayers to Lord Hanuman.

After this satisfying day1 exploration, we reached hotel. Our next day’s plan was to visit Sri Venugopalaswamy temple which is located on the banks of KRS backwaters. Since its on the outer limits of the city, we asked the hotel reception for taxi and they arranged one for us.

Day 2

Our taxi was at the hotel premises on time at around 9:45 am since the temple would open by 10 am only. It took us almost 45 minutes to reach Sri Venugopalaswamy Temple. 

Sri Venugopalaswamy Temple

This stunning 12th century temple boasting of Hoysala architecture is located at Hosa Kannambadi near Krishna Raja Sagara. This temple was submerged when river Cauvery was dammed in 1930. But when the reservoir waters started dropping, villagers could see glimpses of this temple. For more than 70 years the temple lay underwater, Philanthropist Sri Hari Khoday took up the task of restoring the temple in 2003. The in-house architects had shot the original temple on video, taken over 16,000 photographs, and marked each and every slab used in the construction of the original temple. Each and every temple stone was removed and reconstructed at Hosa Kannambadi with trained artisans and sculptors. Finally in 2012 the temple restoration was completed and it was open for tourists.

Mysore Zoo

Sri Chamarajedra Zoological Gardens is a must visit when in Mysuru especially for wildlife enthusiasts. My niece had seen it when she was really small (age 3 years) and she doesn't remember anything of our Mysore trip. So we thought of showing her the most famous Mysore Zoo. And I am glad that we planned this since she had lots of fun this time.  

By the time we reached Zoo it was 1 PM. There are lot of restaurants outside Zoo. So we bid adieu to our driver here and had lunch at one of the restaurants. 

Post lunch, we took Zoo tickets and began our exploration. Exploring this zoo will easily take around 2 hours. So please plan it properly. 

Lokaranjan Aqua World 

This is located at walking distance from Zoo.  This place is a paradise for underwater aquatic exploration. It hosts a diverse showcase of rare marine species - including exotic fish, sea turtles, sharks, and rays. Main attraction is the underwater tunnel which provides a visual treat and also a close encounter with marine life in their natural habitats.

Entry fee is Rs 200 per person which I felt is a bit pricey for the exhibits they have here.

Day 3

Our last day in Mysuru and we had to check out from hotel by 11 am. We had a train to catch to Bangalore by 1 PM. So we had requested the same auto driver to pick us up from hotel, take us around 2-3 places if time permits  and drop us back to the railway station. 

Our first stop of the day was the house of most renowned writer - R K Narayan located very closer to our hotel. 

R K Narayan’s House

Nestled in the quaint locality of Yadavagiri resides the home of India’s most beloved writer – R K Narayan. His home has been restored and converted into a museum. If you want to relive the era of Malgudi days and understand the making behind one of our Childhood’s favorite tele series then you must visit this place.

Mysore Palace

Trip to Mysuru is incomplete without visiting this royal residence and admiring its grandeur. My niece insisted on visiting this and hence we asked the driver take us here next since it had been quite some time I had visited this. 

Located in the heart of Mysore city, this palace continues to attract flocks of tourists daily due to its sturdiness and beauty. I had vague memories of this palace since I had last visited this many years ago almost during my college days. This time I was visiting this from a travel blogger’s mindset and was totally smitten with the grandeur of this royal palace.

Mysuru Rail Museum

Last stop of the day since after visiting this we had to hop onto our train to Bangalore. This should be in your itinerary of Mysore Sightseeing meant for all generations. More details about this in my blog link (Mysuru Rail Museum - The train beckons !).

Finally we bid adieu to Mysore and started our journey back to Bangalore.

This cultural city has all the core elements to quench every traveler’s thirst - from Royal Palace to silk factory, nature to wildlife, birdlife, museums to history, and shopping, indeed way too many things to experience in Mysore.