So, I've been in India for a little longer than a week. On day two of my lovely adventure to India I didn’t do much besides go shopping to find some dorm room essentials (bed sheets, a pillow and a bucket!) Everyone here uses buckets in the shower to collect the hot water so it doesn’t run out, so I figured I would get one and be smart about showering here too. I went shopping at a department store because I am not quite brave enough to go out to the markets and bargain with people who speak little to no English and of course, it doesn’t help that I speak little to no Kannada or Hindi, both official languages of the Karnataka, the state I am living in. The people at the department store were extremely helpful, almost to the point of suffocating me. They followed me everywhere, asked if I needed anything else or if they could recommend something. A less patient American would have flipped out (and I am not that patient). Anyway, I took all my new stuff back to my dorm and decorated it.
Aside from the greenery, the buildings that are located in the park are very different, architecturally speaking. On the south end, there is the Government Museum, which charges only 4 rupees to enter, is red and imitates a Gothic styling. Inside, it houses a few interesting pieces of stone carvings and statues, ranging in age. Next door, is the Venkatappa Art Gallery (free with the Government Museum ticket), which is a simple modern building. The gallery is not very impressive, displaying only 3 showrooms, the most famous being that of K. Venkatappa, who was the court painter to the Wodeyar Family. The Wodeyar Dynasty ruled over much of South India from 1399 - 1947. On the Northern end of the park you can find the neo-Dravidian government buildings . These buildings are unfortunately closed to the public, but are beautiful from the outside. Painted red is the High Court of Karnataka building, called Attara Kacheri. And across the street is the Vidhana Soudha, the house of the state legislature.
The next day, Sunday, I embarked on my trip to Mysore, with a friend I had just met, Manindra. The tour began at 6:30 a.m. and ended around 11:30 p.m. We booked through the state run tourism office, KSTDC and embarked from their station, Badami House located near Cubbon Park on Kastubara Road. Since it was still dark out, I opted for a taxi, the safest of which is Meru Taxi service, which you can conveniently book online and get all correspondence via text message! So, our first stop was Channapathna, 60 km away along Mysore Road. This little town is famous for manufacturing all types of wooden toys and wood carvings, most specifically using ivory and teak wood. The streets are lined with several emporiums, and we stopped at the government run shop, where the prices are fixed.
Our next stop was Tipu Sultan's summer house in Srirangapatna. Tipu Sultan was the de-facto Muslim ruler of Mysore from 1782–1799, where he fell to the British in the Fourth Mysore war. His rule (and his father, Hyder Ali) was the only break in the long Wodeyar Dynasty of South India. Sririangapathna, located on the Cauvery River, was the center of their seat of power and acted as the capital. The town itself was a large fort, which even had alligators swimming in it's moat! The summer palace is located outside the fort walls, about 1 km east, and costs foreigners 100 rupees to enter. The palace was built mostly of wood, features decorations on nearly every inch of its interior surface and several murals depicting Tipu Sultan's war campaigns. After touring the summer palace, we headed into the fort, where you can still see the remnants of the ramparts, battlements and the large gates. Inside the gates is a lovely temple called Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple. This was my first temple visit and I was unsure what to do, but essentially, you take your shoes off and leave them to a person who watches them for a few rupees. Then you enter the line and follow around to see the gods. You can leave money as an offering and the many holy men working will billow smokey incense towards you or give you holy water to drink. You can also adorn yourself with the traditional red tikka powder on your forehead, a single dot upwards called the tilaka, symbolizing the minds eye.
Following this temple, we ventured to Mysore itself, where our first stop was St. Philomena's Catholic Cathedral. This church, built between 1933 and 1941, is a lovely neo-Gothic cathedral with stained glass and religious art inside. While I have been to several Cathedrals all over the world, it was interesting to stop here because they were conducting mass in Hindi and all the people were dressed in traditional Indian clothing. Being Catholic myself, I enjoyed the idea of fellowship all over the world, even India, one of the worlds oldest civilizations. After this we went the government run Kauvery Silk Emporium, where we had some time to purchase silk items for a good price. I bought 2 lovely silk scarves for 499 rupees each. Next we finally made it to the main feature of the tour, Mysore's Main Palace, called Maharaja's Palace, the seat of the Wodeyar Dynasty. The building, in an Indo-Saracenic style, feature a rainbow of stained glass, beautifully cast silver doors, and floor-to-ceiling murals all in a mixture of Hindu, Muslim and Gothic traits. You must take your shoes off before entering the Palace and there are several exhibits of the Wodeyar family inside. It is definitely one of the most over-the-top buildings I have ever been in. Unfortunately, photography is strictly prohibited inside the palace walls, even at the price of 200 rupees, which they charge any foreigner entering for a visit. However, there are several gardens and outer courts where you can photograph the beautiful exteriors. If you have the time, I would recommend staying the night, because in the evening, the entire palace lights up, as every corner is covered in over 95,000 light bulbs!
Our next stop was the Mysore Zoo, where you can enter for about 25 rupees and you can see giraffes, tigers and a large exhibit of tropical birds. We then traveled up to Chamundi Hill, about 3,500 ft above ground level. On the way up you can get some beautiful aerial views of Mysore City and its a nice escape into green India. At the summit of the hill stands Sri Cahmundeswari Temple, with a 130 ft-tall gopuram (entrance gate). It was a lovely temple, with a bustling tourist area around the corner and wild monkeys roaming about, sometimes hassling the visitors. On the way down, you can stop to see Nandi, the god Shiva's bull. Standing 15 ft-tall, this statue was carved out of a single piece of solid rock in 1659 and it only took 24 hours! Finally, we ended our tour at Brindavan Gardens, about 20 km from Mysore. These gardens are very lovely, using a variety of fountains as center-pieces. Stay until nightfall and you can see a decent illumination of the fountains and a music performance, but don't forget your bug-spray, as mosquitoes are plentiful in the evening. And as a side note, several Bollywood films shoot scenes here!
Well that's all! Sorry it took so long to post, its been a busy while this last week, trying to get ready for class and ensuring I had everything I needed and of course, I wanted to ensure my factoids were accurate for the post. If you are interested, I am taking three classes while I am here: International Conflict Resolution, Issues in International Commercial Arbitration and Law & Economics of the World Trade Organization. It should be an interesting semester and here's to hoping that my professors don't make us take exams. since each course is only a seminar. I have my first class on Monday and I am excited to make some more friends, a few of which I have already. The women in my hostel are very lovely and hospitable, inviting me to dinner and taking me under their wing, showing me how to get by here. I hope this positive trend continues!
The next day I decided to book a day tour to Mysore, a nearby city. Mysore is the old capital of Karnataka and has many historical sites, which is why I opted for it. After booking my tour, I took an auto to the largest park in Bangalore, called Cubbon Park. It is set in the middle of the city and named for the former British Commissioner, Sir Mark Cubbon. The park is actually quite lovely, and a very nice refuge from the incessant noise and pollution that is city life in Bangalore. The temperature difference also helps, it seemed nearly twenty degrees cooler in the park! Cubbon park itself is a plot of land, nearly 300 acres large. The park has some very lovely gardening and from all appearances, the city has done a fantastic job of keeping the trash from the streets out of the park. There are places to lay and lounge, places to sit and bird watch and several hide-ways for all of the young couples. It's quite the mixture of people actually: school groups, businessmen, homeless beggars and of course, tourists. But be careful where you lay, all the bugs bite, even the ants!
Aside from the greenery, the buildings that are located in the park are very different, architecturally speaking. On the south end, there is the Government Museum, which charges only 4 rupees to enter, is red and imitates a Gothic styling. Inside, it houses a few interesting pieces of stone carvings and statues, ranging in age. Next door, is the Venkatappa Art Gallery (free with the Government Museum ticket), which is a simple modern building. The gallery is not very impressive, displaying only 3 showrooms, the most famous being that of K. Venkatappa, who was the court painter to the Wodeyar Family. The Wodeyar Dynasty ruled over much of South India from 1399 - 1947. On the Northern end of the park you can find the neo-Dravidian government buildings . These buildings are unfortunately closed to the public, but are beautiful from the outside. Painted red is the High Court of Karnataka building, called Attara Kacheri. And across the street is the Vidhana Soudha, the house of the state legislature.
The next day, Sunday, I embarked on my trip to Mysore, with a friend I had just met, Manindra. The tour began at 6:30 a.m. and ended around 11:30 p.m. We booked through the state run tourism office, KSTDC and embarked from their station, Badami House located near Cubbon Park on Kastubara Road. Since it was still dark out, I opted for a taxi, the safest of which is Meru Taxi service, which you can conveniently book online and get all correspondence via text message! So, our first stop was Channapathna, 60 km away along Mysore Road. This little town is famous for manufacturing all types of wooden toys and wood carvings, most specifically using ivory and teak wood. The streets are lined with several emporiums, and we stopped at the government run shop, where the prices are fixed.
Our next stop was Tipu Sultan's summer house in Srirangapatna. Tipu Sultan was the de-facto Muslim ruler of Mysore from 1782–1799, where he fell to the British in the Fourth Mysore war. His rule (and his father, Hyder Ali) was the only break in the long Wodeyar Dynasty of South India. Sririangapathna, located on the Cauvery River, was the center of their seat of power and acted as the capital. The town itself was a large fort, which even had alligators swimming in it's moat! The summer palace is located outside the fort walls, about 1 km east, and costs foreigners 100 rupees to enter. The palace was built mostly of wood, features decorations on nearly every inch of its interior surface and several murals depicting Tipu Sultan's war campaigns. After touring the summer palace, we headed into the fort, where you can still see the remnants of the ramparts, battlements and the large gates. Inside the gates is a lovely temple called Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple. This was my first temple visit and I was unsure what to do, but essentially, you take your shoes off and leave them to a person who watches them for a few rupees. Then you enter the line and follow around to see the gods. You can leave money as an offering and the many holy men working will billow smokey incense towards you or give you holy water to drink. You can also adorn yourself with the traditional red tikka powder on your forehead, a single dot upwards called the tilaka, symbolizing the minds eye.
Following this temple, we ventured to Mysore itself, where our first stop was St. Philomena's Catholic Cathedral. This church, built between 1933 and 1941, is a lovely neo-Gothic cathedral with stained glass and religious art inside. While I have been to several Cathedrals all over the world, it was interesting to stop here because they were conducting mass in Hindi and all the people were dressed in traditional Indian clothing. Being Catholic myself, I enjoyed the idea of fellowship all over the world, even India, one of the worlds oldest civilizations. After this we went the government run Kauvery Silk Emporium, where we had some time to purchase silk items for a good price. I bought 2 lovely silk scarves for 499 rupees each. Next we finally made it to the main feature of the tour, Mysore's Main Palace, called Maharaja's Palace, the seat of the Wodeyar Dynasty. The building, in an Indo-Saracenic style, feature a rainbow of stained glass, beautifully cast silver doors, and floor-to-ceiling murals all in a mixture of Hindu, Muslim and Gothic traits. You must take your shoes off before entering the Palace and there are several exhibits of the Wodeyar family inside. It is definitely one of the most over-the-top buildings I have ever been in. Unfortunately, photography is strictly prohibited inside the palace walls, even at the price of 200 rupees, which they charge any foreigner entering for a visit. However, there are several gardens and outer courts where you can photograph the beautiful exteriors. If you have the time, I would recommend staying the night, because in the evening, the entire palace lights up, as every corner is covered in over 95,000 light bulbs!
Our next stop was the Mysore Zoo, where you can enter for about 25 rupees and you can see giraffes, tigers and a large exhibit of tropical birds. We then traveled up to Chamundi Hill, about 3,500 ft above ground level. On the way up you can get some beautiful aerial views of Mysore City and its a nice escape into green India. At the summit of the hill stands Sri Cahmundeswari Temple, with a 130 ft-tall gopuram (entrance gate). It was a lovely temple, with a bustling tourist area around the corner and wild monkeys roaming about, sometimes hassling the visitors. On the way down, you can stop to see Nandi, the god Shiva's bull. Standing 15 ft-tall, this statue was carved out of a single piece of solid rock in 1659 and it only took 24 hours! Finally, we ended our tour at Brindavan Gardens, about 20 km from Mysore. These gardens are very lovely, using a variety of fountains as center-pieces. Stay until nightfall and you can see a decent illumination of the fountains and a music performance, but don't forget your bug-spray, as mosquitoes are plentiful in the evening. And as a side note, several Bollywood films shoot scenes here!
Well that's all! Sorry it took so long to post, its been a busy while this last week, trying to get ready for class and ensuring I had everything I needed and of course, I wanted to ensure my factoids were accurate for the post. If you are interested, I am taking three classes while I am here: International Conflict Resolution, Issues in International Commercial Arbitration and Law & Economics of the World Trade Organization. It should be an interesting semester and here's to hoping that my professors don't make us take exams. since each course is only a seminar. I have my first class on Monday and I am excited to make some more friends, a few of which I have already. The women in my hostel are very lovely and hospitable, inviting me to dinner and taking me under their wing, showing me how to get by here. I hope this positive trend continues!
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