Mysore Palace + Jaganmohana Art Gallery + Devaraja Market = Mysore Heritage Walk
Description
This Walking tour covers the three most prominent places of visit in Mysore City - the extravagant Mysore Palace, the treasure trove Jaganmohana Art Gallery and the colorful Devaraja Market, inclusive of all entrance tickets. Mysore, being the cultural capital of Karnataka, is a huge draw among both Indian as well as International tourists. The ambience and vibes of Mysore is best experienced by foot rather than in a moving vehicle. Mysore is known as the City of Palaces owing to its many palatial buildings. Mysore has a unique laid-back charm that is unmatched by other cities in South India. It is also among the cleanest cities in the entire country. To know more about Mysore heritage, its royal lineage, its architecture, its people, its cuisine, its markets, its famous products, etc, join us on this Enchanting, Royal and Imperial Walk!
Tour Options
Itinerary
The Govt licensed guide will meet you at the Varaha South entrance Gate of Mysore Palace. Vehicle parking is available only at this gate while tickets are also sold only here. The Mysore palace is the most extravagant & luxurious palace in South India. It is called the "Versailles" of India. It was built in 1912 in Indo-Saracenic style with the Chief Architect being Henry Irwin, an Englishman. The grandeur of Mysore Palace is such that it is embellished with - tiles from England, marble from Italy, Chandeliers from Czeckoslovakia, cast iron pillars & stained glasses from Scotland, teak wood from Burma, jaguar bronze statues from England, etc. The Mysore palace stands in the middle of a sprawling 45 acres of land which houses many temples as well. It is divided into two halves - one (better) half managed by the State Govt while the other belongs to the royal Wodeyar family. Mysore Palace has been ranked among the 10 best palaces in the World by the British blogging site Original Travel.
This Palace, built in 1861, is one of the prominent landmarks of Mysore. It currently houses one of the most wonderful collections of paintings from Raja Ravi Verma, Nikolai Roerich, Haldenkar (the famous Lady with the Lamp painting), apart from murals and extraordinary contemporary paintings from famous Indian artists. The Art Gallery also houses exhibits which include weapons of war, classical musical instruments, sculptures, brassware, antique coins, and currencies. A unique artefact exhibited here is a French clock which has a mechanism in which a parade of miniature soldiers is displayed every hour, beating drums marking the seconds, and a bugle marking the minute. Tourists ignore this treasure trove which represents Indian Art and Handicrafts in its abundance.
One of the most fascinating visits to South India, especially in the eyes of Western travelers, is this colorful and vibrant market. A visit to this market has become a quintessential part of Mysore itineraries. So much so that sometimes international travelers seem to prefer a visit to this market more than other well-known monuments. This 365-days-a-year market is laid out on a rectangular grid and has separate sections for Vegetables, Fruits and Flowers. It is so photogenic that tourists let loose themselves often forgetting the paths they took. Add to this the street vendors, perfume makers, chai-wallahs, garland makers, color pigment sellers, etc. all vie with each other to garner your attention and sell their wares to you. If ever you want to see a microcosm of India at work, visit a market such as this. Come and experience it yourself!
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Visitors are required to take their shoes off at both Mysore Palace and Art Gallery. It is suggested to bring spare socks.
Reviews(19)
A complete dive to discover Mysore, a true gem of India not well known, but worth a visit! Lakshmi accompanied me to discover the Imperial Palace, museum and colorful Market helping me to discover Indian history and culture: in a clear and simple way it helped me to understand and appreciate even more India and Mysore, this little jewel that will only fascinate you!
Good place to view and you can take more beautiful photos
We had a lovely experience in Mysore, thanks to the tour by Joseph. He is a really nice guide, very friendly and takes his time to explain everything. The tour gives a great impression of the city, the palace, market, and art gallery and is well worth the price. We had a wonderful four hours with Joseph, in which he also suggested a nice local lunch place and in the end helped us with our remaining plans for the day. We would recommend the tour to anyone who likes to explore Mysore in a calm way with all information that you could wish for.
Our guide Lakshmi was excellent. She displayed deep knowledge of the history of the Palace, the ruling dynasty, their interactions with the British colonial authorities, and the evolution of the relationship through independence and up to the present. And she answered our questions about local culture, social norms, language and religious practices with sophistication and nuance. She also took us on a tour of the art museum which was also highly informative. All of this done at a leisurely pace. Lakshmi was thoughtful and friendly and it was a pleasure to spend a few hours with her learning about Mysore.
I would highly recommend the tour. Our tour guide Mr. Suresh provided an excellent overview of the Mysore history as well as highlighted various artifacts in the Palaces.
Phaneesh was our guide and did a great job. He was knowledgeable and informative, and patiently explained everything about Mysore Palace and the city beyond. It was a pleasant and insightful walking tour.
A great moment of exciting discoveries and stories thanks to our guide Lakshmi ♥️ who made us visit the Palace of Mysore very alive as well as the Jaganmohana Arts Palace that we would have passed through a bit quickly if it had not been there.
This was a great tour! The palace was absolutely beautiful and the guide was very knowledgeable about the history. The market was very busy and fun to walk through to buy things like cheap jewelry and incense. Overall, a great day trip from Bangalore!
Amazing guide, amazing palace and once in a lifetime experience. My partner and our friends really enjoyed this unique experience, we just felt in love with Mysore and its beauty.
We were lucky enough to be the only 2 people on this tour so we had the guide to ourselves. Devaraja (our guide) was extremely informative and helpful. That said, if there had been 4 or 6 people or more in this tour it would have been difficult as understanding through his accent was challenging and often I would have to repeat what he said so my wife could understand. The palace was superb and timewise took the majority of our tour which lasted 3 hours. The art gallery was so so and could be skipped. The Market was excellent but could have been done on our own.
