In majestic Mysuru

There are many destinations in and around Bengaluru where one can head to for a rejuvenating weekend getaway. I chose to go to Mysuru a while back with a friend of mine and it was a wonderful travel experience, all wrapped in a day.

How did we go?
We left Bengaluru early on Saturday morning by car, to beat the weekend highway traffic. The main places to visit on our list were Thondanur Lake and KRS, though we also touched upon other popular sites in the city.

What did we do?
First we reached Thondanur Lake, a beautiful man-made lake constructed by Saint Ramanujacharya in the 13th century, by embarking upon two mountains and containing the Yadavanidhi river along with mountain springs and streams. The lake is enchanting and picturesque, a natural beauty to be admired sitting on the tank bund there.

During his time, Tipu Sultan repaired the embankments. The Bijapur Sultanate commander-in-chief, Nasir Jung, admired the lake christening it as ‘Moti Talab’ for its clear water. Its rocky periphery adds to the rugged beauty. The lake has never dried up since its creation, even during the severest of droughts.
Then we headed to KRS (Krishna Raja Sagara), the largest water reservoir when it was built. The dam was commissioned by the then Wodeyar king, Nalvadi Krishna Raja Wodeyar. It was engineered and built by Sir M Visvesvaraya. 

The elevated terrace garden was beautified by Sir Mirza Ismail, the then Dewan of Mysore. Dr Krumbigal was the garden designer and architect.

The 60-acre garden houses a beautiful heritage building which is today a luxurious hotel with no elevators; this was the workspace of the high officials of the dam. Hotel Royal Orchid, as it is called, has showcased the construction of the dam along with its artefacts. We were glad to stay in this place which was, at one point of time, patronised by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Don’t miss the colourful, spectacular musical fountain at the far end of the Brindavan Gardens. We also made a brief trip to Mysore Palace, St Philomena’s Cathedral and Budanur closeby. Staying on the KRS grounds gives you access to the Brindavan Gardens early morning. The sunrise on the downstream is a treat to watch. After a sumptuous breakfast, we headed back to Bengaluru, fully recharged.

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