Mysuru beyond the palace: Dasara, markets and Srirangapatna

Mysore Palace by day and lit up at night, the Dasara festival, Devaraja Market, Chamundi Hill and the island town of Srirangapatna: how to plan two easy days in Mysuru.

Mahek Jatana

30 October 2026

2 minutes

Mysuru (Mysore) was the seat of the Wodeyar kings for most of the last six centuries, and it still feels like a royal city: broad avenues, palaces and gardens, and a slower pace than Bengaluru, about three hours away. It is one of the easiest and most rewarding cities in South India to visit.

Mysore Palace

The palace you see today was built between 1897 and 1912, after an earlier wooden palace burned down. Designed by the British architect Henry Irwin in the Indo-Saracenic style, it combines Hindu, Islamic, Rajput and Gothic elements, with a gilded wedding hall, painted ceilings and stained glass. On Sunday and holiday evenings, and throughout Dasara, the palace is lit by close to 100,000 bulbs for a short period, a sight worth timing your visit around.

Shoes are removed before entering, and photography inside may be restricted.
Arrive close to opening time to avoid the crowds.

Dasara

Mysuru Dasara is a ten-day festival in September or October that ends on Vijayadashami with the Jamboo Savari, a procession of decorated elephants carrying the image of the goddess Chamundeshwari through the city. Cultural programmes, a food festival and an exhibition run alongside. Hotels fill up months ahead.

Around the city

Chamundi Hill: the temple of the city’s protective goddess, reached by road or by a long flight of steps, passing a giant stone Nandi.
Devaraja Market: flower garlands, pyramids of coloured kumkum, fruit and incense in a covered market near the palace.
Crafts: Mysore silk, sandalwood products and rosewood inlay; buy from government emporiums if you want certified pieces.
Food: Mysore pak, a rich gram-flour sweet, and the masala dosa of the city’s old cafés.

Day trips

Srirangapatna, an island in the Kaveri about 15 kilometres away, was the capital of Tipu Sultan; see the Ranganathaswamy Temple, Tipu’s summer palace, Daria Daulat Bagh, and the place where he fell in 1799. Nearby, Ranganathittu bird sanctuary is best visited by boat in winter. Further afield, the Hoysala temple at Somanathapura is one of three Hoysala sites inscribed by UNESCO in 2023.