MYSORE - BANDIPUR - OOTY (FROM BANGALORE)

About Chamundi Hill Temple

At a distance of 8 km from Mysore Zoo & 13 km from Mysore Railway Station, Chamundi Hill Temple is a Hindu temple located in Mysore. It is one of the major places of pilgrimage in Karnataka, and among the must-visit places as part of Mysore tour packages.

Mythology

The Chamundi Temple is dedicated to Goddess Chamundeswari, an incarnation of Goddess Parvathi who took this form to destroy Mahishasura. Regarded as one of the best places to visit in Mysore, the temple is also known as Krouncha Pitham and is one among the 18 Maha Shakti Peethas representing the hair of Sati Devi.

History of Chamundi Temple

Perched at an altitude of 1065 m, the Chamundi Hill Temple was believed to be built in the 12th century by the Rulers .....

About Mysore Palace

At a distance of 2.5 km from the Mysore Railway Station & 2 km from KSRTC Bus Station, the Mysore Palace was the official residence of the former royal family of Mysore, and also housed the durbar. It is one of the largest palaces in India, and among the best tourist places to visit in Mysore.

History of Mysore Palace

Mysore Palace is the venue for the famous Mysore Dasara and it is often used to promote Mysore Tourism. It is one of the top attractions you must include in Mysore Packages. The Mysore Palace was built-in 1912 after a fire burnt down the old wooden palace. It was built by Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV and was further expanded by his son Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wadiyar. The palace was designed by British architect Henry Irwin.

Architecture of Mysore Palace

The architectural .....

At a distance of about 500 meters from Mysore Railway Station & 2.5 Kms from KSRTC Bus Station, Railway Museum is situated adjacent to the railway station on Krishnaraja Sagar Road. This Museum was established in 1979 by Indian Railways and it was the earliest railway museums set up in India. A visit to Railway Museum is one of the top things to do in Mysore.

The museum houses a great collection of different models of trains ran by India Railways throughout the history. This collection consists of engines running on narrow gauge, meter gauge and broad gauge tracks, inspection coaches, engines from different periods, a cart running with steam, etc. There is also a private train with two coaches used by Maharaja of Mysore exhibited in Sri Ranga Pavilion which has a Maharani's saloon carriage dating back to 1899. The Pavilion also houses several artifacts used during the initial days like different models of .....

At a distance of 2.5 km from Mysore Railway Station & 1 km from KSRTC Bus Station, St. Philomena's Church is a Catholic Church built in honor of St. Philomena in the Diocese of Mysore, India. This is one of the top places to visit in Mysore. Designed by the Reverend Rene Feuge, it was constructed in 1956 in a Neo Gothic style and its architecture was inspired by the Cologne Cathedral in Germany.

The church is dedicated to 3rd century saint Philomena who was the daughter of the monarch of a small state in Greece. Her parents were childless for several years. They prayed Jesus to bless them with a child and the next year Philomena was born to them. Even in her childhood Philomena showed signs of piety. When Philomena was 13 years old her father took her to Rome to obtain the favour of Emperor Diocletian. The Emperor was enthralled by her beauty and wanted to marry her. But she refused and vowed to give herself .....

About Brindavan Gardens

At a distance of 16 km from Srirangapatna, & 19 km from Mysore, Brindavan Gardens is a famous & beautiful garden laid out below the Krishnaraja Sagar Dam in Karnataka. This is one of the best tourist places to visit in Mysore, and among the must-include places in Srirangapatna Tour Packages.

History of Brindavan Gardens

Sir Mirza Ismail, the then Diwan of Mysore wanted to beautify the area around KRS Dam. Therefore, the construction of Brindavan Garden was started in the year 1927 by the Department of Horticulture and was completed in 1932. The designs of Brindavan Gardens have been inspired by the breathtaking Shalimar Bagh of Kashmir which was created in the ancient Mughal Style. Now, the garden is maintained by the Cauvery Irrigation Department, Government of Karnataka. The garden was .....

At a distance of 7 Kms from Mysore Railway Station & 4 Kms from Mysore Zoo, Lalitha Mahal Palace is located close to Chamundi Hill Road. This is the second largest palace in Mysore after The Mysore Palace. It is one of the top Mysore tourist places and among the best palaces in Mysore. Built in 1921 by Maharaja Krishna Raja Wodeyar Bahaddur IV, this palace initially housed royal guests. It was designed by EW Fritchley from Mumbai in European & Indian styles.

The palace is beautifully designed and it is one of the most attractive palaces in South India. The lobby and corridors of the palace have beautiful paintings of Mysore rulers and historical events of Mysore kingdom, like The siege of Srirangapatna Fort, Tipus Sons, etc. The staircase of the palace is wonderfully designed. The most attractive part of the palace is the restaurant block. The curved .....

At a distance of 5 Kms from Mysore Railway Station & 2.2 Kms from Mysore Zoo, the Regional Museum of Natural History, located on the banks of Karanji Lake, is one of the best Mysore tourist places.

The museum exhibits plants, animals and geology of the southern region of India. The galleries of the museum are presented under the divisions of Man and the Environment, Ecology, Life through the Ages, Biological Diversity, and Conservation for Development. The galleries emphasize the conservation of nature and natural resources while depicting ecological interrelationship among plants and animals.

Visually challenged students can feel the exhibits of animals on the premises. The museum provides an extracurricular activity for schools and promotes environmental awareness. They also arrange film shows on topics related to natural history.

The lobby of the museum has beautiful art work of Elephants .....

At a distance of 70 km from Ooty, 80 km from Mysore, & 215 km from Bangalore, Bandipur National Park is one of the well preserved national parks in Karnataka. It is located in Chamarajanagar district on the border of Karnataka - Tamil Nadu between Mysore & Ooty. Nagarhole and Bandipur National Park are separated by Kabini reservoir. Bandipur National Park is one of the top attractions you must include in Ooty packages.

Spread across 874 sq.km, Bandipur is one of the best places to visit as part of your wildlife tour in India. It is part of the famous Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve along with Nagarhole National Park, Mudumalai National Park (12 Kms towards Ooty), and Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary. Bandipur forests used to be the private game reserve of the Maharajas of Mysore. .....

At a distance of 1 km from Ooty Bus Station & Railway Station, Ooty Lake is an artificial lake situated in the beautiful hill station of Ooty. It is one of the top attractions you must include in Ooty packages.

Ooty Lake was built by John Sullivan in 1824 AD, the then Collector of Coimbatore. Covers an area of 65 acres with an average depth of 40 feet, the lake is fed by the mountain streams in the Ooty valley. The lake was originally intended to be used for fishing with ferries being used to travel across the lake. It gradually shrunk from its original size giving place to the current bus stand racecourse, and the lake park. It is one of the most visited tourist places in Ooty.

The lake is surrounded by groves of Eucalyptus trees with a railway line running along one shore. Situated amidst beautiful valleys, Ooty Lake is a major landmark in the town .....

At a distance of 2 km from Ooty Bus Station & Railway Station and 3.5 km from Ooty Lake, the Government Rose Garden is a beautiful garden situated near Charring Cross in the beautiful hill station of Ooty. Formerly known as the Jayalalitha Rose Garden or Centenary Rose Park, the Rose Garden is one of the largest rose gardens in India and also one of the popular Ooty tourist places.

The Rose Garden was established in 1995 to commemorate the centenary of Ooty flower show. It is situated at an altitude of 2200 m on the slopes of the Elk Hill in Vijayanagaram area of Ooty town. This garden consists of five terraces in an area of 10 acres and has more than 2800 variety of roses. This garden has been beautifully laid out in terraces with rose tunnels, pergolas and bowers with rose creepers. This garden is maintained by the Tamil Nadu Horticulture Department. .....

At a distance of 3 km from Ooty Bus Station & Railway Station and 4 km from Ooty Lake, Ooty Botanical Gardens is a beautiful garden situated on the foothills of Dodabetta Peak in Ooty. Maintained by Tamil Nadu Horticulture Department, Ooty Botanical Gardens is one of the top places to visit in Ooty and also one of the best botanical gardens in India.

The Botanical Gardens in Udhagamandalam was laid out in 1847 AD. It was designed by the architect William Graham McIvor under the supervision of George Hay, 8th Marquess of Tweeddale, the then Governor of Madras. The original purpose of the Botanical Gardens was to promote and study the various flora in and around Nilgiris. Now, it is open to the public as a park that can be enjoyed by visitors as part of Ooty Packages.

The garden spreads over an area of 22 hectares with more than 650 species of flowers .....

At a distance of 9 km from Ooty, Doddabetta is a mountain peak situated on the Ooty - Kotagiri Road in the Nilgiris district of Tamilnadu. Literally means Big Mountain, Doddabetta is the highest point in Nilgiri Mountains and also one of the popular places to visit in Ooty. It is among prime place to visit on a Ooty trip.

Situated at an altitude of 2623 m, Doddabetta is regarded as one of the highest peaks in South India, which lies at the junction of the Western and Eastern Ghats. The area surrounding Doddabetta is mostly forested. Sholas cover the hollows of its slopes. Tall rhododendron trees, flowering sub-alpine shrubs and herbs are common, even very near the peak. One can have a magnificent panoramic view of the landscape, beautiful valley, plains of Coimbatore and the flat highlands of Mysore from the peak.

The Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation .....

At a distance of 9 km from Ooty Bus Station, Kamraj Sagar Dam, also known as the Sandynalla Reservoir, is a very quiet and scenic dam situated on the slopes of the Wenlock Downs in Ooty. It is one of the top Ooty tourist places and also a must include in every Ooty Tour Packages.

The dam, built on the Kamrajar Lake, is spread over 400 acres and is situated on the way to Wenlock Downs & Pykara. The dam is a monsoon fed water body and measures about 6 km in length. The dam and the serene location make it a heavenly place and a favorite haunt for the nature lovers. It is also a popular destination with honeymoon couples because of its picturesque natural beauty. It is a popular shooting location in Ooty.

There are several walking trails around the lake and visitors can also explore several tourist places in the area through these .....

At a distance of 16 km from Ooty, Wenlock Downs is a vast expanse of grassy meadow located on the way to Pykara in Ooty, Tamilnadu. It is one of the most scenic places in Ooty and also one of the best Ooty tourist places. Along with Ooty Lake, this place is most commonly represented for Ooty Tourism.

Wenlock Downs is a spectacular meadow named after Sir Arthur Lawley's sibling Beilby Lawley, third Baron Wenlock. The downs spread majestically across 20,000 acres of rolling lands that seems to be stretching endlessly. The entire place is covered with Shola forest. More popularly known as the Shooting Point, Wenlock Downs has two popular movie filming points known as Sixth Mile and Ninth Mile named so because of they are located at 6 miles and 9 miles away from Ooty.

The extensive grassland of .....

At a distance of 22 km from Ooty, Pykara Lake is a placid lake situated on Ooty - Mysore road in Tamilnadu. Pykara Lake & Dam is one of the best places to visit in Ooty and an ideal place to experience beautiful boat ride.

Pykara Dam built on Pykara River amidst dense forest is a beautiful destination offering breathtaking scenery. Pykara is the largest river in Nilgiris district. Pykara Lake is a blessed lake for the Todas, the local tribe of Nilgiris. This is the best place to relax and admire the beauty of nature. The dam is near the main Ooty - Gudalur road and includes a power station. Often referred as one of the oldest power plants in South India, the Pykara Power Station still functions and generating about 60 megawatts electricity. It was declared as a heritage plant in 1997, triggered the establishment of more hydro-electric power stations in the state. .....

At a distance of 2 km from Pykara Lake and 23 km from Ooty Bus Stand, Pykara Falls is a majestic waterfall located in Ooty, Tamil Nadu. Situated on the Ooty - Mysore road, this is one of the best waterfalls near Bangalore, and among the most popular Ooty places to visit.

Pykara Falls is formed by the Pykara River on downstream of the Pykara Dam. The falls drops down into two sections with a height of 55 m and 61 m through multiple layers on the rocky bed providing a unique beauty to the stream. The waterfall amidst the dense forest is a treat to watch. It is one of the must-visit places for honeymoon couples and nature lovers as part of their Ooty trip. During the rainy season, the waterfall is in full bloom. There are barricades along with the waterfall viewpoint for the safety of the tourists.

Swimming .....