go with nugget

The Kingdom of Mysore is a kingdom that existed for over 500 years in southern India. When the Indian Union was formed in 1947, as part of India’s independence from Great Britain, the Mysore Kingdom came to an end. The center of the kingdom is what’s known today as the city of Mysuru or Mysore. The city changed its official name from Mysore to Mysuru in 2014, but many still call it Mysore.

Mysuru is a beautiful city, set at the foot of the Chamundi Hills and it’s often referred to as the City of Palaces. There are seven palaces in total. The most important one is the Mysore Palace, which used to be where the maharajas and the royal family lived. The first palace was built in the 14th century, but was later struck by lightning and had to be rebuilt. The palace was rebuilt a few more times over the past centuries. The current Mysore Palace was built in 1912, after the previous one burnt down during the wedding ceremony of Princess Jayalakshmmanni. Mysore Palace is one of the most important tourist attractions in India (after the famous Taj Mahal) and attracts more than 6 million visitors each year. If you want to take a 360-degree tour of Mysore Palace, click here!

Dussehra is a 10-day Hindu festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil. It has been celebrated in the state of Karnataka for over 400 years. During the festival, the Mysore Palace is lit up by more than 100,000 lights, and there is a huge parade through the city, with dancers and music. The highlight of the parade is the elephant procession that carries the idol of the goddess Chamunda. For the best view of the palace lit up, Ahan suggests you head to the top of Chamundi Hills. 

See the Mysore Palace lit up during the 10-day Dussehra festival.

Mysore has many traditional foods. During our chat with Ahan, he shared a few that are well known in his hometown.

India is home to 80% of the world’s tiger population, and the Bandipur Tiger Reserve is one of the 50 tiger reserves throughout the country. Back in the day, Bandipur used to be the hunting reserve for the maharajas, but today it’s dedicated to protecting and growing its endangered tiger population. Some of the biggest dangers to tigers are habitat loss and poaching. Sadly, every year, hunters try to kill tigers to sell their fur and bones on the black market. The rangers at Bandipur regularly patrol the park on foot and by jeep to catch poachers. During monsoon season, they even use elephants to patrol the most critical parts of the 220-km (136.7-miles) park border. This conservation work at Bandipur creates a safe habitat for tigers and a lot of other animals that call the preserve their home. In addition to tigers, you can find elephants, leopards, sloth bears, gaurs (which is a type of bison), sambar deer, monkeys, wild dogs and lots of birds. One of the birds that is native to India, and that many of you may have seen at the zoo, is the peacock.

Watch the incredible Indian wildlife at Bandipur.

As good travelers, we always want to keep our distance from wild animals and give them their space so we don’t scare them. And, we never ever want to feed wild animals.

In 2017, an 18-month-old leopard cub made its way into the zoo. Nobody knows for sure where it came from, but leopards are native to southern India and can be found in the forests and hills surrounding the city of Mysore.