Famous Temples in Mysore:
Mysore has numerous temples, dedicated to different Gods and Goddesses and built intricately and are examples of the excellence achieved in architecture during the period. Some of the other temples in Mysore are:
Gayathri Temple in Mysore:
Jayachamaraja Wodeyar, the last Maharaja of Mysore, built the Gayathri temple in 1953. The King was great devotee of the Goddess Devi including Gayathri. Inside the enclosure of the temple there are three shrines dedicated to Savitri, Gayathri and Lakshmi. The Navaranga has statues of Ganesha, Shiva and Maha Vishnu. The famous sculptor of Mysore, Shilpi Siddalingaswamy, carved these sculptures.
Someswara Temple in Mysore:
This temple is in the northeast side of the fort. It has three cells next to each other. The middle cell has a Linga, the right cell Goddess Somasundari and the left cell Narayana. In front of the Narayana shrine are the statues of the nine planets the ‘Navagrahas’ on a raised platform. Maharani Vanivilasa Sannidhana had all these statues installed except for the Linga, more than a century ago. It is claimed that the Linga is much older. The outer wall on the southern side has a niche that has a statue of Dakshinamurthy. The temple played an important role in the Dasara festivities during the reign of Jayachamaraja Wodeyar.
Kodi Bhairava Temple in Mysore:
To the southeast of Someswara Temple is the Kodi Bhairava temple. The temple is so called because it is located on the ‘Kodi’ or weir of Devaraya Sagara, now a dried up tank popularly known as Doddakere. This Shiva temple is associated with the founders of the Mysore Royal family or the Yadu dynasty. Legend has it that it is in this temple that the two young prices from Gujarat (Dwaraka), Yaduraya and Krishnaraya, took shelter, before fighting the Karugahalli chief and restoring the kingdom to the then Royal family. Yaudraya married the local princess and became progenitor of the Yadu dynasty. The temple has a statue of Bhairava that is about a meter high. In His four hands the Lord Shiva has a trident, a drum, a skull and a sword. The statue is flanked on the left by the statue of Bhadrakali, holding a sickle in her uplifted right hand and on the right a female Chauri-bearer.
Bhuvaneswari Temple in Mysore:
This temple is situated in the northern side of the Palace Fort. Jayachamaraja Wodeyar built the Bhuvaneswari in 1951. The temple architecture is in the Dravidian style. The famous sculptor of Mysore Shilpi Siddalingaswamy carved the main idol of Bhuvaneswari. The temple also has the statues of Surya, Maha Vishnu, Maheswara, Rajarajeswari, Ganapathi and Chamundeswari. The temple has a large ‘Surya Mandala in its possession. This copper plate was earlier with the Royal family and was handed to the temple by Jayacjamaraja Wodeyar. On the auspicious day of “Rath Sapthami” in the month of January-February, special prayers are offered to the Surya Mandala.
General Information about Mysore:
Location: Mysore
State: Karnataka
Capital: Bangalore
Language: Kannada, Malayalam, English
Temperature: Max 30˚C, Min 21˚C (summer), Max 21˚C, Min 11˚C (winter)
Best Season: November to April
How to Reach Mysore:
By Air:
The nearest airport to Mysore is Bangalore (139 km). All the domestic airlines in the country operate their flights to Bangalore from all the major cities in the country. Some international airlines too have flights to Bangalore. Bangalore is to have an international airport shortly.
By Rail:
Mysore is connected with a number of trains to Bangalore. The super fast luxury train the Shatabdi Express connects Mysore to Madras. The quickest and most comfortable way to reach Mysore is via Bangalore.
By Road:
Mysore is 139kms to the south west of Bangalore. The state highway that connects these two cities is very well maintained. Travelling from Bangalore to Mysore by road is a pleasant experience and will take about 3hrs. The Karnataka Road Transport Corporation has excellent bus service to Mysore. There are ordinary buses, semi-luxury buses and luxury buses operated by the Government of Karnataka. Every half an hour there is a non-stop bus to Mysore from Bangalore Bus Station. Corporations of other states and private tour operators have buses plying to Mysore as well. All these facilities have made Mysore extremely accessible by road.