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'Mysuru' or 'Maisūru' () is the second largest city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Mysuru is the administrative seat of both Mysuru District and Mysuru Division. It is located at 770 m above sea level and is 139 km from Bangalore, the state capital. It has been proposed that Mysore be renamed 'Mysuru' in English by the state government.^[1][2]
Mysuru is and has been the capital of the Wodeyars. The city is known for its palaces and proximity to several other places of interest like Srirangapatna, Sivasamudram Falls, and Krishna Raja Sagara Dam. The city is spread across an area of 128 square kilometres. Along with sandalwood products and crafts, Mysuru is also famous for its celebration of the ten-day Dasara festival held every year.

Contents

Etymology

History

Art and culture

Business and Economy

Government and politics

Tourism

Mysore Palace Illuminated

Transport

Education

Demographics

Climate

Media

Sports

Notes

References

External links

Etymology

According to Hindu mythology, the area around Mysore city was once the domain of the demon king Mahishasura, who grew almost invincible and wreaked havoc on the world. The Goddess Chamundeshwari vanquished the demon after an intense ten-day struggle.
The Goddess is therefore also known by the name ''Mahishasura Mardhini'' (''Slayer of Mahisha''). The battle and the victory are commemorated by the annual nine-day Navarathri festival to this day.
The name ''Mysore'' is the anglicised version of ''Mahishūru'', which is derived from ''Mahisha''. This legend makes the temple of the Goddess Chamundeshwari, located atop the Chamundi Hills in Mysore, an important place of pilgrimage.

History

The history of Mysore is closely linked to the history of the Kingdom of Mysore. References from the times of the Mahabharata and Asoka refer to ''Mahisha Nadu'' or ''Mahisha Mandala''. References can also be found in Tamil literature about ''Ezimahi Nadu''. The earliest documented evidence of the town is in the form of stone carvings in ''Old Kannada''(''Saasanas'') found in villages around Mysore, inscribed around 1021 CE. From 1499 the name ''Mahisūru'' has been recorded in inscriptions. During the rule of the Vijayanagar Empire, the Mysore kingdom served as a feudatory, gaining sovereignty after the empire fell in 1565 CE. Till the year 1610, when Srirangapatna was acquired, Mysore was the center of Wodeyar administration. It became the capital of the Kingdom of Mysore after the death of Tippu Sultan at the end of the Anglo-Mysore Wars in 1799 ^[3].

The administrative center was shifted to Bangalore in 1831, when the British moved their garrison from Srirangapatnam (on the outskirts of Mysore) to the Bangalore Cantonment. Mysore once again became the capital of the kingdom in 1881 with the rendition of power by the British to the Wodeyars. Most present day historical landmarks, and the organisation of the city of Mysore, were inspirations of the Wodeyar kings and their Dewans. Plans for organised development of the city exist from as far back as 1904. The period between 1910-1945 is considered the most important in the modernization of the kingdom. Several industries (including a steel mill) were begun and an efficient railway system was constructed, as was a network of irrigation canals. Art and culture flourished under the patronage of royalty, and the educational system was revamped.
Mysore is called the ''City of Palaces'' as a result of the number of palaces situated in the city, including Amba Vilas (Main Mysore Palace), Rajendra Vilas (the summer palace, situated on the Chamundi Hills) and Jayalakshmi Vilas (now on the University of Mysore premises). The main palace of Mysore was burnt down in 1897, and the present day structure was built on the same site. The palace exhibits a mixture of Dravidian, Indo-Saracenic, Roman and Oriental architectural styles. Even though the Government of Karnataka now maintains the Mysore palace, a small portion of the palace has been allocated for the erstwhile Royal family to live in. The Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion was constructed by Sri Chamaraja Wodeyar for his daughter Jayalakshammanni. It is now a museum dedicated to folk culture. A new gallery is being added for artefacts and collections of the Wodeyars of Mysore.

Art and culture

Dasara is the ''Nadahabba'' (state festival) of Karnataka. Mysore is well known for the festivities that take place during this period. Also termed the Navaratri (meaning nine nights), it is a ten-day festival usually held during the months of September and October. During this period, various cultural and religious programs highlighting the arts and culture of Karnataka and India are held. The Mysore palace is illuminated on all ten days and prominent cultural programs are held on the palace grounds. The festivities begin with a pooja performed to the Goddess Chamundeshwari atop the Chamundi Hills in the presence of the Wodeyar royal couple, high-ranking officials of the State and other invitees.
Mysore was the home of the father of modern yoga, Krishnamacharya, who taught at Mysore Palace until his shala was closed in 1950 after India gained independence. It was because of Krishnamacharya that Mysore became renowned as a mecca for yoga. Many Mysore yoga instructors draw international students for extended yoga programs, including Venkatesh Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois, who stayed on even after Krishanmacharya moved to Chennai. Teachers of Sanskrit, kirtan chant, Ayurveda and other yogic forms are readily available. The Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute, the Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Ashram and the Indus Valley Ayurvedic Center all welcome visitors. In addition to traditional Hindu spiritual methods, courses are available in Osho meditation, the Art of Living, Reiki, Breema, and many other systems.
Mysore painting is an important form of classical South Indian painting that originated in the city of Mysore in Karnataka. These paintings are known for their elegance, muted colours, and attention to detail. The themes for most of these paintings are Hindu gods and goddesses and scenes from Hindu mythology. In modern times, these paintings have become a much sought-after souvenir during festive occasions in South India.

Business and Economy

Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) has established four industrial areas in and around Mysore to encourage the industrial development of the city. These are located at Belagola, Belawadi, Hebbal (Electronic City) and Hootagalli.^[4]. Some of the major industries located in Mysore are Vikrant Tyres Ltd., Automotive Axles Ltd., Bharat Earth Movers Ltd. (BEML), Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation and Bhoruka Aluminum Ltd.
The information technology related companies are also slowly creating bases in Mysore, prominent among which are Infosys, Wipro and Larsen and Toubro Infotech.
Mysore contributed Rs. 760 crores to Karnataka's Rs. 48,700 crore IT exports in the year 2006-2007.^[5] Infosys has established its global training center in Mysore with an investment of over $65 million, and with a training capacity of about 4,500 people. Wipro has its Global Service Management Center (GSMC) for serving the eastern markets here, which also serves as a backup to Wipro's Global Command Center in Bangalore.
Tourism is also a major industry in Mysore and tourists are a major consumer of products manufactured by small scale industries in Mysore related to sandalwood, silk and wood carving.
The economy experienced reverses during the last few decades, as some of the major industries like Ideal Jawa (automobiles) and K. R. Mills (textiles) closed down and many people became unemployed. However, some revival efforts, like those of K. R. Mills (Atlantic Mills), helped improve the situation. Infrastructural improvements in progress, such as the doubling of railway tracks and the building of a four-lane expressway between Mysore and Bangalore, are expected to bring significant growth to the economy of Mysore.

Government and politics

The city is governed by the Mysore City Corporation (forming the legislative branch of city government), led by a Mayor, and composed of 64 elected corporators. The city is divided into wards which elect the corporators. Officials such as the District Commissioner, the Health Officer, and Officers in charge of the Water Works and Sewage form part of the executive branch. The annual budget of the Corporation for the year 2005-2006 was Rs 9088.46 lakh (US$ 19.6 Million). The Mysore Zilla Parishat is responsible for the rural sections of the taluk. MUDA (the Mysore Urban Development Authority) is responsible for the creation of new sections (layouts), zoning and expansion of the city.
Mysore has become the first Indian city to be Wi-Fi enabled.^[6] Mysore is also one of the cities participating in an initiative to create an eGovernance system across the state of Karnataka.

Tourism

Mysore receives a good share of tourists because of its cultural heritage. The maximum influx of tourists is during the Dasara festival. Some of the well-known palaces in Mysore are the Ambavilas Palace (also known as Mysore Palace), Jaganmohana Palace, Rajendra Vilas, Jayalakshmi Vilas and Lalitha Mahal which have been constructed by the Wodeyars. Another popular tourist destination is the Chamundi Hill which has a Hindu temple of Goddess Chamundeshwari at its top. Other religious locations in Mysore include the Ganapathi Sachidananda Ashram and the St. Philomena's Church. The Krishna Raja Sagara dam across the river Cauvery and the adjoining Brindavan Gardens are places which receive a lot of tourists.
Mysore is also home to the following museums:

★ The Regional Museum of Natural History has exhibits on plants, animals and the geology of the southern region of India.

★ The Folk Lore Museum (1968). Located on the University of Mysore campus, the museum exhibits over 6500 items of folk art and craft from all over the state of Karnataka.

★ The Railway Museum exhibits vintage locomotives and is the second such museum to be set up after the National Railway Museum in Delhi.

★ The Oriental Research Institute, formerly known as the Oriental Library established in 1891, contains over 33,000 palm leaf manuscripts.
Mysore is also a place for health tourism, mainly related to Yoga and receives lot of visitors from outside India who come here to perform Yoga under masters like Pattabhi Jois. GRS Fantasy Park and Planet-X are theme parks that also receive a good number of people. Mysore Zoo is one of the largest of its kind in India and is a popular place for kids. Mysore has a number of lakes and among them, the Karanji lake and Kukkarahalli lake are visited by many people.

Mysore Palace Illuminated

Transport

State highways 17, 33, 86, and 88 pass through Mysore connecting it to nearby cities. The existing four-lane road linking Mysore to Bangalore is being upgraded to a six-lane highway, thus significantly reducing the commute time. Mysore is the railway junction for the district, and rail lines connect Mysore city to Bangalore to the northeast via Mandya, the rail junction at Hassan to the northwest, and Chamarajanagar via Nanjangud to the southeast. The nearest airport is at Bangalore. The Mandkalli Airport, approximately from the city, is currently inoperative, although paragliding and, occasionally, aeroplane rides are offered at this location. A memorandum of understanding is expected to be signed by the Karnataka government and the Airports Authority of India, leading to the redesign and extension of the airport.
Mysore has intra-city, inter-city and suburban public bus transportation. Traditional means of transport available in other Indian cities like autorickshaws and taxis are also available. tongas (horse-drawn carriages) are also available, but usage is declining.Its basically tourists now who use them to view the sights around Mysore now.

Education

Mysore is reputed for the quality and breadth of its academic and research institutions. A variety of research organizations conduct pioneering activity in the areas of food technology, Indian languages, rare earth materials, speech and hearing, sericulture, etc. Higher education can be pursued in disciplines that range from liberal arts and the humanities to law, design, management, architecture, pharmacology, dental sciences, science, medicine and engineering.
Modern education in the city had its beginnings in the foundation of the Free English School in 1833. Christian missionaries also started several schools, imparting mainly English education, in the nineteeth century. The first high school was established in 1858 and the Maharaja's College was founded in 1864. Secondary education in the city initially comprised a three-year course after the eighth grade, which was slightly different from the scheme followed by neighbouring principalities, but a uniform pattern and syllabus was implemented in the city as well as the rest of Karnataka in 1963. The current pattern of a two year Pre-University Course was introduced in 1972. The kindergarten system of education was popular by the end of the nineteeth century, and was run mainly by private establishments.
The importance of training teachers was also recognized early in the nineteeth century. A school for training teachers was established in the city in 1860. Maharani's College (1881) began training classes for women in 1888. A Zanana School for Urdu teachers began functioning in 1916. The faculty of Education was begun in the University of Mysore in 1952.
The National Institute of Engineering (1946) was one of the first engineering colleges in the country. Another famous engineering college affiliated with the Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) is Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering (SJCE), which is over forty years old. One other educational institutions coming up now is the VidyaVardhaka College of Engineering (VVCE). The Mysore Medical College, affiliated with the University, was the seventh such college in the country. Established in 1917 as the Mysore Medical School at Bangalore, it was upgraded to a college in 1924, and re-located to Mysore in 1930.
Today, academics in Mysore centres mostly around the University of Mysore. It was one of the earliest institutions of its kind in India - the first University outside British dominions in the country, and only the sixth across the country. Established in 1916, it began with four broad disciplines, Arts, Science, Technology and Medicine, and 28 subjects. Today, the University campus, called ''Manasagangotri'' (Fountainhead of the Mind), occupies around of verdant land, and conducts post-graduate courses in over 40 disciplines. One of the libraries under its control, the Oriental Research Institute, is renowned for the discovery of a manuscript of Chanakya's, ''Arthashastra'', amongst its collections.

Demographics

The population of the city was 7.87 lakhs (787,000), according to the 2001 census. The urban population is estimated to be around 8.2 lakhs (820,000), with Hindus making up the bulk of population while Christians, Jains and Buddhists number about 7% of the population. The literacy rate of urban Mysore is considerably higher than that of the state average, at 82.8%. Kannada is widely spoken, while other languages like Hindi is also spoken.

Climate

Mysore lies in the tropics, with summer temperatures ranging from 21 to 34 degrees Celsius, while winter temperatures range from 12 to 30 degrees Celsius. The city gets an average of 86 centimetres of rain annually, most of it during the monsoon, in the June–October period.

Media

Mysore established its first radio station, called ''Akashvani'' (voice from the skies), in 1936 largely due to the efforts of Dr. M.V. Gopalaswamy a professor of psychology at the University of Mysore. ''Akashvani'' was adopted as the official name of All India Radio in 1957. The Mysore radio station was taken over by the state in 1941. Kuvempu delivered the inaugural address as well as the address commemorating the Golden Jubilee of the station in 1986. At the time of its inception the station was guided by noted Kannada essayist, A. N. Moorthy Rao (Professor, English Literature, University of Mysore) as director. A frequency modulated (FM) radio channel broadcast by AIR (Akashvani) is available on 100.6 MHz frequency in and around Mysore city.
The earliest efforts to begin newspapers in Mysore were crushed in 1894 under the British Raj. ''Sadhvi'' was a Kannada newspaper that used to be published in Mysore. Newspapers now being published in Mysore, in Kannada or English, include the ''Prajavani'' and its sister newspaper the ''Deccan Herald'' (first published in 1948), the ''Star of Mysore'', its Kannada edition ''Mysore Mitra'' (1978), ''Samachar'' (first published in Kannada as ''Samachara'' and later as ''Samachar'' in English in 1950) and ''Andolana'' (Kannada edition). While the ''Star of Mysore'' is published in tabloid format, the others are published in broadsheet format. The ''Times of India'' launched a Mysore edition in 2005.

Sports

Mysore has a tradition of wrestling, football and kho-kho. Mysoreans have represented India at various international tournaments in football and wrestling. Athletics, cricket, swimming and tennis have emerged as sports that the city's sportspersons have taken to. Javagal Srinath, Prahlad Srinath, Mohit Vijaykumar, Madhu Nagaraja and Reeth Abraham are examples.
The Mysore University has a sports program equipped with excellent infrastructure for athletics, tennis, gymnastics, basketball, hockey and cricket. A swimming pool maintained by the University at Saraswathipuram caters to the needs of the swimming fraternity. The Department of Youth Services and Sports, Mysore, is constructing an international standard swimming pool adjacent to the Chamundivihar Indoor stadium. The Mysore Tennis Club, which began in August 1969 with two courts, has now expanded to eight courts. The National Games of India were held in Mysore in 1999. Infrastructure was further enhanced as a result; a new Indoor stadium was constructed with a seating capacity of 3000 at the Chamundivihar Sports complex.
The Wodeyars were keen followers of horse racing, and the Race Club of Mysore stands as testimony to this interest. The Jayachamaraja Wodeyar Golf Club has 18 holes around the race course.
Mysore was also one of the first places in India where youth hostels were established, as early as 1949.^[7] Specifically, the Youth Hostels Association Of India (YHAI) had its beginnings in Mysore. There are now two main units in Mysore - the Gangothri Unit and the Mysore Youth Hostel Unit. The Gangothri Unit is active in a variety of activities such as trekking, rock-climbing, and river rafting and organises meetings periodically to educate young people about the environment.

Notes

1. It’ll be "Bengaluru" from Nov 1
2.
3. Kannada Vishwakosha, Various authors, , , University of Mysore, 1998, Volume 12
4. Industrial Areas developed by KIADB in Mysore district are mentioned in the webpage: KIADB Industrial Areas
5. IT exports from Karnataka cross Rs 50k cr
6. Wireless Hotspots
7. Youth Hostels Association Of India

References

★ Demographics of Karnataka 2002

★ Indian census statistics on Hindus

★ Indian census on mysore Muslims

★ Independent census on Muslim population

External links

★ Mysore City Corporation

★ Mysore Urban Development Authority

★ Mysore on Wikimapia

★ Official Mysore Tourism Web Site

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