Bangalore
to Mysore is an easy journey with a toddler. Well, easy may be relative for
some but for me, an avid traveler not hesitant in stringing along the baby,
this was an easy ride. I mean in recent years I have learnt to appreciate baby
years; yank the bottle, make the milk, soothe the child and press on the
accelerator. Hell, you don’t even need to stop for a diaper change. The
backseat of the car works just fine. With a toddler with tantrums ranging from
poop stops in stinky bathrooms to pit stops for play areas with a bit of food,
gurgled down, to travelling with a million cars, crayons and toys and yet
holding on them for dear life in a speeding car, it takes mammoth patience to
not tear every single graying hair.
So
yes, Bangalore to Mysore, a mere 150 kms is a breeze of a ride. Not just for
the beautifully stretched roads, but also for the scores of food joints, that
spoils one for choices. But I will get to that in just a while.
So
with two elderly people and a half sleepy toddler, we started early. We had 2
days of the weekend and we wanted to make the most of it. Every travelogue told
us that we were to reach our destination in 4 hours. They also mentioned scores
of places on the way to see.
Ramanagaram
had some stunning boulder hills, but in a distance.
But
we had our sights clear and our only stop for breakfast and coffee was at A2B
just before Kamath. It is a new place, very efficient and with great food
choices. We loved it because it had a play area!!! A break of close to an hour and
we were on our way again.
Everyone
told us that we would cross Chenapatna and I for one was super excited. As
someone extremely found of artifacts, I was intrigued and excited at the
prospect of finding a town that makes wooden toys. But I was left hugely
disappointed! So would you, if you thought you could stop and shop. The town
passes by in a drift, with no visible signs of any shops. So desperate I was
that I made a pit stop at a small almost obscure shop, with trinkets and made
my peace buying a second grade, wooden kitchen set for my boy.
Our
next stop was Sringapatnam. It is a must see heritage town. Tipu Sultan’s
magnificent capital is a river island, surrounded by the river Kaveri from all
sides. The Indo-Islamic culture architecture of this place is evidence to an
empire that flourished under Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan’s efficient regime.
Sringapatam was a powerful seat of culture during Tipu’s regime. Many decisive
battles were fought here including the last that martyred Tipu Sultan, who is buried
here, betrayed by one of his own. Sringapatnam is a pilgrimage of the South.
The Ranganathan temple is thronged by tourists, night and day.
We
didn’t go to the temple. Although I managed to read enough about Mysore, none
of the travelogue mentioned Ranganathan temple. It is only after I returned
with my curiosity piqued of the Wodeyar Dynasty and Tipu Sultan’s rule that I
started reading and discovered this piece of information. So that goes in my
bucket list of reasons for yet another Mysore visit.
We
drove past the decapitating walled city of Sringapatnam that was hustling and
bustling with people. For a town with so much history, the quick recee of
palace, tombstone was dissatisfying to say the least, but with a hungry toddler
and cramped leg room and the hot sun blazing, we had little option, but to
trudge along ahead. With a promise to the guide to return soon, we made our way
out of Sringapatna and towards Mysore.
Needless to say, you don’t reach Mysore in 4
hours. Those who do, either don’t get traffic, or travel alone or cruise. And,
here is another caveat. The Sringapatna town is on the right hand side of the
main highway. We missed it three times. With no visible signage on the main
road, relying on GPS was the only option that misled us thrice. My advice… Ask
the locals.
The
other place we were told that we would cross was the Shivasamudra Falls. We did
ask for directions at a petrol pump. We were told that it was 75 kms off course,
so we decided to abandon it, atleast for this leg of the journey.
A
quick shower followed by a lunch and we were off at 3:00 pm for a Mysore Palace
visit. A short buggy ride, some quick photographs and we were left standing
outside the Mysore Palace. Truly
magnificent and spectacular are two words that come to mind, in describing this
architectural marvel, of Indo- Saracenic style, a blend of Hindu, Muslim,
Rajput and Gothic styles. Surrounded by large gardens, this new structure was
designed by Henry Irwin, an Englishmen, after the old structure was burnt down.
The palace faces the Chamundi Hills as the rulers were devotees of the Goddess.
Beautiful
landscaping, stunning architecture, but like all places in India, crowds, so
overwhelming that the need to see the architectural marvel is circumvented by
thoughts for ones near and dears safety. Once inside on a museum trip there is
no going back, the crowd jostles you into room after room, down corridors and
in narrow alleys. Travelling with two elderly and a toddler, with no elbow room
can be intimidating, even frightening when encountering narrows steep steps,
but we survived.
The
Palace is long and once inside, one cannot step out. There seems to be only one
way in and out and if there are toddlers surely there is a lot of carrying that
one has to do in the place. It is not disabled friendly, for that matter it
isn't elderly friendly too, with its many steps. Plan a trip wisely, perhaps
early morning is a better deal or a weekday.
After
an exhausting trip and an over enthusiastic rickshaw driver, we made it back to
our hotel, not far from the Palace. Not one to miss out on time, we quickly
scurried the net, for things to do. A sound and light was our thing for the
evening. Offcourse we remember our person in Sringapatna, who has mentioned a
sound and light show.
A careful
debate followed. Should we see the sound and light show at the Mysore Palace or
forsake that to travel 20 kms back to Sringapatnam. Tipu’s feat pushed us for
the latter. So again we all piled in, my ever patient toddler, not knowing what
lay in store. I remember preparing my little one for the show, that he was to
see, babbling like excited school children, reminiscing the tv serial- Sword of
Tipu Sultan. Back in those days, we didn’t have debates on Hindu and Muslim
rulers; we just knew of valiant rulers and their contribution to fight the
British rule in India.
The
7.15 show time beckoned and we sped our way to Sringapatnam. We arrived to a
lone guard and an empty space. Sitting tight in our car, a window rolled down,
I gently asked the guard of the show timings.
He said, if I was interested, he would start the show? But the show was
in Kannada.
Dumbfounded
and spaced out, we made our way out. With no person in sight, a show in
Kannada, we didn’t want to risk anything. Disappointed is a relative term, I
was heart-broken. My journey was planned to accompany my in-laws visiting
Bangalore, almost cancelled cause I was carrying the fever germ, popping pills
at intervals of 5 hours, exhausted and dead, yet enthusiastic enough to travel
20 kms extra after all the day escapades,
only to learn of a defunct show. Why on earth did the travelogue not mention
that? The articles I read on the show in Hindu and elsewhere, surely they
should have mentioned that. Also
Karnataka State Government, who do you think will go to see a show on Tipu
Sultan in Kannada? I mean I am all for supporting the mother tongue, but how on
earth will one raise footfall, in the light of thousands of non-Kannada
speaking tourists visiting the area. How? How?
We
made it back to Mysore, only to see the last of the lights of the illuminated
palace.
Everywhere
I read, Mysore is a weekend trip, but a weekend doesn't do justice to the
sights in and around to visit. We wanted to visit the Mysore Zoo, but long
queue, heat and different age groups, meant forgoing some. We wanted to see the
Brindavan gardens, but we didn’t have time. So we decided to visit the Chamundi
Temple.
A
decent drive up to the hill, fresh air, winding roads and we were at the Temple
parking. If you have a child who gets mountain sickness like mine, then do go
slow. We made two short stops. Ornate and beautifully carved in gold, the
temple is a marvel. We walked up to the steps of this magnificent abode of god,
only to give up going inside. The line was serpentine and given my father in
laws bad back and mother in laws accident affected leg; we decided not to be
brave. Disappointed, yes big time!
The
journey out from the temple to the parking lot is teemed with small shops,
selling all kinds of cheap toys. Needless to say, my toddlers bawling
continued, till we satiated it with another cheap substitute of kitchen
accessories.
The
journey home was now re-planned. We decided that since nothing much had come
from the trip, an extra 75 kms could perhaps be the saving grace. The mighty
Shivasamudra could well become the highlight of this visit. So off we went, GPS
being our lone guide. A
diversion through some hills and what seemed to be a canal marked the entry to
Shivasamudra. This route different from the main Mysore road had no restaurants
and by 1 pm, my bladder was badly complaining. A lame signboard marked a hotel
that seemed nowhere to be seen. We trudged along through what seemed to be an
embankment road.
The
hotel in sight, we stopped to break. As I made a beeline for the washroom, my
mother in law stuck a conversation with the hotel staff. She asked them about
the falls, only to be taken outside. There in front of us, was well a
waterfall. The mighty Shivasamudra was trickling down a hill. I almost couldn’t
believe my eyes. I asked three other people. Immensely dissatisfied, I decided
to go for a walk and explore. Sure enough, Shivasamudra was a tourist spot;
adjacent to the hotel, with a viewing area, with some vendors competing to sell
tender coconut water. I looked for the falls, truly wanting to enjoy its
magnamity, at least imagined, but couldn’t.
The
way back home was beautiful, particularly the Ramanagaram rocks that we found
so close up. I was etching to get off the car and take some shots, but well,
another time.
Much
wiser, my next trip will surely be better.
