Situated at the foothills of Chamundi hills, Mysore is spread across 111 square miles of an area with several attractive spots representing its rich heritage. The city is known as the cultural capital of the state of Karnataka. Though tourist spots in the city are numerous, they are well connected among themselves and with other cities like Bangalore by national highways and intercity roads. You can rent a car in Mysore if you don’t have your own means to visit its landmarks.
Behind the scenes of the first Mysore Pak
Many cities in India have their own signature dishes, like Dharwad Peda. Likewise, Mysore Pak represents the city Mysore where it originated. It is a dense, buttery sweet popularly served as a side dish on many special occasions, including weddings. Its innovation took place in Mysore palace during the rule of Maharaja Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV.
The head chef of the palace began experimenting with gram flour, ghee, and sugar to prepare an unusual dish for his highness. The result was a soft and sticky paste, and the king liked it and asked the inventor chef for a name. Mysore Pak popped up, instantly referring to a sticky syrup obtained by simmering a high quantity of sugar in water.
Impressed by the taste, the king encouraged the chef to open a sweet shop. Over the years, the recipe has improved with various flavours.
Shops that offer authentic Mysore Pak sweets
- Guru Sweets: Surprisingly, the great-grandsons of Madappa are still running “Guru Sweets”, a famous sweet shop where you can have the sweet made with the original recipe. It is located in Devaraja Market in the city. Get a chance to taste some authentic Mysore Pak sweets there.
- Sri Venkateshwara Sweetmeat: Upon Bengaluru’s Balepet Main Road is this 100-year-old shop run for three generations. Their Mysore Pak sweets are known to melt in the mouth and are unbeatable in taste. What makes it even more special is their added in-house fragrant cardamom powder.
- Shri Mahalakshmi Sweets: This 30-year-old shop is known for its special Dharwad Pedha, and Kaju Mysore Pak. You’ll get that immediate hit of sugar as soon as you have a bite of the authentic Mysore Pak.
Other renowned sweet stalls are Anand Sweets and Gundappa Sweets, which serve delicious Mysore Pak.
Other notable tourist attractions
Mysore is known for its iconic places that adopted styles of different countries and cultures. Prominent among them is Amba Vilas palace, popularly known as Mysore palace. The ten-day Mysore Dasara is one of the famous festivals that present the true delight of Mysore palace. The others include Jaganmohan palace, Lalitha Mahal, Vijayalakshmi Vilas mansion, Rajendra Vilas, and Cheluvamba mansion.
Mysore is also home to many ancient temples with astonishing sculptures and inscriptions. Among them, the most renowned are the temples of Channakeshava and Trineshwaraswamy.
Wildlife enthusiasts may extend their tour to destinations nearby Mysore, such as Nagarhole national park and wildlife sanctuaries at Melkote, Mandya, and B R hills. In addition, bird sanctuaries at Ranganathittu and Kokkrebellur have cherries on top of the cake.
Summing up
Mysore is one of the places you can go to explore and fill your eyes with beautiful landscapes for months. Unlike well-developed modern and industrialised cities, it provides you with plenty of green scenarios to unite with nature. When you have time off from your busy life, you can backpack, call your friends or families, look for cabs in Mysore, and book one to explore the city.
