A Unique Temple, the Story of Tipu Sultan and a 'Walking' Tour of Mysore
Why We Returned to Mysore
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| Karnataka |
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| India |
This was our second visit to Mysore, and there was a reason for that. In 2010 Thomas had driven us here from Coorg and that afternoon we
had seen the Maharajah's Palace, Chamundi Hill and Devararja market as
described, six years after the event, in yesterday’s post. In the evening we ate at a large and busy restaurant with a mixed
Indian and Western clientele, usually a good sign. My butter chicken had seemed
fine at the time but around three o'clock it woke me up with the information
that I needed to vomit. The next twelve hours are best not discussed in detail.
I spent the day in the air-conditioned luxury of our hotel room, rising from my bed only (though frequently) to visit the bathroom. The consolation
for being ill in India is that there is always cricket on the television, so I
settled down to watch a one day international between Australia and the West
Indies. I don't know how long before it had actually been played, but it kept me amused.
There was no reason why Lynne should miss out so she went out with Thomas and a local guide to visit Somnathpur and Srirangapatnam, arriving
back mid-afternoon to tell me what a fascinating trip it had been - and has gone
on about it ever since. Today was to be the day I caught up.
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| Yesterday we drove from Bengaluru to Mysuru (Mysore), today we are visiting locally |
Mysore to Somnathpur
We set off at eight o'clock with Thomas and a different local guide. Our route first took us eastwards and across the Kaveri (or
Cauvery) River. Rising in the Western Ghats and flowing southeast for 800km to the
Bay of Bengal, the Kaveri drains most of Southern India.
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| River Kaveri, east of Mysore |
The sugar cane harvest was still in full swing but Indian agriculture never pauses for breath and the cleared fields were already being prepared for the next crop….
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| Preparing the ground for the next crop, near Somnathpur |
…in some places it was even being planted.
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| Planting the next crop, near Somnathpur |
After an hour or so we reached the small village of Somnathpur.
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| Village India, near Somnathpur |
Somnathpur and its Unique Hoysala Temple
From the 10th to the 14th century, before the Wadiyas ruled from Mysore, Karnataka was the fiefdom of the Hoysalas. Records say they were
patrons of the arts and indefatigable temple builders, but they left little behind
for their years of domination; only three fine examples of their distinctive
temples survive. We have seen those at Bellur and Hallebid a hundred miles to
the north, but they lack their roofs; the finest of all, the only complete Hoysala temple, the one I missed, was
built in tiny Somnathpur in 1268.
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| Somnathpur Temple |
The three conical towers each contain a shrine to one of three incarnations of Vishnu. They are built on a star-shaped foundation and each point
of the multi-pointed stars is faithfully followed up through the decorations to the very top.
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| The points of the star go all the way up, Somnathapur Temple |
The temple is covered with carvings, many of them signed by the master craftsmen that made them. The lower parts of the wall have five
bands with elephants at the base holding everything up, then horsemen, curling
serpents, scenes of warfare and two rows of mythical animals.
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| Lower sections of the wall, Somnathpur Temple |
Above are gods and goddesses carved in sumptuous detail.
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| Shiva, Ganesh and Other Gods, Somnathpur Temple |
The stars, detailed carvings and heavily decorated towers are the essence of the Hoysala style
There is little to see inside, though the roof, as in the other Hoysala temples, is supported by granite pillars decorated by turning -
common enough with wood, but a difficult undertaking with stone using medieval equipment.
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| Inside the Somnathpur Temple |
The details of many of the roof decorations are only revealed by flash photographs.
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| 'Banana Flower' roof decoration, Somnathpur Temple |
Each shrine has a ‘Holy of Holies’ (guides usually prefer the Latin, Sanctum Santorum) containing an image of the appropriate avatar of Vishnu.
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| Santum Sanctorum, Somnathpur Temple |
From Somnathpur we headed back towards Srirangapatnam on the main Mysore-Bangalore road.
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| Somnathpur to Sirangapatnam. We went by car, but other transport is available |
Producing Jaggery
En route we called in at a workshop making jaggery - unrefined sugar from the cane harvest. Walking in over the 'feather', the stripped off tips and outer leaves, we were surrounded by a rich vegetal smell not unlike silage but, perhaps ironically, not quite so sweet.
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| Boiling up the cane sugar juices, near Somnathpur |
The juices from the cane are boiled until only the solids remain and they are then sun-dried in moulds. Palm sugar produced this way (see The Road to Mandalay) is often eaten as it is - though it can be mixed with coconut or other flavourings - and has a rich smoky flavour. This raw cane sugar, known as jaggery, is less instantly appealing with a green vegetal taste neither of us liked. Jaggery is much used in the production of Indian sweets and it obviously pleased our local guide as he purchased several large slabs which looked like Sunlight Soap as it was sold in the 1950s (younger readers might find that last comparison baffling - never mind, it does not matter).
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| Jaggery, raw cane sugar |
Srirangapatnam and Tipu Sultan, The Tiger of Mysore
The town of Srirangapatnam, some 40 minutes north of Somnathpur, is more of an outsize straggling village and now spreads beyond
the island in the Cauvery where the Vijaynagars, who ruled the area to the
north, built a fort in 1454. The Wadiyars took the fort in 1616 and moved their
capital there from Mysore. In 1761 The Hindu Wadiyars were deposed by Haider
Ali and for the next 38 years he and his son and successor Tipu Sultan
transformed Mysore into a small but powerful Muslim state.
Daria Daulat Bagh (Tipu Sultans's Palace) and the Anglo-Mysore Wars
Our tour of Srirangapatnam actually began at Tipu Sultan’s mausoleum, but a more logical start to this story is at his palace Daria Daulat Bagh.
The palace is approached across a formal garden, a green sward dotted with bushes and trees - mango, mahogany (leafless at this time of
year), araucaria and rain trees. The palace would look better without the tatty
green shades – they were new when Lynne was here last – that protect the murals
painted on the walls of the surrounding open walkway.
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| Daria Daulat Bagh, Tipu Sultan's Palace, Srirangapatnam |
Haider Ali had fought and lost the first two Anglo-Mysore Wars giving the British East India Company control of much of southern India. Tipu
Sultan’s ambition was to remove the British from India, or at least his bit of it,
and the murals depict his efforts. The self-styled Tiger of Mysore was keen to
promote his image and stripes feature prominently in his clothing and the
uniform of his troops.
In 1789 he started the Third Anglo-Mysore War by invading the Kingdom of Travancore an ally of the East India Company. Lord Cornwallis,
best known in America for his surrender at Yorktown, but by now military
commander of India fought a four year campaign ranging over much of southern
India. Eventually a defeated Tipu was forced to sign a treaty ending the
war to the advantage of the British East India Company and the surrounding Indian states.
All this is shown in Tipu’s propaganda murals and, in more measured terms, in a wealth of other pictures, documents and artefacts. Sadly no
photographs were allowed.
Srirangapatnam Fort, The End of the Anglo-Mysiore Wars and The Death of Tipu Sultan
In 1792 Tipu had another go. Mysore had long been an ally of the French and he expected French assistance. Napoleon, then a 23 year old Lieutenant Colonel, proved unavailable but his nemesis Arthur Wellesley, not yet the Duke of Wellington, was free and he soon cornered Tipu Sultan in the nearby Srirangapatnam fortress.
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| Srirangapatnam Fort |
Wellington's forces found a way into the fort through the Watergate from the River Kaveri…
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| The Watergate, Srirangapatnam |
… and after fierce fighting Tipu Sultan was killed less than 100m away - not the last leader to be brought down by problems at a Watergate. So
the fourth and final Anglo-Mysore War ended and the Wadiyar Maharajas were
restored as rulers, to the general satisfaction of the largely Hindu populace.
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| Where Tipu Sultan died, Srirangapatnam |
The Gombaz - Mausoleum of Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan
The Tiger of Mysore was buried in the Gombaz, a mausoleum he had built for his father....
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| Gombaz, the mausoleum of Haider Ali ad Tipu Sultan, Sirrangpatnam |
...and he lies beside him, beneath an appropriately tigerish covering.
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| Tipu Sultan, the Tiger of Mysore, lies next to his father, Haider Ali and his mother |
Nearby is the mosque of Mysore's last Muslim rulers.
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| The mosque at Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan's mausoleum, Srirangapatnam |
We returned to Mysore in time for a light lunch of paneer and chicken kathis - basically wraps, but nicely spiced.
Raj's 'Walking' Tour of Mysore History
When the afternoon heat abated we descended to the lobby to meet Raj who would conduct a walking tour of Mysore history. In the event, the
availability of Thomas and the car meant there was little walking.
Brahminy Kite
We paused for some orientation by a small wooded area where brahminy kites by the dozen were wheeling and diving. ‘Something of interest to
them has been dumped there,’ Raj observed.
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| Brahminy Kite (and a crow), Mysore |
An affable young man with excellent English and a ready wit, Raj was a native of Assam which is about as far away as you can get and still
be in India. A graduate student at the local university, he hoped to continue
his studies next year at UCL or Glasgow University. He had been accepted by
both he said, but was put off UCL by the enormous cost of accommodation in London.
Wellington House
Our tour started at Wellington House, an unprepossessing building now serving as an art gallery. It was, he told us, the first two-storey building in Mysore and was once, as the name suggests, home to the Duke of Wellington.
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| Wellington House, Mysore |
Rangacharlu Hall, Freemasons Hall and Maharaja Chamaraja Statue
A few blocks away, near the gate to the Maharaja's Palace is the Rangacharlu Memorial Hall. The photograph below was taken from out hotel
room during my ‘unpleasant day’ in 2010 and is better than any I could take
from the ground. A neo-classical pile it is named after CV Rangacharlu, the
Maharajas’ Diwan (Prime Minister) from 1881-3. A gifted administrator he was
also instrumental in the introduction of education for all, girls included - a
revolutionary step at the time.
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| Rangacharlu Memorial Hall, Mysore |
Several of the Maharajas were keen Freemasons and the old Freemasons’ Hall is the closest building to the palace entrance. A dispute with
the Singer Corporation left the building vacant for many years, hence its state
of decay. There is a brand new Freemasons’ Hall next door, its edge just appearing in the picture.
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| The old Freemasons Hall, Mysore |
Opposite stands a statue of Maharaja Chamaraja X (ruled 1881-94). When the statue, sculpted from Rajasthan marble (the stuff the Taj Mahal was made from) by William Robert Colton in London, was unveiled the Maharani ordered that it be beheaded as it looked nothing like her late husband. A new head by Indian sculptor Ganaptrao K Mhatre was attached. Mhatre used local marble and Raj said that if you look closely you can see the body and head are different colours - we were not convinced.
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| Chamaraja X, New Statue Square, Mysore |
We continued to the closed main entrance of the palace (the rear entrance is good enough for tourists and other every day occurrences). At night
the palace is lit by several thousand old fashioned tungsten filament bulbs, once
enough to cause awe and wonder though no longer particularly impressive. Each
bulb, as Raj showed us on those surrounding the entrance, is stamped with the
word Mysore Royal Palace. There used to be a problem with theft, so they changed
the bulbs to screw fitting – Indian domestic bulbs are of bayonet type - and the
theft problem was solved. What surprised me was that people were stealing the bulbs
to use them.
Mysore University and the Jagan Mohan Palace
Back in the car we had a tour of the University Campus which has several fine old colonial buildings...
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| Colonial style building, Mysore University |
...before heading for the Jagan Mohan Palace (the Maharaja’s palace is far from Mysore's only one). The original palace, largely invisible behind the flamboyant frontage, was built by Krishnaraja III in 1861. The frontage was added for the installation of Krishnaraja IV in 1902.
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| Jagan Mohan Palace, Mysore |
In the courtyard, for no obvious reason, is a millstone once used for grinding rice which Lynne and Raj posed beside.
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| Lynne, Raj and a millstone, Jagan Mohan Palace, Mysore |
St Philomena's Cathedral, Again
Our last call was at St Philomena's Cathedral, which we walked
to yesterday. This time we were early enough to go inside. No photographs were
allowed, but the interior would be familiar to anyone who has ever been inside
a Catholic Church.
That evening we still did not feel that our heads or bodies were quite in the same time zone so instead of dinner we went to the bar where Lynne had a large local gin with tonic, I had a beer (Kingfisher) and we worked our way through a plate of cashews and a bowl of spicy peanuts. It was not health food, but we enjoyed it.
Part 1: Bangalore to Mysore
Part 2: Mysore, Somnathpur and Srirangapatnam
Part 3: Kabini and the Nagarhole National Park
Part 4: The Road to Ooty
Part 5: The Nilgiri Blue Train to Coonoor
Part 6: Across the Palakkad Gap and up to Munnar
Part 7: Munnar - Tea, Dams and Elephants
Part 8: Madurai
Part 9: Rameswaram
Part 10: To the Very Tip of India
Part 11: The End of India and Beyond
Part 12: North to Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram) and Kollam
Part 13: Ants, Mollywood and Varkala
Part 14: The Backwaters of Kerala (and some Coir)
Part 15: Marari Beach, Rest, Recreation and Refuse
Part 16: Kochi, a Second Visit
THE END
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