1ca ore

It is the fabled Indian 'city of palaces; but tourists love it also for its temples, wildlife and much more he young man dispensed a fragrant dollop o n to my wrist from the perfume bo ttl e he was holding: "I r's the same as Cah7 in Klein's Eternity," he said. I was in Devaraja Market, M ysore, a city famed for jcs silk, sandalwood , incense and perfume.

The scenic journey co M ysore from Bengaluru travels pa-st sil kworm farms and green countryside of wheat and sugarcane fields, lakes, irrigation canals and rivers. Sheep and goats graze amid e u calyptus trees inttoduced from Australia, and jutting from the land are gigantic rock formations.

Mysore gets its name from the demon Icing of Hindu mythology and was tuled successive ly by the Ganga, Chola, Hoysala ru1d Vijayanagara kjngs until 1399 when the \Xi'odeyars ruled almost continuously for six centuries, interrupted only during a bcief period when Hyder Ali ru1d his son Tipu Sultan rul ed in the mid 18'" century,

Redolent of royal excess, Mysore is a city of palaces, the most sumptuous being the scmmingly beautiful Mysore Pa lace, completed in 1912 just as the suo was setting on the extravagant way of life it enshrined. It was here that the Maharajah rode in his Rolls -Royce and enjoyed e lephant parades.

The architectural style o f the palace is known as Indo-Saracenk, blending Hindu, Muslim and Gothic styles of architecture bui lt of grey grruute and deep pink marble, with interiors t hat are a monumental kaleidoscope of brightly coloured srained glass, g il t mirrors, iron filigree and ornate jvory inlaid dooxs. 111e Marriage

Pavilion soars upwards to an octagonal painted glass ceiling featuring peacock motifs and a bronze chandelier supported by co lonnaded turquo ise pillars. The vast public Durbar Hall, or ce remoLual hall of the royal court, contains a priceless collection of pain tings and opens onto an expansive balcony supported b y massive pillars. The private Durbar Hall is exqwsite; richl y decorated with stained g la ss ceilings and chandeliers. And while I marvelled at the palace's interiors, I returned that Sunday evetung when the pa lace was illuminated as thousands of people converged togethe r and a brass band played with considerable gusto.

Opposite the Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery in Jaganmohan Palace treasures are disp layed in glass cabinets in a somewhat haphazard fasruon, while the climb up a steep flight of stairs was rewarded b y a richly decorated timber colonnaded hall.

Mysore is a friendly, easygoing city of low shuttered bungalows shaded by firecracker red Poinciana, the streets lined with shady ttees, tares as lndia's second cleanest city and is compact enough for exploring on foot. The main s hopping street is Sayaji Rao Road where you'll find bookstores, restaurants and the colourful Devaraja Market that stretches for several b locks. Cauvery Arts an d Crafts Emporium is where you 'll find gifts and there are many impressive churches including St Philomena Cathedral, one of the largest churches in Inrua.

Mysore also makes an ideal base for viewing the many temp les, palaces and forests chat are located nearby. Just o utsid e the city are palaces built by the maharajahs to accommodate foreign guests, including the huge Lalitha 1\.fahal Palace and the Royal Orchid Brindavru1 Garden with expansive views of the Krishnarajasagar Dam, one of India's largest. Brindavan Gardens is busrung witl1 picnickers enjoying the cascading waterfalls, founr,1-ins, lawns and flowering plants.

For those who enjoy hilcing, the dinib up to ChamuncLi Hill is rewarded by a giant Nandi carved out of solid rock that dates back to 1659 and at five metres high is one of the largest in India. At the summit, the sev en story Sri Chamundeswari Temple is a huge structure with a large gopuram 40 metres high.

You can also visi t the extensive ruins of the former capital, the fortress city of Srirangapatna bw.lc by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sul tan on an island and the beautiful templ e of Somnathpur.

As the sandalwood and incense capital of India, you can see aod smell the process of making incense sticks, not only from sandalwo od, but from jasmine, rose and musk. You can also visit tl1e Government Sandalwood Oil Factory where sandalwood oil is distilled. agarho le and Banrupur are major wil dlife sanctuaries known for bison, deer, tigers, leopards and elephants and wblle I only drove through Bru1dipur, I spotted deer and wild boar.

Back in May 1 991 I was bound for Chem1ai to begin a journey t hat would take me to My so re. It was n ot co be. The assassination of Rajiv Gandru and tl1e civil tLlll'.esc that followed cut short my trip if not my resolve to go there.

After all these years, l still have the letter ro confirm m y reserv ation from the Hotel Metropole o riginally built co serve as tl1e residence of the Maharaja's guests. The charming hotel remain s nmch as I would have fotmd it then, ,vith a lawn, shutters, historic portraits and antiques. With the fragrance of several sticks of sru1dalwood in cense l'd bought w afting in m y swte, I retrieved t he l etter from my sw tease, and watched the sunset from the wide open verandah, glad that I had come this far.