Mysore

Mysore District is an administrative district located in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. A tourist's paradise with varied attractions from Mysore Palace to Nagarhole National Park; this district has a prominent place in the history of Karnataka. Mysore was ruled by the Wodeyars from the year 1399 till the independence of India in the year 1947. Mysore's prominence can be gauged from the fact that the Karnataka state was known previously as Mysore state.Incredible India Tours with Indian Travel agent.

Origin of Name
Mysore district gets its name from the city of Mysore which is also the headquarters of the district. A statue of Mahishasura, after whom the city is named, and a temple dedicated to Goddess Chamundeshwari on the top of Chamundi Hill near Mysore city, relate to the legend of its origin.All tour and Travel needs for India by Indian travel agent.

History
The earliest known reference of rulers in Mysore district are the Gangas who during the rule of King Avinitha (469-529 CE), moved the capital from Kolar to Talakad on the banks of the river Kaveri in the Tirumakudal-Narsipur Taluk Talakad remained their regal capital till the end of the Ganga rule in the early 11th century. Gangas ruled over a greater part of Mysore district, then known by the name of Gangavadi. In the end of the 8th century, the Rashtrakuta king Dhruva Dharavarsha defeated the Ganga king Shivamara II and wrested Gangavadi from him. Gangavadi came under the governorship of Kambarasa, the son of Dhruva Dharavarsha. Gangas who were overthrown from Gangavadi, had to wait till their king Nitimarga Ereganga (853 - 869 CE) won a victory against the Rashtrakutas at Rajaramudu. Seeing the increasing might of the Gangas, the Rashtrakuta King Amoghavarsha I gave his daughter Revakanimmadi in marriage to the son of Ereganga, Butuga II who became the ruler of Gangavadi. Gangas ruled over Gangavadi till the Ganga king, Rakkasa Ganga (985-1024 CE) was defeated by the Cholas. In the year 1117, Vishnuvardhana, the great king of Hoysala dynasty seized Gangavadi and its capital Talakad from the Cholas. To commemorate this achievement, Vishnuvardhana built the Keerthinarayana temple at Talakad[3]. Gangavadi was ruled by the Hoysalas till the death of their last ruler, Veera Ballala III after which Gangavadi became a part of the Vijayanagar Empire. In 1399, Yaduraya established the Wodeyar dynasty at Mysore. It remained as a feudatory to the Vijayanagar Empire owing allegiance to the Vijayanagar kings and the Vijayanagar representative at Srirangapatna, till the fall of the Vijayanagar Empire in the year 1565 CE. In the vacuum that got created, Raja Wodeyar I (1578-1617) established control and became the first major ruler of the Wodeyar family. He defeated the Vijayanagar representative in a battle at Kesare near Mysore, shifted his capital from Mysore to Srirangapatna in 1610 AD[4]. The Wodeyars continued to rule over Mysore till the reign of Krishnaraja Wodeyar II (1734-1766), when Hyder Ali Khan and his son Tipu Sultan became the virtual rulers of Mysore . Though there were Wodeyar kings during the rule of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, they were mere figureheads. With the death of Tipu Sultan in the year 1799 under the hands of the British, the Wodeyars were reinstated to the throne of Mysore and the capital was also shifted back to Mysore. Prince Krishnaraja Wodeyar III who was just 5 years old was installed on the throne of Mysore in 1799. Wodeyars were the subisidaries of the British Empire and had to pay annual subsidies. During the rule of Krishnaraja Wodeyar III, the British took the kingdom back from Wodeyars in the year 1831 under the pretext that the Wodeyar king did not pay the annual subsidy. Commissioners were appointed to rule over the Mysore kingdom. Mark Cubbon (Cubbon Road and Cubbon Park in Bangalore city are named after him) and L. B. Bowring (Bowring Hospital in Bangalore city is named after him) were the prominent British Commissioners who ruled over Mysore. However, the Wodeyar kings raised a plea against this with the British Parliament who gave a ruling favour of the Wodeyars. In the year 1881, Chamaraja Wodeyar IX (son of Krishnaraja Wodeyar III and Wodeyar king since 1868) was given back the reins of the Mysore kingdom from the British. The Wodeyars continued to rule over the Mysore Kingdom, till the rule of Jayachamaraja Wodeyar who in the year 1947, merged his Kingdom into the new dominion of independent India. He remained as a Maharaja till India became a republic in the year 1950 after which he was anointed as a Raja Pramukh (a constitutional position) as the head of the [Mysore] state till 1956. In 1956, after the reorganisation of Indian states, the Mysore state was born and Jayachamaraja Wodeyar was made as the governor of this state; the position which he held till the year 1964.

Geography
Mysore district is located between latitude 11°45' to 12°40' N and longitude 75°57' to 77°15' E. It is bounded by Mandya district to the northeast, Chamrajanagar district to the southeast, Kerala state to the south, Kodagu district to the west, and Hassan district to the north. It has an area of 6,854 km² (ranked 12th in the state). The administrative center of Mysore District is Mysore City. The district is a part of Mysore division. Before 1998, Mysore district also contained the Chamarajanagar district before.Special Holidays with very attractive and discounted packages and hotel bookings.

The district lies on the undulating table land of the southern Deccan plateau, within the watershed of the Kaveri River, which flows through the northwestern and eastern parts of the district. The Krishna Raja Sagara reservoir, which was formed by building a dam across the Kaveri, lies on the northern edge of the district. Nagarhole National Park lies partly in Mysore district and partly in adjacent Kodagu District.

Climate
The temperature in the district varies from 15 deg. C in winters to 35 deg. C in summers. Mysore district receives an average rainfall of 785mm[6].

Geology
The types of soil found in this district are red soils (red gravelly loam soil, red loam soil, red gravelly clay soil, red clay soil), lateritic soil, deep black soil, saline alluvo-colluvial soil and brown forest soil[7]. Some of the minerals found in this district are kyanite, sillimanite, quartz, magnesite, chromite, soapstone, felsite, corundum, graphite, limestone, dolomite, siliconite and dunit

Economy
Agriculture is the backbone of the economy of this district as it is with the rest of India. Though the agriculture is highly dependent on the rainfall, the rivers Kaveri and Kabini provide the irrigation needs required for agriculture in this district. According to the 2001 census, about 3,25,823 farmers are involved in cultivation in this district. In the year 2001-2002, Mysore district yielded a foodgrain production of 608,596 Tonnes which is a contribution of 6.94% of the total food grain production in the state for the year[9]. Some of the important crops grown here are cotton, grams, groundnut, jowar, maize, ragi, rice, sugarcane, sunflower and tur[10]. Horticulture is another area contributing significantly to the economy; Indian Travel Agent offers Visit India and explore India.

Tourism
Tourism is another big industry in Mysore. The importance of Mysore as a tourist destination was evident when it was selected as the venue for the Karnataka Tourism Expo in the year 2006 [14]. Though Mysore city is well known as a tourist place, other parts of Mysore district are yet to see growth in tourism. However, the tourism department plans to develop other areas in Mysore district like Bettadapura, Hedathali, Kapadi, Mudukuthore Betta, Mugur, T Narsipur and Nanjangud as tourist places

Demography
Mysore district has a population of 2,641,027 (2001 census), of which 1,344,670 (50.91%) are males and 1296357 (49.09%) are females . The district population is 37.19% urban and 62.81% rural. The literacy rate of the district is 63.5% with 71% of males and 56% of females being literate. 82.8% of urban population and 51.8% of rural population are literate[16].

Hindus constitute 87.44% of the population with Muslims making up 8.87% of the population; the remaining part of the population is made up by Christians, Buddhists and other religious groups[17].

Kannada is the dominant language in this district.

Jenu Kuruba, Betta Kuruba, Paniya and Panjari Yerevas and Soligas are some of the ethnic groups found in Mysore district. Their population is mainly concentrated in the H D Kote and Hunsur Taluks; in and around the region comprising the Nagarhole National Park[ .All tour and Travel needs for India by Indian travel agent.

The temples of Mysore district in Karnataka are not only famous in south India, but they are pilgrimages for devotees from all over the nation. The temples of Mysore district are the best specimens to study south Indian pattern of arches and architecture. Mysore District is located in the southern part of the state of Karnataka and is a tourist`s paradise with varied attractions from palaces, parks and temples. The Wodeyars from the year 1399 till the independence of India in the year 1947 ruled Mysore.

Bhuvaneshwari Temple, Narayana Temple, Sri Lakshmi Venkataramanaswamy Temple, Gayatri Temple, Sri Prasanna Seetharama Mandira and Jaganmohana Ranganatha Temple are some of the popular temples of Mysore district. Agasteeshwara Temple is a shrine of Lord Shiva situated on the banks of River Cauvery at Thirumakudal in Karnataka. According to legends, sage Agastya installed the deity. A remarkable feature of this temple is the water trickling down from the head of Lord Shiva. Thirumakudal is the holy confluence of rivers Kabini and Cauvery.

Kodi Bhairava Temple is one of the most popular temples of Mysore district. This temple stands in the compound of the Mysore Palace.Special Holidays with very attractive and discounted packages and hotel bookings. The temple is known by this name, as it is located on the weir of Devaraya Sagara, a dried-up tank popularly known as Doddakere. The temple enshrines the l m high idol of the four handed Lord Bhairava holding a trident, a drum, a skull and a sword. It is flanked on the left by the image of Bhadrakali, and on the right by a female chauri-bearer. Shwetha Varahaswami Temple, an 18th century shrine, is located near the southern entrance of Mysore Palace and the presiding deity is Varaha, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

A fine Hoysala structure, the temple was built under the sponsorship of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar III. It boasts carved doorways, pillars and towers, apart from five-tiered Rajagopuram and the huge images at the entrance. The hall is polished with mural paintings, which represented the scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, popular being the one depicting the coronation of Lord Ram. The adorned images of Srivaishnava Acharyas, Desikar and Jiyar are the added attractions.

Nimishamba Temple is one of the oldest temples of Mysore district, on the banks of river Cauvery. It is only 2 km from Srirangapatna town. This holy place enshrines the embodiment of Parvati. It is believed that the goddess here blesses her devotees every `nimisha,` meaning `every minute. Some other important temples of Mysore district include Prasanna Kesava Devalaya, Trinesvaraswamy Temple, Prasanna Krishnaswamy Temple and Yoga Narasimhaswamy Temple.Indian Travel Agent offers Visit India and explore India.