travelandleisureindia.inThe Keshava Temple at
Somanathapura is a sterling
example of Hoysala architecture.
Opposite: Devotees and tourists
alike throng the temple.represent Karnataka’s great dynasties while
opulent chandeliers in the lobby hark back to
the age of royalty—albeit with a modern
contemporary styling thanks to the chain’s
French parentage. Mysuru silk weaves drape the
walls with local wood inlay art and lacquerware
as decor accents. Silk scarves on sale reiterated
the city’s position as India’s leading silk
producer, accounting for nearly 70 per cent of
India’s output. Like the lacquerware industry,
the foundation of sericulture, too, was laid by
Tipu Sultan, who imported the first silk cocoons
from China in 1785.
Ushered into my balcony room, I was
welcomed by elephant-shaped towel art—an
apt reminder of the elephant procession that
takes place during the world-famous Mysuru
Dasara Festival. Being strategically located on
Sayyaji Rao Road, the hotel offers a vantage over
the Dasara festivities and procession from its
viewing gallery on the sixth floor. A platter of
Mysore pak was the perfect appetiser for the
meal to follow. Legend has it that the sweet was
accidentally invented by Kakasura Madappa, a
cook of Mysore maharaja Krishna Raja Wodeyar
IV. The maharaja wanted to taste a special
savoury dish and Madappa inadvertently added
sugar to the ghee and besan (gram flour) instead
of salt. Luckily, the king found it delightful and
asked what it was. The cook dubbed it Mysuru
paaka (sugar syrup or sweet), and thus,
Mysuru’s eponymous sweet was born.
The hotel’s all-day diner La Uppu is a tribute
to uppu (salt), the first item to be served in a
traditional meal. Various exotic salts—sun-
dried tomato salt, garam masala salt, olive
salt—were displayed in large glass jars at the
breakfast counter. I was in for a Continental
spread with pumpkin soup, a combo starter of
cheese pesto crumble and creamy olive-stuffed
chicken and grilled fish with butter lemon
sauce. Semolina cake, I discovered, was a
makeover of the humble uppitu (upma) stacked
on a bed of tomato salsa with a top hat—stir-
fried veggies in a crispy basket.
After a breakfast of idlis, Mysuru masala
dosa, and kaapi (filter coffee), I set out to explore
the city. Located just over three kilometres from
Mysore Palace, the hotel is well placed to cover
sights like Mysore Zoo, Chamundi Hills,
Jaganmohan Palace Art Gallery, St Philomena’s Church,
Devaraja Market, and various museums. The house of RK
Narayan, the celebrated author of Malgudi Days and other
classics, is now a museum and sits close by. Mysuru, the City
of Palaces, lives at an unhurried pace. Its monuments, wide
tree-lined avenues, and markets scented with a heady
melange of coffee, jasmine, and spices charm any visitor who
are increasingly drawn by its growing reputation as a hub for
yoga training and Ayurveda.
Mysuru also serves as a springboard for excursions to
Brindavan Gardens, Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, and Tipu’s
erstwhile capital Srirangapatna, where he lies entombed at
Gumbaz. Many private hunting reserves of the former
maharajas are premier wildlife national parks today—like
Kabini, Nagarhole, and Bandipur. But I chose a cultural
itinerary, starting with Somanathapura’s Keshava Temple, a
stunning example of Hoysala architecture.
An inscription dating 1268 AD mentions that the
agrahara (Brahmin township) was established by
Somanatha Dandanayaka, an illustrious general of the