Attraction
The royal palace: three storeys of carved mahogany ceilings, stained-glass pavilions and museum rooms of rare weapons.
Attractions in Mysuru (Mysore Palace)
3 places to see, with what each one is and how long it takes.
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Market
A historic multi-century old wholesale market corridor, famous for towering mounds of colourful kumkum powders, fresh jasmines, and essential oils.
Viewpoint
The hilltop temple sanctuary perched above the city, accessible via a 1,000-step stone trail and hosting a colossal monolithic stone Nandi bull.
Elsewhere in Karnataka
Not in Mysuru (Mysore Palace) — these are in other towns across the state.
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Viewpoint
Karnataka's highest peak, a popular sunrise trek with sweeping Western Ghats views.
Attraction
The stone chariot is a Garuda shrine rather than a vehicle, and its wheels once turned. The musical pillars in the hall are now roped off — too many people struck them. Come at opening; this is the most visited thing in Hampi.
Attraction
Hoysala work from 1117, cut in soapstone, which holds detail granite will not. The forty-two bracket figures under the eaves are what people come for. Still a working temple, so shoes off, and expect a queue at festival times.
Attraction
The 17 m monolithic statue of Bahubali atop Vindhyagiri hill.
Attraction
A Tudor-style royal palace with grand interiors and grounds.
Attraction
The towering 100-foot-high historic entrance gateway decorated with intricate silver work doors and multi-tiered structural reliefs.
Viewpoint
The grassland summit with the Sarvajna Peetha shrine and panoramic cloud-sea sunrise views.
Attraction
One of the world's tallest Shiva statues beside a sea-facing temple.
Viewpoint
The famous stretch flanked by sea and river simultaneously.
Attraction
Geologically rare columnar basalt formations on the islands.
Experience
A cliff trail connecting Om, Half Moon and Paradise beaches.
Attraction
About seventy feet, dropping through a private coffee estate and seen from a suspension bridge rather than from the base. Full in the monsoon and a trickle by March.
Attraction
Namdroling, the largest Nyingma centre outside Tibet, with three gilded figures about sixty feet tall in the main hall. Foreign nationals need a protected-area permit for Bylakuppe, which catches people out.
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Attraction
The one temple in Hampi that never stopped functioning, with a fifty-metre gopuram over the bazaar street. The temple elephant is walked down to the river to be washed each morning, which is worth getting up for.
Attraction
The historic 4th-century Dravidian granite temple complex housing the sacred Atmalinga stone relic, managed by traditional scholars.
