Sweet perfume lingers from sandalwood carvings, and bright silks wave in the breeze in the 'sugar and spice-all things nice’ city of Mysore. Travel guides will tell you about its rattling three-wheeler auto rickshaws, hurtling buses and rambling cows but we tell you that Mysore is all that plus lingering memories of the yesteryears that refuse to fade with time.

The erstwhile capital of the powerful Wodeyar dynasty, Mysore played a pivotal role in the history of the region. Mysore’s full name would be a fair bit of a mouthful- ‘Mahishasurana Ooru’, city of the demon Mahishasura who was killed by the Goddess Chamundeshwari. The goddess is also Mysore’s reigning deity, enshrined in a beautiful temple atop the Chamundi Hills, east of the city.

To most Indians, Mysore is about sandalwood, incense and silk. And it’s about Tipu Sultan, the great warrior king who fought the British till the very end. But the visitor to Mysore finds plenty to keep him happy- from the well laid out gardens and waterfalls of Vrindavan Gardens to the ornate Mysore Palace, from the island of Seringapatnam to the bird sanctuary at Ranganathittu.