Trip to Srirangapatna

Just a few things of use for anyone interested in journeying to Srirangapatna :

The Bangalore - Mysore Highway, NH-17, begins for all purposes at the tollgates marking the commencement of the Mysore NICE Road. We were in a (supposedly) point-to-point bus which nevertheless included stops at Maddur, Channapatna, Mandya and Srirangapatna - all of them for the Mysore fare. It took us 2.5 hours to reach Srirangapatna (which is ~15 kms before Mysore) by bus. This includes a 20-minute stop at Maddur if one is journeying from Bangalore to Srirangapatna or one at Mandya on the return. The tollgate-to-Bangalore-City-bus-stand (Majestic) time is nearly an hour and a bit if it's the peak hour and considerably lesser if its early morning or late night.

The road is dotted with eateries and food outlets. The Kamat Drive-In just after Channapatna is now common knowledge. There is a Barista Lavazza a kilometre or two before Channapatna, a McDonald's as part of a Bharat Petroleum bunk and a strew of Cafe Coffee Days. There are actually two in Bidadi (5 kms from Wonderla towards Mysore) but only one of them falls on the highway and is justapoxed with the Jungle Resorts restaurant. The other is inside the Innovative Film city. There is one 67 kms into the Mysore Road in Mudugere. There are two in Maddur, one opposite to the KSRTC Bus Stand and the other next to the IOC Petroleum Bunk in Gejjalegra.

Srirangapatna has two major restaurants around the tourist area (after the Kaveri bridge) - Hotel Vaibhav and Hotel Mayura. We didn't have a shot at what Mayura had to offer but taking the advice of an autowallah, we headed for Vaibhav and the gist of it is - you're better off not eating there. Mayura may be the safer bet with its omnipresence in Karnataka. Part of the town lies before the bridge too. Didn't pay much attention to this part of the town. There are two clusters of tourist spots in Srirangapatna.

The first cluster (to the right immediately after the bridge, on NH-17) includes the Ranganathaswamy Temple, the dungeons of Colonel Bailley and Thomas Inman, Jamia Masjid, Tipu Sultan's death place, Tipu Sultan's old palace, Gangadhareeshwara Temple, Watergate and an Obelisk commemorating Srirangapatna.

The second cluster (to the left a little further on the NH-17) features the Dariya Daulat Bagh (Tipu Sultan's Summer palace), Gumbaz, Nimishamba Temple, Sangama, Abbe Dubois Church, and the Dodda Goysa Ghat.

Ideally a place to walk around in a leisured manner. Take in the topography and the sights. The heat permitting that is. If you're constrained for time, try to include the Ranganathaswamy Temple, Colonel Bailley's dungeon, the Jamia Masjid and the Obelisk in your itinerary from the first cluster; and from the second cluster - the Dariya Daulat Bagh, Gumbaz, Nimishamba Temple (if you're interested) and Sangama (where the two branches of the Kaveri meet).

For the historically inclined, allot sufficient time for the Dariya Daulat Bagh. It is full of priceless artifacts, priceless not merely in their fiscal value but in their invoking of a period as well. If there is more time on hand, head for Pandavapura and Karighatta. Karighatta has a temple dedicated to Lord Srinivasa situated atop a hill. Pandavapura is also famous for a temple but the Thonnur Lake here is generally overlooked. Called Moti Thalab by Tipu Sultan, sailing on this lake is a pleasurable activity. The lake forms numerous cascades along the way.

Zed