This morning we travel to Mysore, arriving around midday. In the afternoon we explore Mysore, famous for its silk and sandalwood, as well as its numerous palaces, well laid out boulevards and beautiful parks. The Maharaja’s Palace is the most impressive of Mysore’s ochre-coloured buildings — a modern edifice built in 1897, where the oriental decorative imagination runs wild. One of the largest palaces in India, it is a gigantic synthesis of Hindu and Muslim styles. The royal family’s private chambers, including the impressive Durbar Hall, are open to the public. The Marriage Hall has life-like paintings of the Dassera procession and in the museum is the ruler’s golden elephant throne, used during festivities. Chamundi Hill lies 10 km from Mysore and is named after Chanduswari, the consort of Lord Shiva and the patron goddess of the royal family of Mysore. On the way up is a colossal figure of Nandi, carved out of a single rock in 1659. The view from the top of the hill is superb.

Wealth beyond imagination is very visible in the Mysore Palace. We were not allowed to take photographs inside but as you can see from the outside it is a grand place. The Kings chair is solid gold weighing in at 750 kilos! Apparently the Maharaja owned a gold miner for instance the meeting room of the ministers was covered 80 kilogram of gold leaf, much like

my living room back home.