Arriving in Mysore we stopped for lunch, after which we toured Mysore Palace, which is a beautifully maintained palace. We could take photos of the exterior and around the grounds, but we weren't allowed to take our cameras inside the palace buildings -- we had to check them in at a kiosk. Temperature at Mysore was around 40C today. Had a nice conversation with two locals while we were waiting for the rest of the group to gather at the palace. They said it's too hot even for them! Global warming? 

Mysore is commonly described as the City of Palaces featuring about seven palaces. Mysore Palace refers specifically to the one within the Old Fort.  Mysore Palace is now one of the most famous tourist attractions in India and has more than 6 million visitors annually. The public south entrance gate and arch hold the emblem and coat of arms of the kingdom of Mysore, around which is written the kingdom's motto in Sanskrit: never be terrified. It is a three-story grey granite stone structure with deep pink marble domes with several expensive arches and a 45 metre five-story tower. The palace is surrounded by a large garden. There are numerous secret tunnels from the palace cellar leading to other palaces, and confidential areas. The palace complex includes twelve Hindu temples.

They hang nets around the openings to keep out birds. There are many paintings on canvases showing the Maharaja and his court. Especially attractive is the one depicting the procession with the fully decorated elephant carrying the solid gold hoda with the Maharaja inside. They still have this special procession once a year, in October but now, they use a statue of the maharaja instead of the actual person. 

The most impressive room was the wedding hall. The pillars of brick and mortar are painted in gorgeous colours. The chandeliers are massive, but the most impressive part was the painted stained glass ceiling with peacocks, which is the national bird of India.

The palace is the site of numerous festivals throughout the year. In October, during the 10-day festival (can't possibly remember the names of these multitude of festivals other than by number of days), the whole palace and grounds are lit with millions of bulbs in celebration. Throughout the year, they do light the palace up, but only one day a week for an hour.