Mysuru with Srirangapatna
Guidebooks
Mysuru, formerly known as Mysore, has been home to the Wadiyar line of rulers from the sixteenth century. From the end of the eighteenth century, the Wadiyar kings and queens embellished Mysuru with palaces, colleges, hospitals, markets, court houses and temples. On the outskirts of the city is the hill shrine of Chamundi, protective goddess of the Wadiyars, who continues to be worshipped. Half an hour away, on an island in the Kaveri River, are the remains of Srirangapatna, the fortified headquarters of Haidar Ali and Tipu Sultan, who temporarily seized the Mysuru throne in the eighteenth century.
With its wealth of military, royal, civic, and religious buildings, Mysuru and Srirangapatna attract huge numbers of daily visitors. Until now, no professional guidebook has been available to assist them in their tour. This DHF publication is the first to provide the historical background to what they will see, and to describe the fabulous palace of the Wadiyars in the middle of Mysuru, the shrine of Chamundi, and the monuments at Srirangapatna. The text, authored by specialist scholars and architectural conservationists, is generously illustrated with splendid, newly commissioned photographs, maps, and plans. This is the fourteenth guidebook in the DHF series.
Details
Author(s)
George Michell
George Michell is an architectural historian specialising in the Hindu, Mughal, and Sultanate traditions of India. Together with John M. Fritz, he conducted an exhaustive archaeological survey of Hampi Vijayanagara. Their jointly authored guidebook to the site was first available in 2003 and is still in print. His most recent publication is Temples of Deccan India, Hindu and Jain, 7th to 13th Centuries with photographs by Surendra Kumar (2021).
Malavika Murthy
Malavika Murthy has a master’s degree in Heritage Management and Consultancy from the University of Exeter. Her passion of architecture stemmed from the beautiful city of Mysuru where she is now working as a conservation architect.
Caleb Simmons
CALEB SIMMONS is Executive Director of Online Education, Professor of Religious Studies, and Faculty Director of the Interdisciplinary Studies Program at the University of Arizona in Tucson. His research focuses on South Asian History and the culture of Mysuru. His most recent publications are Devotional Sovereignty: Kingship and Religion in India (2020), and Singing the Goddess into Place: Locality, Myth and Social Change in Chamundi on the Hill, A Kannada Folk Ballad (2022).
Shivendra Urs
Shivendra Urs is a Gold Medalist in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University of Mysore. He has worked for the Times of India and has actively pursued his passion for writing about heritage in distress in and around Mysuru. He has worked as a Digital Communications Consultant and Digital Content Specialist.
