A city of flowers, Mysore has beautiful rose gardens, notably the one at the Maharaja’s palace. Famous too is Mysore Mallige, the jasmine whose fragrance is almost impossible to describe without lapsing into poetry. The fruits to be sampled in the city are mango, chickoo (sapodilla), jackfruit, mangosteen, and Rase Bele –the famous Mysore banana.
Mysore lies on the slope of this plateau at an altitude of 77m. it is tucked away in the southern portion of the state at 12 degrees .18’ north latitude and 76 degrees.12’ east longitude. The city nestles in a valley formed by two ridges of hills running north and south and somewhere between the rivers Kaveri and Kabini. Dotting the surrounding countryside are several rain-filled tanks and dominating the city’s skyline is the massive granite mass of the Chamundni Hills. These Hills, once Royalty’s favorite getaway, appear rosily flushed at sunrise, as an enormous brooding silhouette after sundown and as star –spangled giant at night.
The Western Ghats rise steeply from this coastal strip and slope gently eastwards leveling into a low –lying plateau which takes a further incline to open into plains and scrubland. Several rivers traverse the slope of the plateau –the Kaveri, the Godavari, the Krishna and their tributaries.