Mysuru

Palace lights, Chamundi's thousand steps and Tipu's island

Day one, morning. Climb Chamundi Hill early, before the heat, by the 1,000-odd stone steps; the giant monolithic Nandi bull sits about two-thirds of the way up. At the top are the Chamundeshwari temple and the statue of the demon Mahishasura, slain here in legend, which gave Mysuru its name. Take a bus or cab back down.

Afternoon. Spend two hours inside Mysore Palace, then walk to the Jaganmohan Palace gallery for Raja Ravi Varma's paintings. Finish at Devaraja Market as the flower sellers restock.

Evening. On a Sunday or a festival night, stay near the palace gates for the illuminations.

Day two. Drive about 15 km to Srirangapatna, the island capital of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, for the Ranganathaswamy temple, the Daria Daulat Bagh summer palace and the spot where Tipu fell in 1799. Return for the zoo in the afternoon, founded under royal patronage in 1892, and end at the Brindavan Gardens below the KRS dam for the evening fountains.

Day three, if you have it, suits the St Philomena's Cathedral and the Rail Museum, or onward travel to Kerala or Chennai.

Mysore pak, bisibele bath and breakfast at a darshini

Mysuru eats its biggest meal early. Breakfast means idli with sambar and the Mysore masala dosa, a crisp rice-and-lentil crepe spread with red chutney inside and folded around potato. Darshinis, the stand-up vegetarian canteens, serve these fast and fresh from first light.

At lunch look for bisibele bath, rice and lentils cooked together with tamarind and a heavy spice mix, served hot with a spoon of ghee and boondi on top. It is one of the most loved dishes in Karnataka. Many restaurants also serve a full vegetarian meal on a banana leaf at midday.

The sweet that carries the city's name is Mysore pak, made from gram flour, sugar and ghee. Guru Sweets by the small clock tower near Devaraja Market is the shop most people point to; buy a small box and eat it the same day.

Devaraja Market itself is worth a slow walk at mealtimes, for bananas, betel leaves and stacked fruit. For drinks, Karnataka's liquor laws are relaxed and the city has a handful of pubs; tender coconut from roadside carts is the better cure for the afternoon heat.

Ten nights of Dasara and the rest of the Mysuru year

Come for Mysuru Dasara, ten days of royal ritual, music and lights in September or October, ending on Vijayadashami with the Jamboo Savari elephant procession from the palace; book rooms well ahead. December and January are the most comfortable months, with highs of 28 to 29°C, while October averages 163 mm of rain.

The Mysuru Dasara is the city's defining event: ten days of royal ritual, music and lights in September or October, ending on Vijayadashami with the Jamboo Savari, when a caparisoned elephant carries the golden howdah through the streets from the palace. The palace is illuminated every night of the festival, and an exhibition opens on grounds opposite. Hundreds of thousands come, so book rooms well ahead.

Dasara often coincides with the wettest weeks. October averages 163 mm of rain and highs near 29C, with evening showers that rarely last long. November cools quickly, and December and January are the most comfortable months, with highs of 28-29C, nights of 16-17C and almost no rain.

March and April are the hottest, with averages reaching 34C, and pre-monsoon storms build through May, which averages 128 mm. The south-west monsoon from June to September brings steady but moderate rain at this altitude, and the gardens are greenest then.

Outside festival time, Sunday evenings still bring the palace lights, and the quieter months suit day trips to Srirangapatna and the Brindavan Gardens without the crowds. From here, Goa and Hyderabad connect by train or via Bengaluru for a longer southern loop.