Brindavan Gardens Mysore with Luxury Heritage Hotel

Our final stop before going home (back to our hotel...) on that very long but oh so wonderful day!
Now on to Brindavan Gardens Mysore with its former Palace converted into a Luxury Heritage Hotel.
Brindavan Gardens are modeled after the design of the Shalimar Gardens of Kashmir (State in the North where husband Pieter visited in 1981) in the Mughal style. There are numerous terraces, parterres, fountains, running and cascading water channels, water chutes, lush green lawns, flower beds, shrubs and trees.
It sure is world famous for its ethereal beauty, grandeur and illumination/musical fountain.
See more from the short video that I placed below...

Here we are at yet another dreamlike Palace with a huge 60 acre (24.3 hectare) garden!
The Palace you see behind my husband Pieter, is now a Luxury Heritage Hotel...
Sudha, Sarath and Pieter enjoying the view of these majestic Brindavan Gardens.

It all looks like a dream...

There is a huge dam at the very end... with a big lake.
The Krishna Raja Sagara a gravity dam on the Kaveri river, just click pink hyperlink for more.
This is the view, straight ahead from the terrace.

So many heavenly impressions for that entire day...

Such a happy time together in paradise for one day...
Sudha told me that numerous movies have been made here!

Sudha and Sarath happy and for us they were the best guides we ever could wish for!
Sarath was also the one that traveled with Pieter to Madras (Chennai) on his ADVENTUROUS trip, see post below.

We are sitting here now below the terrace from where we overlooked part of Brindavan Gardens.

A happy husband Pieter!
What a WONDERFUL DAY HAD.
For getting a far better idea about these spectacular Brindavan Gardens near Krishnaraja Sagar Dam, watch the short video below.

We start our long journey back by 18:30 = 12 hours on the road already!
Driving in the dark rather soon and we had to stop several times throughout the Mudamalai Wildlife Sanctuary, for giving yield to the Muntjac deer; we spotted some 20.
Full moon so that was a bonus.
We all 4 had dinner together, at our Savoy hotel, but we were more tired and sleepy than hungry, after such a long day that started very early.
But how very special, thanks to such warm and kind people that offered this to us!

On Monday, next day, back to work as usual.

On Friday, we left for Coimbatore again, by car and a flight to Madras via Bangalore.
We dined with the export manager and his wife and stayed at a very posh Sheraton hotel.
Saturday, we went shopping in Madras with the export manager's wife.
After a full lunch we were dropped off at the airport, via a ride along the beach.
Flight to Delhi and we again met with our contact person from Pond's India and he dropped us off at the beautiful Taj Palace hotel.
Too bad that we're only feeling like going to bed, we have to rise again at 4:30 and fly from Delhi to Singapore in some 6 hours and on to Jakarta in about 1.5 hour on KLM Royal Dutch Airlines for our job there for the coming years...

Thanks for your visit and comment!

Previous posts:
Lalitha Mahal and Maharaja Palace Mysore | previous post by me
Chamundeshwari Temple and Chamundi Hills in Mysuru India | previous post by me
Trip from Ooty to Mysuru through Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary | previous post by me
Wearing a Saree for ONE Day and Lending my Jeans | previous post by me
Pond's (India) Limited Mushroom Project | previous post by me
My 1st Trip to India - Consulting Together with Husband Pieter | previous post by me
Husband Pieter's ADVENTUROUS 2nd Trip to India | previous post by me

Lalitha Mahal and Maharaja Palace Mysore

After the visit to the temple we now go to the beautiful Lalitha Mahal in Mysore, India that is built on a hill with wonderful view of the valley.
Mysore or Mysuru as it is officially called, is truly the Southern Gem of India.
Did you know that Yoga originated from here?
And also the fragrant sandalwood comes from here.

This is the 2nd largest Palace in Mysore and built in 1921 for the Maharaja.

There hung an elephant head on the wall, that the Maharaja shot in 1955...
Lalitha Mahal is one of India's most beautiful palaces.
It is built on raising ground, the palace has been fashioned after the lines of the St. Paul's Cathedral in London and became one of the imposing structures in Mysore city.

Here we stand on top of Lalitha Mahal, overlooking the valley and to the right you even can see the Chamundeshwari Temple where we visited, as you could read in my previous post (link is below this post).

What an impressive view from this Palace's top!
Here you also can see Sudha's fresh jasmine flowers in her hair.
Indian ladies can dress so very gracefully and they have the most lovely hair-do!
On our way home, she also gifted me with such a jasmine adornment for my hair...

The view is really incredible!
Quite a place for the exclusive stay of the then Viceroy of India.
Since 1974 it is Lalitha Mahal Palace Hotel and has been converted into a luxury heritage grand hotel.
So if you want to live like a Viceroy or Vicerine; here you can and really feel on top of the world!

Now we went on to the Maharaja's Palace...

A quick shot through the window from the car, of the main approach... We did tour this most majestic Palace!

From a post card, main entrance Maharaja's Mysore Palace.

So here we entered for a tour...
We had to take our shoes off and they were put in lockers for which you paid to get them back. 
Pieter was lucky for still wearing socks!
Walking outside on the glowing hot red gravel makes you almost pee in your pants from pain!
Those small stones feel like they want to penetrate your skin!
BUT, sweet Sarath did give me his socks to walk on and he went barefoot instead. 
We westerners are not used to this...
Inside of the palace on the tiling it felt great but not outside in that hot and burning gravel!

Here you see the Maharaja's Palace being illuminated.
It is almost too much of pomp and beauty - considering that not far away in the mountain villages there still is so much poverty!

Taking photos inside was and still is forbidden...
But here below is a great video that shows you a lot from what is seen inside the Palace, like the unique head dress for the elephants with gold and all the pomp and beauty you can imagine.
Just to see a glimpse of the Palace and how the Maharaja is being transported and the dressed up elephants. This is a Parade in Mysore that lets you get a wonderful view of the pomp and beauty of that era. It is the actual Maharaja, riding in this parade and a great taste of south Indian culture, games and dance! ENJOY 
This is Jaganmohan Palace where the royal family lived during construction (due to fire burning the palace), just click the pink hyperlink.

This palace is a brilliant example of old-age architecture and interiors where you can witness everything from the furniture used by the royal family, to the work of art on their walls.

After so much eye candy and soul food (temple experience) we all four are ready to go to the Quality Inn for lunch.
Stay tuned as we will go to Brindavan Gardens next...

Thanks for your vist and comment!

Previous posts:
Chamundeshwari Temple and Chamundi Hills in Mysore India | previous post by me
Trip from Ooty to Mysore through Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary | previous post by me
Wearing a Saree for ONE Day and Lending my Jeans | previous post by me
Pond's (India) Limited Mushroom Project | previous post by me
My 1st Trip to India - Consulting Together with Husband Pieter | previous post by me
Husband Pieter's ADVENTUROUS 2nd Trip to India | previous post by me

Chamundeshwari Temple and Chamundi Hills in Mysore India

As mentioned in my previous post, we continue now on our way to Chamundeshwari Temple Mysore.
Sarath proved to be an excellent and knowledgeable guide and we all four went first to Chamundi Hills and did visit the famous temple of which the original shrine got built in the 12th century and  the towers in the 17th century. Click on the pink hyperlink above for more info.

This is the 17th century temple in all its splendor.
Famous for its 7-storied, 40 meter high gopuram.
The temple can be accessed on foot by its 1,000 steps.

Here you can see part of the side of the quadrangular structure, which looks different than the front and back.

Offerings for the temple are being sold outside.

Goddess Chamundeshwari, Mysore (officially Mysuru) in the state of Karnataka.
It is believed that this is made out of solid gold...
Both of us did go inside the shrine and it was quite an impression.
The Indian Hindu mystic is something that makes an impact on the visual effect of displaying a Goddess.
All the fragrant flowers and the beautiful temple architecture touches ones soul!
Partly also because of the intense experience of the people around you.
So we also walked up to the Hindu priest who put an orange dot on our forehead and it really did touch you, all those arches and see through areas with images that made you almost peek inside a kind of heaven!
You have to walk bare footed or on your socks...

Close to the Chamundeshwari Temple on Chamundi Hills stands the gigantic statue of the demon king Mahishasura with a sword in his right hand and a cobra in his left.

Half way up Chamundi Hills in Mysore is also is a huge granite Nandi (bull) a 94.8 m carved monolith.
This Nandi of Mysore is over 350 years old. Click pink hyperlink for more info.

Husband Pieter always loved those painted Indian trucks, so this one got captured on camera...

Stay tuned for Lalitha Mahal and Mysore Palace...

Thanks for your visit and comment!

Previous posts:
Trip from Ooty to Mysore through Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary | previous post by me
Wearing a Saree for ONE Day and Lending my Jeans | previous post by me
Pond's (India) Limited Mushroom Project | previous post by me
My 1st Trip to India - Consulting Together with Husband Pieter | previous post by me
Husband Pieter's ADVENTUROUS 2nd Trip to India | previous post by me

Trip from Ooty to Mysore through Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary

On Sunday, March 11 of 1990, we got up early at 5:30 for our trip from Ooty to Mysore in the state of Karnataka. Back than it was still called Mysore and not Mysuru.

We left by 6:30.

The road Ooty-Mysore passes through Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary and we had a wonderful day with our host and staff member from Pond's: D. Sarath Chandra Divvela, together with his lovely wife Sudha. Found him on LinkedIn and he responded yesterday to my message for him and Sudha!
Feeling oh so happy for reconnecting!
Sudha's Mother lived in Hyderabad.

Here we are at a spot where we observed elephants.

From left to right: D. Sarath Chandra Divvela with his wife Sudha, husband Pieter and me...

Such an incredible variety on trees and plants in these beautiful mountains!
You can click here to see our route for that day, from our Savoy hotel in Ooty to Mysore Palace.

This was actually our first stop, still cool and therefore I'm wearing my wool georgette jacket from Italy.
A huge rock from where we could view into the valley, deep below and where we could see elephants and bisons graze. 

Left from center, there are elephants!
The previous day it was Spring Festival there but after the final frost from past winter, all the young green got frozen and damaged. On top of that, there also were wild fires due to the extreme drought. 
Now there is a lack of food and water and that makes the elephants show curmudgeon behavior and even attack people. Yes, poachers that fell sandalwood and rosewood in the middle of the night with trucks, even thought these wood varieties are protected within this wildlife sanctuary!
But this causes some 20 death by elephants annually.

Here we stop on a bridge, for having some Indian breakfast.

Enjoying our 7:30 Indian breakfast in the sunshine.

Overview of the bridge that crosses a river...

The river below this bridge is completely dry now due to this extreme drought.
We could spot elephant droppings!
Our driver could tell by the 'freshness' of those droppings that the elephants had been there about 4 hours earlier, for coming to drink - in vain... That was 3:30.
Two weeks earlier our driver had spotted here 13 elephants together.
If an elephant gets emitted by the flock for whatever reason, than such a mammal is also aggressive and attacks people.
Once fierce, they don't leave a man alone but kill him!
There are also tigers, panthers and pythons.

Our very dedicated and also knowledgeable Tamil driver!

We did spot wild peacock - look how DRY the area looks!

We were able to spot the Muntjac deer or barking deer.
What a struggle for life in this drought!

A little further down the road, our alert driver did spot this little lake with still some water in it, where little elephants got bathed.

All 4 baby elephants got in the water, Pieter standing here in awe, as we all were.

Those baby elephants are so cute and SMART!
 Look how the little trunk comes up from under Sarath's hands to pick up something!

Pieter is laughing here with those fuzzy and mischievous baby elephants that pick up coins with their trunk!

Super cute fuzzy baby elephants!

This roguish fuzzy baby elephant befuddled my hand with its muddy trunk and you could see the twinkle in its eyes!

Closer to the capital city of Mysore in the state of Karnataka, we stop for a refreshing young coconut.

Pieter took photographs of what is around our car...
Animals and very dusty!

You notice all sorts of vehicles...

Just in front of our car.

Stay tuned as we will visit Chamundeshwari Temple next and Mysore's two biggest Palaces and special Garden.

Thanks for your visit and comment!

Previous posts:
Wearing a Saree for ONE Day and Lending my Jeans | previous post by me
Pond's (India) Limited Mushroom Project | previous post by me
My 1st Trip to India - Consulting Together with Husband Pieter | previous post by me
Husband Pieter's ADVENTUROUS 2nd Trip to India | previous post by me

Wearing a Saree for ONE Day and Lending my Jeans

As promised in my previous post, here some more about how I did tackle the saree issue at this mushroom plant.
Harvesting of mushrooms has to be compared to working in a hospital, strict hygiene rules and we have to avoid contamination IF there is somewhere a moldy spot or whatever.
Clothing has to be rather tight and no sweeping baggy sleeves, long open hair, and surely no long sweeping sarees should be seen.
Far better than a saree would be a kind of pajama, a North India type of clothing.
To convince the harvesting crew, I did propose to let one of the supervisors wear my jeans for a day, to check it out and to get the feel of it.
Since I had only one pair of jeans with me at the location (more in the suitcases left in Delhi at the office...) the only solution would be to swap!

So I got outfitted for the day in a saree, that Krishna lend to me as she did wear my jeans...

Getting dressed by the Tamil ladies into a saree...
A cropped short sleeved saree blouse on an under skirt...

Krishna starts draping the many yards around me.

Here I am, the blue eyed Indian in saree.
Krishna seen to the right in this photo and she did wear my jeans for that day.

Blue eyed Indian in saree with blue eyed husband.
A pity that I don't have a photo from the fresh hair flowers they did pin on top of my braid...

This crew wanted to be captured on camera with me.
Krishna the one that dressed me and will wear my jeans, holding my hand...

Oh, it was not easy to move about and to climb up on the steps wearing this restricting saree but I managed for that day.
Management did provide them with the special pajama pants so they did switch to different outfits!
It was a pleasure to work with these ladies, they were quick learners and hard working!

Quite touching when you get presented something like this writing, on the final day on March 16 of 1990...
We always left feeling emotional; such a beautiful country and very warm and caring people.
As for the food, I am in heaven when eating Indian!

Stay tuned for our very special trip on Sunday, March 11.

Thanks for your visit and comment!

Previous post:
Pond's (India) Limited Mushroom Project | previous post by me
My 1st Trip to India - Consulting Together with Husband Pieter | previous post by me
Husband Pieter's ADVENTUROUS 2nd Trip to India | previous post by me