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The Palace & Devaraja, Mysore
Palace & Market
The palace and Devaraja Market make up the compact old centre of Mysore, and everything that matters here is walkable: the Wodeyar palace, a bazaar from 1886, the state silk and crafts shops, classic vegetarian dining halls and the sweet counter of the family credited with inventing Mysore pak. Stay here if the trip is about sightseeing; the palace itself has [its own page](/en/mysore/mysore-palace/).
👥 Who it suits
the lit palace Devaraja Market sandalwood and silk
Staying here
Yes, old-centre hotels with everything walkable.
🌙 In the evening
On Sunday evenings the palace lights ~100,000 bulbs; don't miss it.
Getting there
On foot: the centre is compact
What to see
Where to eat
Shopping
Where to stay
👣 A day on foot in the old centre
- Jaganmohan Palace
Start a few streets west of the main palace. Built in 1861 as a spare royal residence, it became an art gallery in 1915; the draw is the group of original Raja Ravi Varma canvases, among them Lady with the Lamp, and gold-leaf Mysore paintings.
- Mysore Palace
Then the palace itself: the interiors close at 17:30, so see them in the afternoon.
- Lunch near the palace
Hotel RRR on Gandhi Square serves unlimited banana-leaf meals (with a meat menu too); Hotel Dasaprakash, in catering since 1921, runs the pure-veg Akshaya hall, and Om Shanthi near the palace is known for its South Indian thali.
- Shops on Sayyaji Rao Road and KR Circle
Cauvery Handicrafts Emporium sells sandalwood, rosewood inlay and Mysore paintings at fixed prices. At KR Circle, Geetha Book House is a bookshop and Kannada publisher, and the KSIC showroom sells certified Mysore silk with a hologram and Silk Mark tag.
- Devaraja Market
Walk into the market: flowers for garlands, pyramids of kumkum (the red powder for the forehead mark), spices, bananas, incense. Indra Cafe's Paras, opposite since 1956, has tiffin and its own sweet counter.
- Mysore pak at its source
Guru Sweet Mart, at the corner of the market building on Sayyaji Rao Road, is run by the descendants of Kakasura Madappa, the palace cook credited with inventing Mysore pak. The soft fresh version keeps only a few days. More on Mysore pak.
Evenings and the palace lights
On Sundays and public holidays the palace is lit with 97,000 bulbs from 19:00 to 20:00, and every evening during Dasara. On other evenings a sound-and-light show ends with fifteen minutes of illumination. For a view from above, Infinit Roof Top Resto Bar on B.N. Road looks over the floodlit palace and Chamundi Hill. Watch your phone and bag in the palace crowds and in the market, as the Mysore safety page advises.
Staying in the palace area
For sightseeing the centre around the palace, the bus stand and the railway station is the most practical base: the palace, KR Circle and Devaraja Market lie on one short walk. KSTDC Hotel Mayura Hoysala, run by the state tourism corporation in an old building near the railway station, is the plain, reliable budget option. More choices on where to stay in Mysore.
The exception is Dasara (11–21 October 2026). Rooms go fast, and on Vijayadashami the roads around the palace and along the procession route close hours before the elephant procession; Gokulam, 3–5 km north-west, keeps you close without being inside the closures. Details on Mysuru Dasara. Outside the festival, October to February is the most comfortable season.
❓ FAQ
Is it good to stay near Mysore Palace?
Yes for sightseeing: the palace, Devaraja Market and KR Circle are all walkable. During Dasara book early and expect road closures on the last day.
When is Mysore Palace lit up?
On Sundays and public holidays from 19:00 to 20:00, and every evening during Dasara.
Where can I buy genuine Mysore silk in the centre?
At the KSIC showroom at KR Circle: every piece carries the KSIC hologram and a Silk Mark tag.
Facts checked: 12 October 2026. Prices and hours are approximate; check locally.
Other areas of Mysore
In the app: the city's areas on the map, the places inside and a route.
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