India GOWhat to buy in Mysore
Mysore's souvenirs are mostly things you can smell or touch: sandalwood oil and soap, silk with a gold zari border, incense, jasmine, and the ghee-rich Mysore pak. Most of them are easy to fake, so the useful question is less what to buy than where. The state-run counters (KSIC for silk, KS&DL for sandalwood, Cauvery Emporium for crafts) sell with fixed prices and guaranteed origin; the bazaar is for flowers, incense and the pleasure of looking.
What to buy and where
The city's specialities, as the Mysuru district administration lists them, with the place to buy each.
Mysore silk
Sari cloth woven at the state corporation's own mill, set up by the Maharaja in 1912 and run by KSIC since 1980, and protected by a geographical indication. Buy it at the showroom next to the KSIC silk factory or at the KSIC showroom on KR Circle: every piece carries the KSIC hologram and a Silk Mark tag. KSIC also sells the Mysuru peta, the silk turban of the old court.
Sandalwood oil and Mysore Sandal Soap
In 1916, when the First World War cut off exports of raw sandalwood, the princely state began distilling the oil itself in Mysore; the soap was born from the same decision. The outlet shop at the Sandalwood Oil Factory in Ashokapuram sells the full KS&DL range (oil, soap, talc, incense) with no risk of fakes.
Rosewood inlay and sandalwood carving
Pale motifs cut by hand and set flush into dark rosewood, once ivory, now contrasting woods and other materials; the district puts the number of people still doing this work at about 4,000. Cauvery Handicrafts Emporium is the safe address, or buy at the artisan's price in the state craft colony at Metagalli.
Mysore painting
A gesso ground, traditional colours and thin real gold foil, usually Hindu deities or royal scenes; the style matured under Krishnaraja Wadiyar III in the 19th century. Cauvery Emporium and Ramsons, opposite the zoo, both stock it.
Ganjifa cards
Round playing cards painted with a superfine brush in natural colours and gold. Only a few artists still work in this style, and the revival led by Raghupathi Bhat has carried it onto mirrors, clock faces and prints. Look for them at Cauvery Emporium.
Agarbathi (incense)
Hand-rolled incense sticks and dhoop (incense cones and powders) are a labour-intensive local industry, sold in most shops in the city and at Devaraja Market.
Mysore pak
Gram flour, sugar and a generous amount of ghee (clarified butter). By tradition it was first made in the palace kitchen by the cook Kakasura Madappa, and the original is drenched in ghee, nothing like the dry cubes sold elsewhere. Where to buy it: sweets of Mysore.
Jasmine and betel leaf
Mysuru mallige, the local jasmine famed for its fragrance, is registered under intellectual property law, and the city's tender betel leaf has its own name, Mysuru chigurele. Both are bought fresh at Devaraja Market, a souvenir for the day rather than the suitcase.
State shops or the bazaar
Mysore's crafts are easy to fake and hard to judge on the street. At Cauvery Handicrafts Emporium on Sayyaji Rao Road, the KSIC showrooms and the KS&DL outlet, prices are fixed and what the label says is true; it costs a little more than the bazaar, and you know what you are carrying home. Ramsons, opposite the zoo and trading since 1970, is the largest crafts house in the city, with the Kaladevi Doll Museum beside its counters.
Devaraja Market, one of the city's oldest, is the other half of shopping here: mounds of flowers for garlands, pyramids of kumkum (the red powder for the forehead mark) in every colour, spices, bananas and incense. Price the sandalwood goods there if you like, then buy where the origin is guaranteed. For Kannada books and books about the region, see the bookshops of Mysore.
See it made before you buy
On weekdays the KSIC factory on Mananthavadi Road lets visitors onto the floor for free, roughly 10:00–15:30 with a lunch break: rows of looms and the gold zari border taking shape. Since the pandemic, access to the sandalwood factory's production floor has been on and off, so check locally; the outlet shop is reliably open. At the Metagalli craft colony call the project officer before going, since entry to each workshop is at the artisan's discretion.
❓ FAQ
What is Mysore famous for buying?
Mysore silk, sandalwood oil and Mysore Sandal Soap, rosewood inlay, Mysore paintings in gold leaf, Ganjifa cards, agarbathi incense and Mysore pak.
Which market is famous in Mysore?
Devaraja Market in the city centre, one of the oldest in Mysore: flowers, kumkum, spices, fruit and incense. Mysuru jasmine and betel leaf are bought here.
Where can I buy genuine Mysore silk?
At KSIC: the showroom by the silk factory on Mananthavadi Road or the showroom on KR Circle. Look for the KSIC hologram and the Silk Mark tag.
Where should I buy sandalwood products in Mysore?
Oil, soap and talc at the KS&DL outlet by the Sandalwood Oil Factory in Ashokapuram; carvings at Cauvery Handicrafts Emporium, where prices are fixed and origin guaranteed.
What is famous to eat in Mysore?
Mysore pak, the ghee-rich sweet from the palace kitchen, and Mysore masala dosa, with its red chilli-garlic stripe inside. More on what to eat in Mysore.
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