The classic song Mysuru Dasara by Dr Rajkumar from the 1970s movie is an apt way to describe our weekend sojourn to Mysuru — with a twist.
Mysuru is renowned for its Dasara celebrations, but the city tends to be extremely crowded during the festival itself. We realised that the illumination continues for around eight to ten days after Dasara, so we decided to take advantage of the opportunity and visit the city over the weekend of 24–26 October 2026.
A Relaxed Mysuru Dasara Visit With a Twist
We started early on the morning of 24 October from Bengaluru. Along the way, we planned to visit a couple of temples and explore a few other places that were on our itinerary. However, our intention was to make this a relaxed trip rather than a checklist exercise. Over our last few trips, we have realised that when we try to tick off every destination on a list, we end up rushing from one place to another without really enjoying the experience or becoming part of the journey.
Temples on the Way: Aprameya Swamy and Nimishamba
It was a beautiful morning, with a light drizzle accompanying us as we left Bengaluru. Our first stop was the Aprameya Swamy Temple near Channapatna. The temple’s architecture and peaceful atmosphere made it a lovely start to the trip. After the temple visit, we stopped for breakfast at Krishna Keshav. The restaurant was quite crowded, but we managed to find a place, have our breakfast and continue our journey.
Our next destination was the Nimishamba Temple Interestingly, when we arrived, we realised that we had visited this temple before, probably a year or two ago. As we entered for darshan, both my spouse and I could remember almost everything about the temple except the vigraha’s image. It was a curious feeling, recognising the surroundings while struggling to recall the very God we had come to see. Nevertheless, we were happy to be there again and receive the goddess’s blessings.
A Vintage Pit Stop: Payana Car Museum
From there, we continued towards Mysuru, stopping at the Payana Car Museum on the way. It is a vintage car museum right on the highway. The museum brought back childhood memories of the beautiful vintage cars we had seen in films and the vehicles that we or our relatives might have used at some point in our lives. For anyone who enjoys old cars and classic vehicles, this is a worthwhile pit stop.
The Ambari Experience
After the museum visit, we headed to our accommodation, had lunch along the way and spent some time relaxing. The plan for the evening was to see the Mysuru Dasara illumination. Just a day before our departure, I discovered that Karnataka State Tourism offered a sightseeing service called Ambari, a bus with an open upper deck that allows passengers to enjoy the city’s illuminated streets and landmarks. We managed to book two seats and looked forward to seeing Mysuru from a different perspective.
The ride, which was supposed to take about an hour, turned into an experience lasting nearly two and a half hours. Our scheduled departure at 8 p.m. was delayed because the previous bus service had run late. We eventually started around 9 p.m. and returned at approximately 11 p.m. The route took us through several crossroads, roundabouts and parts of the city decorated for the occasion. Although the delay was frustrating and we were quite tired by the end, it was still an interesting way to experience the illumination without having to drive ourselves.
P.S.: For a change I had managed to convince my spouse to ditch his beloved steering wheel for the Ambari open-deck bus — a rare victory, considering that getting him to agree to anything involving someone else driving is an achievement in itself. By the end of the evening, after witnessing the traffic that could have cost us two hours and an early start next morning, he graciously admitted perhaps listening to me wasn’t such a bad idea.
Sunday: Nanjangud and Datta Peetham
Rudrabhisheka at Nanjangud
The following morning began early because we had planned a visit to Nanjangud often referred to as the Kashi of the South. We had wanted to visit the temple earlier in 2026, around the Sankranti period in January, but the crowds had put us off. This time, we were determined to arrive early and avoid a similar experience. We reached Nanjangud at around 6.30 a.m. and arranged to perform Rudrabhisheka at the temple. A friend from our community had connected us with a local priest who helped organise the ritual and ensured that we could have a proper darshan. It was a satisfying and meaningful visit, especially because we had been planning it for some time.
Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Ashram (Datta Peetham)
From Nanjangud we proceeded to Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Ashram, also known as Datta Peetham This is another place worth visiting in the Mysuru region. The ashram has several temples within its premises and is remarkably clean, serene and well maintained. We spent around two hours there, taking in the atmosphere before heading out to meet a friend.
An Extra Night, and the Road Back
The rest of Sunday was deliberately relaxed. In retrospect, we could probably have returned to Bengaluru on Sunday afternoon itself if our only objective had been to complete the itinerary. But that was never the point of this trip. The weather forecast suggested heavy rain was possible, and we did not want to take unnecessary risks by driving back in those conditions. We therefore decided to stay another night in Mysuru. On Monday morning, we started our return journey at around 6 a.m. Having had a proper rest, we were able to begin the working week without feeling exhausted. We reached Bengaluru by approximately 9.30 a.m. and were back at work.
Closing Thoughts
Looking back, it was a fulfilling weekend. We managed to see the Dussehra lights, visit temples we had been meaning to explore, rediscover a familiar temple, spend time at a vintage car museum and meet friends, all without turning the trip into a race against the clock.
Sometimes, the best part of travel is not the number of places we visit, but the freedom to slow down, change plans and yet enjoy the journey. This short Mysuru trip was a reminder of precisely that.
Also read: Mandirs of Nanjangud – Dakshina Kashi in Karnataka
Last updated: November 12, 2026 at 6:51 pm
