Elder and Sister Martin Micronesia and India Missions: Journey to Mysore

Early on a Friday morning we joined our new friends for a three + hour drive to Mysore, also called Mysuru.

Sunil, the Service Center manager, planned our excursion with his family. We loved our trip with them. It was very enjoyable.

Our first stop was Breakfast at Kamat Lokaruchi – Ramanagara – 52 kms from Bangalore. They offered quaint, open air seating, some with grass roofs. I, Elder Martin, picked the classic Masala Dosa while Sister Martin ventured out and tried the Maddur Vada. They served some of the best Dosas I've had. A Masala Dosa is a Southern India pancake, stuffed with mildly spicy masala, served with a variety of chutney sauces.

Elder and Sister Martin, Aryan, Sunil and Rachna

My Masala Dosa meal at this rather nice restaurant cost a whopping 60 Ruppees, about 87 cents.

Next was a brief stop at Channapatna – 68 kms from Bangalore – Famous for toys made out of

wood.

Share the road, look out bus he's coming through...

Next was a visit to a famous Hindu Sri Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangapatna – 127 kms from Bangalore. In all Hindu temples, we removed our shoes even to walk around the grounds. Inside this temple was the "sleeping goddess". People paid money to put flowers and various items on the statue.

Next stop was Tippu Sultan's fort & Gumbaz Burial Chamber – Srirangapatna

All of these places were detailed and beautiful.

Each of these places required that we remove our shoes out of respect. It was a bright sunny day and our feet became quite hot on the concrete, not to mention a little dirty.

We then ventured to find Venugopala Swamy Temple. The bridge to directly access the site was closed. Sunil persisted and after a few turns and a long dirt road we made it.

Then to finish the day we visited Brindavan Garden.

The pictures speak for themselves.

In the waterfall behind us, is a map of India with Mahatma Ghandi pictured in the middle. Can you see it?

Mike has been looking for a snake charmer, I think he found one. Aryan...Now that's a big Cobra

So many pretty saris the women wear in India.

We didn't stay for the evening musical light show. Time to check in to the hotel for dinner and stay the night.

Tomorrow morning we visit the famous Maharajah's Palace.

Looks like business as usual on the streets, as we approached the palace.

The grand entrance. A very hot, bright sunny day.

MYSORE MAHARAJAH'S PALACE

The Wadiyar dynasty ruled for over 5 centuries in Mysore, ending in 1947. During this time there were actually 25 different kings.

These elephants live at the palace and are only brought out for an occasional festival.

One of the interesting stories our guide told us was that one of the Maharajas that lived here was very close to one of the elephants. The day he died the elephant was so sad he went into a depression and died a few days later.

Sometimes, these Asian elephants of Mysore live longer than wild elephants (wild Asian Elephants typically live in to their 40's). Arjuna, one of the Mysore elephants is now 59.

We visited a nearby hotel for lunch. Sunil seemed intrigued about my (Elder Martin) appetite and love of spicy Indian food. Over the years he said that most of the church leaders he had eaten with did not like southern India cuisine, especially if it was spicy hot.

Just as we were finishing our lunch, a member of the royal family walked in and had lunch with some of his guests. We also saw him with these people at the palace. (Our guide mentioned that he was the grandson of one of the people in a portrait he was explaining to us) Sunil asked if his family could take a picture with him and he accommodated.

On the itinerary, Sunil included a stop to St. Philomena's Church in Mysore.

This statue of St. Joseph was the model for a statue that was commissioned by the parents of Sister Martin's late husband, Farrell Sparti. After he died they had a statue custom made in Italy with twins, since he had a twin brother. The statue was placed in a Mausoleum near his resting place--below.

A family picture in front of the statue following the passing of Cheryl Sparti

Taking a carriage ride

Bought a Punghi instrument from a street vendor. This is what the snake charmers use to lure the Cobra snakes out of their baskets and try to coax them to almost dance with the music. A fun novelty.

Following the palace we decided on a stop to Mysore Zoo

We saw a lot of free-loaders scavenging a morsel to eat. (this included many birds and wild monkeys)

Last stop before heading back - Mysore Sand Sculpture Museum

The museum was created by young artist, MN Gowri, who holds a Masters of Fine Arts. A Mechanical Engineering drop-out, she made these sculptures in about 5 months, using approximately 115 truckloads of sand.