Inside a traditional Indian market- Devaraja Urs market in Mysore

Having been to many traditional Indian bazaars in Punjab, Delhi I looked forward to visiting the Devaraja Urs market place in Mysore.

As usual any Indian Bazaar has the power and audacity to hit all your 5 senses. A functional sixth sense would do as well :)

Sights , sounds , color , vibrancy , smells can be overpowering for the faint of heart. Add to that the blazing tropical sun - it would be wise to keep yourself well hydrated and sun protected via sunhats, umbrellas or good old sunscreens.

The Devaraja market in Mysore was built during the reign of Chamaraja Wodeyar IX (1868 – 1894).

I heard that way back then it was just a weekly bazaar.

The market place is located close to the palace . 

Municipal Corporation of Mysore looks after the day to day functioning of the marketplace with its 840 odd shops.

Also I learnt that the MC collects rent on a daily basis for improved recovery.

 It is quite evident that this bazaar would have been established by the erstwhile rulers for the growth of trade and business. All essential household items from brooms to spices to pooja/prayer material like incense, perfumery, spices are lined up here. 

There are different sections selling vegetables , fruit , flowers etc

Century old Devaraja Urs market place

Healthy greens lined up

I bought some lemon from this lady. She was ancient but had the tastiest lemons i have had in a while. Though language was a barrier , I just handed over 20 rs to her and she gave me 5 lemons for it. When i took my camera out she even adjusted her sari so the picture would come out well


I salute her spirit

Lady with the lemons

Lady with the beetle nut leaf used in making traditional paan 

 Though I had no use of the beetle nut leaf, this sweet lady thanked me profusely for clicking her
picture. These positive emotions stay with you for a while.

The traditional Indian bazaar needs to be felt and experienced more than anything else I feel

The flower lady

Local broom

At the start of the fruit market- pineapples aplenty

Fruit vendors all lined up

One of my favorite fruit- Pineapples

 Pineapples are not only tasty but highly anti-inflammatory in nature. Go ahead gorge. you can even stew it and have with a dollop of ice cream.

Another of my favorite fruit- apple.

Color abounds here..

Flowers are made into a string and sold

This century old market place seems to be popular among locals and tourists alike. Though the need of the hour is to haggle my focus was to buy some fruit which i can munch on throughout the day, capture some pictures and feel the essence and the spirit of the place. Each to his own i guess.

There are so many entry points to the bazaar that it can be confusing for a first time visitor.

I was advised to enter through the Dufferin Clock Tower . I did not pay heed and entered from the Ashoka Road point. This area was lined with clothes and jewelry stores which did not interest me much. So i soon detoured into one of the parallel running roads which opened into a whole sale fruit market i guess. I found some of the local fruit vendors to be extremely rude . This kind of behavior never ceases to amaze me. Am here to give you business which your are here for anyways .

This bazaar was about 5 kms from the hotel i stayed at which i would recommend when travelling to Mysore.

Tel/Fax: 0821 - 4193366/4193399
Email : info@sunflowerhotels.co.in
Address : #331/A, Loyal world centre, Bangalore - Mysore road,

Bannimantap, adjacent to St Joseph hospital, Mysore - 570 015.