Mysore The Mysore of legend takes its name from a famous demon called Mahishasur , a great warrior who ruled as a tyrant until he was killed by goddess Chamundeshwari. The Mysore seat of history was  the capital of several imperial dynasties and later of the princely states of Mysore. For generations the Woleyar maharajas  worshipped the goddess Chamundeshwari as their family deity and were strict observers of religious  practices. They built much of the Mysore we see today and a portion of the city's most famous landmark  , the imposing Royal Palace . The Palace stands on the foundations of an earlier Palace  gutted by fire in 1897. The most magnificent room is the Durbar Hall , particularly splendid during the Dussehra festival when the maharaja's jewel - studded gold throne weighting 200 kilograms is on display. For more of Mysore's  opulence , go to the Jaganmohan Palace . Built in 1861 , Part of it was shortly afterward converted into the Sri Chamarajendra  Art Gallery  by a former maharaja . It display portraits of the royal family in all their ceremonial regalia as well as work by  both Indian and Western artists . There is also a sizeable collection of furniture , glass and china along with sculpture and decorative arts from around the world .The gleaming steam engines on the display at the Railway Museum , opened in 1979 , are emblazoned with  the royal insignia of the maharajas , and the private coaches , in which they traveled with their families and vast retinues, recall bygone splendor. 13 Kms from Mysore is Chamundi Hill which bring you to the temple of the Chamundeshwari. About halfway up is a huge granite monolith of  Nandi, Shiva's  divine bull. Next to the hilltop  temple is a statue of the Mahishasura the Demon, brandishing a sword in one hand and a cobra in the other.