©Photo BC. Mysore city – Karnataka state – India

India – Mysore

Travel Journal

MYSORE, THE SANDAL WOOD SCENTED CITY

Journal – Fragment .VI

When I began adding color, my sketchbook (the one that had followed me through India) was open to a particular page: a memory of the moment I was in a restaurant in Mysore. I remembered having drawn the place before heading out into a beautiful day.

Mysore is a city in the south of India, in the state of Karnataka, where I stayed for a few days on my way to Bangalore toward Mahabalipuram, Kanchipuram, Katapadi before heading to the north east of India.

I had arrived there by train from Hampi, and I remember feeling like one of the only foreigners in this charming city.

My hotel was large, with a British colonial style, my room was upstairs, accessible by an old lift, everything felt like a scene from an old film.

The restaurant offered a view over a wide avenue. I sat above the street, facing the view: pots hanging from window sills, with delicate plants cascading down like laces. The staff were kind and attentive, each one moving with purpose.

It’s a city of artisans, I visited carpentry workshops where red-toned wood was carved into branches and leaves, my initial had been carved by an artisan; sandalwood factories where women rolled paste made of powdered wood and flowers onto sticks that perfume all of India.

I saw sandalwood oil being extracted in a huge place, drops sold in tiny glass bottles, which I brought with me for a long way, the little glass bottle broke into my backpack, it smelt sandalwool fragrance for months around.

The avenues were broad an tree-lined, carefully maintained. There was a majestic palace and a peaceful, almost supended atmosphere.

No one seemed to be in a hurry. A memory of peace and wonderful moment.

©Photos BC. (Train ticket)