Weekend holiday: Tourists throng city

Mysore/Mysuru: Amid Christmas celebrations and an extended weekend, the cultural capital Mysuru witnessed a sharp surge in tourist footfall, with major attractions packed to capacity over the past few days.

With Dec. 25 being a Government holiday and the fourth Saturday falling immediately after, many people took leave on Friday, creating a four-day weekend from Dec. 25 to 28, resulting in a steady influx of tourists to Mysuru and nearby destinations.

Visitors thronged prominent attractions including the Mysore Palace, Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens (Mysuru zoo), Chamundi Hill and St. Philomena’s Church. Official data showed that the Mysore Palace recorded 15,816 visitors on Dec. 24, with the number nearly doubling on Christmas Day. On Thursday alone, 21,513 tourists visited the palace.

The zoo attracted even larger crowds, with as many as 27,203 visitors on Christmas Day, drawn by its rare and diverse animal species.

Chamundi Hill also witnessed a heavy rush of devotees seeking the blessings of Goddess Chamundeshwari, resulting in long queues that stretched for hours. Even the special darshan queue, which requires a Rs. 100 ticket, remained packed throughout the day.

St. Philomena’s Church emerged as another major focal point during Christmas, with thousands gathering to witness the festivities and admire the church’s historic grandeur.

Traffic infra strained

The tourist surge, however, brought the city’s traffic infrastructure under severe strain. Central areas of Mysuru witnessed frequent traffic snarls as a large number of cars, buses, minibuses and tempo travellers entered the city.

At the Mysore Palace, both designated parking areas were filled, forcing tourists to park along Ramanuja Road, Shankar Mutt Road and nearby stretches.

Major junctions including Gun House Circle, Corporation Circle, Basaveshwara Circle, K.R. Circle, Chamaraja Wadiyar Circle and Jayachamaraja Wadiyar Circle (Hardinge Circle) saw long queues of vehicles and prolonged congestion from morning till late at night.

Despite traffic police working tirelessly to regulate movement, the sheer volume of tourist vehicles made congestion unavoidable, officials said.

Beyond the city, heavy footfall was also reported at popular destinations such as the Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) dam, Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary and Srirangapatna.

The influx was not limited to local travellers alone. Mysuru witnessed a significant number of visitors from neighbouring Kerala, where many families celebrated Christmas at home and then travelled from Friday onwards to explore Mysuru’s cultural landmarks and heritage sites.