Mysuru:  The Dasara Executive Committee has planned to continue  ‘Palace-on- Wheels’ for the Dasara tourists visiting the city this year too.

The visitors will be exposed to history, tradition, culture and arts besides going around many Palaces, Museums and other heritage structures. The trip is scheduled from Oct. 10 till the completion of Dasara festivities. Except on Vijayadashami Day, tourists will be taken to around eight Palaces.

The Department of Tourism and Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation are jointly conducting this tour. Tourists would be taken in AC Volvo buses from 10 am to 6.30 pm to see the Mysore Palace, Lalitha Mahal Palace, Vasanth Mahal Palace, Karanji Palace, Cheluvajammanni Mansion and Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion this year.

The visit to Jaganmohan Palace has been dropped from the list as repair works are under progress. The Dasara Executive Committee is mulling to include another heritage structure to showcase to the visitors as Jaganmohan Palace is dropped.   

Last year, Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalay, Postal Training Centre, CFTRI, Town Hall, Oriental Research Institute, Government Ayurveda College, KR Hospital and Railway Museum were in the list of Palace-on-Wheels but this year it has been dropped, according to sources in the Tourism Department. Visitors can book tickets for this programme in advance online at the website of KSRTC and KSTDC.

There will be two guides from the Tourism Department to take the people on a guided tour of Mysore Palace and other selected places. There will be break for royal lunch at Lalitha Mahal Palace Hotel between 1 pm – 2 pm and the price per ticket may be fixed at Rs. 999. But the ticket price for this programme is yet to be finalised. The  ‘Palace-on-Wheels’ begins every day at 10 am from Kote Anjaneyaswamy Temple and returns to the same place at 6.30 pm.

Good response last year

Speaking to Star of Mysore, Deputy Director of Tourism Department H.P. Janardhan said that Dasara Executive Committee has been given instructions from the Department to continue the Palace-on-Wheels this year too. There will be free WiFi facility and key chains resembling the Mysore Palace will be given as souvenirs to the royal passengers.

He said the main aim of the District Administration was to showcase Palaces, Museums and Heritage structures to the visitors. This bus tour had evoked good response from the visitors last year.

However, as the visitors were not interested to see the Aloka Palace in Yelwal last time there are no plans to take the tourists to this spot this year,  he added.