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Spices of Mysuru

A palace city in Karnataka with a famous old market, Devaraja, where spices, flowers and sandalwood are sold.

Traded and grown here

TurmericChili pepperSandalwood

Best time: October to March, with the Dasara festival in autumn.

Mysuru, once Mysore, is the former seat of the Wodeyar kings. Its Devaraja Market, over a century old, is a covered bazaar of fruit, flowers, kumkum powder, incense and spices.

Dasara festival at Mysore Palace in Mysore, India. (photo - Jim Ankan Deka)
Photo: Jim Ankan Deka, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Spices and trade

Stalls sell turmeric, red chilli, cardamom, clove and the home blends used in Karnataka kitchens, such as sambar powder, rasam powder and bisi bele bath masala. Kumkum and sandalwood are also sold.

The place and its people

The city is known for its Dasara festival, silk, sandalwood and cuisine. Mysore pak, a sweet of gram flour and ghee, comes from the royal kitchens.

Visiting

Devaraja Market is lively in the morning. The palace, Chamundi Hill and the silk shops complete a visit.

A trail idea for Mysuru

  1. Devaraja Market Wander the stalls of flowers, kumkum and spices.
  2. A masala shop Buy sambar powder or rasam powder made locally.
  3. Mysore Palace See the palace, lit at festival times.
  4. A sweet shop Try Mysore pak, known as a local sweet.
About this page

Written by the EveryMasala desk with AI assistance. Background: "Mysore" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets and tours change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.

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