Mysore has a tranquil atmosphere and is not yet as crowded as other cities are. There are many attractions. Famous among them are: the Mysore Palace, The Mysore Zoo, Chamundi Hills, Temples, Jaga Mohan palace of art, Sri ranga patnam, KR Sagar Dam, Ranganthittu bird sanctuary. and Lalita Mahal.

The name Mysore originated from its original name MahishasuraNagar which was named for a demon by Name Mahishasura who was subdued by the goddess Chamundi. A temple in her honor is located on Chamundi Hills.

Mysore city is around 100 miles from Bangalore and there are lot of tourist buses and direct trains from Bangalore to Mysore.

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Considered one of the architectural wonders of the world it took about 50000 artisans about 18 years to build. It occupies an area of about two football fields and is surrounded by an immaculate water garden designed in persian style. It was completed in the year 1648. Later Shah Jahan was put under house arrest when his son Aurangzeb executed all his brothers and usurped the throne, Shah Jahan spent his last days looking at Taj Mahal from his quarters in the Red fort.

Prince Kurram (later called Shah Jahan who became the fifth Mughal emperor) married Arjumand Banu Begam (later called Mumtaz Mahal) in 1612. Even though he had many wives, she was his close confidante and accompanied him on all his militray campaigns. She bore him fourteen children and died during child birth in 1630 only three years after his succession to the throne. A grief stricken Shah Jahan was determined to perpetuate her memory and started the construction of Taj Mahal on the banks of Jamuna river in Agra. It was his vision of a perfect heaven.

It is constructed of pure white marble stone and has intricate and elaborate carvings done by special artisans inlaid with precious stones like Jade, and gold. The tombs of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz are placed on the lower level of the building in a elaborately carved hall.

Historians now believe that Shah Jahan was planning to construct an identical Taj Mahal in black marble on the other side of Jamuna river before he was overthrown by his son.

The beauty of Taj Mahal can best be appreciated on a full moon night when it is lit by moonlight. It is perhaps the most visited tourist site in India. It is located in the city of Agra which is near New Delhi. You can reach Agra either by flight, train or tourist buses. Lot of arranged one day tours arranged tours are available.

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Explore Taj Mahal
Treasures of the world
Taj Mahal Tours
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Amitabh's movie career has spanned about thirty years and about 100 films. He also hosted the mega show Kaun Banega Crorepati an offshoot of Who wants to be millionnaire.

India also has two island chains: the Andaman and Nicobar island chain lies east of the mainland between the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. Its southernmost island is only 200 km (120 mi) from the northern tip of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The Lakshadweep island group is located off India's southwest coast.

Total land boundaries: 14,103 km(8814 mi)
Border Countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma (now known as Mynamar), China, Nepal, and Pakistan.
Coastline: 7,000 km (4375 mi)
Lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m (0 ft)
Highest point: Kanchenjunga 8,598 m (28373 ft)