Exploring Mysore on cycle is on the menu for heritage enthusiasts this Dasara.
It will be held on September 27 and 28, according to C.G. Betsurmath, Commissioner, Department of Archaeology and Museums, and is open to school students, public and tourists.
Students of Excel Public School have confirmed their participation on 27 and students of Sri Ramakrishna Vidyasamsthe at Ramakrishna Nagar will participate on September 28, said Mr. Betsurmath.
If the response was encouraging, heritage cycling could be extended and the authorities will hold talks with various hotels and tour operators to ascertain if their clients were interested in it.
This will supplement the heritage walk, which will be conducted on September 26. The event is expected to draw large crowds as not only is cycling a popular sport, the circuit can be bigger, enabling riders to cover more than 20 heritage structures in a radius of 3 km to 5 km around the palace, according to Mr. Betsurmath. The heritage trail for cycling has been fixed tentatively.
It will start from the Town Hall and cover the Clock Tower, Chamaraja Circle and the Palace, K.R. Circle, Banumaiah’s College, Mysore City Corporation building, Jaganmohan Palace, Parkala Math, Maharaja, Yuvaraja and Maharani’s College, Oriental Research Institute, Crawford Hall, Gordon House which is the Deputy Commissioner’s Office, Metropole Hotel, Divisional Railway Office, K.R. Hospital, Ayurvedic College, Cauvery Building, Devaraja Market and Dufferin Clock Tower.
The department introduced Heritage Cycling in January this year and had initially restricted participation to groups of government officials and trainees of Administrative Training Institute, employees of various public sector units in Mysore.
Mr.Betsurmath said Mysore has a good potential for heritage cycling and the department wants to promote the concept during Dasara which has a wider audience.
However, the concept has not gained enough traction to become a regular affair or even a weekend programme.
This is true of even heritage walk, which follows a similar trail but of a shorter length and duration.
Heritage walks were introduced 10 years ago and have been a regular feature during Dasara ever since.
