This travelogue was commissioned by the then Maharaja of Mysore
Jayachamaraja Wodeyar. It is dedicated to
Sir Mirza_Ismail. Narayan travels all around Mysore state, the present day South Karnataka districts of Chickmagalur(Note:
Kadur used to be the district headquarter when this book was written), Kolar, Banglaore, Shimoga, Chitradurga, Tumkur and Mysore. The book is filled with interesting snippets of the region, for example the present day
Ramanagara was then known as Closepet after a British geologist Sir Barry Close (1756- 1813). Narayan's observations carry his trademark humour which makes it a very nice read. The book also contains an appendix which basically serves a travel planner.
This is not a book of facts about Mysore state. It is just a collection of impressions, descriptions, legends and historical tit-bits. Legends, atmosphere and historical anecdotes, are, really, as rich a source of information about a country as statistics of trade and agriculture.
Read it, for a guided tour of Mysore state; guided by none other than R. K. Narayan.
Complete book(146 pages)
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PDF(4.9Mb) from
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