Brindavan Gardens

We spent one night just outside of Mysore at a historic hotel overlooking the Cauvery dam and Brindavan Gardens. This hotel was built by the Mysore Maharaja in to house guests.

Our rooms had balconies over looking the gardens which are lovely. Apparently these gardens were a popular backdrop in classic “Bollywood” movies. (Actually, the movies filmed on this area are known as “Sandalwood” as opposed to Hollywood or Bollywood.) The gardens are in the mogul style — perfectly symmetrical with flowing water throughout.

We arrived in time to see the light/water show in the amphitheater at the furthest end of the garden. Initially, I thought this would be a light/water show using the entire garden and its extensive fountains, but I was wrong. It’s just a small pool about 20′ x20′ with lights and water jets programed to change to the beat of popular Indian songs, many from films. The crowd loved it. I enjoyed the walk thru the garden at dusk.
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The dam was built 1914-1915 and their are old photos from the dam’s construction in the halls is the hotel. (Engineers in full suits with safari helmets or turbans; so unlike modern construction sites anywhere today!) The politics of distributing water from the dam are a hot-button item today — hopefully good monsoon rains will recharge local aquifers and relief some tensions about the river water….

Here’s a video:

Updated 7/16/2013 with photos and video.