I had heard so much about the historical city of Mysore, and had been wanting to visit for a while. I finally made it last weekend, and was unfortunately, disappointed.

True, there are some fairly interesting places to see en route, like the bird sanctuary. In the summer, the sanctuary is filled with a variety of species, and these make for a great photo op. Also, the sanctuary is fairly well maintained, and if you're a nature lover, you can spend an hour or so here. Go for a ride on the boat, as it will take you even closer to all the birds gathered around the lake.

Spend around half an hour at Srirangapatnam, and visit the Vishnu temple and the memorial where Tipu Sultan's body was found. Don't miss the Big Banyan Tree. At least your journey will be memorable, if not the destination.

No doubt, Mysore does have a great heritage, but unfortunately, there's a lot lacking in terms of general cleanliness and upkeep. The Mysore Palace is the best thing to see here, but there are a couple of issues, the first one being, shoes - or the lack of them.

I understand the need to remove shoes before entering the Chamundi temple, although the ground is filthy. But I don't understand the need to remove your shoes before entering the palace. First, it's not a place of worship, and second (and more significantly) you're likely to step on someone's phlegm, like the person ahead of me did, or on a sticky sweet spat out of some brat's mouth, like I did. We still have a long way to go before attaining some degree of civil sense, and walking barefoot, even in a palace, is not wise.

From the main palace we were directed to a second palace around the corner, and headed towards it, barefoot again. Big, big mistake. The floor was scorching, and the few and far between ragged carpets offered little relief for burning feet. Perhaps making provisions to respect the visitor like providing a single, long carpet is too much for the lowly masses to ask of royalty.

Having said that, the palace was grand, and offered a spectacular glimpse into the life of an ancient royal era.

The Jagmohan Palace, now converted into an art gallery, was filled with incredible treasures from all around the world, and they also house a fabulous collection of Raja Ravi Verma paintings. But sadly this art gallery looks more like a dusty dump, and one wonders why such priceless treasures showcased aren't showcased to the best of their potential.

I couldn't help but compare Mysore to Rome. Mysore too has the potential to sell itself as a historical destination. Indian history is no less rich, our kings were no less educated or traveled, and arts and culture were respected once, perhaps until three or four hundred years ago. The paintings in Italy are possibly superior; after all, it's hard to compete with Michelangelo. But in terms of sheer grander and historical heritage, Mysore may not have been very far behind. Once. Long, long ago. Unfortunately, little is done to give the visitor an equivalent experience.

Get out of your car at any tourist spot in Mysore, and you are hounded by pesky hawkers trying to sell you cheap trinkets. If you so much as look vaguely in their direction with one eye, they will chase you, beg you, push their s*** into your arms and all but pull money out of your wallet.

Some people, perhaps international tourists for whom a dilapidated and unclean town is an exotic novelty, do like Mysore, but an equal number of people are disappointed with their experience. If you're from India and have seen enough filth to last a lifetime, Mysore is possibly worth the 3 hours drive from Bangalore, but little else.