Mysore city may owe its grandeur to the Wodeyars, but the town has a history that long precedes them. Legends tell us that this was where the goddess Chamundeshwari trounced the terrible demon, Mahishasura. The city itself takes its name from that of the demon, since it was he who ruled it first. And it is him we see first as we arrive at the top of Chamundi Hills, at the temple of the goddess.
