Devaraja Market

A weekly market operated on this ground as early as 1828, during the reign of the Wodeyar dynasty, before the permanent covered structure went up in 1886. The building's placement directly over the Dewan Poornaiah canal was practical rather than decorative: the canal supplied drinking water to Mysore Palace, and the market's stone foundations doubled as a channel cover.

Fire has repeatedly damaged the market — roughly 150 shops burned in 1981, another 195 in 1990, and 30 more in 1999 — and in August 2016 the market's north entrance gate collapsed outright, prompting a long-running municipal debate over full demolition versus restoration that has not fully resolved as of 2026. Colonial-era administrative records referred to the site chiefly by its produce-exchange function rather than by name, suggesting the Devaraja identity now inseparable from the market attached itself gradually rather than through any single decree. Visitors should expect scaffolding, partial closures, or diverted aisles in the affected sections without much advance signage.

Bargaining is expected for silk, sandalwood products, and souvenirs, though fresh produce and flowers are typically sold at a fixed, low, cash price with little room to negotiate. The flower and fish sections have wet, uneven floors year-round, so closed shoes serve better than sandals.

Sandalwood oil sold cheap by aisle vendors is almost always diluted or synthetic — genuine Mysore sandalwood is tightly regulated and priced accordingly, and a bottle offered at a tourist-friendly discount is a reliable sign it is not the real product. Pickpocketing risk rises in the narrowest aisles during the Saturday and Sunday morning rush, a fact locals mention matter-of-factly rather than as a deterrent.

The flower market at the Sayaji Rao Road end is the single best photograph opportunity, particularly between 06:30 and 08:00 when garland-makers work in the open air. Devaraja Market sits roughly ten minutes on foot from Mysore Palace, making a Palace-to-market-to-Jaganmohan-Palace loop a workable single morning.

The Dufferin Clock Tower, visible from the market's south gate, is a useful landmark for arranging an auto-rickshaw pickup, since the market's internal lanes are unnamed and easy to get turned around in. Cash is the practical currency here; card and UPI acceptance is inconsistent stall to stall, and early risers should carry small denominations, since few vendors keep change for a ₹500 note before the day's trade has properly started.