How about spending some time looking at rare manuscripts? Head to the Oriental Research Institute, an offbeat historical attraction in the city of Mysore! Established in the year 1891, the institute was formerly known as the Oriental Library and was under the patronage of Maharaja Chamarajendra Wadiyar X. With over 45000 palm leaf manuscripts and rare editions of Ramayana, Mahabharata, and A Vedic Concordance, this treasure.