The
City in a Nutshell:
Bangalore is one of the most beautiful
cities of Southern India and is
ideally located at an altitude
of 949 meters above sea level.
Bangalore prides itself for its
moderate climate throughout the
year. In fact, Bangalore is often
called the air-conditioned city
of India. The city is replete
with beautiful gardens, verdant
parks, wide tree-lined boulevards,
a plethora of flowering trees,
shimmering lakes all of which
has made Bangalore earn the envious
title of the"Garden City" city
of India.
Not many years ago, Bangalore
was referred to as the "Pensioner's
Paradise and prior to that it
was a major military base (cantonment)
of the British East India Company.
The founder of Bangalore was Kempegowda
who built this enchanting city
from scratch in 1537. Today, this
once sedate and sleepy city of
India has truly undergone a bewildering
transformation booming economy
and fast paced lifestyle.
Bangalore is a city of stupendous
dimensions and owes much of its
popularity to its booming IT sector.
It is a fact that many in United
States (US) may not have heard
of India but they for sure know
Bangalore. Such has been the city's
impact on the global IT scene.
The city is home to countless
mega trans-continental IT companies
that has contributed immensely
to the city's exchequer. Apart
from being an IT powerhouse, the
city has some of India's most
prestigious public sector enterprises,
defence organisations, and some
of the most esteemed educational
and research institutions truly
makes Bangalore a new age city
of India.
Bangalore has been ranked by the
renowned international publication
- "Newsweek" as one of the top
10 technological cities of the
world. Apart from global IT majors
like IBM, Seimens, Hewlett Packard
etc. Bangalore is the base of
India's very own IT giants like
like Infosys, Wipro and Satyam.
As far as entertainment and shopping
is concerned, few Indian cities
can match what Bangalore has to
offer. You will find some of the
country's hottest discotheques
here and wild parties are known
to stretch well past midnight.
The pub scene in Bangalore is
among the most trendy in India
and as far as cuisine is concerned,
Bangalore is replete with the
very best of Indian, Chinese,
Continental and Oriental speciality
restaurants and one must admit,
business is brisk. Most mega brands
like Addidas, Nike, Pepe Jeans,
Peter England, Reebok, Pantaloons
have all set up shops at Bangalore.
Being a city of contrast, Bangalore
has much to offer to the discerning
global traveler.
Some of the
most enduring tourist landmarks
of Bangalore are mentioned below:
Bangalore Fort:
The imposing Bangalore Fort was
built by the founder of modern
Bangalore - Kempe Gowda and later
on was further developed by emperor
Tippu Sultan. Within the ramparts
of the fort there is a splendid
Ganapathi Temple that dates back
to the 16th century.
The Bangalore Palace:
The Bangalore Palace was built
way back in 1887 by a renowned
Wodeyar king on a sprawling 400-acre
land. The palace draws inspiration
from the world famous Windsor
Castle in UK and this palace is
one of the finest specimen of
Tudor style of architecture in
India replete with Gothic windows,
fortifications and towers. This
splendid palace has been built
mostly of wood and is conspicuous
by its intricate carving and classy
paintings. In the year 2005 Srikantadatta
Narasimharaja Wodeyar took the
decision to open the palace to
visitors to meet its annual maintenance
costs and the response from the
public has been very encouraging.
Of special significance is the
gallery which has more than a
thousand vintage photos, inclusive
of photographs of British East
India Company's Viceroys, Maharajas
of India's princely states and
other renowned individuals
Lal Bagh:
The Lal Bag is the most renowned
and also the most popular of all
the parks in Bangalore. Its more
than a park. Actually it is a
botanical garden and owes its
origin to Hyder Ali and his son
who painstakingly imported some
of the rare trees and plants from
countries around the world. This
stunning botanical garden is home
to over 1000 species of flora
which is inclusive of some of
the rarest collection of tropical
plants. The Glass House which
draws inspiration from London's
Crystal Palace, is the piece de
resistance of the garden. Lal
Bagh is spread over a sprawling
2400 of lush greenery. The garden
is the venue for the Bi-annual
flower show that attracts contestants
from all over India. The garden
is managed and administered by
Department of Horticulture and
Bangalore Development Authority
(BDA).
Cubbon Park:
The Cubbon Park is another of
Bangalore's picturesque parks
replete with landscaped green
vistas and blooming flowers. The
park is was laid out by the British
and is located bang in the center
of Bangalore cantonment. It is
an old park that dates back to
1864. There are graceful fountains
that only adds to the charm of
this scenic park. In recent times
Cubbon Park has witnessed the
construction of designer buildings
that have nicely supplemented
the beauty and grandeur of the
park. No wonder the park is much
preferred by joggers.
Government Museum:
One of Bangalore's most enduring
edifices is the Government Museum
which happens to be one of the
oldest in India. It was founded
way back in 1886. The museums
piece de resistance are the relics
from the ancient Mohenjodaro period.
Visveswaraya Industrial
Trade Center:
The Visveswaraya Industrial Trade
Center is one of its kind in India.
This center promotes industrial
activities and trading. This state-of-the-art
center has two exclusive exhibition
floors and showcases all the industrial
products that are manufactured
in the state of Karnataka.
K.Venkatappa Art Gallery:
One of Bangalore's best known
art galleries is the K.Venkatappa
Art Gallery. The gallery is dedicated
to one of Karnataka's most renowned
artist K. Venkatappa and showcases
the works of this great artist.
This art gallery contributes immensely
to the development and promotion
of arts in Karnataka and conducts
workshops on art appreciation
for the benefit of the general
public.
ISKCON Temple:
The ISKCON temple is located in
Chord Road. This is one of Bangalore's
most beautiful temople dedicated
to Lord Krishna. The International
Society of Krishna Consciousness
or ISKCON as it is popularly called
was founded by His Divine Grace
Srila Prabhupada and their Hare
Krishna Hare Rama cult is famous
all over the world. There are
many devotees from the affluent
foreign countries and it is great
to see them dancing and chanting
the Hare Krishna Hare Rama devotional
songs. The ISKCON temple preaches
the Bhakti Yoga path to reach
god. The temple in Bangalore is
located in a scenic hill top.
The Bull Temple Tours in Bangalore India :
The Bull temple was built by the
founder of modern Bangalore -
Kempe Gowda. The temple is the
abode of the venerated Bull (Nandi),
which is made of the finest variety
of stone. It is all of 15 feet
in height and is over 20 feet
long . In the winter months once
the groundnuts have been reaped,
a spectacular groundnut fair,
the first of its kind in India
is held on the temple premises.
It is customary on the part of
the harvesters to offer the groundnuts
to the holy Bull.
The
Gangadhareshware Temple:
The Gangadhareshware Temple is
renowned for its four colossal
pillars and the temple is the
abode of the God of Fire or "Agni".
This temple too was built by Kempe
Gowda. The temple comes alive
in the month of January and the
temple is witness to an unusual
phenomenon which occurs particularly
on 13th or 14th of January every
year wherein one can clearly see
the rays of the setting sun piercing
through the window, passes amidst
the horns of the Nandi Bull and
ultimately falls on the Shivalingam.
St. Mary's Church:
This beautiful church owes its
origin to a devout Frenchman by
the name of Abbe Dubois who was
a Christian missionary and founded
this holy church in the year 1811.
This church has the unique distinction
of being the only church in the
state of Karnataka to be conferred
with the standing of a minor Bascilica.
The church comes alive in the
month of September with the celebration
of Virgin Mary's festival that
draws people from all faiths and
from every walk of life.
Ulsoor Lake:
The Ulsoor Lake is the most beautiful
lake and also the most popular
in Bangalore. The lake is replete
with numerous islands and is a
much sought after picnic spot.
Facilities for boating exist at
the lake and there is also a Recreational
Complex complete with a Swimming
Pool. There is a Sikh Gurudwara
in close proximity to the lake
which is well worth a visit.
Vidhana Soudha:
The Vidhana Soudha is a superb
building and houses the Karnataka
State Legislature and the Secretariat.
It is by far the most authentic
specimen of the neo-Dravidian
architectural style and is made
of the finest quality of granite.
This magnificent edifice is located
to the north of the picturesque
Cubbon Park and is easily one
of the most enduring landmarks
of Bangalore. The edifice is conspicuous
by its impressive sandalwood doors.
The best time to visit the Vidhana
Saudha is after dusk when the
entire building is illuminated.
The Bangalore Race Course:
The Bangalore Race Course is one
of India's best managed Race Courses
and it is packed with events all
throughout the year. The stakes
are high here and the excitement
is very palpable during the races.
This is the favorite haunt of
the big guns like business tycoon
Vijay Mallaya and others of his
ilk.
