Bangalore is the seventh largest
cosmopolitan city of India and is the capital of
of Karnataka. It has many nicknames. The
beautiful gardens and parks lending natural
beauty to Bangalore has earned the title of
'Garden City' while the latest software and
technological advancements have earned it the
title of the 'Silicon Valley'. Founded in the
16th century, Bangalore is an important
administrative, historical, commercial and
industrial center today. The numbers of
historical monuments in the city are just
stunning. It is said that the city's name means
'boiled beans' in the native language.
It has been named after a local legend, which
narrates that an old woman living in the village
here offered 'boiled beans' to a hungry and lost
wanderer, who turned out to be the famous
Hoysala ruler, Kempegowda. The chief later
founded the city and built a small mud fort
here. In the 18th century, Hyder Ali and Tipu
Sultan of Mysore glorified this fort by standing
up to the mighty British armies from here.
Later, British crushed Tipu Sultan and took over
Bangalore. In 1831, they stabled a big military
cantonment here and made it the regional
administrative city.
Bangalore's Prime
Attractions
Cubbon Park:
Spread across 300 acres, the park was laid by
Lord Cubbon in 1864. A favorite spot for jogging
and strolling through Nature's delights, Cubon
Park has tranquility and natural beauty along
with red Gothic majestic buildings of the State
Central Library and the High Court too. The
library has a rare treasure of books and a stone
and fluted pillars architectural style. Its
walls are finished in lime plaster. Diversity of
flora in the park is just astonishing while the
several popular institutions have chosen it as
its venue such as the Cheshire Dyer Memorial
Hall, Ottawa Chatter, Museum, Century Club and
the Press Club.
Lalbagh Gardens:
Started off as a small fruit orchard in the
times of Hyder Ali, Lalbagh gradually expanded
as Tipu Sultan brought and planted several
exotic tree species here such as Cypress, Thuja,
Junipers, Grapes, Guavas, Raspberries and
Strawberries and other European flora. It saw
its prime during the times of John Cameron, who
infused this royal retreat with a new life by
introducing a number of fruits, vegetables,
spices, medicinal plants and aromatic plants
here. He even built the Lalbagh Glass House for
a better display of flora and its parts were
imported from England. It took only 12 hours to
complete and till now serves as the office
premises of the Karnataka Horticultural Society.
This society offers free advice to those
interested in flowers and gardens and has a
giant Electronic Quartz Flower clock on the
show.
Vidhana Soudha:
A tribute to temple architecture, this imposing
46-m high building made up of dressed Bangalore
granite houses the Legislative Chambers of the
state government. One of the Bangalore's most
important buildings, it was built in pure Indian
style under the instructions of Mr. Kengal
Hanumanthaiah, the then chief minister of Mysore.
The four domes gracing its corners and the
four-headed lion, the National Emblem of India
adorns its main entrance. There are 22
departments and 300 rooms in this building.
Jawahar Bala Bhavan:
This amusement park is the children's first love
and the Dolls Museum and the toy train that
weaves its path around the park are the best
loved highlights of the recreation center. A 20
million year old fossilized tree housed in the
park was gifted to it by the Geological Survey
of India. It also has boating facility and a
small fair ground along with film shows for kids
and the theatre performances at the Vijayaranga
Theatre.
The Fort:
The mud fort of KempeGowda built in 1537 is
situated opposite the City Market. Tipu Sultan
fortified it and expanded the Fort and
introduced intricately carved Islamic-style
arches on the gate walls. The religious
tolerance of TIpu, who himself was the follower
of Islam, is reflected in the presence of the
well-preserved Ganapathi Temple in the premises
of the fort and the gorgeously carved Sri
Krishna playing his flute on one of the outer
walls of the fort.
Tippu's Palace:
The wooden palace known as `Rashk-e-jannat' or
the 'Envy of Heaven' near the fort was started
by Haider Ali and completed by Tippu himself in
1791 on the lines of the Daria Daulat Palace at
Srirangapatna, the capital of Tipu Sultan. It
has five ornately decorated arches with their
exquisite minarets and paintings on its walls
and ceilings.
Indian Institute of
Science:
Founded by the Tatas, this premier science
institute has been the research place of many
famous Indian scientists including the Nobel
Prize winner C.V. Raman and space scientist
Vikram Sarabhai. Its stately buildings are in
classic European style, with a central
quadrangle decorated with attractive Persian
motifs. On February 1, 1911 Krishna Raja Wodeyar,
Maharaja of Mysore, laid the foundation stone of
the grand main building. The Institute has 22
departments of various branches of science, and
a collection of over 2,68,000 books.
Government Aquarium:
The Govt. Aquarium is housed in an octagonal
building, enhancing the beauty of Cubbon Park.
It exhibits the largest number of indigenous and
exotic, cultivable as well as ornamental pet
fish. The Hocks stick, the Pearl Coushmi, the
India Tiger Borb, the Moon Tail, as well as
edible fish welcome the visitor. The Aquarium
provides food for thought, but if you want to
taste the fish, there is a fish stall here.
Gandhi Bhavan:
Gandhi Bhavan, as the name suggests, is
dedicated to the life and teachings of Gandhi ji,
the Father of India. The Gandhi Smarak Nidhi
housed in this building sport a comprehensive
well-organized picture gallery on Gandhi ji
covering many important events and days of his
life from his early childhood to his death. The
gallery also has framed letters and their
photostat copies of letters written by Gandhi to
various eminent personalities of his day.
Bangalore City Facts
| Location: | Situated in southern Karnataka. |
| Climate: | Bangalore has moderate and pleasant climate with mild summers and cool winters. Monsoon season extends from June to August. |
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How to Reach:
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| By Air: | Bangalore has daily domestic flights to and from Ahmedabad, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mangalore, Mumbai, Pune and Trivandrum and direct international flights to Muscat, Sharjah and Singapore. Bangalore also serves as a stopover for many long-distance international flights. |
| By Train: | Bangalore has two railways and is well linked to other major Indian cities by trains including daily express trains. |
| By Road: | Smooth roads link Bangalore to all the major cities while buses are available from its large bus terminus to Chennai, Hospet, Mumbai and Mysore and also the surrounding excursions. |
