Bangalore

Garden city' of Bangalore is the seventh largest city in India. Named so because of its number of gorgeous blooming gardens and parks, it is also a most progressive metropolitan at par with the latest developments of the world and is also known as 'Silicon Valley' because of its booming IT industry. Founded in early 16th century, Bangalore has its share of some of the most noteworthy historical monuments. It is said that Bangalore owes its name to a small village called 'Benda Kaalu Ooru' from which it originated. The village was so named by Kempe Gowda, a local hero and Hoysala ruler, after he could finally get a meal of boiled beans from a poor but kind old woman here to satisfy his hunger after many hardships.

Kempe Gowda made a small mud fort here and laid the foundation of the city but it was during the time of legendary warrior Hyder Ali and his son Tippu Sultan in the 18th century that this place actually gained prominence. Tippu Sultan became famous for his lifetime struggle with the British but at last he was crushed and British took over the city. In 1831, Bangalore became the regional administrative city of the British and a big military cantonment was established here. Today, some of the most noted monuments of the city can be attributed to the time of Tippu Sultan or are the examples of colonial architecture under Raj period.


Shopping Attractions:
A shopper's paradise, silk, sandalwood and rosewood items, Lambani tribal jewellery, granite carvings, raw silk paintings, appliqué goods, silver filigree, vegetable-dyed and hand-embroidered clothes, typical Gujarati home décor items, Tanjore art plates, bronze showpieces, black metal items and semi-precious jewelry from Tamil Nadu, raw silks, dokra metal work, beadwork and footwear from Madhya Pradesh are just the beginning of the huge list that one can buy from Bangalore.

There are high fashion boutiques displaying works of art from major Indian fashion designers in India are well represented as well as discotheques, bowling alleys, pubs, video game parlors and cyber cafes on Brigade Road. The mere density of shops per sq km in the city is bewildering and ranks highest among the Indian cities. However, the most popular shopping complexes are Commercial St in the north of Mahatama Gandhi Road and Residency Road for handicrafts.


Prime Attractions:

Cubbon Park:
Lord Cubbon laid down the 300-acre park in 1864. A perfect place for joggers and nature walkers, it also has red Gothic structures to see such as the State Central Library with its rare treasure of books, architectural style and fluted pillars, the High Court, the Cheshire Dyer Memorial Hall, Ottawa Chatter, Museum, Century Club and the Press Club.

Lalbagh Gardens:
A small fruit orchard of Hyder Ali, this garden had the glory of Tippu Sultan introducing several exotic trees here such as Cypress, Thuja, Junipers, Grapes, Guavas, Raspberries and Strawberries while John Cameron's period was certainly its 'Golden Era'. The Lalbagh Glass House once displayed the flora imported from England.

Vidhana Soudha:
An imposing 46m high Bangalore granite monument that resembles the Temple architectural style houses the Legislative Chambers of the state government. The building has 22 departments and 300 rooms, four domes on all its corners and the four-headed lion.

Jawahar Bala Bhavan:
Children's amusement park and recreation center near Cubbon park and the Dolls museum, the highlights here are the toy train, a 20 million year old fossilized tree from Geological Survey of India and boating facility. Children film shows and theatre performances at Vijayaranga Theatre are other forms of entertainment available here.















The Fort:
Originally built in mud by Kempe Gowda in 1537, Tippu extended and fortified the fort and is known today for its beautifully carved Islamic-style arches, the well-preserved Ganapathi Temple and beautiful carvings on its exteriors depicting Sri Krishna playing his flute.

Tippu's Palace:
Similar in many ways to the Summer Palace of Tippu Sultan at Sriangapatna, this palace was begun by Haider Ali and completed by Tippu in 1791. Known as `Rashk-e-jannat' (Envy of Heaven), it has massive wooden work and is known for five exquisitely ornamented arches with beautiful minarets and paintings on walls and ceilings.

Indian Institute of Science:
The premier science research institute of Tatas has the distinction of being the place where the Nobel Prize laureate C.V. Raman and space expert Vikram Sarabhai worked. Krishna Raja Wodeyar, Maharaja of Mysore, laid down the foundation of the classic European style buildings and central quadrangle with attractive Persian motifs on February 1, 1911. It has 22 departments of different branches of science and a collection of over 2,68,000 books.

Government Aquarium:
An octagonal building of the Cubbon Park, the Govt. Aquarium exhibits cultivable as well as ornamental pet fishes such as Hocks stick, Pearl Coushmi, India Tiger Borb, Moon Tail and edible fishes.

Gandhi Bhavan:
The Gandhi Smarak Nidhi (memorial of Father of India, Gandhiji) in the Gandhi Bhavan exhibits pictures and photos depicting Gandhiji's life from early childhood till the day of his death. One can also read copies of Gandhiji's letters to famous personalities of his time to fully comprehend his philosophy and his views on various subjects.