Bangalore happens to be the favorite place for people who want to live in tranquil.The city is located in the southern part of India in the heart of Deccan Plateau.Though the origin of the city is very old but the history of present Bangalore dates back to 16th century when Kempe Gowda – a local Chieftain designed it by creating a mud fort.It has witnessed various historical events like the victory of British over Tipu Sultan and emergence of the city as the administrative head quarter of Karnataka.
Tourism in Bangalore is really exciting owing to its pleasant climate and beautiful parks and gardens.The city nicknamed as the “Silicon Valley” of India is home to some of country’s booming IT industries.The city’s architectural landmarks, temples, natural lakes and modern palaces are marvelous and claim separate position on the tourism map of the globe.Its relentless modernization has acquired a vibrant and cosmopolitan environment in the recent times.
The city is again a hot destination for education and health.The high standard of education in Bangalore attracts students and researchers from all parts of the world.The health tourism in the city has become a common form of vacationing, and covers a broad spectrum of medical services.Visitors/patients prefer the city for its pleasant climate.Although the climate is salubrious throughout the year but it is better to visit Bangalore during the winters.
Attractions:
Lal Bagh Botanical Gardens
The rich and beautiful Lal Bagh Garden is a pleasant 240 acre park in the southern suburbs of Bangalore. One of the many gardens in the city, Lal Bagh is the most famous garden of Bangalore. The Lal Bagh rock is one of the oldest rock formations in India and is believed to be 3000 million years old.
The pleasant and superb gardens were laid out by Hyderali in 1760 and his son Tipu Sultan added a wealth of plants and trees from many countries. It was originally called Lalbagh because the garden had a profusion of red roses. It has a very good collection of tropical & sub tropical and medicinal plants. The glass house present inside the park is designed on the same lines of London’s “Crystal Palace” and is one of the main attractions of the Park. Bal Bhavan is another small park meant for children which offers pony rides, boat rides, toy train rides and other attractions. Rose Garden, placed in the heart of the Lal Bagh has 150 different kinds of roses and is another prime attraction of the Lal Bagh Gardens.
Cubbon Park
Cubbon Park officially known as Sri Chamarajendra Park is a historic natural serene place in the heart of the Bangalore city. The history of the park is over 100 years old. The park provides sylvan surroundings to the state legislative assembly; Attar Katchery and a number of other administrative buildings located in the periphery of the park. This park is named after the great commissioner of Mysore, Sir Mark Cubbon and is situated near Cantonment. This 334 acres land is filled with groves of trees and giant bamboos. There are also marble statues of 19th century ruler Chamarajendra Wodeyar and Queen Victoria inside the park.
Bull Temple
The Bull Temple of Bangalore is a unique place of worship that houses the 4.57 m high and 6.10 m long image of Nandi, Lord Shiva's bull. This sacred bull of the temple has been carved out of a single granite stone and is a 16th century old monument. It is a classic example of Dravidian architecture. An annual festival to celebrate the harvesting of peanuts, (Kallekai parse) is held during the month of Nov-Dec which attracts thousands of tourists from all over the state.
Gavi Gangadhareswara Cave Temple
This ancient temple was built inside a natural cave in Gavipuram and was earlier known as Gowthama Kshethra as Sage Gowthama performed penance here. It was renovated by Kempe Gowda in 16th century. The highlights of the temple are the granite pillars and the linga inside the cave. A special festival is held during Makar Sankranti and devotees in large numbers gather at the temple premise to see the unique phenomena-sun’s rays passing between Nandi’s horns and falling directly on the linga inside the cave.
The temple is situated to the west of Lalbagh and remains open on all days.
Banashankari Temple
One of the most popular temples of Bangalore, Banashankari
is situated on the busy Kanakapura road near BMTC bus stand. The presiding deity in the temple is Goddess Banashankari who is believed to be the remover of hardships and poverty. The temple was built in 1915 by a devotee, Somanna Shetty who installed a deity of Banashankari Amma brought all the way from Badami in Bijapur district.
The temple is open to public everyday but special puja is performed on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday. The temple celebrates three cultural ceremonies in a year: September 13 - the birthday of Banashankari Amma, Dussehra Festival in October and the temple anniversary which falls in the end of December. Large crowd gather at the place during these occasions.
Whitefield Ashram (or Brindavan)
Brindavan is the summer abode of Shri Satya Sai Baba, located near Whitefield, a suburb of Bangalore. It is 24 km from the city centre and is adjacent to the Whitefield Railway Station. It is a place of divine grace as Bhagawan Baba lives there for three months during summer. Trayee Brindavan is a lotus shaped edifice in yellow and pink color which serves as the residence of Bhagawan Baba whenever he is in Bangalore.
ISKCON Temple
Sri Radha Krishna temple and cultural complex is located on the Harekrishna Hills - a seven-acre hillock in the heart of Bangalore city. ISKCON’s global project
to commemorate the birth centennial of its founder Sri Prabhupada is built in the Neo-Classical style, combined with traditional elements of temple architecture and high-tech utilities. Ornamental arches and illuminated water cascades lead to an elaborately decorated Rajagopuram.
There is a unique open air amphitheatre for concerts and festivals. The four temple ‘gopurams’ are connected by a stunning glazed glass canopy which forms the main ‘Hari Naam Kirtan’ - a 10,000 square feet hall. The hall has wonderful ceiling paintings. There are also Vedic museums and exhibit areas, a lecture hall with multiple language translation system and landscaped gardens. The main attraction is the ISKCON Vedic Theatre, where a multimedia Vedic film is shown to the tourists.
Mosques
Jumma Masjid
Jumma Masjid or Friday Mosque is an imposing monument of the city. It is the oldest mosque in the city located in the busy K.R. Market. The tall ornamented granite pillars adorn the elevated prayer hall.
Churches
St. Mark’s Cathedral
This simple, Neo-classical cathedral is located near Mahatma Gandhi Road. The cream coloured structure was built in the year 1812 which has an imposing portico in the front and apsidal recess at the back.
Access:
By Air:
Bangalore is well linked to different cities of the world. The new Bangalore International Airport at Devanahalli is only 6 km from the city centre. Besides international flights, the airport also accommodates domestic flights to Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad,Trivandrum, Panaji, Kochi etc. Booking offices of international and domestic airlines are located in various parts of the city. |
By Rail:
Bangalore has a well maintained railway network connecting major cities of the country. The city is connected to the rest of the country both by metre gauge and broad gauge rail services. There are two major railway stations in Bangalore-The Bangalore city railway station and Bangalore cantonment railway station. Several super fast trains such as Shatabdhi, Bridavan, and Lalbagh express connect Bangalore with Chennai.
By Road:
Bangalore city has well maintained roads for transportation. It is located at the junction of National Highway 4, 7 and 48 that connects the city to all parts of the country. All neighboring State Road Transport Corporations, from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Goa, connect the city with their respective states. The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) also runs buses to all parts of the state as well as to neighboring states. The Interstate Bus Terminus is located near the railway station. Recently, KSRTC is going to operate special services to several destinations of the state for the convenience of the passengers
