Bangalore - A tourists hub

Bangalore - A tourists hub

Bangalore

South India's most alive city is Bangalore. A melting point of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, the hoi polloi is charmingly mixed here. Nearly every one speaks English, even if it’s only a smattering, and everyone is aware of the privilege they're bestowed with. Yes, every resident of Bangalore, regardless of where they're from, takes immense pride in their address. Malls, parks, pubs, theatre, cafes, art galleries, palaces - at any given point, Bangalore is buzzing and alive with activity. A bustling city today, Bangalore often reminisces about its days as a sleepy cantonment area of the British - tree lined avenues with quaint sounding names like Richmond Town and Victoria Layout hint that the city does get sentimental about its past. The Bangalore Palace, the Attara Kacheri (High Court), St. Mary’s Basilica, Tipu’s Palace, ISKCON Temple and the Bull Temple highlight Bangalore’s many personalities and are monuments that mark its journey, ante-IT.

Now Bangalore is known for its thriving industry and as an IT hotbed. Lonely Planet rating the city as the No.3 destination in the Best Travel Cities in 2012 has made Bangalore an overnight star, if it wasn’t already. Almost at the heart of South India, this cosmopolitan city is everything a world city needs to be. Pleasant weather, pleasant people, pleasant hangouts. And for its people, being ‘Bangalored’ has a rather affectionate tone to it.

Vidhana Soudha

An imposing edifice housing the State Legislature and the Secretariat of Karnataka, this is one of the best known landmarks of Bangalore.

Attara Kacheri

Overlooking Vidhana Soudha is this red brick and stone building in the Graeco-Roman style of architecture. It houses the state High Court.

Lalbagh Gardens

Take a stroll in this 240-acre park, which is home to India’s largest collection of rare tropical and subtropical plants, as well as many centuries-old trees. It contains one of Kempegowda’s watch towers, a surreal lawn surrounded by Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, an ornamental clock, a beautiful lake, a topiary park, a charming wooden bandstand and a glasshouse modelled on London’s Crystal Palace.

Timings: 8 am to 6 pm,
Entry: Rs.10

Cubbon Park

Cubbon Park provides Bangaloreans with over 300 acres of sprawling greenery in the heart of the city. The park houses the State Library, an impressive, red Gothic structure, and is dotted with fountains, statues, flowering trees and shady groves.

Visveswaraya Industrial & Technological Museum

This museum is dedicated to the memory of Sir M Visveswaraya, the architect of modern Karnataka. It provides a brief history of technological development in the country, and houses many technical inventions.

Kasturba Road,Bangalore 560 001
Tel: 080-2286 4009/ 4563
Timings: 10 am to 6 pm,
Entry: Rs.20

Government Museum

Acclaimed as one of the oldest museums in the country, it houses an amazing collection of archaeological items such as stone carvings, pottery, paintings, coins, sculptures and inscriptions.

Kasturba Road, Bangalore 560 001
Tel: 080-2286 4438,
Timings: 10.00 am to 5.00 pm, Open daily, except Mondays

HAL Heritage Centre and Aerospace Museum

Marvel at India’s first and only aviation museum which has a large collection of aircraft models, photographs, fighter planes, and helicopters. There are also aircraft simulators, a mock air traffic control tower and an aero modeling club, besides a reference library at this centre established by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

Varthur Road, Bangalore 560 017
Tel: 080-2522 8342,
Entry: Rs.25 for adults, Rs.15 for children

Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath

This is one of the premier fine art institutions in the country. Its activities extend to dance performances, folk theatre, photography exhibitions, puppet shows and musical recitals. Chitrakala Parishath is a goldmine of paintings by famous artists including Roerich. It contains a graphic studio and an open air theatre, and houses five art galleries which are hired out to artists who wish to display their work. The Parishath has worked to revive dying art forms, its most notable successes being in traditional Mysore paintings and leather puppetry. It also holds workshops, artists’ camps and demonstrations. The institution houses the Chitrakala Vidyalaya, a college of fine art forms, affiliated to the Bangalore University and offering courses in painting, sculpture, graphic art, applied art and art history.

Art Complex, Kumara Krupa Road, Bangalore 560 001,
Tel: 080-2226 1816
Timings: 10 am to 5.30 pm

Jawahar Lal Nehru Planetarium

The planetarium is perfect for star gazing. Watch ‘The Sky Theatre Show’ unfold the marvels of the universe, planets and the solar system.

Chowdiah Road, High Grounds, Bangalore 560 001
Tel: 080-2220 3234, 2222 6084,
Timings:10 am to 5.30 pm Shows in Kannada at 11.30 am, 2.00 pm and 2.45 pm Shows in English at 12.45 pm, 3.45 pm and 4.30 pm Closed on Monday and second Tuesday Entry: Rs.25, School Children: Rs.15

National Gallery of Modern Art

Spread over an area of 3.5 acres, this historic heritage mansion was transformed from a residency into a museum, with a display space of 1551 sq. m. The heritage building has been supplemented by a new Gallery Block, which adds a display space of 1260 sq. m. It is also equipped with a refurbished auditorium, a reference library, a cafeteria, and a museum shop cum facilitations block. It houses paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings from the late 18th century. It also displays works by famous Indian artists like Raja Ravi Varma, Amritha Shergil, Ravindranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose, Jamini Roy and also works of other international artists.

Manikyavelu Mansion, 49, Palace Road, Bangalore 560 052
Tel: 080-2234 2338,
Fax: 080-2220 1027
Email: ngma.bengaluru@gmail.com
Web: www.ngmaindia.gov.in
Timings: 10 am to 5 pm Open daily, except on Mondays and National Holidays.
Entry: Rs.10

Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain

View the colourful swirling fountains dancing in tune to music.

Raj Bhavan Road, Bangalore 560 001
Tel: 080-2286 4125
Timings: 7 pm to 7.30 pm, Sunday- 8 pm to 8.30 pm Closed on Monday and second Tuesday

Venkatappa Art Gallery

This art gallery houses the paintings and art materials of the eminent artist Venkatappa, as well as those of other renowned artists.

Kasturba Road, Bangalore 560 001
Tel: 080-2286 4483/ 3737
Timings: 10 am to 5 pm
Tariff: Rs.4

Ulsoor Lake

Enjoy an idyllic afternoon by this lake, which is dotted with picturesque islets. Boating facilities are also available here. Sankey Boat Club The ideal place for lazy boat rides and leisurely walks on breezy evenings.

ISKCON Temple (International Society for Krishna Consciousness)

Built in an ornate architectural style, the Krishna Temple is a blend of modern technology and spiritual harmony.

Bull Temple

Built by Kempegowda in Basavanagudi, it is reminiscent of 16th century Dravidian style architecture. It has a huge granite monolith of Nandi.

Dodda Ganesha Temple

Just below the Bull Temple is the huge Ganesha Temple, with a monolith Ganesha idol 18ft high and 16ft wide.

Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple

Built during Kempegowda’s reign, this unique cave temple contains a granite moon, sun-disc monoliths, a stone umbrella, a Shivalinga, and three cave passages. Every year, during Makara Sankranthi, this cave temple witnesses a strange phenomenon, when a ray of light passes precisely between the horns of the stone bull outside the temple, and illuminates the deity inside the cave.

Raagi Gudda Sri Prasanna Anjenaya Swami Temple

Located on a hillock known as Raagi Gudda (Maize Mountain) the Hanuman Temple attracts large numbers of devotees from South Bangalore. In addition to being a place of worship, it has now been transformed into a cultural, educational and social service project that offer free medical checkup, free education, book bank, free coaching for students, meditation centres, yoga, music and Veda reading, library and choultry. Three huge rocks representing Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are the added attractions here. A unique feature of Hanuman Jayanthi celebrations is the educational exhibition organized with different themes.

Shiva Temple

This temple has a 65ft Shiva statue, an artificial pond resembling the Manasa Sarovar Lake, and caves. The replicas of Jyothirlingas are a major tourist attraction.

Infant Jesus Church

Established in the year 1979 by Rev. Dr. Lourduswamy, the then Archbishop of Bangalore, the church draws huge crowds on Thursdays, the day dedicated to Infant Jesus.

Sheshadri Iyer Memorial Hall

This houses the State Central Library. Find here a rich collection of reference books. Timings: 8.30 am to 6.00 pm daily, except on Mondays.

Jamia Masjid

A majestic 5-storey mosque located in the heart of Bangalore’s City market area, the Jamia Masjid is the largest mosque in the city. Its sprawling interiors, with pure white marble from Rajasthan, can accommodate a staggering 10,000 worshippers at a time.

- See more at: