List of tourist attractions in Bangalore

The Vidhana Soudha is the seat of Karnataka's Legislative assembly

Bangalore (Indian English: [ˈbæŋɡəloːɾ]) is the capital of the Indian state Karnataka. The city is known as the "Garden City of India".^[1]

Bangalore is one of the most important tourist centers of the Karnataka state. Central business district of Bangalore consists of places MG Road, Brigade Road, Commercial Street, Vidhana Soudha etc. Bangalore has many lakes and parks. BMTC offers special buses for sightseeing in Bangalore, including Cauveri - a double-decker open roof bus.^[2]

Attractions

Parks

The Lal Bagh, famous for its flower shows was commissioned in 1760.

Bangalore palace

• Lal Bagh is a botanical garden, commissioned by the Hyder Ali in 1760. The 240-acre (0.97 km²) park is home to over 1000 species of flora and a Glass House. The park is known for its annual flower show. The garden surrounds one of the towers erected by the founder of Bangalore, Kempe Gowda I. The Lal Bagh Rock, dates back to 3000 million years, is another attraction.
• Cubbon Park is located in the heart of the city and spreads over 300 acres (1.2 km2). The park was created in 1884, by Major General Richard Sankey. The park is home to numerous trees and plants that span over 68 general and 96 species. The park is also known for its kids train.
• Jayaprakash Narayan Biodiversity Park (JP park) is on an 85-acre (340,000 m2) site at Mathikere in the north-west area of Bangalore. The park has four lakes, lawns spread over 25 acres (100,000 m2), over 250 varieties of trees and shrubs can be found there all the time.

Historical monuments

• Bangalore Fort originally built by Kempegowda in 1537 A D. It is located next to the Victoria Hospital Gate in the K.R Market area.
• Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace was built in 1791, is a two-storied ornate wooden structure with exquisitely carved pillars, arches and balconies. It houses a museum that contains artifacts relating to the Hyder-Tipu regime.
• Bangalore Palace (1862) is located near Mekhri Circle and Cantonment Railway station and is built to look like a smaller replica of the Windsor Castle in England.
• Mayo Hall was designed in memory of the Lord Mayo and is regarded as one of the finest designs of British architecture.

Government buildings

Attara Kacheri (Karnataka High Court)

• Vidhana Soudha is the seat of the state legislature of Karnataka. It is an imposing granite building, built in 1956 in the 'Neo-Dravidian' style, incorporates elements of Indo-Saracenic, Rajasthani Jharokha and Dravidian styles. Vidhana Soudha is the brainchild of Kengal Hanumanthaiah and built by chief engineer B.R. Manickam.
• Attara Kacheri, (Karnataka High Court), overlooks Vidhana Sabha. It is a red brick and stone building in the Greco-Roman style of architecture. It houses the High Court for the state of Karnataka.

Museums

Government Museum, Bangalore established in 1865

The HAL Kiran on display at the HAL Aerospace Museum. It showcases six decades of aviation heritage.

The Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium, Bangalore

• Government Museum was established in 1865 has a rare collection of archaeological and geological artifacts including old jewellery, sculpture, coins and inscriptions. The museum is also home to the Halmidi inscription, the earliest Kannada inscription ever found (450 AD).^[3]
• Kempegowda Museum is dedicated to Yelahanka chieftain Kempegowda (1513-1569) who is the founder of Bangalore city. The museum is located on the first floor of Mayo Hall. The museum has Kempegowda's statue as well as posters and pictures of forts, temples, reservoirs and inscriptions from his time.
• Karnataka Folk Museum is located in a 15-acre campus at Kumara Park West has an excellent collection of Folk puppets, costumes, utensils, instruments, weapons and masks. folk music collections and dance videotapes.
• Gandhi Bhavan established in 1965 at Kumara Park is showcase of Mahatma Gandhi's life. It houses a photo gallery, his letters, a library and audio visuals.
• HAL Aerospace Museum showcases the growth of the Indian aviation industry and HAL for six decades. The Museum is maintained by HAL (one of Asia's largest Aerospace companies). The museum houses displays of various aircraft and helicopters, Aircraft engine models, Flight simulators, a mock Air Traffic Control Tower and exhibit of Indian aviation history.
• Madras Sappers Museum & Archives, inaugurated in 1979, showcases the history of the Madras Engineer Group (called the Sappers, established in 1803). The Madras Sappers are the oldest regiment of the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army. The museum chronicles their history and achievements and houses armoury used by the regiment, medals, their attire and a sports gallery.
• Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum was instituted as part of the centenary celebrations of the engineer-statesman Sir M. Visvesvaraya (1861–1962) at Kasturba Road.
• NIMHANS Brain Museum showcases the human brain and its functions. It is located at National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) and is run by its department of neuropathology.^[4] The Museum seeks to help visitors see the brain, understand how it works and get an insight into the kind of diseases that can affect it. The museum has a diverse collection of over 600 brain samples and is the result of over 30 years of research. The Museum is open to the public for guided tours on Saturdays between 9 a.m to 4:30 p.m. and on Wednesdays between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. On remaining days, the museum is open between 9 a.m. and 4.30 p.m.^[5] Sundays and other public holidays Museum remains closed.
• Philatelic Museum is located at the first floor of the Bangalore General Post Office near Vidhana Soudha.
• Law Museum is a museum (established in 2006) dedicated to the legal profession. It was the brainchild of Karnataka High Court Chief justice Cyriac Joseph. The museum houses an original print of the Constitution of India, articles and documents related to the legal profession, seals, insignia and books. It also showcases the history of the High Court and the development of courts over the ages.
• Legends Motorcycle Museum is a collection of 20 plus vintage motorcycles in working condition whose vintage dates back to 1924. The Museum is the lifelong collection of motorcycle enthusiast SK Prabhu. The museum walls are covered with biker memorabilia and photographs. The collection includes a 1924 BSA 250 cc, a Cezeta 1962 and some rare motorcycles from World War II: the BSA M20 1942 500 cc, James ML 1942 and the Norton 500cc 1942.
• Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium is one of the five Planetariums named after India's first prime minister. It was founded by Bangalore City Corporation in 1989.

Galleries

• National Gallery of Modern Art is an art gallery in Bangalore. It was inaugurated in the year 2009. It showcases modern Indian art and houses paintings by Raja Ravi Verma, Jamini Roy, Amrita Sher-Gil, Rabindranath Tagore and a large number of Modern and Contemporary artists. NGMA also organizes art walks.^[6]
• Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat, is an art Gallery of high standards. It is the home to traditional Mysore art, as well as European Art, mainly Russian.

Nature

Big banyan tree is 400 years old and has a span of 3 acres

The watch tower on the Bugle Rock built by Kempegowda II

White tiger at Bannerghatta National Park

Butterfly Park

• Dodda Alada Mara, a big banyan tree located in Ramohalli (28 km away). This tree covers 3 acres (12,000 m2) and is one of the largest of its kind. It is at least 400 years old.
• Bugle Rock (called Kahale Bande (ಕಹಳೆ ಬ೦ಡೆ)) is a massive rock situated in Basavanagudi which is an abrupt rise above the ground of peninsular gneiss as the main rock formation and with an assessed age of about 3000 million years.
• Thottikallu is a place 25 km from Bangalore off the Kanakapura road which is famous for a falls called Thottikallu falls more popularly known as TK falls.
• Nandi Hills or Nandidurg is a hill fortress of southern India, in the Chikkaballapur district of Karnataka state. It is located just 3 to 5 km from Chickballapur Taluq, 60 km from Bangalore. It is 4851 ft (1478 m) above sea level. Nandidurg hill, known commonly as Nandi Hills, is the source of the Penner, Ponnaiyar and Palar rivers. Nandi Hills gets its name from an ancient Nandi temple situated on this hill. This temple has a thousand year old sculpture of Nandi. An ancient lord Shiva and Parvati temple also adorns this hill.
• Kaivara, cave temples 60 km away near Chikkaballapur.
• Tippagondanahalli Reservoir, also known as T G Halli or Chamarajsagar, is located at the confluence of the Arkavathy River and Kumudavathi River, 35 km west of Bangalore.
• Lakes in Bangalore include Ulsoor Lake, DRDO Lake, Sankey tank, Hesaraghatta Lake, Yediyur Lake, Nagavara Lake (also called Lumbini Lake), Hebbal Lake, Madiwala Lake, Kempanbudi Lake, Varthur Lake, Bellandur Lake among others.

Wildlife

• Bannerghatta National Park is situated 22 km south of Bangalore. This hilly place is the home for one of the richest natural, zoological reserves. The 25,000 acre (101 km²) zoological park makes this a major tourist attraction of Bangalore.
• Butterfly Park is spread across 7.5 acres (30,000 m²) of land. It comprises a butterfly conservatory, museum and an audio-visual room. The butterfly conservatory has a polycarbonate roof and is a 10,000 sq ft (1,000 m²). circular enclosure, inside which the living environment has been carefully designed to support over 20 species of butterflies. The environment has a tropical setting — complete with the humid climate, an artificial waterfall, a narrow walking bridge and host plants and shrubs that attract butterflies.
• Birds at Hebbal lake - The habitat at Hebbal lake is favoured by many species of water birds including large waterbirds such as the spot-billed pelican, Eurasian spoonbill, shoveller, pintail, garganey, little grebe, coot and the spot-billed duck. The shallow zone supports sandpipers and other waders as well as purple moorhens, purple herons and grey herons.^[7] Nearly 350 species of birds have been recorded from the Bangalore region^[8] of which around 60 species may be seen with ease. Bangalore has an active bird watching club that meets every Sunday.
• Bangalore Aquarium is the second largest aquarium in India. It is located at the entrance of Cubbon Park in Bangalore, India, and was established in 1983. It has a variety of exotic cultivable as well as ornamental fish on display.

Amusement parks

• Lumbini Gardens is an eco friendly public park on the banks of the Nagawara Lake near Hennur. It has a swimming pool,rides and water boating facility.
• Wonderla is an amusement park located near Bidadi, 28 kilometers from Bangalore.
• Innovative Film City is an amusement and theme park with go karting, and stage and studio facilities.
• iplay is an ice-skating rink at the phoenix market city. It is the only natural ice rink in Karnataka.
• Fun World is an amusement park in Jayamahal road close to Palace Grounds.
• Snow City is an indoor snow centre in Jayamahal road close to Palace Grounds.
• Flight 4 Fantasy is an entertainment flight simulation centre located in The Forum Mall in Koramangala.
• Talk To The Hand at Jayanagar 4th block is a Laser Tag Entertainment center for all age groups.
• Fever Pitch Basecamp near Savanadurga is an camping destination with woodsball, all terrain vehicle rides, kayaking, canoeing, swimming in natural waters, Rappelling, Zipline across terrain and jungle camping in Tents with sleeping bags and campfires.
• Breakout Escape Experience: Located in Koramangala, this place offers a unique experience for thrill and fun seekers. Visitors, as a team, are locked in a room. They have a mystery to solve in less than 60-mins and escape from the room.

Places of worship

ISKCON Bangalore: ISKCON Sri Radha Krishna Temple at Rajaji Nagar.

ISKCON Bangalore: ISKCON Sri Narasimha Giridhari Temple at HBR Layout.

Bull Temple: One of the biggest Nandi idols in the world.

St. Mary's Basilica: The oldest church in Bangalore.

• ISKCON temple, built in an ornate architectural style, the Krishna Temple is a blend of modern technology and spiritual harmony. The temple is situated in Rajaji Nagar, and finest fusion of modern and traditional elements of architecture.^[9] Now there is another ISKCON temple called Krishna Lila Theme park on Vaikunta Hills, Uttarahalli accessible from Kanakapura road. Spread over 8 acres of land atop a hill, is ISKCON's largest temple complex in the world.
• Dharmaraya Swamy Temple located in OTC Road, Tigalarapet is famous for the annual Karaga festival that is 800 years old.
• Ranganathaswamy temple a 16th-century temple built by the Vijayanagara empire, located off Avenue Road.
• Halasuru Someshwara Temple a 16th-century temple located in Ulsoor built by the founder of Bangalore, Kempegowda in Dravidian style.
• Bull Temple was built by Kempe Gowda I. It is reminiscent of the 16th-century Dravidian-style architecture. It has a huge granite monolith of Nandi. This landmark is situated at bull temple road, Basavangudi.
• Kote Jalakantheshwara temple the oldest temple in bangalore dating back to the Chola era and is situated in Kalasipalya.
• Kote Venkataramana Temple a 17th-century temple located the old fort area next to tippu's palace in Chamrajpet. The temple has beautiful granite sculptures.
• Kadu Malleshwara Temple built by Shahji Bhonsle the father of Shivaji located in the locality of Malleshwaram off Sampige Road. The temple kalyani is said to be the source of the Vrishabhavati River.
• Huge Shiva in old Airport Road is a huge idol of Lord Shiva & Ganesha completely made of plaster of Paris.
• Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple is a temple known as Dakshina Kashi. The sun's rays fall on the Shivalinga only on the day of Makara Sankranthi.
• Memorial Church and Christ Church are the two remaining "Original Anglican" churches in Bangalore City affiliated to the Traditional Anglican Communion in India. They are located at Whitefield (Outer Circle) and Basavanguddi respectively.
• St. Mary's Basilica is the oldest church in Bangalore and is the only church in the state that has been elevated to the status of a minor basilica.^[10][11] It is famous for the festivities held during the St. Mary's Feast in the month of September each year, an event that attracts a number of devotees from in and around Bangalore.
• Infant Jesus Church, established in 1979 by Rev. Dr. Lourduswamy, the then Archbishop of Bangalore, the church draws huge crowds on Thursday, the day dedicated to Infant Jesus.
• Masjid-e-Khadria is one of the most beautiful mosques in Bengaluru,^[12] located on Millers Road, this mosque hosts the prayers on Eid and also hosts the Haj camp.
• Gurudwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha,Ulsoor is the oldest and the only major Sikh gurudwara in the heart of Bangalore. It is situated on the bank of Ulsoor lake. Traditional prayers start every morning 3am with the "Prakash" of Guru Granth Sahib followed by customary "Nitnem" (recitation of morning prayers) and kirtan. Sangat holds a special deewan every Sunday followed by Langar. Special programs happen on Guruprabs and other major Sikh festivals.
• Poornaprajna Vidyapeetha, a traditional gurukula and centre for excellence in Sanskrit, Indian philosophy and Indology - Poornaprajna Samshodhana Mandiram, is a 50-year-old residential Sanskrit college located near Vidyapeetha circle. Around 500 students are presently pursuing their studies in Indian lore from primary to doctorate level. This college is now affiliated to Karnataka Samskrit University, Bengaluru. The temples of Krishna, Durga (Lakshmi), Hanuman, Madhvacharya, Shiva, Ganapati, Navagraha, Naga and Sarpa, Vadirajatirtha and Raghavendratirtha also meditation and ceremony halls are the other major attractions for pilgrims and devotees. Many religious discourses, rituals and other traditional cultural activities take place regularly here.
• Ramakrishna Math, Ulsoor, a Ramakrishna Mission branch located at Ulsoor.

Shopping

Brigade Road Bangalore

• Brigade Road is one of the busiest commercial centers of Bangalore where you can get any sort of shopping done.
• Commercial Street is a busy commercial centre of Bangalore for getting all sorts of shopping done.
• MG Road was previously known as "South Parade" is the most important landmark of Bangalore.
• Chickpet is famous for traditional roadside shopping close to Majestic bus stand.
• Bangalore has numerous shopping malls.

IT parks

• Electronics City is the centre of the Silicon Valley of India.
• IT Parks Bangalore is home to numerous IT Tech parks that house global and regional players in the Information Technology product and services industry. Some of these include : Electronics City Phase I & II, ITPL, EPIP, Embassy Golf Links Domlur, Bagmane Tech Park, Manyata Tech Park, Global Village Tech Park, ITC Infotech Park, Kalyani Magnum Tech Park, RMZ Ecospace Tech Park, Prestige Tech Park, Salarpuria Tech Park, Brigade Tech Park, Embassy TechVillage, RMZ Ecoworld and Whitefield RMZ Centennial,Cessna Business Park,Intel TechPark, LSI Business Techpark.

Around Bangalore

Wonderla water park, Bangalore

Shivanasamudra Falls drops 90 meters

The Mysore Palace

• Antara Gange caves
• Art of Living Foundation is on the Kanakapura Road which is very famous for the serene ambiance and the rejuvenating effect of the atmosphere with the people worldwide visiting it to attend yoga meditation classes.
• Bilikal Rangaswamy Betta near Kanakapura
• Muthyalamaduvu is a picnic spot near Anekal, 40 km from Bangalore. In the local Kannada language, Muthyalamaduvu means 'pearl valley' (muthu = pearl and maduvu = valley), apparently named for its 92-meter waterfall, whose falling water appears to look like drops of pearl.
• Kanva reservoir is an artificial lake and tourist attraction 69 km from Bangalore and 10 km from Ramanagara.
• Mekedaatu, literally meaning "Goat's Jump", is 110 km away on Kanakapura Road. Nearby is another tourist attraction, Sangama, where two rivers join.* Devarayanadurga (Kannada: ದೇವರಾಯನ ದುರ್ಗ) is a hill station near Tumkur in the state of Karnataka. It is 65 km from Bangalore. The rocky hills are surrounded by forest and the hilltops are dotted with several temples including the Yoganarasimha and the Bhoganarasimha temples and an altitude of 3,940 feet (1,200 m). It is also famous for Namada Chilume, a natural spring considered sacred and is also considered the origin of the Jayamangali river. Another famous temple in the area is the Mahalakshmi Temple at Goravanahalli.
• Melkote is on the way to Mysore from Bangalore. The place is famous for its Vyramudi Utsava. The main deity here is "Cheluvarayaswamy - The MahaVishnuyam".
• Mysore (to be renamed Mysuru) (Kannada: ಮೈಸೂರು) is the second largest city in the state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of the Mysore district and the Mysore division and lies about 140 km (87 mi) southwest of Bangalore. A short distance from Mysore city is the Krishnarajasagar Dam and the adjoining Brindavan Gardens where a musical fountain show is held in the evening. One of the most visited monuments in India, the Ambavilas Palace (also known as Mysore Palace) is the center of the Dasara festivities.
• Omthara Kala Kuteera is located just one hour from Bangalore city. It is built as homage to India's ancient culture and its vibrant art.
• Pyramid valley is the biggest pyramid shaped meditation hall in the world, along with being the largest pyramid in Asia. It stands at above 101 feet (31 m). Its base measures 160 ft (49 m) by 160 ft (49 m) with the main meditation area spanning 25,600 sq ft (2,380 m²). It is located 30 km from Banashankari Temple.
• Ranganathittu
• Savandurga is a hill 60 km west of Bangalore off the Magadi road. The hill is famous for Narasimhaswamy temple and is also believed to be among the largest monolith hills in the world. The hill rises to 1226 m above mean sea level and forms a part of the Deccan plateau. It consists of peninsular gneiss, granites, basic dykes and laterites. The Arkavathi river passes nearby through the Thippagondanahalli Reservoir and on towards Manchanabele dam(feverpitch basecamp-located in banks of manchanabele dam).
• Shivanasamudra Falls (also called Sivasamudram) is an island town dividing the Kaveri River into twin waterfalls, the Gaganachukki and the Barachukki, dropping 90 m. The town is located 120 km from Bangalore, 27 km from Somanathapura and 80 km from Mysore in the Mandya district of the state of Karnataka.
• Skandagiri is 75 km away from Bangalore. Trekking point near to Nandi hills.
• Srirangapattana is the capital of Mysore under Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan.
• Talakad is a desert like town with temples at Cauvery river bank.
• Thattekere - A lake near Bannerghatta National Park
• Wonderla is an amusement park located on Mysore road, 40 km from Bangalore.

See also

• Tourism in Karnataka
• Bengaluru
• List of shopping malls in Bangalore
• List of hospitals in Bangalore

References

1. "Garden city". Online Edition of The Hindu, dated 2004-06-06 (Chennai, India). 2004-06-06. Retrieved 2007-10-16.
2. "BMTC to launch another luxury service soon". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 2007-03-12.
3. S. K. Aruni (March 14, 2012). "Nuggets of heritage stored for posterity". Bangalore: The Hindu. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
4. Nandi, Jayashree (23 April 2011). "Over 600 samples on display at Nimhans' Brain Museum". The Times Of India (Bangalore). TNN. Retrieved 2013-02-20.
5. Kulkarni, Tanu (2013-08-27). "Takes guts to get these brains". The Hindu (Chennai, India).
6. Vikhar Ahmed Sayeed (Oct 26, 2010). "Walks that put art in context". Bangalore: The Hindu. Retrieved 2013-03-02.
7. Krishna, M.B., Chakrapani, B.K. and Srinivasa, T.S. 1996. Water Birds and Wetlands of Bangalore, Karnataka State Forest Department, Bangalore.
8. Karthikeyan, S. (1999) The fauna of Bangalore. World Wide Fund for Nature-India, Bangalore.
10. K. Chandramouli (2002-08-29). "Home to all faiths". Online Edition of The Hindu, dated 2002-08-29 (Chennai, India). Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-08-15.
11. Preethi Sharma and Nishi Vishwanathan. Bangalore:An Expat Survival Guide. Chillibreeze publication. Retrieved 2007-08-15.
12. Deepa Natrajan. "Old and the beautiful". Online Edition of Metro Life, Deccan Herald, dated 2008-11-03. Retrieved 2010-08-22.