Bengaluru, which was earlier known as Bangalore is one of the most sought of exotic tourist destinations in South India. Bengaluru is the capital city of Karnataka and is the blend of ultra modern cosmopolitan culture and the traditional extravaganza. It is known to be the silicon city of India and the capital of information technology or the IT world of the country. It is the house for numerous multinational companies and is also recognised as one of the growing economical cities on the world map. It is also known as the ‘Garden City of India.’
The place offers plenty of tourists’ attractions with rich history and culture. The Throne of Tipu sultan and the rule of East India Company along with natural glimpses are some of the many things to mention. Some of the best tourist places in Bangalore city are listed below.
Places to visit in Bangalore city
Lalbagh Gardens
The place was built by Haider Ali and later worked by Tipu Sultan. It is a popular destination for tourists believed to be one of the most beautiful botanical gardens in India. The Glass House in the garden was designed in the view with London Crystal Palace. It is the house for 1800 species of trees, herbs and plants which are north tropical and sub-tropical in nature. The garden is spread over a land of 240 acres. There is also a lawn clock which is first of its kind in the country.
Cubbon Park
The Cubbon Park is spread over an area of around 300 acres and was built by Richard Sankey, Chief Engineer of Mysore. Here you can see the statues of famous personalities like that of Queen Victoria, Chamarajendra Wodeyar, Major Gen. Sir Mark Cubbon, Rajya Dhurandhar, Sri. K. Sheshadri Iyer and Edward VII. There are many buildings of which some are neo-classical, the Government Museum, High Court, Doll Museum, Cheshire Dyer Memorial Hall and Public Library along with a toy train for children.
Tipu Sultan Fort
The fort was initially built by Kempe Gowda and the Tipu Sultan palace inside the fort reflects the great work of artistry. Tipu Sultan Fort was built in the year 1537 and it was extended in 1790. It was the summer retreat of Tipu Sultan. The Palace was built in Islamic style and has two stories. The Ganesh Temple inside the fort and the garden are the other places to visit. The Place was later used as British Secretariat till 1867. A museum is maintained in the Palace with some historical relics which belonged to the period of Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan. There are other forts of Tip Sultan such as the Devanahalli Fort located 35 kilometers north of Bangalore city.
Vidhana Soudha or the State Assembly
It is the State Legislature and The Secretariat of Karnataka. The building is build with an essence of Chola, Dravidian and Kannadiga (Dravadian or South Indian) style and has 12 massive granite pillars. On the top of the biggest Dome out of four domes stands the national emblem of India – the Ashoka Sthambh. It was built in the year 1956 and took about 4 years to complete. Kengal Hanumanthaiah is known to have conceived and constructed Vidhana Soudha.
Bangalore Palace
Today a popular floor for rock concerts and events was once the royal home of Wadeyar family. The palace was built to resemble Winsor Castle of England was built by Chamaraja Wodeyar. Its interiors are elegant carved of wood, Gothic windows, battlements and turrets.
The Bull Temple
It was built by Kempe Gowda, this temple is famous for a huge monolithic bull believed to have grown in size and stands 4.5m tall and 6m long.
Shiva Statue in Bangalore
The Shiva Statue is 65 feet tall. The statue depicts Lord Shiva who is seated in Padmasan or Lotus position. This is one of the largest Shiva statues in India. The background has been made to look like Kailash Parvat and also has imitation of Jyothirlinga in the vicinity.
ISKCON Temple Complex
It is the temple of Radha and Krishna with a perfect blend of modern architecture and traditional temple feel. It called complex since it houses multi-vision cinema theatre, computer aided presentation theatres, Vedic library and a preaching library.
Nandi Hills
It is now a popular health resort, but it was also the place Tipu Sultan and assorted royalty retired after battle and escaped the heat of the plains. The highest peak being 2004m and Tipu’s drop 600m, these hills offer splendid beauty of nature.
Bannerghatta National Park
The major attractions of Bannerghatta National Park are the Tiger and Lion Safari, Crocodile Farm and Butterfly Park. The park has a wide variety of animals like royal Bengal tiger, black buck, and leopard, barking deer, hyenas, bison, elephant and wild boar.
Venkatappa Art Gallery
It has displays of the works of painter Venkatappa, wood sculptor Rajaram, Hebbar and many others. If you are a art lover then you got to visit this art gallery.
Bangalore Aquarium
The Aquarium has the finest fresh water fish collections. In fact, the aquarium is the second largest in India. Apart from the Aquarium you can visit the fish restaurant and fish stall as well.
The Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum
It is not a ‘museum’ in its classical sense, because it has interactive exhibits other than stationary models typical to a museum. It is more of a “Science Centre”. It was in instituted as part of the centenary celebrations of the engineer-statesman Sir M. Visvesvaraya.
UB City
For those of you who like to hang out and relax and do some exquisite shopping United Beverages city is the one. It is the brain child of Vijay Mallya and there you know how the experience here is going to be!
Brigade road, MG Road, countless malls, Commercial Street, pubs and restaurants are endless in the city for shopping and indulging. There are no shortages of places to visit in Bangalore city.
When in Bangalore, become a Bangalorian and enjoy the life international! If you have been to the city and would like to include some of your favourite places to visit in Bangalore then feel free to mention it.