Bengaluru

Bengaluru

Bengaluru, with a population of around 6.1 million (2006), is India's third largest city, and the fifth largest metropolitan area of India. The city is also the capital of the state Karnataka. The history of the city is traceable at least to a thousand-year, though the recorded history of Bengaluru begun with the establishment of a settlement in the year 1537 by Kempe Gowda I. Gowda build a mud fort and established it to serve as a post of the famous Vijayanagara Empire of the 15th century onwards until its decline by the mid-17th century. The city of Bengaluru, however, continued to thrive and grow under the control of the successive rulers.

The city located an altitude of 920 m has a salubrious climate, and until very recently when the population grew very fast, the city was really a garden city, an epithet by which the city is still known. Presently, Bengaluru is the capital of the southern Indian state of Karnataka, and has emerged a preferred destination of many national and transnational Information Technology companies. At the same time, it is also a preferred destination for domestic and international tourists, and alongside Chennai, a gateway to many exotic places of South India.

The history goes like once a King called Veeraballa of Vijayanagara got lost on his way in forest area during a hunting trip in the late 14th century. Hungry and tired, he came upon a lone hut in the thick forest where he met an old woman. When he asked for food, she gave him baked beans ('Benda Kalu' in Karnataka).The King found this humble meal taste better than the richest fare. To memorialize this incident, he called the place "Benda Kalu Ooru" (place of baked beans).

Bangalore today is getting popular though for a different variety of Beans-JavaBeans.

Bengaluru has about 6,200,000 populations (2007).

Bangalore today is Asia's fastest growing cosmopolitan city. It is home to some of the most high tech industries in India. The I.T industry views Bangalore as the 'byte-basket' of India.

Bangalore is also home to some of India's premier scientific establishments. Blessed with a healthy climate, gardens & parks, natural lakes (So it is also called as GARDEN CITY OF INDIA), architectural landmarks, shopping malls, the best restaurants and pubs in this part of the globe, business opportunities, Bangalore is the ideal gateway to India and beyond.

Bangalore offers something for everyone-music and dance concerts (Western and Indian), dramas, exhibitions, carnivals, conferences and more.

Bangalore has a place named Lal Bagh. A king named Hyder Ali laid out this famous botanical garden and his son added horticultural wealth to them by importing trees and plants from several countries. The garden today houses over 1000 species of flora which include rare and enchanting collection of tropical plants, trees and herbs.

The Glass House, modeled along London's Crystal Palace, is the center of attraction in this 2400 acre park. Bi-annual flower shows attracting participants from all over India is held in the Glass House. In July, 2003 it was decided that the Department of Horticulture and Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) would jointly take up the development of Lal Bagh Botanical Gardens.

Tips for: backpackers • business travelers • luxury/exotic travel • hitchhikers • families • seniors • LBG travelers • pet owners

Attractions

Bangalore, the Garden City, has many places to be seen and felt and enjoy. It would depend on you to select the activity you like and pursue the same while in Bangalore. There are historical monuments, virgin natural spots, shopping complexes, food plazas and courts, and joints just to hang around.

• Tourist Attractions
  • Ulsoor Lake
  • Lalbagh Botanical Gardens
  • Cubbon Park
  • Legislative Assembly
  • Tipu's Summer Palace
  • Bull Temple
  • Bangalore Fort
• Museums
  • Visveswaraiah Industrial and Technological Museum
  • Government Museum
  • Nehru Planetarium
• Around Bangalore
  • Bannerghatta National Park
  • Channapatna
  • Mekedatu
  • Ramohalli
    • Big Banyan Tree
  • Hesaraghatta
  • Shivaganga
  • Shivanasamudram
  • Hogenekkal Falls
  • Devarayanadurga
  • Chowdaiah Memorial Hall

There are many places to seek for: 1) ISKCON: 2) The Bull Temple 3) The Gangadhareshware Temple 4) The Dharmaraja Temple 5) Dargah Hazarath Tawakkal Mastan 6) Jumma Masjid 7) Ravindra Kalakshetra 8) St. Mary's Church 9) Gandhi Bhavan 10) Innovative Film City 11) Indian Institute Of Science (IISc) 12) Ulsoor lake 13) Vidhana Soudha…etc.

You'll find some of the most exquisite silks here. You can also take home handicrafts in sandalwood and rose wood, available in state-owned emporia and private stores. For gold and jewelers, you can visit the quaint Jeweler’s Street.

Shopping

Some of the favorite shopping haunts are:

1) Brigade Road 2) Commercial Street 3) M.G. Road 4) Residency Road… etc.

Maps and transportation

Getting to Bangalore

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Exploring Bangalore

Bangalore is also known for the sports. Cricket is one of the most popular sports in Bangalore. It has contributed many number of national cricketers, including former Indian cricket team captain Rahul Dravid & test captain Anil Kumble and Robin Uthappa (others). Many children play gully cricket on the roads and in the city's many public fields. Bangalore's main international cricket stadium is the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, which has a seating capacity of 40,000 and has hosted matches during the 1987 Cricket World Cup and 1996 Cricket World Cup.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Bangalore Royal Challengers and the Premier Hockey League (PHL) franchise Bangalore Hi-fliers are based in the city. India's Davis Cup team members, Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna also reside in Bangalore. The city hosts the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Bangalore Open tournament annually. Beginning September, 2008, Bangalore will also host the Kingfisher Airlines Tennis Open ATP tournament annually.

Bangalore has a number of elite clubs, like Century Club, The Bangalore Golf Club, the Bowring Institute and the exclusive Bangalore Club, which counts among its previous members Winston Churchill and the Maharaja of Mysore.[77] The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited SC is based in Bangalore. Other sports personalities from Bangalore include national swimming champion Nisha Millet, world snooker champion, Pankaj Advani and former All England Open badminton champion Prakash Padukone.

You can rent a car for day usage for exploring Bangalore. Car operators in Bangalore rents cars for 8 hours ( good enough to explore most popular places). Check out car rental bangalore , car hire bangalore  , cab hire bangalore , cab rental bangalore , innova hire bangalore , travels in bangalore , cab service bangalore , corporate cab rental bangalore

To get rent a car, you use search engine or book from car rental portals like Bangaloretaxis.com, GetMeCab.com, TaxiGuide.in or Bookcab.in.

The Healing Touch

While you are in Bangalore and feel to have the herbal healing touch, you may plan a visit to Soukya, a center specializing in herbal treatment and natural cure. Soukya is a word of the Sanskrit language, and it means wellness, and the healing touch of the Soukya shall most likely make you feeling really well, calm and composed. Although the Center specializes in the treatment of many difficult diseases, it also provides facilities for general de-stressing sort of thing. There is a one-mile walking track and whoever comes here is encouraged to walk the track. The system of treatment integrates essentials of many schools of ancient medicines, Ayurveda, Yunani, Nataropathy and even relatively recent ones like Homeopathy. The people get trained for physical fitness through yoga, massage and natural medicines. The food is strictly vegetarian and smoking and drinking is not allowed. If you have time, you may spend a few days here and come out rejuvenated and bursting with vitalities.

Practical information and resources

• Currency: Indian Rupee
• Electric supply: 220 Volts
• Time zone: Indian Standard Time (IST), which is UTC +5:30
• Language: Kannada. One can also manage with Simple English.

Photo gallery

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Bull Temple

Legislative Assembly

Daily needs shopping Area

Everything else

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External resources

Add links to other sites here

• Visvesvaraya Museum, Bangalore, Official website
• Information on Bangalore flights and travel
• Visvesvaraya Museum, Wiki page
• Bangalore on flickr - A Collection of Photographs
• Bangalore Review
• Bangalore Events
• Online car rental - Provides car rental facility in Bangalore
• self drive car rental bangalore ZoomCar provides self-drive car rental service in Bangalore

Bangalore Hotel

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