Tourist attractions in Bangalore

Bangalore (Indian English: Audio-IPA|Hi-Bangalore.ogg| [ˈbæŋgəloːɾ] ), officially Bengaluru (Kannada: ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು, Audio-IPA|Bengaluru-Kannada-Pronunciation.ogg| ['beŋgəɭuːru] ), is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is also known as the "Garden City of India" [cite web|url=http://www.hindu.com/mag/2004/06/06/stories/2004060600520700.htm|work=Online Edition of The Hindu, dated 2004-06-06|title=Garden city|accessdate=2007-10-16]
Bangalore is one of the most important tourist centers of the Karnataka state.

Attractions

* Lal Bagh: is a well known botanical garden , commissioned by the ruler of Mysore , Hyder Ali. The garden surrounds one of the towers erected by the founder of Bangalore, Kempe Gowda I.
* Cubbon Park: It is another famous centrally located park of the City known for its toy train.
* Forum Mall: It is the first of its kind Malls in Bangalore City and a hotspot for the city's youngsters. See Also List of shopping malls in Bangalore.
* Vidhana Soudha: is the seat of the state legislature of Karnataka. It is an imposing building, constructed in a style, sometimes described as 'Neo-Dravidian', incorporates elements of Indo-Saracenic, Rajasthani Jharokha and Dravidian styles.
* Attara Kacheri , (Karnataka High Court) : Overlooking Vidhana Sabha is this red brick and stone building in the Greco-Roman style of architecture. It houses the High Court for the state of Karnataka.
* Bangalore Palace: (1862) is a palace located in the city of Bangalore, India and is built to look like a smaller replica of the Windsor Castle in England.
* Brigade Road is one of the busiest commercial centers of Bangalore.
* Commercial Street: Another busy commercial centre of Bangalore.
* MG Road, Bangalore: also called "South Parade" is the most important landmark of Bangalore
* Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace Located near K R Market , Bangalore.Built in 1791, this beautiful two-storeyed ornate wooden structure with exquisitely carved pillars, arches and balconies was one of Tipu's favourite summer retreats. It now houses a museum that contains artefacts relating to the Hyder-Tipu regime.
* Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum : The museum was instituted as part of the centenary celebrations of the engineer-statesman Sir M. Visvesvaraya (1861–1962).
* 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. The seven acre temple is situated on west of chord road, Rajajinagar and finest fusion of modern and traditional elements of architecture.
* Mayo Hall : It was designed in the memory of Lord Mayo and is as one of the finest designs of British architecture.
* St Patrick's church: Built in 1844 this is one of the oldest churches in Bangalore and is situated on Residency Road.
* Bull Temple : 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.
* Huge Shiva in old Airport Road : Built by owner of Kids Kemp-A retail outlet, is a huge Idol of Lord Shiva & Ganesha. It is completely made of plaster of paris. It is also a tourist attraction in recent times.

* 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.
* Electronics City : The nerve of the Silicon Valley of India.
* HAL Aeronautical Museum : Museum of aircraft, aerospace, navigation and communication equipment , maintained by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
* St. Mary's Basilica : It 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.cite web|url=http://thehindu.com/thehindu/mp/2002/08/29/stories/2002082900270200.htm|title= Home to all faiths|author=K. Chandramouli|work=Online Edition of The Hindu, dated 2002-08-29|accessdate=2007-08-15] cite web|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=zzWFvPc2xP0C&pg=PA15&lpg=PA15&dq=%22st+mary's+basilica%22+%22is+the+only+church%22&source=web&ots=-KffEuXi6N&sig=8XVOVxkNmbgdWomBYdnBm2Mtma4#PPA15,M1|title=Bangalore:An Expat Survival Guide|pubisher=Chillibreeze publication|author=Preethi Sharma and Nishi Vishwanathan|accessdate=2007-08-15] 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.

Around Bangalore

* Bannerghatta National Park is situated 22 km south of Bangalore, Karnataka, India. . 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.

* 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. It is 4851 ft (1478 m) above sea level. Nandidrug 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.

* Muthyalamaduvu :is a picnic spot near Anekal, 40 km from Bangalore, Karnataka, India.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.

* Thottikallu is a place near Bangalore off the Kanakapura road which is famous for a falls called Thottikallu falls more popularly known as TK falls.

* Savandurga is a hill 60 km west of Bangalore (Karnataka, India) off the Magadi road. The hill is famous for a 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.

* 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, India.

* Devarayanadurga (Kannada: ದೇವರಾಯನ ದುರ್ಗ) is a hill station near Tumkur in the state of Karnataka in India. 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 convert|3940|ft|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.

* Srirangapattana : The capital of Mysore under Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan.
* Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary : a Bird Sanctuary in the Mandya District of the state of Karnataka in India. It is a very small sanctuary, being only 0.67 km². in area, and comprises six islets on the banks of the Kaveri River. Ranganthittu is located near the historic town of Srirangapatna.

* Shivanasamudra Falls (also called Sivasamudram or Bluff) 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, India.
* Mysore (to be renamed Mysuru) (Kannada: ಮೈಸೂರು) is the second largest city in the state of Karnataka, India. 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.
* Melkote is on the way to Mysore from Bangalore. The place is famous for its Vyramudi Utsava. The main diety here is "Cheluvarayaswamy-The MahaVishnu". A sacred place for vaishnavites. Also its one of the favourite spots for kannada directors for shooting.

See also

* Tourism in Karnataka
* Bangalore
* List of shopping malls in Bangalore
* Tourist attractions in Mysore

References