Bangalore
 The surging capital of
Karnataka is regarded as one of the country’s most progressive cities.
It's stark contrast with the rest of the state is most evident in the Mahatma Gandhi (MG)
Road area, where fast-food joints, yuppie bars, sophisticated lounges and high-end malls are the ever-changing flavours of the day.
The city is known as the 'Garden City' and this is reflected in the
large number of green areas in the city.
Bangalore allegedly got its name after an old woman living nearby served a humble dish of boiled beans to a lost Hoysala king. A local ruler, Kempegowda, founded the ‘town of boiled beans’ in the early 16th century. He built a mud fort and mapped out the extent of the city he envisioned with four watchtowers (now engulfed by urban sprawl). Two centuries later, Bangalore became an important fortress city under Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, although little remains from this period except the Lalbagh Botanicalgardens
and a small palace. The British moved their regional administrative base from Srirangapatnam to Bangalore in 1831, and the town began to take on the
ordered look of a British cantonment.
Known as India’s Silicon Valley, it’s been a software centre for decades. Over half of India’s software exports come from Bangalore, and technology parks are spread around the city.
Other Useful Information
- Orientation
- Sights
- Around Bangalore
- Eating, Drinking & Entertainment
Around Bangalore
Nrityagram
The dance village of Nrityagram 30km northwest of Bangalore, was established in the early 1990s to revive and popularise Indian classical dance. Founded by the late odissi dancer, Protima Gauri, it offers the long-term study of classical dance within a holistic curriculum that includes meditation, martial arts and Sanskrit. Local children are also taught for free on weekends. For beginners, a one-month workshop is given every July. The village welcomes visitors. Guided tours include a dance demonstration, a short lecture and lunch.
Nandi Hills
Nandi Hills (admission Rs 5 from 6am-10pm), 68km north of Bangalore, has stellar views, two notable Chola temples and good hiking. Avoid weekends if you like your nature quiet. There are a couple of restaurants here, is set amid lovelygardens.
Eating, Drinking & Entertainment
One does not come to Bangalore
merely for its sights but also to eat, drink and shop. New, trendy restaurants continually pop up – and the old ones regenerate – to keep up with the whims and rising
standards of the city’s hungry, moneyed masses. Brigade Road is a fast-food
virus as it continues to spread, slow and steady.
Bars
Bangalore’s bar scene had raced upto the second spot only behind Bombay’s
(Mumbai), and has range of famous flashy bars and discos which are
facing stiff competition from a new generation of svelte lounge, but due
to new regulations bars have to shut shop by 11:30 pm and this has
led to Bangalore losing its sheen as a bustling nightlife destiinaition.
The hours of operation for bars before noon and shut at a sadly early 11.30pm; some may
even abide by the ban on alcohol sales between 3pm and 5pm. Prices drop during ‘happy hour’, which usually runs until 6pm.
Lounges
People often say Bangalore does not barhop, nor does it ‘club’ or ‘party’. Bangalore, darling, lounges. Most of the
places have dance floors; all serve food and alcohol. But what they’re best for is long conversations in cushy sofas with overpriced cocktails.
Note that some places won’t allow men to enter without a female
companion.
Orientation
Bangalore is vast, but two areas are of particular interest to travellers: Gandhi Nagar in the west and the MG
Road area 4km to the east.
The Central bus stand and the City train station are on the edge of Gandhi Nagar. The crowded streets in this lively, gritty area – known locally as ‘Majestic’ – teem with shops, cinemas and budget hotels. The area bounded by MG, Brigade, St Mark’s and Residency (FM Canappa)
Roads is the retail and entertainment hub for the city’s affluent.
The few remaining historical relics are south of the City Market in the old part of town. The British-era part of the city, with handsome tree-lined streets, grand houses and, of course, a golf course and a racecourse, is mostly to the north of Cubbon Park.
Sights
Vidhana Soudha
At the north western end of Cubbon Park, the colossal Vidhan Soudha constructed in the neo-Dravidian style, is one of Bangalore’s most imposing buildings. Built in 1954 by convicts, it houses the secretariat and the state legislature. It’s floodlit on Sunday evenings but
is not open to the public.
 Lalbagh Botanical Gardens
This delightful 96-hectare park (admission Rs 5 open Sunrise-Sunset), south of the city centre, was laid out in the 18th century by Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan and named for its profusion of red roses:
Cubbon Park & Museums
Bangalore’s equivalent to Central Park, at 120 hectares, Cubbon Park is where the city breathes; it’s perfect for picnics. On its fringes are the superbly restored neoclassical High Court, the grand State Central Library, two municipal museums, an art gallery and
the Government Aquarium. Next door to the aquarium, the Government Museum (Kasturba Road; admission Rs 4; opens 10am-5pm Tue-Sun), established in 1886, houses a drably presented collection of stone carvings and relics, as well as some good pieces from Halebid. The charmingly dated Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technical Museum (admission Rs 15 Opens 10 am-5.30 pm) has kitschy, interactive exhibits on frictional loss and the ballpoint pen, among other things.
City Market
If you’ve spent most of your time on MG Road, you’ll have a pleasant culture shock at this bustling local market, southwest of Cubbon Park. It contains a tarpaulin-covered fruit and vegetable bazaar, a spice market, plenty of garland sellers and hole-in-the-wall tailor shops. You’re sure to spot the impressively massive, white Jama Masjid nearby.
Bull Temple
Bull Temple (Bugle Hill, Bull Temple Road opens 7am-1pm & 4-9pm) is one of Bangalore’s oldest. Built by Kempegowda in the Dravidian style in the 16th century, it contains a huge granite monolith of Nandi.
Iskcon temple
Built by the wealthy International Society of Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon), better known as the Hare Krishnas, this shiny temple (Hare Krishna Hill,
Chord Road opens 7am-1pm & 4-8.30pm) is lavishly decorated in a mix of ultra contemporary and traditional styles.
Fort & Tipu Sultan’s Palace
Kempegowda built a mud-brick defence structure on this site in 1537, and in the 18th century, Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan rebuilt it in stone. It’s a
sturdy little fort (Krishna Rajendra Road; Opens 8 am-6 pm), although much of it was destroyed during the wars with the British and maintenance these days isn’t what it could be. Tipu Sultan’s modest palace (Albert Victor Road; Indian/foreigner Rs 5/US$2 opens 8 am- 6 pm), a five-minute walk southwest of the City Market, is notable for its elegant teak pillars. Next to the palace is the ornate Venkataraman Temple (Krishna Rajendra Road opens 8.30am-6pm, closed alternate Sat).
Bangalore Palace
You wouldn’t expect to run into a replica of Windsor Castle in the middle of India, but here it is, complete with granite turrets, towers and battlements. The Palace was built in 1880, and later bought by the Wodeyar rajas of Mysore. The Wodeyars, who still reside here, and the Karnataka government have long been engaged in debate over who owns this hot piece of property, so unfortunately the palace is not open for tours. Loitering is not encouraged either, so you’ll have to do with a passing glance.
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