AB

The Baked Beans City

Bengaluru

Geography Location

Area:2190 Square kilometer

Latitudinal :12 degree 8' N

Longitudinal meridians: 77 degree 37' E

Climate

Warmest months : March to May

Coldest months:December to january

Altitude: 920 mts

History

The story Bengaluru came to be called by its present name has an interesting history. Once on a hunting expedition King Ballala of the Hoysala dynasty lost his way in the jungle. Deep inside the jungle, lived an old woman who took pity on the hungry and tired hunter. The old woman was poor and had nothing else to offer but boiled beans. But the king was so pleased with her hospitality that he named the entire city as bele-benda-kalu-ooru, which in the local language Kannada means, the place of boiled beans.

Places to Visit in Bengaluru

1: Vidhana Soudha

Vidhana Soudha counts amongst the most impressive as well as the most magnificent buildings in the Bengaluru city of India. It is mainly famous for housing the Legislative Chambers of the state government. The three hundred rooms of Vidhan Soudha accommodate approximately twenty-two departments of the state government. The building rises to a height of almost 46 m, making it one of the most imposing structures in the city of Bengaluru. Built in the year 1956, Vidhana Soudha of Bengaluru boasts of exquisite Dravidian architecture. It was built under the then chief minister of Karnataka, Mr. Kengal Hanumanthaiah, as a tribute to Indian temple architecture. The chief engineer of Vidhan Soudha, B.R. Manickam mainly made use of granite to get the edifice constructed.The sandalwood door of the Cabinet Room is a spectacular feature of the building. The building is accessible from all four sides and is built of granite and porphyry (sourced from the city) in the neo Dravidian style.

NOTE :

The Vidhana Soudha in Bangalore is a popular attraction in the city and one would require special permission to visit the interiors of the building. Special arrangements are made for the lighting of the whole building on Sundays and public holidays in the evening from 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm.

Attara Kacheri

Attara Kacheri of Bangalore is a building housing the High Court. Situated opposite the Vidhana Soudha. The Attara Kacheri made in the 19th century is a stone structure in an intense red colour, one of the major attractions of the Attara Kacheri is its Gothic Style of architecture. It is a two-storied building, built in the European classical style. Also known as the High Court Building, it serves as the perfect contrast to the white columned building of Vidhana Soudha

:During Tipu Sultan's reign the offices of the eighteen departments of Revenue and General Secretariat grew beyond limit. It became difficult to contain in his palace. So he decided to construct a new building and named it Attara Kacheri (meaning eighteen offices or departments) in Hindustani.
Presently the court is headquartered in Bangalore which is the administrative capital of the state. The court has sanctioned judge strength of 40.

Cubbon Park

Dating back to the year 1864, the park was laid by Sir Mark Cubbon, the then viceroy of India. Infact, the park has been named after him only. The fairy fountains and an august bandstand were added later on. The Cubbon Park of Bangalore spreads over an area of approximately 250 acres and is quite frequented by both walkers as well as joggers. The engineer of Cubbon Park was by Sir Richard Sankey, the then Chief Engineer of Mysore. A number of neo-classical styled government buildings are situated inside the park, out of which one is the Vidhana Soudha. The Public Library, the Government Museum and the High Court are also located inside the park. The other buildings in the park include the Cheshire Dyer Memorial Hall, Ottawa Chatter, Children's amusement park, Doll museum, etc. The Vijayranga Theater complex screens children's films and stage plays. Cubbon Park also has a toy train, which is very popular amongst children.The beauty of the park is such that after visiting it, people have started calling Bangalore, the 'Garden City' of India. Lying in the heart of Bangalore, Cubbon Park stands adorned with trees, flowerbeds and rolling lawns. For those who are looking for some moments of peace and solitude in Bangalore, Cubbon Park is just the place to be. In the evening, when fairy fountains are lit, the park attains a magnificence that is beyond description. Numerous courses are offered at the Cubbon Park, ranging from pottery to aero-modeling.
Cubbon park is close to traffic from 5 am to 8 pm.

Bal Bhavan

Bengaluru Bal Bhavan is a beautifully planned amusement park as well as a recreation center, designed for children. There is a small toy train inside the park that runs on a track of almost 3/4th mile inside the beautiful Cubbon Park. Apart from the train, the other attractions of the Bal Bhavan include a Dolls Museum, which boats of a rich assortment of dolls and toys collected from different parts of the world. A 20 million year old fossilized tree adds to the appeal of the park.. There are also facilities for boating inside the Bhavan, along with a small fair ground and a children's park. The park has swings, horse rides and tree houses to keep the children busy and occupied. Hobby classes, like painting, arts and crafts, etc, are also organized at the Bal Bhavan of Bengaluru.The Vijayaranga Theatre situated inside the park organizes children's film shows and theatre performances on a frequent basis. Great place for kids.

Note:

Bal Bhavan is closed on Mondays and second Tuesday.

Aquarium

Aquarium is situated on Kasturba Road, at the entrance of the magnificent Cubbon Park. It is housed inside an octagonal-shaped building and boasts of having an exotic variety of aquatic life. The Aquarium, situated in Bengaluru, also holds the distinction of being the second largest aquarium in India. One of the best features of the Bengaluru Aquarium is that it has tried to create a natural habitat for the fish. Aquarium of Bengaluru has a wide variety of aquatic life. It has on display the largest number of cultivable as well as ornamental pet fish. However, the fish housed in the aquarium are only freshwater fish, both indigenous and exotic. The fish seen at the aquarium include angel fish, glow light tetra, red tail shark, Siamese fighters, catla, Indian tiger barb, mahseer, freshwater prawns, blue gourami, gold fish, etc. On the ground floor of the three-storied building is the laboratory. One can also find an outlet for fish feed there. On the first floor are fourteen big tanks, each of them home to the larger cultivable varieties of fish. On the second and the last floor, there are two rows of water tanks. The upper row consists of 23 medium sized tanks, while the lower row has 46 small tanks. Both the tanks are used for displaying only ornamental fish.

Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum

Located in Kasturba Road in Bengaluru.

Named after M. Visveswaraya, the Dewan of Mysore. This gallery comparises

1. Kimbe paper metal gallery
2. Children Science gallery
3. Sceince Gallery
4. Engine Hall Gallery
5. Electronic Gallery

It is the perfect place to get an idea about the working of different types of machines.

Apart from these, a number of other items are also on display inside the museum. Like , exhibits on electronics, motor power, uses and properties of wood and metal, etc. those interested in science, they can also work on some of the exhibits.

A major attraction of the Museum comprises of its mobile science exhibition. The exhibition remains on a tour of the entire state of Karnataka throughout the year. It provides all sorts of information on the contribution that has been made by science and technology in the field of human welfare and industrial development. Apart from exhibitions on electronics and motor power, it also organizes film shows, demonstrations and seminars on scientific subjects, at regular intervals.

Government Museum Bangalore

The Government Museum of Bengaluru counts amongst the oldest museums in India. It is located quite near to the Cubbon Park. Colonel Sankey designed the main building of the Government museum. Government Museum was opened up for public viewing in the year 1886 only. The Government Museum of Bengaluru comprises of two exhibition floors, which have been further divided into eighteen galleries. These galleries comprise of different sections like geology, natural history, sculpture, art and numismatics. The rich collection of the museum comprises of ancient coins and art, along with relics from the Indus valley civilization, especially Mohenjodaro, Halebid and Vijayanagar. Many relics kept at the museum are as much as 5000 years old. Government Museum also houses prehistoric artifacts, belonging to the Neolithic period. These artifacts were unearthed while excavations were being carried out at Chandravalli. Other items displayed inside the museum include a rich assortment of South Indian jewellery, fascinating stones, inscriptions, icons, paintings, coins, miniature paintings, sculptures, textiles, etc.

Note:

Museum will be open from 10am to 5pm.

Museum will be closed on wednesday.

Lal Bhag

The Lalbagh Botanical Garden, Bengaluru is of royal origin and was started initially as a private garden in an area of 40 acres by Hyder Ali, one of the most famous rulers of old Mysore in 1760. Initially designed in Mughal style, on the model of an extensive garden at Sira in Tumkur near Bangalore, this garden was further developed by Hyder Ali’s son Tipu Sultan and subsequently by the British and Indian doyens of horticulture by extension of area and addition of a number of plant species. Of them, Major Waugh, Dr. Wallich, William Munroe, Sir Mark Cubbon, Dr. Cleghorn, William New, A. Blck, John Cameron, Krumbeigal, Rao Bahadur H.C. Javaraya, K. Nanjappa and Dr. M.H. Marigowda, as the Superintendents of the garden, have made noteworthy contributions to the development of Lalbagh.
Lalbagh is currently under the aegis of the Directorate of Horticulture, Government of Karnataka. Lalbagh was given the status of a Government Botanical Garden in 1856, and since then, it has been an internationally renowned centre for scientific study of plants and botanical artwork and also conservation of plants. Formal and informal styles dominate the garden in perfect harmony, which is a testimony to the beauty of nature. Today, the garden is a lush green paradise with an area of 240 acres in the heart of the city.

Lalbagh, for its unique achievement in nurturing the concept of horticulture and aiding the development of horticulture, has earned a pride of place among the gardens of the world and it has come to be regarded as one of the best gardens in the East for its layout, maintenance, scientific treasure and scenic beauty. It is the place of legends and beauty, a place of rarity and wonder, a place of paradise and landmarks. It is an important genetic resource centre for introduction, acclimatization and maintenance of plants; it envisages documentation of the variations available in plants of ornamental and economic value. It is an important centre of dissemination of scientific, technical and popular information on plants including offering of regular courses. It aids the development of horticulture in the state. It is a valuable adjunct to botanic study in educational institutions, a vital lung space of Bengaluru a place of beauty that provides healthy recreation to the public and it provides a venue for people to get close to plants and nature

Of the many artistic structures in Lalbagh, the Glass House is the most famous. In the necklace of Bangalore’s gardens, Lalbagh is a pendant and in the centre of this pendant is the glass house in the form of a diamond. It was built in 1889 during the administration of Sri John Cameron to commemorate the visit of Prince of Wales. Designed on the lines of the Crystal Palace of England, it was intended for acclimatizing the exotic plant specimens. Today, as the jewel of Lalbagh, it is the centre stage for holding the famous biannual flower shows.
The Bandstand, Lecture Hall, Lalbagh House, Pigeon House, Statue of Sri Chamaraja Wodeyar, the Directorate Building, Lalbagh West Gate Guard Room, the Museum and Cottage which now house some of the department offices, main gate of Lalbagh (Cameron gate), Deer Paddock, Aquarium building, Aviary and Kempegowda Tower are other artistic structures that can be seen in Lalbagh. Lalbagh lake is an important location of interest.
The plant wealth, distributed in various sections such as the arboretum, erythrina plot, topiary, rosary, centenary garden, economic garden, fruit garden, floral clock, cypress lawn, aviary shade garden, terrace garden, statue garden, band stand garden, ficus lawn, fern house, rockeries, lotus pond, magnolia lawn, japanese garden, pencil cedar avenue, cacti house, indoor garden, orchid house, and a collection of crotons, bougainvilleas, palms, aquatics, aroids, bamboos, etc., are worth seeing. The tree fossil is another object of interest in Lalbagh.

Lalbagh Botanical Garden is located in the heart of the city.

Biannual flower shows are organized every year in January and August on the occasion of the Republic Day and Independence Day celebrations respectively.
The garden is an institution of botanical and environmental importance, a treasure house of karnataka and India and an important lung space of Bangalore –it is the duty of every one of us to protect it from deterioration and to keep it clean.

Note:

Lal Bhag will remain open from 5.30 am to 7.00pm

Traning:Scheduled courses on Horticulture, Post Harvest Technology and Mushroom cultivation are offered to the public by the Department of Horticulture .

A 10 month Horticulture training programme is organized every year for the rural youth.

Mysore Horticultural Society too organizes courses on Ikebana and Bonsai.

Bengaluru Palace

Bengaluru Palace, inspired by the Windsor Castle, it was built by Rev. Garrett, who was the first Principal of the Central High School in Bengaluru, now known as Central College. The construction of the palace was started in 1862 and completed in 1944. In 1884, it was bought by the Maharaja of Mysore, Chamaraja Wodeyar.Now owned by the current scion of the Mysore royal family, Srikanta Datta Narsimharaja Wadiyar.

This unique edifice gives the impression of a piece of England's architecture in Bengaluru. Largely constructed of wood, the Bengaluru Palace is famous for its carving and paintings.

The ground floor consists of an open courtyard containing granite seats covered with fluorescent blue ceramic tiles. It also contains a ballroom for holding private parties. The first floor containing an elaborate hall called as the Durbar Hall can be reached by climbing a decorated staircase. This is the hall where the king used to address the assembly. The walls along the staircase are adorned with paintings and the Durbar Hall has a massive elephant head mounted in it. One side of the hall contains stained glass windows in Gothic style. The colour yellow is used profusely and the walls and the sofa set in the hall are in yellow. A screen on one end separates the area where the ladies used to sit and watch the assembly proceedings in relative privacy. Some paintings of Raja Ravi Verma are also present here.

The interior walls of the palace are also adorned by old paintings belonging to the mid-19th century, including some Greek and Dutch paintings. Some of the other attractions include a dining table belonging to the Diwan of Mysore, Sir Mirza Ismail. This table contained a mother-of-pearl inlay with Chinese lacquer work.

The sprawling grounds surrounding the palace are used for holding public events including musical concerts. Some of the well known international music bands and rockstars that have performed here include The Black Eyed Peas, Sting, Scorpions, Deep Purple, Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, Bryan Adams and Iron Maiden

The palace ground, located between Jayamahal and Sadashivanagar areas.

Tipu Sultan Fort

It was Kempe Gowda who first started on this fort’s construction in 1537 but in 1761 Haider Ali renovated it to a stone structure. Most of the portions of the Tipu’s Palace got damaged during a war with Britishers, which was then repaired by Haider Ali’s son, Tipu Sultan and hence it got its name as Tipu’s Palace.

Situated near the City Market, the fort dates back to the year 1537. It was here that Hyder Ali, the father of Tipu Sultan, imprisoned David Baird, along with a number of other army officers of the British. The Fort stands as a witness to the struggle of the Mysore Emperor against the British domination.

Tipu’s Palace comprises of five sculpted arches and the walls and ceilings, which were once painted with bright paintings and murals have now faded away y et offer a mesmerizing view to the onlookers taking them close to the ancient architecture and designs. Another great feature of the fort is that it compromises a temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha, a museum that exhibits artifacts that are evidence of Tipu Sultan’s bravery

To know about the religious places of bengaluru click on http://incrediblebengalurureligious.blogspot.com/