Bangalore (India) attractions
Bangalore is officially called “Bengaluru” and is the capital of Karnataka State and the story behind the naming of the city is great too. Bangalore, according to state historians, got its name from Bendakalooru (the town of boiled beans) after a king strayed into the area during a hunting trip in the late 14th century. A woman offered him a meal of boiled beans which the king enjoyed so much that he named the town after the dish. Bangalore is the 3rd most populous city in India with close to 6 million people living here. Bangalore is one of the fastest-growing cosmopolitan cities in Asia. It is called as “Silicon Valley of India” with thousands of IT Companies and lots of outsourced jobs; it is an outsourcing hub where many of the critical projects from Fortune 500 companies are done here. Bangalore is also famous for its climate and is also called the “Garden City of India” for its many parks and trees.
Bangalore is a mix of both old and new, with its palace, museums, parks, pubs, restaurants, and many shopping malls. “Bangalore Palace” is one of the attractions; it was built by Wodeyar King in 1887. It was inspired by Windsor Castle. This palace was built keeping in mind the Tudor style of architecture with fortified structures, battlements, and turrets.
If you are interested in nature, you can always go to “Lal Bagh” which is a well-known botanical garden in Bangalore. It was constructed way back in the 18th century by ruler Hyder Ali and the plants from various countries were brought by his son Tipu Sultan and planted in this 240-acre garden. It houses close to 1000 species of rare flowers and plants and it has trees well over 100 years old. It is the place visited by a lot of people every day mostly joggers and nature enthusiasts. The Glass House which has many of the rare flowers is a center of attraction in “Lal Bagh”. The Lal Bagh Rock, one of the oldest rock formations on earth, dating back to 3000 million years is another attraction that brings in crowds. Cubbon Park is another famous park in Bangalore among joggers which is in the center of the city.
There are many other attractions in Bangalore like “Vidhana Soudha” which is a seat of Karnataka’s State Legislature, “Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum” which attracts close to a million visitors every year, “Bull Temple” which is a temple built in 1537 and has an idol of “Nandi the bull” and is a sacred place for many people.
Bangalore is also very famous for its pubs and nightlife; it has various pubs and discos which are pretty much in demand on weekends among the youngsters. Even though pubs in Bangalore close at 12.00 am, restaurants are open from 3-4 am. If you are interested in shopping, it is home to many shopping malls which have great offers running all through the year. Bangalore is growing up to be a great city but it also has its problem like high traffic, costlier than other Indian cities, and lack of Infrastructure. But it is a great place to visit with its perfect blend of history and modernization.