Bangalore – City of Beauty - Bangalore Tourism

Bangalore is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore tourism is very popular with people living in India and abroad. Tourists love to visit this cosmopolitan city as it also boasts of numerous historical sites worth visiting. Bangalore is the major centre of India's IT industry, popularly known as the Silicon Valley of India.

Vidhana Soudha is the legislative House of the State of Karnataka. This granite building was built by Sri K.Hanumanthaiya, Chief Minister of the then Mysore state 1951 to 1956. It is a marvel of neo-Dravidian architecture and one of the most imposing buildings in Bangalore. One of the interesting features of this building is the grand stairs in its front. The architecture of the building is based on Dravidian style, comprising richly carved bases and capitals for pillars, deep friezes, kapotha cornices, chaithya arches and heavy pediments domical finials.

Seshadari Iyer Memorial is a distinctive building constructed of red sand stone in Cubbon Park. It houses a public library and the Bangalore High Court, while the grounds include a children's recreation area with a toy train, fairground and theater.

Bangalore Palace was constructed by the Maharajahs of Mysore. This is a dilapidated building with paint peeling on the interior .This includes a guide to point out things like the mounted elephant head, though no mention is made of the numerous nude paintings.

Tippu Sultan's Palace, which dates from about 1790, is the summer retreat for Tipu sultan. The two story structure is made mostly out of wood with finely embellished balconies, pillars and arches. The timings are from 9:30am to 5:30pm on all days of the week. Tickets are Rs 10 for Indians and Rs 100 for foreigners.

Tourists can also visit the many beautiful temples of Bangalore. The Bull Temple, located in Basavanagudi, is a typical Dravidian style temple, and is famous for its mammoth bull statue that was carved from a single boulder. Legend has it that the temple was built to appease a marauding bull that stole local crops, and that the offering was effective with the bull subsequently leaving the area. Since then, local farmers have held an annual festival to express their gratitude.

The Maha Bodhi Society Temple, ISKCON Hare Krishna Temple, Maruthi Mandir and Gavi Gangadeshwara Cave Temple are other famous temples in Bangalore. Bangalore is very well connected by roads, rail and air. It also offers accommodations for all tastes and budgets.