Bangalore

Pop: 5.3 million Area Code: 080

Bangalore is the capital of Karnataka. Because it is 1,000m (3,300 ft) above sea level, the climate is pleasant even in the summer. The temperature averages 23°C (73ºF) and rises to a maximum of 34°C (93ºF) in summer.

Bangalore is more Westernized than most Indian cities, but there is really not much to see. Bangalore is known as the “Silicon Valley of India,” and much of the computer industry is based here.

History
Kempe Gowda, who was a ruler under the Vijayanagar Empire, founded Bangalore in 1537. It is said that he had four bullock carts plow their way, with plowshares, toward the four directions. When they stopped from exhaustion, he built four towers. Those towers are still standing as a reminder of how big Gowda expected his city to grow. What remains of the towers are near Sankey Tank, in the Lalbagh Gardens, off Ulsoor Lake, and near the Bull Temple.

Bangalore was ruled by a variety of people throughout history, such as Shivaji’s father, a Mughal governor, Hyder Ali, and Tipu Sultan. Later, Bangalore was ruled by the British through puppet rulers, and finally by the Maharaja of Mysore until Independence.

Getting Your Bearings
Cubbon Park is the geographic center of Bangalore. About 2km west of the park, past the race course, are the railway and bus stations. The area between the park and the railway station is a busy shopping area, where many of the inexpensive hotels and restaurants are located. This is a convenient place to stay.

East of the park is Mahatma Gandhi Rd (MG Rd), Brigade Rd, and St. Mark’s Rd. This is where the tourist offices, airline offices, bookshops, GPO, government emporiums, and the better hotels are located, and this is also where the action is in Bangalore. The old section of the city is to the south.

Information
The Government of India Tourist Office (558-5417) is in the KFC Building, 48 Church St. Open weekdays 10 am to 6 pm and Sat 9 am to 1 pm.

The Karnataka State Tourism Development Corp (KSTDC) has its head office (221-2901) at 10/4 Kasturba Road, opposite the Aquarium. Open daily except Sun 10 am to 5.30 pm. There are also counters at the airport (6.30 am to 8.30 pm); railway station (6.30 am to 8.30 pm); Badami House (227-5869; fax 223-8016), Narasimharaja Square; and St. Mark’s Rd, near MG Rd.

Government of Karnataka Department of Tourism (221-5489) 1st floor, F-Block, Cauvery Bhavan, Kempe Gowda Rd, near the Indian Airlines office.
The Tirumala Tirupati Information Center is at Vyalikaval, 16th Cross (near Chowdiah Memorial Hall). You can reserve rooms here for accommodation on Tirumala Hill by Tirupati.

Bangalore This Fortnight is a good magazine with information about what is happening in Bangalore. It is available at the Tourist Offices and at some hotels. The Decan Herald lists events, usually on page 3. The KSTDC sells a useful Downtown Bangalore Map (Rs 30) which lists the hotels and restaurants. Morris’s Guide to Bangalore and TTK Bangalore Guide are good guidebooks of the city.

Tours
Tours can be booked at the KSTDC office (221-5869), Badami House, NR Square, from 7.30 am to 7.30 pm daily.

There is a daily half-day Bangalore tour to Tipu’s Palace, the Bull Temple, the Museum, Govt. Emporiums, the Soap Factory, and Vidhan Soudha (7.30 am to 1.30 pm or 2 to 7.30 pm). It is a good tour.

The Srirangapatnam, Mysore and Brindavan Gardens tour includes Ranganatha Temple, the Fort in Srirangapatnam, Chamundi Hill, the Palace, the Art Gallery, the zoo, and the Cauvery Arts & Crafts Emporium at Mysore. The Rs 175 fee includes entrance fees. It is an interesting tour.

There is a daily tour to Belur, Sravanabelagola, and Halebid during the season, departing at 7.30 am and returning at 9 pm; Rs 150.

Post and Internet
The General Post Office is on Raj Bhawan Road, about a ten-minute walk from MG Rd. Poste restante is counter 22. There are also post offices on Brigade Rd and Museum Rd.

Cyber Cafe (555 0949), Windsor House, Brigade Rd, has computer facilities for Rs 100 per hour. Le Web, 2nd floor of Shrungar Shopping Center has internet access time for Rs 50 per hour.

Money
You can change money quickly at Thomas Cook (558-6742), 55 MG Rd (Mon to Sat 9.30 am to 6 pm). Marco Polo Travel and Tours (223-6671), Janardhan Towers, 2 Residency Rd, changes money and is the representative for American Express.

The State Bank of India is on St. Mark’s Rd (by MG Rd). The Bank of Baroda, 72 MG Rd, gives advances on Visa and MasterCard, but does not change travelers cheques. ANZ Grindlays Bank, 1 MG Rd, gives advances on Visa and MasterCard.
Wall Street Finances (227-1812), 13/14 St. Mark’s Rd, changes money efficiently (Mon to Sat 9.30 am to 6 pm).

There is an ATM machine at the Hong Kong Bank (558-5444), 47 Dickenson Rd, off MG Rd. Citibank has several ATM machines.

Visa Extension
Extensions are issued at the office of the Commissioner of Police (225-6242 ext 251), Infantry Rd, ten minutes from the GPO. Open Mon to Sat 10 am to 5 pm.

Shopping
Bangalore is known for its silks and handicrafts such as sandalwood and rosewood carvings, ceramics, and gold jewelry. The major shopping areas are MG Road, Brigade Rd, and Kempe Gowda Road. There is also the Jayanagar and Shrungar Shopping Centers.

Cauvery Arts & Crafts Emporium, 23 MG Rd, has a good selection of handicrafts, jewelry, carpets, and bronzes.

Spencer Department Store, on MG Rd, is as close to a Western department store as you will find in India. It has a good selection of foods and other items

Karnataka Arts & Crafts Emporium, on MG Rd, has a good selection of arts and crafts. Items are expensive, but the selection is interesting.

Bookshops
The Book Cellar, Higginbothams, 66 MG Road, and Gangarams, 72 MG Road, are some of the best bookshops in India. Higginbothams has one of the best selections of spiritual and travel books in India. Premier Bookshop, 46/1 Church St, around the corner from Berrys Hotel, has an excellent selection of books. Motilal Banarsidass Book Shop, 6 St. Mark’s Road, has a good selection of spiritual books.

Libraries and Cultural Centers
The British Council Library (221-3485), 29 St. Mark’s Rd, has British newspapers and magazines (Tues to Sat 10.30 am to 5.30 pm).
Alliance Française (225-8762), Thimmaiah Rd, near Cantonment Railway Station, has a library and French newspapers and magazines (Mon to Sat 9 am to 1 pm and 4 to 7 pm; Wed and Sat open only in the morning). They also show French films and hold cultural events.

Karnataka Sangeeta Nataka Academy, Canara Financial Corp Complex, Nirupatunga Rd.
Swimming and Golf

You can swim at the Kensington Pool (563-413), opposite Ulsoor Lake—Rs 100 for membership and then Rs 3 per hour. Open daily 6 am to 5 pm. You can use the pool at the Windsor Manor Sheraton (226-9898), 25 Sankey Rd, for Rs 300, or at the Holiday Inn (226-2233), 28 Sankey Rd, for Rs 250.

Bangalore Golf Club, Sankey Rd, near the airport, has a new championship golf course ($35 for foreigners). KGA Golf Club’s green fees are Rs 250 weekday, Rs 500 weekend.

Medical
St. Martha’s Hospital (227-7501), Nirupatunga Rd, opposite the YMCA, is a good hospital. Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital (559-1362), off Hospital Rd, a few km north of MG Rd, is a good government hospital. Manipal Hospital (526-6441), 98 Rustumbagh Airport Rd; and Mallya Hospital (227-7979), 2 Vittal Mallya Rd, are private places.

Opto (558-7503), 66 MG Rd, is a good optician.

Cubbon Park and Museums
Located in the center of the city, this large park was established in 1864. It is named after the former chief commissioner, Mark Cubbon.
In the park, the Government Museum has a collection of Hoysalan sculptures, arrowheads from Mohenjo Daro, coins, and pottery. Next door is the K Venkatappa Art Gallery, which exhibits watercolor landscapes by K Venkatappa, a Mysore artist who painted much of the Mysore Palace. There are several of his paintings of Ooty. On the upper floors of the art museum are paintings by contemporary Karnatakan artists. Both places are open daily except Mon 10 am to 5 pm; admission for both is Rs 5.

Attara Kachari is the home of the High Court. Attara means “eighteen” in Hindi, and previously (until 1956), this building housed the eighteen departments of the Secretariat.

Across the road is the Vidhana Soudha (1958), which is the Secretariat and is used by the state legislature. It is an impressive, neo-Dravidian building built of Bangalore granite with statues of Jawaharlal Nehru and BR Ambedkar on the front lawn. The four-headed lion of Emperor Ashoka (the symbol of India) is on top of the main entrance. It is open to the public only with special permission. On Sunday nights it is floodlit.

Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium (220-3234) was built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birthday of India’s first Prime Minister. Open daily except Mon, closed the second Tues of each month. English show 4.30 pm, Admission Rs 10, children Rs 5.

Gandhi Bhavan
Gandhi Bhavan (226-1967), Kumara Krupa Rd, is a memorial to the life of Mahatma Gandhi. On display are photographs, Gandhi’s wooden shoes, his clay drinking bowls, and many of his quotations.

There is a collection of letters he wrote to Roosevelt, Nehru, and Tolstoy. You may need to ask to have the door unlocked. Open daily except Sun 10 am to 1.30 pm and 3 to 5 pm; admission free.

Lalbagh Gardens
Hyder Ali established the beautiful Lalbagh Gardens in 1760. His son Tipu Sultan extended it to its present size and added a mango grove. There are over 1,000 different varieties of plants and flowers; 150 varieties of roses alone. One of the original towers built by Kempe Gowda to mark Bangalore’s city limits is located here. There is a lotus pond, an ornate clock, and the interesting Glass House in the middle of the park.

After the British took over Bangalore, Prince Albert Victor of Wales built the Glass House in the late 1800s to resemble the Crystal Palace in London. A flower show is held here during the weeks of Republic Day (Jan. 26) and Independence Day (Aug. 15).

Hyder Ali’s Fort and Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace
This fort, on Krishnarajendra Rd, opposite Vanivilas Hospital, was originally built of brick and mud by Chikkadevaraga Wodeyar in the late 1600s. Hyder Ali renovated the fort in the 18th century. Much of the fort was destroyed in battles with the British, but what is left has been well preserved. There are a nice Ganesh (Ganapati) temple and some Islamic-style arches and towers.

The Summer Palace (1791) took ten years to complete. Many of the wall paintings have been painted over. Tipu Sultan called it Lask-e-Jannat or “the Envy of Heaven.” It is half a km south of the fort (open 9 am to 5 pm).

Bull Temple (Basavanagudi Mandir)
This temple is at the end of Bull Temple Road in the southwest part of the city, on Bugle Hill. It was built by Kempe Gowda, Bangalore’s founder. There is a huge Nandi bull here over 500 years old. It is 5m (16.5 ft) high and 6m (20 ft) long, carved from a single stone. The bull has a small iron plate on its head to prevent it, as tradition says, from growing.

Also, there is a Ganesh temple, with a large deity made of 110 kg of butter. The deity of butter is broken up and distributed every four years. Open daily to non-Hindus 8 am to 8 pm. Buses #34 or #37 come here from the City bus stand.
Gavi Gangadhareswara Temple

On January 14 (Makara Sankranti), between 5 and 6 pm, as the sun sets, its rays pass through the window and the horns of Nandi to strike the Siva-linga in this temple. There is also a deity of Agni, the fire-god, here. The temple is near the Kempambudi Tank, in the southwest part of the city. Kempe Gowda built it in the 16th century.
Maharaja’s Palace

The palace is located in the north part of the city. This extravagant building has battlements, fortified towers, ramparts, and is surrounded by a huge garden. The palace is open only one week a year in November.

ISKCON (Hare Krishna) Temple
This new, beautiful temple (321-956; fax 332-985; e-mail vikramkrishna@usa.net), located at Hare Krishna Hill, 1 ‘R’ Block, Chord Rd, Rajaji Nagar, was built at a cost of around 10 million dollars. The temples has towering gopurams, gold chandeliers, delicately crafted woodwork and sculptures. The Deities in this temple are Radha-Krishnachandra, Krishna-Balarama, Gaura-Nitai, and Sri Prahlada-Narasimha. It has an interesting state of the art multimedia cinema on the Hare Krishna movement and its philosophy. It is set in beautiful gardens with water fountains.

The temple is beautifully lite up at night. It has the world’s tallest gold-plated Dwajastambha (flagpost) at 17m (56 ft) high and the highest gold plated kalash shikara at 8.5m (28 ft) high.

There are elevators to aid the handicapped and aged get around. An average of around 9,000 people visit the temple daily and on Sunday around 20,000 people visit. The temple is open 7 am to 1 pm and 4.15 to 8.30 pm. It is 7km from the railway station and 13km from the airport.

There are guest facilities at the temple, but guests are expected to follow ashram rules.

Travel Agencies and Car Rental
Travels agencies: Thomas Cook (558-091), 70 MG Rd; Sita Travels (578-091), St Mark’s Rd; Travel Corp of India (221-2990), 9 Residency, Richmond Circle; Marco Polo Travel and Tours (223-6671), Janardhan Towers, 2 Residency Rd; and Trade Wings (221-4595), 48 Lavelle Rd.
Car rental places (by the day): Cab Service (558-612), Sahari Complex, Residency Rd; Ambassador Travel Services (224-1516), 76 Mission Rd, Kasturi Complex; and Ashok Travels (645-658), 6 First Main Rd, Sampangiramnagar.

Copyright ©2001 John Howley and Spiritual Guides