Bangalore

Bangalore, the world famous Software and Outsourcing Capital of the world, is also a tourist spot. Bangalore itself may not have many historical sites, but there are many important Historical sites near Bangalore- like Mysore and the World heritage sites of Hampi or Vijayanagara. There is special tourist train called the 'The Golden Chariot' which starts from Bangalore for a week long tour, which goes all the way to Goa and brings you back to Bangalore and on the way lets you visit the most important tourist attractions of the region. Like the famous 'Palace on Wheels' of Delhi-Rajasthan, you get to become a Maharaja for a week in the ambience of your own Palace and with a very comfortable 5 star hotel like room. More details of this trip with a map is given towards the end of this page.

Bangalore has been renamed to Bengaloru or Bengalooru, its original name in the Kannada language. Official name change or not, Bangalore is still known as ‘Bangalore’ the world over – how can they change the famous phrase in America, “your job has been Bangaloored!!” coined when American software engineers were losing jobs to India because of outsourcing.

Bangalore is well connected to most of the parts of the world through the newly opened Bengalooru International Airport. It is also well connected by the Indian Railways to the rest of the country.

Other than taxis, the most convenient  way of traveling within the city is by the black & yellow 3-wheeler auto-rickshaws known as “autos” as shown on the right. They are metered and can accommodate maximum of 3 passengers. Bangalore is well connected by buses operated by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC). The city is also well connected to neighboring cities by buses, both private and state owned.

Places of Interest in Bangalore:

The Fort & Palace: Chamaraja Woodeyar, Maharaja of Mysore, built this palace in 1887.

Lal Bagh This 2400-acre garden is one of the most famous botanical gardens in India. It has about 1000 species of flora imported from various parts of the world. The 1.5 sq. kilometers lake within the garden and the Glass House modeled after London’s Crystal Palace, are worth the visit.

Cubbon Park:  This park built by Lt. General Sir Mark Cubbon in 1864, is spread over in about 300 acres right in the middle of Bangalore. It is adorned with fountains, intricate statues, and a vast expanse of greenery with a library in the middle.

Vidhana Soudha: This is the seat of the State Legislature or parliament of Karnataka State of which Bangalore is the capital. It is built in the Neo-Dravidian style and is the largest legislature building in India. Ideal to visit in the evening when it is colorfully lit. It is situated within the Cubbon Park. A picture of it is on the left.

Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium: With a seating capacity of 225, it conducts various shows on astronomy.

Banerghatta National Park: About 22 kilometers away from the city this fascinating park comprises of an aquarium, zoo, children’s  park, Crocodile Park, Snakes Park, pre-historic park. It is spread over an area of 104 sq. km. and was established in 1971.

Venkatappa Art Gallery with a rich collection of over 600 paintings that are on display all the year. It houses sculptures from the well-known Mathura and Khajuraho Schools of Art and displays some exquisite work on pottery and clay from the ancient Indus Valley Civilization.

Neighboring places of interest:

Sravanabelagola, Hassan about 160kms from Bangalore has the 17 meter (55 feet) famous naked male Jain statue of  Lord Bahubali (Gomateshvara) which is the world’s tallest monolithic (made out of a single stone) statue made around the year 980 AD. The picture on the right will give you an idea of this statue when you compare it with the man standing in front of the statue.

Mysore is the second largest city of Karnataka State and was the Capital of the Kingdom of Mysore. Mysore is famous for its Sandalwood products and pure silk cloth. At the Government Sandalwood Oil Factory, you can buy pure Sandalwood Oil. At the Government Silk Factory you can see the master weavers at work and even buy pure silk cloth. It is an historical city and the famous sights in and around the city are
Brindavan Gardens is spread over 150 acres with lots of Dancing Fountains and is so beautiful that many Indian Films use it as a background for their song and dance scenes.
Chamundi Hills is a 335 meters high hill near Mysore. The high lights there are two giant statues, one of a Bull and the other of the demon Mahishasura.
Daria Daulat Bagh Tipu's Summer Palace,built in 1784, is located here.  Made of teak it is unique in its workmanship.
St. Philomena's Church is one of the largest Churches of India and has very beautiful double steeples.

The Mysore Palace is one of the important sights in Mysore. The Palace has exquisite carvings and works of art, Intricately carved doors and luxuriously furnished rooms. The jewel studded golden throne of the Wodeyars, the ex Maharajas of Mysore, is displayed here during the Dasera festival. Illuminated on Sundays and public holidays, it is a sight to be seen as can be guessed by viewing our small photo on the left.

Srirangapattana was the capital when Tippu Sultan ruled Mysore till he died in battle in 1799 while fighting the British with his famous sword. The fort here is often visited to see the place where Tippu died.


Hampi (Vijayanagara)

Vijayanagara, the “City of Victory,” was described as one of the one of the most beautiful cities in the world, during the height of its glory between the 14th and 16th century. It is now more well known as the Hampi ruins. Spread over an area of more than 25 square kilometers (10 square miles), Hampi ruins is full of sights of giant temples, palaces, fortifications, etc. and you can spend days wandering around. In 1986, UNESCO declared the group of monuments at Hampi as a World Heritage site. This is how the Group of Monuments at Hampi is described on their site "The austere, grandiose site of Hampi was the last capital of the last great Hindu Kingdom of Vijayanagar. Its fabulously rich princes built Dravidian temples and palaces which won the admiration of travelers between the 14th and 16th centuries. Conquered by the Deccan Muslim confederacy in 1565, the city was pillaged over a period of six months before being abandoned."

There are two airports near Hampi - Bellary and Hubli, but both are far, about 2 to 3 hours by car and the flights to these airports are limited. The best option to rach Hampi is by train. The nearest railway station is Hospet Junction 13 km from Hampi. A convenient train to catch is the overnight Hampi Express (Train number 6592) leaving Bangalore for Hubli at 10.20PM and reaching Hospet by about 8AM next day. For the return the best option will be Train number 6591 leaving Hospet by 8PM and reaching Bangalore by 6AM next day. There are several other options for trains. It is worth noting that after seeing Hampi you could go by train to Madgaon or Vasco-da-Gama Railway stations in Goa by an overnight train, thus saving one night hotel rent. The map on the right shows all the places mentioned.

'The Golden Chariot' Train

A great way to get to see the important tourist spots of Karnataka and Goa States is to use the luxury train 'The Golden Chariot'. It is a luxury tourist train with the coaches coloured purple and gold, and has the logo of a mythological animal with the head of an elephant and a body of a lion. The Golden Chariot operates weekly.

The train is similar to the popular 'Palace on Wheels' with on board accommodations, spa treatments and dining. It has two restaurants, a lounge bar, and conference area, gym and spa facilities. It is the only train in India to have onboard Wi-Fi connectivity, and satellite antennae providing live television service in the cabins.

The train sells a 7-day/8-night tour of Bangalore, Kabini, Mysore, Hassan, Hospet (for Hampi - Vijayanagara), Badami and Goa, before returning to Bangalore. Passengers have the option to start their trips from either Bangalore or Goa. The tourist attractions seen during the trip include the Nagarhole National Park, Mysore Palace, Srirangapatna forts, Hampi / Vijayanagr ruins, Hoysaleswara Temple, Gomateshwara and the Badami Cave Temples.

From October, 2009, the Golden Chariot is planning to to have two week tours that will cover Coimbatore, Madurai, Kanyakumari, Trivandrum, and Kochi also.