CITY SIGHTS

LALBAGH

Laid out by Mysuru ruler Haider Ali in 1740 spread over 240 acres. Its tropical plants were imported by Haider and his son Tipu Sultan from countries as diverse as Afghanistan, Persia, Mauritius, Turkey and Africa. Ogle at the Glass House modeled on London’s Crystal Palace. There is an annual flower show as well. Climb the rock mountain and take a look at Bangalore from the top.

JP PARK

Junction of Jalahalli and Mathikere The Jayaprakash Narayan Park boasts of 20,000 varieties of plant species, 60,000 flowering plants and shrubs and 5,000 medicinal herbs. It also include a 4.5-km jogging track, bamboo garden, women’s playground with dedicated shuttle and tennikoit court, football court, 1,000-seater amphitheatre and so on. The big lake there attracts migratory birds. Timings: 5am-8.30am & 5pm-8.30pm.

BANNERGHATTA NATIONAL PARK

Located 22 km from Bangalore, it is a sanctuary for wildlife, bears, reptiles, elephants and deer. Chief attractions include the lion and tiger safari, herbivore safari and the butterfly park. The Bannerghatta Nature Camp offers a package and a guided nature walk. It is closed on Tuesdays.

ISKCON TEMPLE

Hare Krishna Hills, West of Chord Road, Rajajinagar The International Society for Krishna Consciousness is one of the most sought after destinations in India. The white temple building has gorgeous deities of Lord Radha Krishna.

BAHAI BHAVAN

82, Coles Road The centre hosts regular ‘firesides’ or discussions among small groups on the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith along with prayer meetings and study groups.

BULL TEMPLE

Bull Temple Road, Basavanagudi This is a typical Dravidian-style temple built by Kempe Gowda I. It is has a monolith bull that is 4.5m tall and 6.5m long. It was apparently built to appease a vagrant bull which persisted in devouring all the groundnuts in the surrounding fields. Once this temple was built, the bull stayed away from the groundnuts. A Groundnut Fair (Kadalekayi Parishe) near the temple premises is held every year.

TAWAKKAL MASTAN DARGAH

Cottonpet, Near Majestic

Dedicated to the Sufi Saint Hazrat Tawakkal Mastan Shah, it is characterised by coloured floor tiles, tinted glass lamps, a green-and-white façade and ornate minarets.

GURUDWARA

Ulsoor Sri Guru Singh Sabha that faces the picturesque Ulsoor Lake is a white architectural delight that revels in pristine marble floors. Built in 1946, it is the main Sikh centre of worship in the city. Timings: 4am-9.30pm.

ST ANDREW’S CHURCH

Cubbon Road. This red-and-white Scottish-styled Gothic church was built in 1867. High windows, tall doors and circular ventilators are the highlights of this pretty edifice.

ST MARY’S BASILICA

Shivajinagar

Best known for the eight-day St Mary’s Feast every September, this church started in as a small chapel 1818. Rev LF Kleiner transformed the small chapel into a church in 1874. Boasts of stately arches vaulting towards the ceiling, rich Corinthian capitals of moulded bunches of grapes and artistic stained-glass windows from Paris.

JAMIA MASJID

NR Road

One of the biggest mosques in town, it can accommodate over 10,000 people at a time. Made of pure white marble from Rajasthan, it was built in 1940 and is in the middle of City Market.

BIG BANYAN TREE

Village of Ramohalli, near Kengeri, 60Km west of Bangalore

The Doda Alada Mara literally translated to Big Banyan Tree, is a giant tree covering 3 acres (12,000sqm) and is one of the largest of its kind. It is said to be at least 400 years old. Buses can be taken from Majestic Bangalore to Kengeri, and Kengeri to Doda Alada Mara.

BRINDAVAN

Whitefield, Kadugodi This is the Bangalore home of spiritual master Sathya Sai Baba. Spread over 50 acres, it is surrounded by Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning and the Sri Sathya Sai Hospital.

BANGALORE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION CENTRE (BIEC)

Tumkur Road

A multi-purpose facility spread over 34 acres, is a common ground for industry exhibitions, conferences, product demonstrations and training programme.

MATA AMRITHANANDAMAYI MATH

136, Ullal Cross Road, 2nd Stage Jnana Bharathi Like her ashrams across the world, this one is run by Amma’s disciples and regularly holds spiritual discourses and classes. It manages the Bramasthanam Temple, an engineering college, Amrita Vidyalayam, Amrita Krupa, a charitable clinic that offers free medical check-ups.

CUBBON PARK

Near the Vidhan Soudha is this 334-acre park laid out in 1864 by Richard Sankey, the Chief Engineer of Mysore, and named in honour of the then Chief Commissioner of Mysore, Sir Mark Cubbon. It is dotted with statues, giant bamboos, flowerbeds, natural rock formations.

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BY SMITI JAIN NARAYAN

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