Bangalore Musings – The Top Places to visit when in Bengaluru

A visit to the city of Bangalore can be quite an interesting experience. While being the epicenter of India’s high-tech revolution for the past 30 years. Bangalore is a metropolis famous for its elaborate boulevards, and cosmopolitan lifestyle. Bangalore has become the city of dreams for most technology professionals and top B-school graduates. Young people from all over India throng to Bangalore in search of a better future. Bengaluru contributes over $45 billion, or 38 percent of India’s total IT exports. This is a telling testament to its economic prowess.

The Spectacular Rise of Bangalore as a preferred IT Destination.

The exceptional growth of Bangalore’s economy has been through the paces in the last three decades. Travellers are in for a pleasant surprise due to the city’s salubrious climate, shopping malls, and fine dine restaurants. The spirit of free enterprise, entrepreneurship, and abundant opportunity is palpable everywhere. Some of the finest institutions of learning, research, and development have their head offices here. The Indian Space Research Organization, Indian Institute of Science, and Indian Institute of Management are premier institutions in Bangalore.

The lush greenery, quaint neighborhoods have given way to uncontrolled development with many high-rise buildings. However, this has meant heavy traffic that has eroded the city’s tag of being called “The Garden City of India”. But surprisingly Bangalore for all its development has not lost its rustic charm completely. Visitors can see churches, broad boulevards, coffee shops, and bars that are reminiscent of a bygone colonial era.

These businesses have been able to adapt to the new modern populace with consummate ease. Whether you are a fashionista, shopaholic, movie buff, or a prolific game addict the city has something for everybody. The many Bangalore attractions the city has to offer will satisfy every traveller’s need.

Enjoying the sights and sounds of Bangalore in a day

The musings of the city can be best enjoyed by taking a melancholic visit to its finest monuments and tourist spots. Bangalore is a large metropolis; visitors will need at least a week to tour all its holiday spots. Here is a delightful list of the must visit places in Bangalore city. These destinations are bare essential things to see in Bangalore when on a day’s city tour.

1.Bangalore Vidhana Soudha –  The Seat of Power in Karnataka

The iconic Vidhana Soudha is one of the best places to visit in Bangalore. It is an architectural jewel that embodies the Mysore-Neo Dravidian style of architecture. The stunning monument is a four-storied structure measuring 2300 by 1150 ft covering over 500000 sq feet. Incidentally, the building houses both Karnataka’s legislative assembly & council halls. Notwithstanding, it inspires awe and a sense of security that democracy is thriving in the country. The evenings are lit in majestic lights and make the surroundings look magnificent. Interestingly, it is of the best places to visit in Bangalore for couples eager for a photo opportunity.

2. Bangalore Palace – Grand Opulence

The Bangalore Palace is one of the best tourist places in Bangalore, and is just five kilometres from Vidhana Soudha. It is an opulent palace that is a reminder of the royal heritage of the Wodeyar Kingdom. This exquisite palace has a built-up area of over 45,000 sq ft. surprisingly it is well protected from degradation by a large ground encompassing the palace.

Elaborate fluorescent blue ceramic tiles make the interiors look exquisite. While the massive darbar hall is beautified with paintings while its walls are etched in semi-precious stone. An entrance ticket can be purchased at the ticket counter. The palace is open from 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM. It is advisable to check Bangalore Palace timings to avoid planning a visit during holidays and off days.

3.Bangalore Iskcon Sri Krishna Temple – Modern yet Divine

After a fascinating tour of the palace, a visit to the ISKCON temple at Rajajinagar can be a blissful experience. The temple is one of the largest Sri Krishna Temples in India, and one of the most visited tourist places in Bangalore, with the primary mission, is to spread Krishna consciousness in the world.

The beautiful temple has six altars but the main deities are Lord Krishna, Radha, and Lord Balarama. The “Akshaya Patra Foundation” spearheaded by the temple provides mid-day meals benefitting over 1.6 million underprivileged yearly. Visitors can volunteer to help in the social and welfare schemes by donating funds or perform Seva for the deserving. Interestingly the calendar year at ISKCON is packed with festivities being commemorated all through the year. Prayers and puja’s start as early as 4:30 AM and is the best place to experience the sunrise in Bangalore. There is no thoroughfare, but it’s advisable to check local listings before visiting the temple.

4. Bangalore Lalbagh & Cubbon Park – The British Legacy Gardens

Travellers can then proceed to visit two of the oldest parks in the city Lalbagh and Cubbon Park. Lalbagh is a botanical park spread over an area of 240 acres. It is a treasure trove of some unique species of flora and fauna. The garden is exquisitely designed with lawns, flowerbeds, lotus pools, and fountains. The Lalbagh Rock within the confines of the park is believed to be over 300 million years old.

The annual flower show held in the Lalbagh Glasshouse is a showstopper event. The show is organized during the weeks coinciding with Republic Day (26 January) and Independence Day (15 August). The event attracts visitors in the thousands from all parts of the city.

Cubbon Park is one of the last lung spaces left in the city. It is home to abundant flora and fauna plantations. However, the park houses impressive buildings including the Karnataka High Court, The State Archaeological Museum, and a Memorial Library. There is no entrance fee at Cubbon Park but Lalbagh charges a nominal entrance fee.

5. Bangalore Bannerghatta National Park

The Bannerghatta National Park is everyone’s best getaway for a day for all tech nerds and high flying professionals in Bangalore City.  Here are some of the activities visitors to the park can enjoy.

• The park offers a sneak peek into a jungle in the Bangalore city outskirts. The Bannerghatta National Park is a treasure trove of some amazing wild life combined with the serenity of the forest just 40 km from Bangalore City
• It’s a good opportunity to enjoy a jungle safari at the Bannerghatta National Park. Visitors get to get a close look of the amazing wildlife when on safari
• Soak in the beauty of the Bannerghatta Botanical Gardens with its charming fountain, flora & fauna

It is a 65,000-acre biological park located in the Anekal Forest range in the Bangalore rural district. It started as a recreational centre for nature lovers in 1972. It gained prominence after wild and endangered animals were taken in as a conservation and restoration effort. It was soon declared a National Park in 1974.

The landscape consists of hilly terrain, scrubland, deciduous forests, and valleys. The Swarnamukhi water stream that flows through the park makes it a perfect breeding ground for flora and fauna to thrive. The park is open the whole year but its advisable to check local listings to get the latest information about the park timings, opening hours, entrance fees, and other facilities that customers might need to avail of while visiting the national park.

6. Bangalore Wonderla Amusement Park

Wonderla Amusement park is one of the happening tourist places near Bangalore to visit. Wonderla is 30 km from Bangalore, just off the Bangalore-Mysore highway. It is a place of breath-taking charm and big wonders. The park is choc a bloc with water rides, land rides, and many thrilling attractions. Wonderla is a good picnic spot near Bangalore loved by kids and children alike.

There are more than 60 exhilarating to keep everyone occupied the whole day. Wave Pool and the rain disco are the show stopper events at the park. In addition, thrill rides like Insanity, Maverick, Y-scream, Boomerang, Harakiri, and Twisters are worth a try. A delectable list of delicious foods from kebabs, biryani noodles to mouth-watering meal combos attracts tourists in droves here. Interestingly, the entrance fee cost as low as Rs 1000 per person.

7. Bangalore MG Road & Brigade Road – The City’s Fashion Streets

The last pitstop on a Bangalore City tour has to be the fabulous Mahatma Gandhi & Brigade roads. These are the top Bangalore tourist spots and home to some of the finest single and multi-brand complexes in the city. The Bangalore Metro adds spunk, by connecting this thriving shopper’s paradise to the various localities in the city. Likewise, the food joints offer some of the most delectable local and international delicacies to savour. MG Road’s vibrant night clubs, cafes, and restaurants make Bangalore’s nightlife come to life.

Please also read our blog on the Bangalore International Airport here

Relax, Rejuvenate & Re Energize at Shathayu Yoga Retreat Bangalore

Bangalore has earned a reputation of becoming a hub of innovation in healthcare, biotech and software services. One beneficiary is the booming demand for medical tourism. The city enjoys a salubrious climate with lush greenery, parks and streets lined with trees.

Tourists to Bangalore can also take advantage of the many health care establishments dotting the metropolis. Super-specialty clinics, ayurvedic & naturopathy medical facilities offer travellers effective health care solutions at affordable prices. The Shathayu Ayurvedic Retreat Centre is just 20 km from the Bengaluru International Airport.

It is one such premier healthcare resort located away from the hustle and bustle of the Bangalore Metropolis. Shathayu Retreat provides holistic wellness services that take care of the mental, physical, spiritual, social, and lifestyle aspects of customers staying at the centre.  Our wellness program is designed with over 120 years of ayurvedic practice passed down through five generations.

The Ayurvedic retreat centre is surrounded by hillocks on three sides with a perennial lake on the other offering side, offering a perfect ambience to recharge, recuperate and re energize. We customize our wellness programs to suit the specific needs of the customer.  Shathayu specializes in weight management, pain management and de-addiction.

Tourists can also check into one of 12 Ayurveda clinics owned by Shathayu.com. Our doctors are skilled in handling many lifestyle related illnesses and conditions.

Enjoy the many spectacular visual treats when in Bangalore.

Travellers are sure to leave Bangalore happy!!  There is no doubt that Bangalore will be counted amongst the most happening cities in the future. What started as a city with many public sector undertakings in the 1960s has grown to become a beacon of prosperity and technological innovation in South Asia.

Visitors to the city will go back delighted, but also revile about the need to preserve their own city’s greenery and culture. Sustainable development while protecting our cities from rampant development is of paramount importance. This will make India wealthy and prosperous. Let’s hope that this dream of being considered among the echelons of super powers of the world come true.