Bangalore city has a number of tourist places. Apart from the numerous gardens, it also has some historical sites and other places of interest that are worth visiting and seeing.The Vidhan Soudha or the State Secretariat, built in 1954, is the main attraction of this city. It is a marvel of modern architecture and is a fine amalgamation of traditional Dravidian and modern styles. Cubbon Park, the 120-hectare park located near the Vidhan Soudha, has a number of neo-classical styled government buildings.

The Government Museum of Bangalore (one of India's oldest museums) and the Visvesvaraya Technological and Industrial Museum are important museums within the city.
The Lal Bagh Botanical Gardens, which holds a number of flower shows, especially during the Republic Day (26th January), is located on the southern fringes of the city.The 18th-century Tipu Sultan's Fort and Palace are other important places of interest to the traveler. The 16th-century, Dravidian-styled temple dedicated to Nandi the Bull is an important place of worship.The Venkataramanaswamy Temple, the Gavi Gangadhareswara cave temple, and the Someshwara Temple are other important temple of this city.
The Ulsoor Lake on the northeastern edge of the city is an important picnic spot.Bangalore city is famous for it numerous Yoga centers, where fitness freaks can learn and practice this ancient art of keeping healthy.

Bangalore, the fifth largest city in India, is the perfect blend of natural beauty and man-made marvels of architecture and technology. Blessed with a salubrious climate and dotted with beautiful parks, its tree-lined avenues, its trendy, yuppie downtown, and the software flood, Bangalore truly offers one a picture of striking contrasts.

Bangalore -- located 1,000m above sea level is one of the most 'happening' places in India. Bangalore, which literally means the 'town of baked beans', was founded by Kempe Gowda, a chieftain of the Vijayanagar Empire, around the 16th century. He built four towers in four directions to specify its boundaries. However, Bangalore has far exceeded these limits since.

Bangalore was first known as 'Benguluru'. The earliest reference to the name Benguluru was found in a 9th century Ganga inscription on herostone. This inscription was found in Begur and Benguluru is referred to as a place in which a battle was fought. Most scholars believe that the name has a floral origin and is derived from the tree 'Benga', also known as the Indian Kino.

The place that was referred to as 'Benguluru' in the Ganga inscription was originally a hamlet and is found even today in a place called Kodigehalli, which is not too far away from Hebbal. Today however, this hamlet is called 'Halebenguluru' or 'Old Bangalore'.

According to one of the stories associated with it, in the year 1120 AD, the Chola King, Veera Ballalla ruled the Deccan plateau or the South of India. On a hunting trip to the forest, he lost his way. Famished and exasperated, after a long search, he met an old lady in the forest who offered him shelter for the night and served him baked beans for dinner. To show his gratitude to this lady for having helped him out, the King constructed a town and named it as 'Benda Kalooru', which means 'Baked Beans'.

It is believed that when Kempe Gowda I built the new capital in 1537 AD, he used a more anglicised version of the name Benguluru and called the town Bangalore. Kempegowda- I's mother and wife both belonged to the township that is known as Halebenguluru today.

Fairs and Festivals in Bangalore:

Karaga festival
It is celebrated in March and April.Karaga, an earthen pot embodying Shakti is taken out in a night procession for more than 12miles before being immersed in the Sampangi tank. Devotees balance pots on their heads to test the strength of their character. A priest attired as a woman also does the same thing in the main temple procession.

Kadalekaye Parishe
It is celebrated in November. It is also called Peanut festival as the farmers celebrate the first groundnut crop of the year. The local farmers worship at the Bull temple and seek blessings.

Makara Sankranthi or Pongal
It is known in the South, is celebrated to mark the beginning of the harvest season. People believe that the first rays of the sun on Sankranthi will bring them a good harvest. It is also celebrated to mark the change of seasons from winter to spring.

Ganesh Chaturthi
It is celebrated in September all over the world, the day before Swarna Gowri.

Dussehra
The pride of Karnataka's festivals is Dussehra. It is a celebration that lasts for ten days. The rulers of Vijayanagara Empire used to celebrate Dussehra with remarkable brilliance. The rulers of Mysore continued the tradition. The Maharaja of Mysore used to hold a Durbar for 9 days and on the 10th day went in a procession on a caparisoned elephant.

Varamahalakshmi
The annual Lakshmi Pooja is celebrated all over Karnataka in August. The origin of this puja lies in the Vedic age. On this auspicious day married women make offerings to Mother Lakshmi in the form of garlands of cash, jewellary and other valuables. They pray for prosperity, peace and happiness for their families and husbands. All financial problems are said to be solved after performing this puja. People meet each other and women perform puja together. It is also customary to offer vermilion or kum-kum to at least five married ladies.

Prime Attractions / Places to See :

The Bull Temple -
The 4.57m high and 6.10 m long image was built by Kempe Gowda, in the 16th century.

Vidhaan Soudha -
A marvel of neo-Dravidian architecture and one of the most imposing building not only in Bangalore but in India, the Vidhaan Soudha houses the state legislative assembly of Karnataka and part of the Secretariat.

Tipu's Palace -
The summer palace of Tipu Sultan was built in Bangalore. The entire structure is built of teakwood. This double-storeyed ornate structure was constructed in 1781-1791 AD.

Shopping in Bangalore -
Bangalore is famous for the shopping malls, which have some of the finest and biggest showrooms in India. This electronic capital of India has been attracting people for Sandal wood, Silk and hand woven materials.

Excursions from Bangalore :

Ramohalli -
This picnic spot is located 28 kms from Bangalore on the Mysore road. Ramohalli is a beautiful picnic spot with a KSTDC restaurant.

Tipu's Palace -
 BangaloreMysore - The erst while capital of the Wodeyars is 140 kms from Bangalore. This city has retained the charm it had acquired during the reign of Wodeyars. Mysore is also known as the 'City Of Palace'.

Hassan -
194 kms from Bangalore is Hassan, from where one can go to Belur, Halebid and Sravanabelagola. Sravanabelagola is a famous Jain pilgrimage with a 17m high monolith of lord Bahubali standing tall.

Cubbon Park, Bangalore -
Together with Lal Bagh, it is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city. Spread over 250 acres, the green park has various attractions, the rose garden, children's play ground with toy train and several play equipments, the recently opened doll museum and an aquarium. The central garden inside the park has an open stage where free concerts by amateur/professional artists occur at times.The park is surrounded by other attractions such as the Visveswaraya Industrial and Technological Museum, The High court and the Vidhana Soudha (Karnataka Secretariat).The park has entrances from Mahatma Gandhi Road (MG Road) and the High Court side for vehicles. The park is open for public at all times. The vehicle traffic is closed from 5 AM to 8 AM all days. While visiting the park, one can park their vehicles on the border road inside the park for a nominal parking fee.

Kodagu Or Coorg -
Kodagu is one of the most famous hill station in India proudly nicknamed as "Kashmir of South"/ "Switzerland of India" etc. Blessed with beauty and bounty of forests and mountains, it is also known as Mother Nature's special place. It is truly a nature lover's paradise with great landscape, lush green valleys, misty woods, racing rivers and enchanting waterfalls.

How to reach Bangalore

Bangalore -
The Silicon Valley of India and every tourist's dream travel destination is well connected with domestic airlines and also catering to few international flights. Bangalore, being the capital , has excellant road services to adjoining states and has a strong network of rail services with two major stations the Bangalore City and Bangalore Cantt.

Bangalore By Air -
Bangalore has its own airport with almost all the major domestic airlines catering services to the city. The airport is 6 kms from city centre. Few selected international carriers also operate their flights to the city.

Bangalore By Rail -
Bangalore has two railway stations, the Bangalore City and Bangalore Cantt. The major trains from and to Bangalore terminate & start from the city station. Bangalore is well connected to all the major towns of India.

Bangalore By Road -
Being the capital city of Karnataka, Bangalore has very good motorable roads to various parts of the state. Some of the bus services are also serving the adjoining states.