Vidhana Soudha
An imposing edifice housing the State Legislature and the Secretariat of Karnataka, this is one of the best known landmarks of Bangalore.
Attara Kacheri
Overlooking Vidhana Soudha is this red brick and stone building in the Graeco-Roman style of architecture. It houses the state High Court.
Tipu’s Palace
Built in 1791, Tipu Sultan’s summer retreat is a two-storied ornate wooden structure with fluted pillars, cusped arches and balconies. It now houses a museum that contains artefacts relating to the Hyder Ali-Tipu regime.
Bangalore Palace
Modelled on the lines of the Windsor Castle in England, the Bangalore Palace flaunts turreted parapets, battlements, fortified towers, and arches.
Lalbagh Gardens
Take a stroll in this 240-acre park, which is home to India’s largest collection of rare tropical and subtropical plants, as well as many centuries-old trees. It contains one of Kempegowda’s watch towers, a surreal lawn surrounded by Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, an ornamental clock, a beautiful lake, a topiary park, a charming wooden bandstand and a glasshouse modelled on London’s Crystal Palace.
Cubbon Park
Cubbon Park provides Bangaloreans with over 300 acres of sprawling greenery in the heart of the city. The park houses the State Library, an impressive, red Gothic structure, and is dotted with fountains, statues, flowering trees and shady groves.
Visveswaraya Industrial & Technological Museum
This museum is dedicated to the memory of Sir M Visveswaraya, the architect of modern Karnataka. It provides a brief history of technological development in the country, and houses many technical inventions.
Government Museum
Acclaimed as one of the oldest museums in the country, it houses an amazing collection of archaeological items such as stone carvings, pottery, paintings, coins, sculptures and inscriptions.
HAL Heritage Centre and Aerospace Museum
Marvel at India’s first and only aviation museum which has a large collection of aircraft models, photographs, fighter planes, and helicopters. There are also aircraft simulators, a mock air traffic control tower and an aero modelling club, besides a reference library at this centre established by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath
This is one of the premier fine art institutions in the country. Its activities extend to dance performances, folk theatre, photography exhibitions, puppet shows and musical recitals. Chitrakala Parishath is a goldmine of paintings by famous artists including Roerich. It contains a graphic studio and an openair theatre, and houses five art galleries which are hired out to artists who wish to display their work. The Parishath has worked to revive dying art forms, its most notable successes being in traditional Mysore paintings and leather puppetry. It also holds workshops, artists’ camps and demonstrations. The institution houses the Chitrakala Vidyalaya, a college of fine art forms, affiliated to the Bangalore University and offering courses in painting, sculpture, graphic art, applied art and art history.
Jawahar Lal Nehru Planetarium
The planetarium is perfect for star gazing. Watch “The Sky Theatre Show” unfold the marvels of the universe, planets and the solar system.
National Gallery of Modern Art
Spread over an area of 3.5 acres, this historic heritage mansion was transformed from a residency into a museum, with a display space of 1551 sq. m. The heritage building has been supplemented by a new Gallery Block, which adds a display space of 1260 sq. m. It is also equipped with a refurbished auditorium, a reference library, a cafeteria, and a museum shop cum facilitations block. It houses paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings from the late 18th century. It also displays works by famous Indian artists like Raja Ravi Varma, Amritha Shergil, Ravindranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose, Jamini Roy and also works of other international artists.
Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain
View the colourful swirling fountains dancing in tune to music.
Venkatappa Art Gallery
Houses the paintings and art materials of the eminent artist Venkatappa, as well as those of other renowned artists.
Ulsoor Lake
Enjoy an idyllic afternoon at this lake, which is dotted with picturesque islets. Boating facilities are available here.
Sankey Boat Club
The ideal place for lazy boat rides and leisurely walks on breezy evenings.
ISKCON Temple (International Society for Krishna Consciousness)
Built in an ornate architectural style, the Krishna Temple is a blend of modern technology and spiritual harmony. Visit this ornate temple just 10km west of Vidhana Soudha in Bangalore. Built on a hillock, with granite, marble and Korean glass, this huge cultural complex was established to promote Vedic culture and spiritual learning. It houses various deities, including Krishna, Balaram, and Radha. The annual Rath Yatra (chariot procession) of Krishna and Balaram draws devotees in large numbers.
Bull Temple
Built by Kempegowda in Basavanagudi, it is reminiscent of 16th century Dravidian style architecture. It has a huge granite monolith of Nandi.
Dodda Ganesha Temple
Just below the Bull Temple is the huge Ganesha Temple, with a monolith Ganesha idol 18ft high and 16ft wide.
Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple
Built during Kempegowda’s reign, this unique cave temple contains a granite moon, sun-disc monoliths, a stone umbrella, a Shivalinga, and three cave passages. Every year, during Makara Sankranthi, this cave temple witnesses a strange phenomenon, when a ray of light passes precisely between the horns of the stone bull outside the temple, and illuminates the deity inside the cave.
Raagi Gudda Sri Prasanna Anjenaya Swami Temple
Located on a hillock known as Raagi Gudda (Maize Mountain) the Hanuman Temple attracts large numbers of devotees from South Bangalore. In addition to being a place of worship, it has now been transformed into a cultural, educational and social service project that offer free medical checkup, free education, book bank, free coaching for students, meditation centres, yoga, music and Veda reading, library and choultry. Three huge rocks representing Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are the added attractions here. A unique feature of Hanuman Jayanthi celebrations is the educational exhibition organised with different themes.
Shiva Temple
This temple has a 65ft Shiva statue, an artificial pond resembling the Manasa Sarovar Lake, and caves. The replicas of Jyothirlingas are a major tourist attraction.
Infant Jesus Church
Established in the year 1979 by Rev Dr Lourduswamy, the then Archbishop of Bangalore, the church draws huge crowds on Thursday, the day dedicated to Infant Jesus.
Sheshadri Iyer Memorial Hall
This houses the State Central Library. Find here a rich collection of reference books.
Jamia Masjid
A majestic 5-storey mosque located in the heart of Bangalore’s City market area, the Jamia Masjid is the largest mosque in the city. Its sprawling interiors, with pure white marble from Rajasthan, can accommodate a staggering 10,000 worshippers at a time.
