Bangalore (India)

BANGALORE or BENGALURU as it is officially known now ,is the capital city of the state of KARNATAKA , in INDIA...It is the fourth largest city in India next only to DELHI,MUMBAI(BOMBAY) , KOLKOTTA(CALCUTTA) and vying with CHENNAI(MADRAS) for the 4th place...

It is one of the fastest growing metros in the world, which means that it is getting more and more polluted...
Given a choice most Indians would prefer to settle down in ...
...and planned....

Bangalore has many advantages for anyone looking for a comfortable life on international standards..
There are excellent Restaurants,malls , well stacked super markets and a decent transport system, which is being upgraded all the time..
The new International airport comparable with any of the standard Airports in other major cities across the world...

AS A MAJOR TOURIST SPOT

more

BANGALORE or BENGALURU as it is officially known now ,is the capital city of the state of KARNATAKA , in INDIA...It is the fourth largest city in India next only to DELHI,MUMBAI(BOMBAY) , KOLKOTTA(CALCUTTA) and vying with CHENNAI(MADRAS) for the 4th place...

It is one of the fastest growing metros in the world, which means that it is getting more and more polluted...
Given a choice most Indians would prefer to settle down in Bangalore. Most of the Indians working abroad target Bangalore when they plan to return home and settle down....The property prices are soaring, already comparable to London property prices ..
The city is very large and spread out and connected through various RING ROADS ..There are more being constructed and planned....

Bangalore has many advantages for anyone looking for a comfortable life on international standards..
There are excellent Restaurants,malls , well stacked super markets and a decent transport system, which is being upgraded all the time..
The new International airport comparable with any of the standard Airports in other major cities across the world...

AS A MAJOR TOURIST SPOT

For a tourist planning to tour Karnataka or the South Indian states,Bangalore is an ideal base, as it is well connected to most tourist spots and almost all the major cities in India and most major cities across the world....

Bangalore is one of the fastest growing cosmopolitan cities in Asia. It is called the "SILICON VALLEY OF INDIA" with thousands of IT Companies, and lots of outsourced jobs. It is an outsourcing hub where many of the critical projects from FORTUNE 500 companies are being done here.

It is known as the PUB CITY of India ..with more than 200 pubs scattered all over the city....but as of now , they all close at 11.30 pm.There is a major protest going on against this by most techies, students and other pub regulars...in fact it has infuriated almost all the citizens of Bangalore, except, probably the authorities who claim that , the early closure brings down the crime rate..one fails to see the connection here between early closure of pubs and crime rate....

Bangalore, has the added advantage of having a moderate weather year-round , hence it is liked by most people even within India.

There are 2 major Parks the LALBAGH Botanical gardens, which was started as a private garden by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, the Moghul rulers, is now being maintained by the state government. Today, the garden is a lush green paradise with an area of 240 acres in the heart of the city and a lake with boating facilities....boasts of nearly 673 genera and 1,854 species of plants ....The collection of the plants has made it a veritable treasure house .Biannual flower shows are organized by the state every year in January and August, where a lot of private growers take part in the various events.......

Another impressive park is the CUBBON PARK, with a history of more than 100 years...It was established in the year 1870 by Sir John Meade, the then acting Commissioner of Bangalore..
The park has been designed in an area of 188 acres and houses the Parliament house called VIDHANA SOUDHA, and the HIGH COURT buildings...It has lush greenery and is being maintained by the Horticultural dept..

Tippu Sultan's summer palace located bang in the centre of the city is a beautiful rose wood structure and a major tourist attraction.

There are several lakes in the city. The ULSOOR LAKE, NAGWARA
LAKE (Lumbini gardens), HEBBAL LAKE, SANKEY TANK... All these lakes offer beautiful walks, gardens, and boating facilities, restaurants...

Bangalore is an upcoming spa destination. There are a number of these on the outskirts of the city..There is the AYURGRAM, SOUKHYA, GOLDEN PALMS,JINDAL'S NATUROTHERAPY etc which offer fantastic healing therapy packages....

There is plenty to shop in Bangalore...Clothes, silks, cottons,Sarees ,Articrafts,handicrafts , leather goods, Sandal wood products etc; etc;...compared to other major international cities the prices are very reasonable and there are lots of bargains all through the year....Indians are perpetually celebrating some festival or the other , all round the year...and the shop keepers generally have reduction sales and bargains during such times...

Bangalore has some of the finest restaurants catering to every kind of taste....there are all the major American fast food chains like the Pizza hut, Mcdonald,KFC and others...and innumerable Indian food of all kind...The Tandoori joints,Mughalai food,Sea food,Vegetarian and many Chinese, japanese,Mexican restaurants , most of them at very reasonable prices...

PLACES OF INTEREST AROUND BANGALORE

MYSORE, the palace city with many attractions including 5 Beautiful palaces, One of the largest Zoos in the world, and the K.R.Saagar water reservoir with the famous Brindavan gardens , is at a distance of about 150kms .Now with the new highway in place, it takes less than 3 hours to drive down.

NANDI HILLS ,at a distance of 60 kms is a lovely picnic spot offering great views from atop the hill...Ithas a vast expanse of lush grrenery and tropical forest and open spaces..there are a couple of restaurants , quite well maintained ..

COORG, is another place of interest,situated at a distance of about 230 kms and known as "The Scotland of India" ....with its vast expanse of Coffee Estates and water falls it is a must visit place.....

There are Jungle resorts and elephant safaris at BANDIPUR Forest range and NAGARAHOLE National Park, both bordering on Coorg...

HOTELS IN BANGALORE

Some of the major hotels

THE PARK BANGALORE
THE LEELA PALACE HOTEL
THE TAJ WESTEND
THE CENTRAL PARK
THE TAJ RESIDENCY
LE MERIDIEN BANGALORE
HOTEL BANGALORE GATE
HOTEL ST MARKS
HARSHA HOTEL
THE CHALUKYA HOTEL

There are enough hotels catering to all kind of budget and taste, the choice is unlimited...Most of the hotels have pick up service from the International Airport...

BANGALORE NOW

Bangalore's growth over the past decade has taken everyone by surprise, including the Bangalore city authorities, hence there is a lot of confusion within the city..with major road works at the beginning stages and the metro rail construction amidst the city center.....It does put one into a lot of inconvenience.Hopefully the city should be better organised once all the work is done....

Cities don't grow old. They change, sometimes subtly, often drastically. When such transformation affects the character of a place, something is lost forever. For better or for worse.....One wonders if that has happened to Bangalore? No doubt it is outgrowing the planned growth limits. Yet the urban authorities promise to protect the natural valleys, water bodies, forests and national parks in its vicinity even when the comprehensive plan is put into action.....But one can see that a lot of grand old trees are being cut for widening the roads and the bird life is being affected...

But for old timers living in Bangalore for generations, Bangalore evokes a deeply-felt nostalgia.There is in Bangalore a core group of people who would do anything in their power to care for the old Bangalore and its ethos. Steps are being taken to maintain the older buildings and monuments and the citizens are pooling in towards this effort..There are many active , concerned organisations within the city helping in improving the general quality of life in Bangalore, by helping out the authorities as and when they can...

There are days when you look around and see how much the city has changed in the last 12-15 years ,the city has grown enormously; the pace of construction is nothing less than crazy; traffic is near-impossible to navigate during the rush hour (which is pretty much all day except for may be an hour here or there in between) there are homes, shops, and buildings the likes of which one never thought one would see in Bangalore. Yet There are a lot more people coming in here, and ,people from all over the world and all over the country... because of this constant migration there are many more slums; and everything is at least 10 times more expensive....

Bangalore is growing up to be a great city but it also has its problem like high traffic volumes, choked roads,and it is costlier than any other Indian city in certain respects....there is a lack of sufficient growth in Infrastructure ..a one sided growth as of now....
But with all its faults it is still a great place to visit with its perfect blend of history and modernization....It has the true essence of India and has still managed to maintain some of its old world charm... 

...less