On a grassy expanse over a few hundred acres in the centre of Bangalore is Cubbon Park, planned and laid out in 1864 by Sir Richard Sankey, the Avenue in Cubbon Parkthen Chief Engineer of Mysore. It is named after Sir Mark Cubbon, Bangalore's longest serving Commissio- ner. Lawns with vibrant flower beds, shady bowers and flowering trees, make this an ideal place for fitness freaks and the elderly to take their morning jogs or evening walks. The Park has elegant classical buildings like Attara Kacheri (the Karnataka High Court) and the Visveswaraya Industrial and Technological Museum, Government Museum, Aquarium, Venkatappa Art Gallery and Seshadri Iyer Memorial Hall, all of which are well known. BesidCubbon Parkes these, it also houses Bal Bhavan - an amusement park for children.

Cubbon Park is open to the public at all times, but is closed to traffic from 5 am to 8 am every day.

Surrounding one of the towers erected by Kempe Gowda, the founder of Bangalore, is the 240 acre landscaped Lal Bagh gardens. Haider Ali, the warrior-king of Mysore, decided to create this garden in 1740 on the lines of the Mughal Gardens that were popular during his time.
The park has some rare species of plants brought from Persia, Afghanistan and France. Hyder Ali's son, Tipu Sultan, added to the beauty of the garden by publicising his wish to receive much-sought-after species of plants from visiting dignitaries.

With an intricate watering system for irrigation, Lal Bagh is aesthetically designed, with lawns, flower beds, lotus pools and fountains. Most of the centuries old trees are labelled for easy identification.

During season, the rose garden is beautiful to behold. Apparently, when the young Tipu saw this profusely flowering rose garden he exclaimed, "Lal Bagh!" and that is how Lal Bagh got its name!

While walking around, do not miss the Lal Bagh Rock, one of the oldest rock formations on earth actually dating back to 3000 million years!
The Glass House, a later addition to the Garden, now hosts a permanent flower show which is in addition to the extravaganza held every year on Independence Day and Republic Day.

The Lal Bagh Botanical Gardens, as it is called now, is open to public from 9 am to 6 pm for a nominal fee of Rs.2/- for persons above 12 yrs. In addition, for the benefit of early morning joggers, and fitness freaks, the gates are open from 6 am to 9 am and 6 pm to 7 pm, when entry is free of charge. Entry for school children and the disabled is free.

Going to a zoo can be a vastly different experience from seeing animals in the wild. Although the Bannerghatta Park is not on the scale of Jim Corbett National Park, it does give nature lovers a glimpse of wild animals in their natural habitat. Situated 25 km from the heart of the city, its main attractions are bisons, lions, elephants and panthers among other wildlife. It also has a Serpentarium and a crocodile farm. Being a picnic spot it is always teeming with people. The park officials organise a Lion Safari for those interested.

This lake is centrally located, over a space of 1.5 sq. km. It was originally known as "Halsur" or "Alasur".It then extended over an area of 125 acres.It is a major tourist attraction with a boat club. You can enjoy a boat-ride which includes stops at some of the tiny islands that dot the lake.

The boating is organised by the KSTDC. Pedal and row-boats can be hired for Rs 120/- per hour. Boating is open on all days including Sundays and government holidays between 9:30 am and 5:30 pm. Attached to the lake is a park with a lot of shade and greenery, which is frequented by children and others

Boating on a weekend can be fun and the Sankey Tank offers you just the setting you need. The Mayura Sankey Boat Sankey TankClub is maintained by the KSTDC. It is open from 10 am to 6 pm and has no holidays. The boating facilities provided are - row boats, pedal boats and motor boats. A Swim Centre is housed within the boundaries of the Sankey Tank. The centre is open from 6 am to 5 pm on all days except on Friday, which is the weekly holiday. It is closed between 10 am and 12 noon every day. There is a separate batch for ladies from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm. The entry is Rs 10/- for adults and Rs 5/- for children.

This museum is a tribute to Sir MVishwesharaiah Museum. Vishweshwaraiah, a statesman who worked untiringly to bring science and technology to the common man.

An airplane and a steam engine are displayed in its compound. Inside there are five galleries, each dedicated to a particular aspect of technology.

Approach the room of electronics and the door opens on its own accord, step in and the lights come on, seat yourself and music fills the room. You can monitor your voice as you speak, and learn how things are made - from motion pictures to alarms.

Established in 1989, the Planetarium is a visual delight for children and adults. The sound and light show - "The Sky Theatre Show" about the marvels of the universe, the planets and the solar system, is designed to be informative and entertaining. The theatre can seat up to two hundred and ten persons.

Entry is restricted to children below 5 years. Tickets are issued half an hour before the show and only two tickets are issued per head. Tickets are priced at Rs 10/- for persons below 16 years and at Rs 15/- for persons above 16 years

Bangalore PalaceAnyone who sees the Bangalore Palace is bound to fall in love with it. Once youget over the initial shock of finding Tudor architecture surrounded by Indian urban scenery, it's quite an intriguing place worth exploring. It was built by Chamaraja Wodeyar, Maharaja of Mysore in 1887. The Palace flaunts turreted parapets, battlements, fortified towers and arches. At that time it costed about Rs One lakh to construct it. The land cost Rs 10 lakh.

During a visit to England, Chamaraja Wodeyar was inspired by the Windsor Castle in London, and along similar lines he built this palace in Tudor style. The palace was earlier surrounded by beautiful gardens in the midst of a vast open area, which have reduced considerably today.

Spread over an area of about 430 acres, the Palace is famous for its elegantly carved woodwork. It is right in the heart of the city. With a built-up area of around 45,000 sq. ft., this 120 year old monument is a popular tourist attraction. It is surrounded by a garden all around, almost giving it a fairytale setting.

The structure has fortified towers complete with Gothic windows, battlements and turrets. This palace is largely constructed of wood, and is famous for its carving and paintings. An exquisite door panel at the entrance leads to grand settings inside.

Reverend Garret originally owned the land, on which the palace stands today. Located between Jayamahal and Sadashivanagar areas, the palace ground has become a venue for various exhibitions, concerts and cultural programs. The palace is truly an architectural splendour. The interiors have breathtaking floral motifs, cornices, mouldings and relief paintings on its ceilings. However, entry to the palace is restricted.

The majestic looking Vidhana Soudha houses the State Legislature, and is the largest Secretariat in India. Kengal Hanumanthaiah, Chief Minister of the then Mysore State between 1951-1956 was responsible for the concept, the structure and the setting of this magnificent building.

Vidhana SoudhaSupervised and executed by engineers and architects led by the then Chief Engineer, late B.R.Manickam of the Public Works Department, the Vidhana Soudha is an arresting monument. The building project was started in 1952 and took five thousand labourers, 1500 chisellers, masons and wood carvers four years to complete. Built entirely from Bangalore granite in the DravidianVidhana Soudha - Under Construction style, it has floral motifs on stone carvings drawn from the celebrated temple craft of South India.

Total floor area: 5,50,505 square feet. Length: 700 feet. Width: 350 feet. Height from floor level to top of central dome: 150 feet. The project begun in 1952 was completed in 1956

Tipu's FortTIPU'S FORT In the busy, crowded City Market area lies the remnants of Tipu's Fort. Originally this fort was built by Chikkadeva Raya and was later extended, dimantled and rebuilt by Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan.

What remains now is parts of the fort wall with a tablet marking the place where Cornwallis had breached it in 1791. In the courtyard is the Ganesha Temple that is popularly thought to represent Tipu Sultan's religious tolerance. The fort is noted for its beautifully carved arches on the gate walls.

The history of the ISKCON Bangalore, starts from a lonely, empty seven acre hillock that the BDA (Bangalore Development Authority) had designated as 'kharaab land' (waste land). ISKCON Bangalore which was operating from a rented house in the city, under the leadership of the temple president, Madhu Pandit Dasa, bought the hillock from the BDA for Rs 11 lakhs. And on Lord Balarama’s appearance day in September 1988, the idols of Krishna and Balarama were moved to a temporary shed on this land.

The primary concept of the temple was conceived by Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa himself, a qualified civil engineer from IIT (Mumbai) while its exterior was conceived by Jagat Chandra Dasa, a product engineer from IIT (Mumbai). All the devotees of the ISKCON temple were strongly motivated by an intense desire to make this a grand and memorable temple, to be completed and offered to His Divine Grace A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Various fund raising schemes were launched to engage the people in this devotional endeavor. Apart from the life membership scheme, sponsors of gopuram, kalashas and vimanas were enrolled.

The Hare Krishna temple is a unique combination of glass and gopuram, blending modern and traditional elements. The whole construction was carried out by the ISKCON Construction Department. Between 1990 and 1997 a total of 10 million man-hours were put in by 600 skilled craftsmen, 32000 cubic meters of stone, 131250 tonnes of cement and 1900 tonnes of steel were used.