Bangalore Travelers Recommend

Bangalore is the pleasant and easy-going capital of the South Indian state of Karnataka and is also India’s fastest growing city. A visit to the Bangalore Palace is a good introduction to the former Mysore Kingdom which ruled over a large part of South India. A one-hour audio tour takes the visitor through the grand ballroom and up the ornate staircase for a peek into the palace’s many bedrooms and a glimpse into the lives of the former royal family. Bangalore’s many beautiful parks and streets lined with exotic flowering trees make it one of the greenest cities in India. Located right in the center of town is Cubbon Park, offering 300 acres of flora and fauna. Another favorite with nature lovers is the Lalbagh Botanical Gardens, the home to many tropical trees, plants and exotic flowers and several species of birds.

Tucked away in the lanes of Ulsoor market, this is one of the city’s oldest temples. With the market crowding around the temple, it can be easy to miss – from Bazaar Street, look out for its towering gates and the red-and-white-painted walls of its enclosure. One of Bangalore’s most unique temples, the Gavi Gangadhareshwara temple is popularly known as the “cave temple” because its shrine has been built in a natural cave of solid rock. Locally known as “Dodda Basavana Gudi” (Big Bull Temple), this is one of the city’s best-known temples. The ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) temple is the largest temple in Bangalore and one of the biggest “Hare Krishna” temples in the world. Built in 1997, this imposing structure perched on a hill in the neighborhood of Rajajinagar combines traditional temple architecture with modern elements and boasts a gold-plated temple spire and flag post.