Home to Manyata Tech Park, Embassy GolfLinks Business Park and UB City, Bangalore is known as India’s Silicon Valley. But it also has another name: Garden City. Bangalore has lush parks like Cubbon Park and beautiful gardens framing palaces, art museums and theaters. Our 5-star hotel near the Majestic and Koramangala districts offers the ideal destination for discovery.
Lalbagh Botanical Gardens - 2 km
Hyder Ali, the Emperor of Mysore, laid down the foundation of the Lalbagh Botanical Gardens in the 18th century. The gardens were later completed by his son, Tipu Sultan. He imported trees and plants from different countries of the world, like Persia, Afghanistan and France, to add to the wealth of the Lalbagh Botanical Gardens of Bangalore. The gardens encircle one of the towers erected by Kempe Gowda, the founder of Bangalore.
The gardens boast a rich collection of almost 1000 different species of flora. There is also a Glass House inside the gardens, modeled on London's Crystal Palace. Spread over an area of 2400-acre, the Lalbagh Botanical Gardens hold the distinction of having the largest collection of rare and exotic plants in India. The first lawn clock of the country was also set up in these gardens.
The others attractions of the Lalbagh Botanical Gardens include the Lal Bagh Rock, one of the oldest rock formations on earth. It is believed to be approximately 3000 million years old. The garden is beautifully designed, with lawns, flowerbeds, lotus pools and fountains adding to its splendor. Flower extravaganzas are held every year in the botanical gardens, as a part of the Independence Day and Republic Day celebrations.
Cubbon Park - 2.3 km
Dating back to the year 1864, the park was laid by Sir Mark Cubbon, the then viceroy of India. The Cubbon Park spreads over an area of approximately 250 acres and is quite frequented by both walkers as well as joggers.
The engineer of Cubbon Park was by Sir Richard Sankey, the then Chief Engineer of Mysore.
A number of neo-classical styled government buildings are situated inside the park, out of which one is the Vidhana Soudha. The Public Library, the Government Museum and the High Court are also located inside the park. Lying in the heart of Bangalore, Cubbon Park stands adorned with trees, flowerbeds and rolling lawns. For those who are looking for some moments of peace and solitude in Bangalore, Cubbon Park is just the place to be.
Attara Kacheri - 2.9 km
Attara Kacheri of Bangalore is a building that now housing the High Court. Situated opposite the Vidhana Soudha, it dates back to the year 1867. One of the major attractions of the Attara Kacheri is its Gothic Style of architecture. It is a two-storied building, built in the European classical style.
Attara Kacheri of Bangalore was built under the reign of Tipu Sultan, the Emperor of Mysore. It is said that during his time, the offices of the eighteen departments of Revenue and General Secretariat expanded to quite an extent. Since the palace could not house the offices, he ordered the construction of a new building, where the offices could be relocated. He named the building as Attara Kacheri, meaning eighteen offices or departments.
Vidhana Soudha - 3.8 km
Built in early 1950, designed to showcase indigenous architecture and usher in the new age of democracy, this imposing edifice houses the State Legislature and the Secretariat of Karnataka, this is one of the best known landmarks of Bangalore.
The stone structure, which reflects the ’Neo-Dravidian’ style of architecture, was built with ’Bangalore-granite’ that was excavated from Mallasandra and Hesaraghatta.
The Bull Temple - 6.5 km
Built by Kempegowda in Basavanagudi (now an area in Bangalore), the temple is reminiscent of 16th century Dravidian style architecture. It has a huge granite monolith of Nandi (the Bull) .This is perhaps the only temple where the ’vaahana’ (vehicle of the God) gets precedence over the master ( Hindu God – Shiva) . The giant bull, adored as Basavanna, is the prime attraction for visitors and its popularity gave the place its name - Basavanagudi or the Bull temple. The bull also has a small iron plate on its head. As per the tradition, this plate prevents the bull from growing. Providing a great backdrop to the statue are the idols of God Surya and Goddess Chandra, on their chariots.
The Bangalore Palace - 8.2 km
Owned by the Maharajahs of Mysore the construction of this architectural marvel was started in 1862 and completed in 1944 and it spans over 45,000 sq ft.. The Palace, steeped as it is in history, is evocative of the opulence of an era long gone when royalty was a way of life. Two rooms that deserve special mention are the Ballroom on the ground floor and the Durbar Hall on the first floor where the Maharaja addressed the assembly. The Ballroom is grand -from its polished teak floor that came from the forests of Burma to the cut-glass chandeliers. The Palace gardens were designed by famed German botanist Gustav Krumbiegel- plants were chosen carefully to ensure that there was colour all through the year.