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Train No Train Name Date 16731 MYSORE EXP 21‐ May‐ 2011
Stn Code Stn Name Route No Arrival Departure Distance Day Remark
TN TUTICORIN 1 ‐ 16:35 0000 1
TME TUTI MELUR 1 16:38 16:40 0002 1
MVN MILAVITTAN 1 16:48 16:49 0008 1
KLPM KAILASAPURAM 1 17:02 17:03 0020 1
MEJ MANIYACHCHI JN 1 17:10 17:15 0032 1
KDU KADAMBUR 1 17:29 17:30 0046 1
CVP KOVILPATTI 1 17:47 17:48 0068 1
SRT SATUR 1 18:06 18:07 0089 1
VPT VIRUDUNAGAR JN 1 18:45 18:50 0116 1
TMQ TIRUMANGALAM 1 19:11 19:12 0142 1
TDN TIRUPARANKNDRM 1 19:24 19:25 0153 1
MDU MADURAI JN 1 19:45 19:50 0159 1
SDN SHOLAVANDAN 1 20:14 20:15 0181 1
KQN KODAIKANAL ROAD 1 20:33 20:35 0200 1
DG DINDIGUL JN 1 21:20 21:25 0225 1
KRR KARUR 1 22:35 22:40 0299 1
PGR PUGALUR 1 22:59 23:00 0314 1
KMD KODUMUDI 1 23:14 23:15 0326 1
ED ERODE JN 1 00:05 00:15 0365 2
SA SALEM JN 1 01:10 01:15 0427 2
DPJ DHARMAPURI 1 02:40 02:42 0493 2
PCV PALAKKODU 1 03:00 03:02 0515 2
HSRA HOSUR 1 04:25 04:27 0586 2
CRLM KARAMELARAM 1 04:51 04:52 0620 2
BNCE BANGALORE EAST 1 05:31 05:33 0638 2
BNC BANGALORE CANT 1 05:38 05:43 0641 2
SBC BANGALORE CY JN 1 06:40 07:00 0645 2
KGI KENGERI 1 07:19 07:20 0657 2
2
BID BIDADI 1 07:34 07:35 0675 2
RMGM RAMANAGARAM 1 07:49 07:50 0690 2
CPT CHANNAPATNA 1 08:01 08:02 0701 2
MAD MADDUR 1 08:18 08:20 0719 2
MYA MANDYA 1 08:43 08:45 0738 2
PANP PANDAVAPURA 1 09:14 09:15 0764 2
S SHRIRANGAPATNA 1 09:19 09:20 0769 2
MYS MYSORE JN 1 10:10 ‐ 0783 2
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Train No Train Name Date 16732 TUTICORIN EXP 23‐ May‐ 2011
Stn Code Stn Name Route No Arrival Departure Distance Day Remark
MYS MYSORE JN 1 ‐ 18:00 0000 1
S SHRIRANGAPATNA 1 18:14 18:15 0015 1
PANP PANDAVAPURA 1 18:19 18:20 0019 1
MYA MANDYA 1 18:48 18:50 0045 1
MAD MADDUR 1 19:06 19:08 0064 1
CPT CHANNAPATNA 1 19:29 19:30 0083 1
RMGM RAMANAGARAM 1 19:44 19:45 0094 1
KGI KENGERI 1 20:19 20:20 0126 1
SBC BANGALORE CY JN 1 21:05 21:20 0139 1
BNC BANGALORE CANT 1 21:30 21:33 0143 1
CRLM KARAMELARAM 1 21:55 21:56 0163 1
HSRA HOSUR 1 22:28 22:30 0198 1
PCV PALAKKODU 1 23:39 23:40 0269 1
DPJ DHARMAPURI 1 23:56 23:58 0290 1
SA SALEM JN 1 02:00 02:05 0357 2
ED ERODE JN 1 03:15 03:25 0419 2
KMD KODUMUDI 1 03:53 03:55 0457 2
PGR PUGALUR 1 04:09 04:10 0470 2
KRR KARUR 1 04:42 04:45 0485 2
DG DINDIGUL JN 1 06:00 06:05 0558 2
KQN KODAIKANAL ROAD 1 06:23 06:25 0584 2
SDN SHOLAVANDAN 1 06:41 06:42 0603 2
MDU MADURAI JN 1 07:20 07:25 0624 2
TDN TIRUPARANKNDRM 1 07:34 07:35 0631 2
TMQ TIRUMANGALAM 1 07:44 07:45 0642 2
VPT VIRUDUNAGAR JN 1 08:08 08:10 0668 2
SRT SATUR 1 08:34 08:35 0694 2
CVP KOVILPATTI 1 08:54 08:55 0716 2
4
KDU KADAMBUR 1 09:18 09:20 0738 2
MEJ MANIYACHCHI JN 1 09:35 09:40 0752 2
KLPM KAILASAPURAM 1 09:51 09:52 0764 2
MVN MILAVITTAN 1 10:03 10:04 0776 2
TME TUTI MELUR 1 10:10 10:11 0782 2
TN TUTICORIN 1 10:45 ‐ 0783 2
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Tourist Spots In Bangalore
Vidhana Soudha
Loacation: Vasanthnagar, Bangalore
Lalbagh
Location: Shanthi nagar, Double Road, Bangalore
Cubbon Park
Location: Cubbon Road, Bangalore
Ulsoor Lake
Location: Ulsoor, Banglore.
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Big Banyan Tree
Location: Ramohalli, Off Mysore Road, Bangalore.
Hesarghatta
Location: Off Tumkur Road, Bangalore.
Wonderla
Location: Mysore Road, Bangalore.
Iskon Temple
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Location: West Of Chord Road, Rajaji Nagar, Bangalore.
Bannerghatta National Park
Location: Bannerghatta, Banglore.
Nandi Hills
Location: 80Kms from bangalore, on NH7
Shiva Temple
Location: Murugeshpalya, Airport Road, Banglore.
Forum Mall
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Location: Hosur Road, Kormangala, Bangalore.
Garuda Mall
Location: McGrath Road, Bangalore
Vishweshwaraya Museum
Location: Museum Road, Near Kasturba Crossing
Jawaharlal Nehru Planeterium
Location: T. Chowdiah Road, High Grounds, Bangalore G.P.O, Bangalore‐560001
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Places To Visit In & Around Bangalore
Bengaluru, earlier known as Bangalore, is one of the popular Indian travel destinations for the tourists on India Tour. The best places to visit in & around Bangalore city would take you deep inside the exotic culture of the region and its rich history. The city has witnessed the rise and fall of great empires as history progressed. The throne of the great warrior Tipu Sultan and then the rule of the East India Company are to name a few amongst them. Bangalore is a subtle mix of cosmopolitan and traditional culture. From the majestic forts of Tipu Sultan to the modern towering building, trip to Bangalore city offers a number of tourist attractions for its visitors coming from different parts of the world.
The city of Bangalore is the capital of the Karnataka state, therefore, not only has pleasant weather & modern way of living to attract visitors but also holds technological signifacance as it is also regarded as the IT Hub of India.
One may also choose for short trips to the outskirts of the city and explore the wildlife of the region. Further, those interested in folk music may visit the Karnataka Folk Museum and learn about the different facets of the folk history. There is a never exhausting list of places to visit in Bangalore to choose from.
Best Tourist Places In Bangalore City
The list of Best Tourist places to visit in Bangalore city is inexhaustive and includes :
Vidhana Soudha
This stunning building of Bengaluru ‐ The Vidhan Soudha is the State Legislature and The Secretariat of Karnataka. The building is designed in Neo‐Dravidian style and has 12 massive granite pillars and other architectural artwork. The style of architecture also bears the essence of Chola, Rajasthani, Dravidian and Kannadiga Style. There are 4 Domes on the building and on top of the biggest dome stands the national emblem of India ‐ The Ashoka Sthambh (4 lions facing 4 directions). It is said that the building took 4 years for completion and had engaged around 5000 labors. It was built in the year 1956.
Tipu Sultan Fort
The Tipu Sultan Fort was built in the year 1537 and it was extended in 1790. The fort was initially built by Kempe Gowda. Inside the fort there is Tipu Sultan Palace. It is mainly made wood and reflects great work of artistry. It was the summer retreat of Tipu Sultan. The palace is two storied with arches, pillars and balconies
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standing with élan to mesmerize the visitors. The style resembles the Islamic design. There is also a Ganapati Temple inside the fort. One may also visit the garden located within the fort. This place was later used as the British Secretariat till 1867. There is also a museum inside the palace containing a number of relics dating back to the period of Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan.
Lalbagh Gardens
One of the popular places to visit in & around Bangalore city is the famous Lal Bagh Gardens. The place was built by Haider Ali and later worked by Tipu Sultan. It is said to be the one of the most beautiful botanical gardens of India. One of the major attractions in the garden is The Glass House. The Glass House is designed in view with the London Crystal
Palace. There are over 1800 species of Trees, Herbs and plants, The both tropical and sub‐tropical in nature. Many of these are from countries like France, Afghanistan and Iran. The garden is spread over a land of 240 acres. One may also visit the Lal Bagh rock on a visit to this attraction of Bangalore. There is also a lawn clock which is first of its kind in the country. One of the 4 Kempe Gowda Tower is located in this garden. On Republic Day and Independence Day weeks Flower shows are organized here.
Cubbon Park
The Cubbon Park is spread over an area of around 300 acres and was built by Richard Sankey, Chief Engineer of Mysore. In case one is looking for solitude then the park is the ideal destination. The park has a number of statues like that of Queen Victoria, Chamarajendra Wodeyar, Major Gen. Sir Mark Cubbon, Rajya Dhurandhar, Sri. K. Sheshadri Iyer and Edward VII. Covered with Flowers, Trees and Fountains the park creates a very natural and soothing environment. Situated in the park are many neo‐classical building. Some of the buildings one would find are the Government Museum, High Court, Doll Museum, Cheshire Dyer Memorial Hall and Public Library. The park looks stunning in the evening once the lights are on. There is also a toy train for the children.
Bangalore Palace
The palace is designed in line of Tudor architecture and was built in the year 1887. It is said to be inspired by The Windsor Castle of England. Built by Chamaraja Wodeyar the place is smeared with Lawns, Towers and Arches. One would also come across windows designed in Gothic Style, Painting and rich Wooden Carvings. Today the place is used for concerts, exhibitions and also weddings. On the ground floor of the palace there is a square with granite seats. The palace also
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has a Ballroom and Durbar Hall. On the First Floor the walls are smeared with rich painting. The whole place also bears a strong artistic opulence that would leave one mesmerized.
Nandi Hills
The Nandi Hills is located around 60 kms from the city of Bangalore. The hill offers scenic view and is home to many historic relics would take the traveler back into time. The Nandi hill has 2 temples of Lord Shiva. One of the temples is located at the top and one at the foot. Few of the other attractions one may explore in this hill are Tipu Drop, the place is a cliff from where convict given death sentence were pushed. Summer Residence of Tipu was built in the year 1791 and has covers an area of 90 acres. Amrutha Sarovara is a lake on top of the hill. Secret Tunnel that was used by the kings to escape during sudden enemy attack. Fort that was built by Chikkaballpur chieftains and later toughen by Tipu Sultan and Brahmashram is a cave that is said to have been used by Sage Ramakrishna Paramhamsa.
Bannerghatta National Park
Some of the major attractions of Bannerghatta National Park is the Tiger and Lion Safari, Crocodile Farm and also Butterfly Park. The safaris are divided into two sections like carnivore and herbivore. The park is home to a wide variety of animals like royal Bengal tiger, hyenas, bison, black buck, leopard, barking deer, elephant and wild boar. Many animals rescued from the circus are also kept here.
Government Museum
The Government museum has some of the rare collections that reflect the different periods of time. Set up in the year 1886, the place is home to some of the artifacts like Sculptures, remaining of Mohenjodaro, Old Paintings and Coins. It has 18 galleries to see which comprises of Neolithic finds from various Civilizations, Antique Jewellery, Textiles, among other reserves.
Ulsoor Lake
Ulsoor Lake is the largest lake in Bangalore (Bengaluru) and was earlier called 'Alasur Lake' or 'Halsur Lake'. This place in Bangalore is located close to M. G. Road and offers rowing facilities. The lake is home to a boat club. One may also sit and enjoy the scenic beauty of the place as it is surrounded by tiny islands. The lake was built by Kempe Gowda II. During the month of August‐September Ganesh Festival is also celebrated in this place.
Karnataka Folk Museum
One such great tourist attraction amongst the list of places worth visiting in the Bangalore City is the Karnataka Folk Museum. It is situated around 53 kms from Bangalore. The museum was established to promote the folk culture of Karnataka. All the collections are stored in three building the buildings are Lokamatha Mandiral, Lokamahal and Chitrakuteera. Some of the interesting folk collections that one could explore are the Temple Chariot, Ancient Carvingm, Videotapes of folk dance, Artifacts, Puppets, Earthen Jars and Masks.
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Bangalore Aquarium
Located on Kasturba Gandhi Road, The Bangalore Aquarium has the finest fresh water fish collections. Apart from visiting the Aquarium one can visit the fish restaurant and fresh fish stalls surrounding the place.
Venkatappa Art Gallery
Venkatappa Art Gallery in Bangalore displays the works of painter Venkatappa, wood sculptor Rajaram, Hebbar and many others. This is a must place to visit during Bangalore Tour if you are an avid art lover as it will leave you bedazzled with the stunning artworks by these renowned artists of the past.
Religious Places To See In Bangalore
Bangalore is not only famous for Parks, Gardens, Palaces and Monuments but is also famous for its religious places for worship. Indfy provides you with the information on various temples to see in Bangalore.
Nandi Bull Temple
Nandi Bull Temple was built at Basavangudi in the Kempe Gowda period in 16th century. The monolithic Nandi Bull made of grey granite polished with mixture of groundnut oil and charcoal is believed to have grown over the period of time and now measures nearly 5m in height and over 6m in length.
ISKCON Temple Complex
ISKCON Temple Complex is one of the popular tourist attractions of Bangalore and specially for the Hindu religious tourists as it holds great significance. ISKCON stands for International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Founded by Srila Prabhupada in 1966, the ISKCON society's ambit has crossed the national boundaries.
Venkataramana Swami Temple
The new Maharaja of Wodeyar Dynasty is believed to have worshipped in Venkataramana Swami Temple after the restoration of the throne.
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Famous Places To See In Bangalore
¤ Bangalore Charms
Bangalore has many tourist attractions to visit in and around. The city is embellished with famous blossoming gardens, magnificent historical sites and other places of historical and religious interests. These tourists' spots can easily be accessed by local transports like autos, buses or taxis. The historic sites in Bangalore holds a unique charm, the Vidhan Soudha, a structure complex is a marvelous specimen of neo‐Dravidian style of architecture. Lal Bagh ‐famous for breathtaking rows of red roses, Tipu's Palace and Bangalore Palace‐ one of the most lavishly adorned and carved palaces of the by gone era are the treasures of Bangalore. Among the religious places, the ISKCON Temple, Shiva Statue, and the Bull Temple are worth visiting. The Venkatappa Art Gallery is an abode of about 600 paintings, all unique in themselves. Just make a travel trip to this majestic city and indulge in its gratifying attractions that will take you to the glory of erstwhile rulers of Bangalore. ¤ Main Attraction In Bangalore
Vidhana Soudha ‐ This elegant four‐storied edifice is constructed out of granite stone on the pattern of temple architecture. This 46m high complex is an official building holding the Legislative Chambers of the state government. The structure houses four domes in all the four corners. There are the sculptures of 4 headed lions ‐ the majestic beast, on the gateway of the building representing the symbol of Indian sovereignty. It also houses 22 departments and 300 rooms. The lighting up of the building on every Sunday evening holds the special charm among its visitors.
Cubbon Park The park was constructed by Lord Cubbon.in 1864 over an area of 300 acre. This ravishing garden is adorned with lush green patches, blossoming rows of flowers and some structural buildings all adding to its glory. It is an idle place for relaxing and escaping from the ciaos of the city, thronged by young crowd, families, walkers, joggers and nature lovers. Other attractions of the park are Cheshire Dyer Memorial Hall, Ottawa Chatter, Museum, Century Club and the Press Club. Government Museum and Venkatappa Art Gallery Established in 1887, the museum is the oldest structural complex of India. The Government Museum showcases medley of archaeological artifacts, exquisite collection of coins, sculptures, inscriptions, old paintings and excavated items. Whereas the art gallery houses the works of the celebrated artist of the Mysore Court like K. Venkatappa, his famous paintings, plaster of Paris works and wooden sculptures are worth a site. Timings : Open 10.00 to 17.00 hours except on Wednesdays.
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Bangalore Palace Bangalore Palace‐ Nestling in the heart of the city the famous Bangalore Palace captures a unique charm. Extended over an are of 45000sq.ft, this edifice is a masterpiece more then 110 year old, holding the glory of erstwhile rulers. The palace was constructed in 1880 and coasted more then 1 million Rs. The beautiful garden girdled the palace almost giving it a fairytale setting, worth a visit site. Tipu Sultan's Palace The Fort and Tipu Sultan's Palace was the summer residence of Tipu Sultan. It is a two‐storied carved wooden structure, eminent for its gorgeous carved arches, pillars, and balcony haunches by gardens on either side, an ideal specimen of Islamic style of architecture. The fort also houses a well‐preserved Ganapati temple. It was initially constructed in 1537 by Kempe Gowda later on it was further extended and fortified by Tipu Sultan. Lal Bagh Gardens Lal Bagh Gardens‐ Lal means Red and Bagh means garden, as name suggest this is a paradise of blossoming red roses. The garden was constructed by Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan in 18th century. Expended on a 240 acre of land this exquisite garden forms one of India's most beautiful botanical gardens. The garden also abode a glasshouse, its magnificent patterns and design are great source of attraction. Other attraction of the garden is the organization of grand Flower Shows. These flower shows are held annually in the month of January and August where hundred of varieties of flowers are kept on display. Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium ‐ The Planetarium located on Sankey Road was constructed in the year 1989 to study the astronomical science and to increase awareness amongst the students and the common public. This massive planetarium has a seating capacity of 225 people. Timings : Daily two shows, at 1500 hrs and 1630 hrs except on Mondays. The Bull Temple The Bull Temple ‐ The temple is dedicated to Nandi‐ a holy bull of Lord Shiva. The massive Bull structures 4.5m high and 6m in length is carved out a single piece granite rock. One of the oldest temples in Bangalore, the shrine is thronged by devotee from all over the state and from other parts of the country. It is believed that the source of the river Vishva Bharti originates at the feet of the statue. Iskcon Temple Complex Iskcon Temple Complex ‐ The temple structure is one of the most splendid temples building in Bangalore. The temple displays an exquisite amalgam of modern and traditional south Indian temple architecture. The other structures in the temple are multi‐vision cinema theatre and vedic library. The temple also offers staying facilities for bramacharis, devotees and people taking short term courses offered here.
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Ulsoor Lake Ulsoor Lake ‐ The Lake is formed over an area of 125 acres of land, it is a major tourist hang out zone. There is a boat club near the lake where one can take a cruise to near by islands to spend their entire day on the island. A, must visit site. St. Marks Cathedral St. Marks Cathedral ‐ This Cathedral founded in 1808 was sanctified by the Bishop of Calcutta. It is an attractive colonial structure adorned with elegant dome over a semicircular sanctum that gives its devotee immense peace of mind. Aquarium Aquarium ‐ Located at Cubbon Park, on Kasturba Road, the Aquarium is sat up in a diamond shaped complex. The aquarium has a divergence of extrinsic fertile as well as adorning fish. Timings: Open from 1000 hrs to 1700 hrs. Sri Gavi Gangadhareswara Temple The temple is sanctified due to a strange occurrence. Every year on 14th or 15th of January‐Makara Sankranthi day, a ray of sunlight passes exactly through the horns of the stone bull outside the temple and illuminates the deity (Shiva Linga) inside the cave. This displays the amazing architectural and astronomical skills of ancient sculptors and artists. Visvesvaraya Industrial & Technological Museum Located on Kasturba Road, the museum is homage to Sir M. Visvesvaraya, one of the architects of modern Karnataka. It also houses an airplane and steam engine displayed in its compound. Major attraction of the museum is the mobile science exhibition that travels in the city through out the year. Museum is also a venue for exhibitions on electronics, motor power and the uses and properties of wood and metal. Seminars, demonstrations and film shows on scientific subjects are also organized here. The highlights of the museum are its galleries: Engine hall, Electronic Technology Gallery, Kimbe Paper Metals Gallery, Popular Science Gallery and Childrens' Science Gallery. Bal Bhavan Jawahar Balabhavana is most popular among the young ones. The museum has many attractions, children can indulge into a boat cruise or take up a pony ride. There is also an attraction of a toy train. It is a buffer stock of fun and amusement. Toy Train Timings: Sundays: 9.30 am to 6.00 PM, 9.30 am to 8.00 PM. Closed on Mondays and second Tuesdays of every month. Shiva Statue This magnificent Statue of Lord Shiva is about 65 ft. high. The Lord is depicted in sitting posture on the Mount Kailash with Ganga flowing from hard rocks. The statue looks majestic during the night with its lighting.
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Cubbon Park
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 then 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. Besides 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.
Lalbagh Park
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
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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.
CARIAPPA MEMORIAL PARK
As a memorial to Field Marshall K.M. Cariappa of Karnataka, the Cariappa Park was laid out in 1996 in a portion of the parade grounds between M.G. Road and Cubbon Road. Spread over 22 acres, the park has six segments, an entrance plaza and a seven‐feet monolithic monument of Cariappa. There is a huge man‐made waterfall and a pond that attracts birds to the park. At the bandstand which is an elevated lawn, six military bands perform every fortnight. The grassy dunes around the bandstand provide
comfortable seating for the public. The garden is maintained by various divisions of the Army. A play area has been scientifically created in military style to improve physical strength and mental co‐ordination of children. There are sand pits, a spiderweb, Tarzan‐swing, Burma bridge, zig‐zag tunnels and balance bars. A walker's track, paved with cobblestones, is 1.8 kms long. About 3000 species of plants and trees both indigenous and imported can be found here. In an effort to be eco‐friendly, no chemical fertilisers or pesticides are used for growth or maintenance of the plants. Cariappa Memorial Park is open to public on Saturdays between 1 pm and 7 pm, on Sundays between 9 am and 7 pm, and during the rest of the days between 5:30 pm and 8 pm. Eatables, drinks and pets are not allowed inside.
Bal Bhavan
Bal Bhavan, within the Cubbon Park is an imaginatively planned amusement park and recreation centre for the young. Children will enjoy the 1.5 km long ride on a toy train through the park. They can also visit the Doll's museum which has an interesting collection of dolls and toys from all over the world.
A mini park has swings, horse rides and tree houses. To trigger the enquiring mind there is a 20 million year old tree, a gift from the Geological Survey of India. The Vijayaranga Theatre screens children's films and stages plays. Craft and hobby classes for children are also conducted in Bal Bhavan.
Click below to view high resolution pictures. The wait will be worth your while!
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BANNERGHATTA NATIONAL PARK
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, bears, 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 Tiger Safari, Lion Safari and a Grand Safari for those interested. You could also wander through the Zoological Garden, with its canopy of shady and sturdy trees, find a quiet resting spot beside a pond and watch waterfowl frolic. A children's corner provides an added attraction. Trekking enthusiasts will enjoy Uddigebande (3.5 kms.) a natural rock formation called Hajjamana Kallu (3 kms.) and Mirza Hill (1.5 kms.) Another major attraction now in the park area is a Butterfly park. It houses a large variety of these colourful creatures that you feel tempted to hold them. But do not touch them and see them flying all over the place.
Location: 22 kms. south of Bangalore
Area: 104.27 sq. kms.
Flora and Fauna: Dry deciduous forests and thorny scrub, with patches of moist deciduous forests along the streams.
Mammals: They include the elephant, gaur, leopard, jackal, fox, wild pig, sloth bear, sambar, spotted deer, bears barking deer, common langur, bonnet macaque, porcupine and the hare. The tourist area in the north of the Park has a lion safari, tiger safari, herbivore safari, a mini zoo, a reptile park, a butterfly park, mini aviary and a museum.
Best Season for Visit: Year‐round. .
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Bannerghatta National Park
Bannerghatta National Park is about 22 km from Bangalore in Karnataka. It is a home to many endangered animal species. It is a natural forest and has one of the largest collections of carnivores in any bio‐park in the state. This zoological garden is spread over area of about 25000 acres. It consists of dense forest and scrub land becoming home for wild animals like bison, leopard, wild boar as well as being an important corridor for elephants migrating between the eastern and western ghats.
One of the main attractions here are the lion and tiger safari. Other attractions here are a butterfly park, crocodile farm, serpentarium. In addition, a portion of the park is used as a sanctuary for wild rescued animals from circuses.
An elephant ride in the herbivore safari facilitates viewing of these animals in the natural habitat including the bison, spotted deer, black buck, barking deer etc.
The park is open for visitors between 9 AM to 5 PM . The park is closed on Tuesdays.
Safari : The famous Safari has Carnivore Section and Herbivore section. In the Safari rides, visitors are taken around a mini bus through the enclosed and protected area of the aninmals to roam around freely. The Herbivores section comprises of few animals like deers, bears and a few monkeys etc.
White Tigers, Bengal Tigers make up for the Tiger Safari, Lions Safari and Bear Safari in the carnivores' section. Though the entire national park stretches across 104.27 sq km, only a small portion in the north has been carved out for tourism.
Zoological garden and Trekking : You can find everything from avifauna to hyenas, panthers, neel gay, etc in the Bannerghatta National Park. The 25,000 acre park is home to panthers, lions, tigers and a large variety of birds. Wander through the Zoological Garden, with its canopy of shady and sturdy trees, find a quiet resting spot beside a pond and watch waterfowl frolic, also facilities to rest, pinic are also available in the park premises.
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The zoo boasts an amazing reptile collection, an encounter with the scaly, slithery creatures at the snake park. Uddigebande (3.5 km) a natural rock formation called Hajjamana Kallu (3 km) and Mirza Hill (1.5 km) are for the Trekking enthusiasts.
There is also Jumbo ride for the visitors beyond the parking slots organized by the Forest Department. One has to buy a ticket for this ride. The area spread of Dry deciduous forests and thorny scrub, with patches of moist deciduous forests along the streams.
Suvarnamukhi Stream and Temple : Covering an area of 104 sq km, including ten reserve forests of Anekal Range of the Bangalore Forest Division, the scenic hills are covered with many ancient temples.A stream named Suvarnamukhi flows through the park, originates in the Suvarnamukhi hills. These hills spread out to a huge rock, about a kilometre long.
The Champaka Dharna Swamy temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu and his consorts Sridevi and Bhoodevi is built in the Dravidian style of the Hoysala age, lies at the foot of the rock. There is also a Narasimha temple about two km away from the Suvarnamukhi pond. The waters of this pond are believed to have curative powers.
For those of you who are nature and wildlife buffs, visiting Bangalore for few days, a trip to Bannerghata National Park will truly be an unforgettable experience.
You can visit the place year round. The weather is moderate in the range of 25 ‐ 30 Degree C all through the year. Best time suited will be September to January.
Tourist Information :
• Day Visit : Indians: Rs. 325/‐ , Foreign citizens: US $15/‐ • Tourists are accommodated in large well equipped vans managed by Karnataka State
Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC). • Bannerghatta Nature Camp,
Bannerghatta, Tel : 080‐25597021 ‐ 25 (Corporate Office), Fax : 080‐25586163 (Corporate Office),
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Email : [email protected]. Tariff : Swiss Tent : Indians : Rs. 1000/‐ , Foreign citizens : US $30/‐, Dormitory : Indians : Rs. 500/‐ , Foreign citizens : US $20/‐
• The first week of October each year is celebrated as the Wildlife Week to spread public awareness about the need to save our precious flora and fauna. The Karnataka state forest department, in coordination with various nature clubs and organizations, arranges a wide range of programs for nature enthusiasts through out the week.
How to Reach : By Road : 22kms from South of Bangalore on the Anekal Road. Lodging : No accommodation available Altitude : 740 to 1034 meters above sea level Visiting hours : 9 am to 5 pm Holiday : Closed every Tuesday Best time : September to January
Hike in Tariff
Indians Indians Foreigners Foreigners
Old New Old New
Entry fee per day Rs 40 Rs 200 Rs 80 Rs 1,000
Safari in department bus Rs 35 Rs 100 Rs 35 Rs 100
Safari in department jeep Rs 65 Rs 200 Rs 65 Rs 200
Pvt Vehicle safari
Jeep/car Rs 550 Rs 1,000 Rs 550 Rs 1,000
Bus/Truck Rs 1,600 Rs 2,500 Rs 1,600 Rs 2,500
LCV Rs 1,050 Rs 1,500 Rs 1,050 Rs 1,500
Guide fee per day Rs 200 Rs 400 Rs 200 Rs 500
Elephant Joy Ride Rs 65 Rs 300 Rs 65 Rs 300
Amateur Photography
Manual/Digital No Hike No Hike
Handycam Rs 150 Rs 1,000 Rs 150 Rs 1,000
Video Camera Rs 300 Rs 1,000 Rs 300 Rs 1,000
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Ragi Gudda Temple..
This temple is one of my favorites in Bangalore. Its truly a no brainer to guess why though. A little temple on hill surrounded by loads of Gods, Ample space, limited crowd, well planned design and peaceful environment. What more can I ask for? I loved the beauty of those bougainvillea arcades that envelop the devotees on their way to God. For those fashioning a little trek, a small route is paved on the rocky terrain to climb atop. But that wouldn’t allow you a direct entry to the temple, unless the door is open or the Pujari takes mercy on your knocking, of course.
There is this little anecdote thats oft told in my household. For an innocuous inquiry about – “Grandma why are all these temples located on hills? Why do Gods make us climb so much? – earned me an answer – “Earlier all the temples were located on same plane little one. But as mankind grew, they sinned a lot and the land in which they lived has fallen down due to the burden of their sins. Hence we feel Gods are located on hills.” That sounded a reason good enough at those carefree times.
Sometimes, the little effort that we put into and the huge bang that we make about visiting temples can make me dazed. For those who care to follow, I can recount at least 20 instructions on the top of my head. Take Tirupati for instance. Many families that I know have this temple in their travel agenda, even when its not easy to climb up the seven hills on foot route. Guess pain is gain at those times. Guess the effort that we expend nurtures peace in a way. Guess these are those little practices in our religion that teaches restraint in a way.
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Bull Temple Bangalore Bull Temple was constructed in 16th century and is dedicated to a sacred bull ‐ Nandi carved out of a single granite block. The temple is a typical specimen of Dravidian architecture. Kallekai parse an annual festival is celebrated at the time of harvesting of peanuts during the month of Nov‐Dec, thousands of visitors throng the city to participate in the festival from all over the state. ¤ About The Bull Temple The "Bull Temple" is situated in Bangalore ‐ the capital of Karnataka. The sculpture of bull is the holy deity in the temple, also known as "Nandi Temple". The gigantic bull measuring 4.57m in height and 6.10 m in length is carved out of a single rock. It is a sculptural magnum opus. This Bull Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva's Vahana (vehicle), Nandi the bull. Large number of devotees visits the enormous monolithic statue of the sitting bull every day. Nandi the bull of Shiva faces the temple of Lord Shiva haunch at the back with sculptures of God Surya and Goddess Candra on their chariots drawn by horses. There is a small Lingam shrine bedecked with the exquisite Gopuram. The underground "Sri‐Gavi Gandadhareshwara Temple" holds its own charm, every year on 14th January known as Makara Sankranti festival, it is believed that a ray of light passes between the horn of a Nandi outside the temple and lights the idol kept inside. The Bull temple is full of liveliness during the Shivratri festival. Non Hindus are not allowed in the temple. There are continuos festive celebrations throughout the year assisted by the musical programs held in the temple premises. Timings: Entry to the temple is free and the daily timings are from 6a.m. to 8 p.m.
¤ Legend The legend has it that the surrounding area of the temple, known as Sunkenahalli was cultivated for groundnut. A bull started grazing in the well‐grown groundnut crop, at this, a farmer got furious and hit the bull with a club. Immediately the bull sat down becoming motionless and was transformed into a stone. Poor farmers were left stun and felt guilty. For their repentance they decided to build a temple for the bull, to their surprise the bull was growing in height. The worried farmer then prayed to Lord Shiva who advised them to redeem a trident buried a few feet away from the bull and place the trident on the forehead of the stone statue to stop it from growing. Farmers followed the Lord's advice and the bull stopped growing. Still one can see the trident place on bull's forehead. Since then farmers offer their first crop of groundnut to the bull. The farmer's hold a Groundnut fair known as Kadalekayi Parishe, near the temple premises every year, to show their thankfulness. It is one of the worth visiting places in Bangalore. ¤ Architecture
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The temple is a typical specimen of the Dravidian‐style of temple architecture constructed by Kempe Gowda. The temple is nestling in Basavanagudi housing a scared bull of Lord Shiva, it is believed that the source of the river Vishwa Bharathi originates from the feet of the Nandi. There is a Ganesh temple inside the premises with a large deity all made of 110 kilos of butter. The deity of butter is distributed as a prashada (God's food) every four years. Farmers offer the first groundnuts to the sacred bull. The Bhoganandiswara temple at the foothills of Nandi Hills goes back to the period of the Banas, Cholas, Hoysalas and the Vijayanagar Kings. The image has been carved out of single granite rock. The original color of Nandi bull was gray which has now turned black due to the application of coconut oil by the devotees. ¤ Festivity Anually, Kadalekayi Parishe ‐the Groundnut Fair is held near the temple during the month of November‐ December when the groundnut crop is harvested. Farmers offer the first groundnuts harvest to the sacred bull. Thousand of visitors and devotees throng the temple site from all over the state. ¤ Accessibility To The Bull Temple The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus regularly operates from the all over the state to the Park. Coaches of B.T.S., I.T.D.C., are also available. Tourist coaches and taxis are also available for the park.
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New Tirupati Balaji Temple at Vyalikaval in Bangalore
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) will open a Balaji temple dedicated to Lord Venkateswara at Vyalikaval in Bangalore on May 23, 2010 with similar pujas held at the Tirumala TirupatiBalaji Temple. The temple has been constructed as per agama shastra under the guidance of TTD’s temple architects and stapathis. Apart from the murtis of Lord Venkateswara, Padmavathi Ammavaru, the temple will also have murtis of Andal, Ganesha, Rama, Seeta Mata, Lakshmana, Anjaneya, Radha and Krishna.
Experss Buzz reports
P Shyamaraju, president of the local advisory committee of TTD, said that the objective of constructing the temple was to cater to the needs of the devotees in Bangalore. “The installation of the idols will be held between May 21 and 23 and the temple will be open for public on May 23 from 1 pm,” Shyamaraju said. He said the TTD had spent Rs 12 crore for the construction of the temple.
Stating that the two‐decade old dream of Bangaloreans will be realised with the inauguration of the temple, Shyamaraju said. The new temple will have the same pujas as the main temple at Tirumala. “The existing marriage hall will be converted into an auditorium for religious functions. We will organise mass marriages and upanayana for the poor people,” he added.
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Top Top Ten Shopping Malls in Bangalore
Bangalore is a best opted destination for shopping. The city's Lambani tribal jewelery, traditional Indian silk and wood carvings are simply tempting. The shopping mallsof Bangalore offers you with the fashionable accessories, latest electronic gadgets and a wide array of other items. The shopping malls arrived in Bangalore during the beginning of the 21st century . Currently , new shopping malls are springing up in this Garden City in India. The list below provides you with the names of the top ten shopping malls in Bangalore.
List of Top 10 Shopping Malls in Bangalore
Forum Mall:
It is one of the best shopping malls in Bangalore . It is located in Hosur Main Road, Koramangala . This is the largest shopping mall of Bangalore . The international brands like Swarovski Crystals , Tommy Hilfiger to traditional Indian Khadi is available at this shopping mall. This shopping mall covers an area of 6.5 lakh square feet . It houses PVR cinemas , Cafe Coffee Day , British style pub and many other services.
Garuda Mall :
This is one of the major shopping malls in Bangalore . It is situated in the corner of the McGrath and Commissariat Roads in Bangalore .Garuda Mall is the second largest and the newest shopping mall in Bangalore . The size of the shopping mall is about 300,000 sq ft. This mall has all the items you wish to buy and also a host of other services.
Bangalore Central :
This shopping mall is like a large department store with separate retailers. It is a one stop destination for those who simply love to hang out in the shopping malls. Visit this shopping mall to buy the desired item and satisfy your whims of shopping.
Safina Plaza:
This destination offers a sale every week . It may be men's wear or home furnishings . You can also find retailers like Titan , Lee Jeans etc. This shopping mall is less crowded in compare to the other malls. Visit this shopping mall during season sales or festivals.
Lifestyle:
This two‐story store shopping mall is situated on the Victoria Road . This is a new shopping mall in Bangalore and has already won the hearts of the citizens . The shops of the mall sell items like electronic gadgets , books , cloth materials , sweets , cosmetics , furniture etc. Just hop in the mall and enjoy.
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Globus:
It is one of the popular shopping malls in Bangalore . It provides all the necessary items which you would look for in a shopping mall. You must visit this shopping mall in Bangalore and just go mad with shopping .
Lido:
This mall catches the frenzy of the shoppers in Bangalore . This shopping mall sports everything from dazzling accessories to designer wear . The mall offers the best international brand items for the customers . The price of the items are also affordable.
Gopalan Mall:
If you get tired by shopping from store to store then this mall is the most preferred destination . You can get a variety of stores under one roof in this shopping mall . This mall is located near 5, Richmond Road , Bangalore .
Sigma Mall :
This shopping mall has a size of about 120,000 sq ft . It is situated near Cunningham Road , Bangalore . It is one of the most famous hangouts in Bangalore . Fun Cinemas multiplex is in the Sigma shopping mall . This mall promises complete fun.
IT Mall :
This shopping mall in Brigade Road is the ideal destination for perfect entertainment . All the leading stores of a wide variety of brands is available in this shopping mall . It has also a splendid food court .
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Shopping Malls in Bangalore
Malls in Bangalore are more than just a collection of stores and brands; they are the pulse of the city's massive consumer lifestyles with a staggering choice of souvenirs or bargain sales.
If you enjoy shopping, you will enjoy Bangalore. If you enjoyed Bangalore, you will like shopping here. Bangalore has become a shopper's paradise.
Some of the shopping malls are :
1. Bangalore Central Mall, Residency Road
Bangalore Central is located in the heart of Bangalore on Residency Road, near to MG road, Brigade Road and Garuda Mall. Bangalore central has 4 Floors. On the first floor you will find ladies dressing + electronics + footwear (kids+ladies) + all the cosmetic items. Second floor is mens dressing with lots of brands, shirts and footwear etc. Third Floor is Youth , all the Sporting brands and... more
2. Brand Factory, Marathahalli
The Brand Factory offers seamless space,fully air‐conditioned, slickly designed, with parking space, and span across 60,000 to 1 lakh sq ft each. The first `Brand Factory' outlet offering 120 brands is in Bangalore (in Marathahalli, the hub of factory outlets). It will be spread across an area of 70,000 sq ft. Brand Factory stocked a host of lifestyle products such as apparel, accessories,... more
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3. Cosmos Mall, Brookefield
The closest mall around Brookefield and Whitefield is Cosmos. Located on the road leading to ITPL, Bangalore, Cosmos is a small shopping mall that has managed to stuff in enough within the limited space it has. There’s a paid parking lot (money is reimbursed on purchase within the mall) in the basement that during weekends gets full easily. Most of the people then manage to find space for... more
Esteem mall is a new addition to the list of bangalore malls at a location where someone would have feared to have a mall few years back. Yes, Esteem mall is located at Hebbal near the Hebbal flyover or Hebbal lake.As the city is expanding and people started staying in peripheral areas, a mall comming up is quite natural. This kind of malls comming up with the objective of serving some particular... more
4. Garuda Mall, Magrath Road
Garuda Mall in Bangalore is one of the most happening malls in the city. Garuda Mall is very popular among the shoppers of Bangalore. The shoppers would get designer clothes
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in Garuda Mall in Bangalore. Wide range of things ranging from kitchenware, leather materials, cosmetics are available at Garuda Mall of Bangalore. There is a five screen multiplex at Bangalore Garuda Mall. The Garuda Mall... more
5. Gopalan Innovation Shopping Mall (ISM), Main Bannerghatta Road
Innovation Shopping Mall (ISM) with the site area of 71860 sft approximately is located on main Bannerghatta Road, short of the flyover. The very modern glass structure has a retail space of – Ground, First, Second & Third Floor. The mall also houses 4 screen multiplex, food court with entertainment zone and Pantaloons as anchors.... more
6. Gopalan Legacy Shopping Mall (LSM), Mysore Road
Gopalan mall on Mysore road is one of the new malls to have come up in Bangalore recently. These kind of malls are not created with the idea to be the best mall or so but rather to cater to a particular area. Gopalan mall is trying to rate it as a discount destination with many factory outlet featuring discount sells. You can shop from factory outlets of Allen Solly, Raymond, Pantaloons, Provoge... more
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7. Gopalan Signature Shopping Mall (SSM), Old Madras Road
The Signature Shopping Mall (SSM) is spread over nearly 2,00,000 sft on the Old Madras Road. The Modern Glass Structure has a retail space of over 3, 00,000 sft. spread over four floors ‐ Ground, First, Second & Third. The mall also houses Food Court, Entertainment Zone, and Lifestyle Store & Shopper’ Stop as anchors. Completing by March, next year, this fully air‐conditioned mall will be... more
8. Lido Mall, Ulsoor
A relatively new entrant in Bangalores mall revolution, Lido might have fewer shops but definitely has the best brand‐mix. Besides the usual Levis and Adidas, it also has The Body Shop, Marks & Spencer, Guess and Next, some of UKs best brands. The 4‐screen multiplex is in another block which also has the food‐court that serves quick Indian, Italian and Tex‐Mex fare. A fine‐dine experience awaits... more
9. Lifestyle, Richmond Road
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When the air smells crisp and clean post‐monsoon and the sky appears brighter. But why should it be only your wardrobe that gets a makeover this festive season? Just as you was thinking of turning your interiors around. Stacked with home textiles, decorative cushions, European glassware, fine bone china tableware, ready‐to‐hang curtains, furnishing fabrics, floor coverings, leather stationary,... more
10. Oasis Mall, Koramangla
The Salarpuria owned OASIS mainly consists of the SPAR hypermarket (a full fledged shopping market), the LifeStyle store for all kinds of clothing accessories and POLYNATION ‐ a one of a kind food court. Besides these there are software companies like NDS who also are put up there. And this building can accomodate many cars at its car parking facility at a time.Oasis offers a wide range of brands... more
11. Poorva Mall, Old Madras Road
For more information about Poorva Mall, Old Madras Road, click here
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12. Prestige Eva Mall, Brigade Road
Eva Mall constructed by Prestige is the first exclusive for women mall to have come up in Bangalore and still the only one. They offer some stuffs for children also like the bowling alley they have on the top floor. It is a small one and can rightly be designated as meant for children. Eva Mall is situated on the other side of the Brigade Road off Residency Road. Though it is situated at the... more
13. Prestige Hi‐End Mall, Vittal Mallya Road
For more information about Prestige Hi‐End Mall, Vittal Mallya Road, click here
14. Safina Plaza, Infantry Road
A shopper's paradise, Safina Plaza has everything from designer watches and curtains to handicrafts and branded clothes. In the heart of Bangalores shopping hub, Safina Plaza is known for super discount sales on branded gear as well as its colourful handicraft exhibition and book fairs. The permanent stalls include brands like Lee, Allen Solly, Lovable, Dockers, Titan and more. Ethnic Weaves on... more
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15. Shoppers Stop, Bannerghatta Road
Shoppers' Stop houses a wide range of apparel for men and women in casual, formal and ethnic variety. The collection for ethnic wear is available in cottons, crepes, polycot, silks, organza and handlooms. Creations of designers like Raghavendra Rathore, J J Valaya and Rohit Bal have also been stocked here. It also houses perfumes, accessories, footwear and soft toys. Shoppers? Stop is the place... more
16. Sigma Grand Mall, Cunningham Road
For more information about Sigma Grand Mall, Cunningham Road, click here
17. Sigma Mall, Cunningham Road
Situated right in the middle of Cunningham Road, the wavy structure of Sigma Mall does get its vote as one of the hangout hotspots in Bangalore.There is much that can be said about it, that you should know as you dig for new and exciting hangouts. Sigma mall is a lovely place to hang around in. The McDonald?s (which needs no introduction ? as the most popular place for Burgers and Fries)... more
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18. Sobha Global Mall, Rajaji Nagar
For more information about Sobha Global Mall, Rajaji Nagar, click here
19. The Forum, Hosur Road
Bangalore witnesses another first from the Prestige Group ‐ A Retail Centre that Entertains or if you so choose an Entertainment Centre that Retails. Perhaps we need to coin a phrase for a new experience. How about: ?Retailment? or ?Entertailing?? Located at Koramangala, a prosperous and high density catchments area and a mere 10 minutes from Brigade Road, is 4 and half acres of main road... more
20. Total Mall, Bellandur
For more information about Total Mall, Bellandur, click here
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21. Total Mall, Madivala
Bag a bargain at the hypermarket, shop for brands at the retail mall and savour an exciting meal at the themed restaurants under one roof at Total. A smart combination of brand showrooms, restaurants and the hypermarket make for a Total one‐stop shop. Watch out for the super saver offers on household needs like groceries, self‐care products and electronics they are great value for money. Brand... more
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Shopping Malls of Bangalore
If you enjoy shopping, you will enjoy Bangalore. If you enjoyed Bangalore, you will like shopping here. Bangalore has become a shopper's paradise. With popular shopping areas like M G Road, Brigade Road, Commercial Street, Majestic area, and Jayanagar Shopping Complex, as well as little shops (tucked away behind the big malls) stocking up some really trendy stuff. From the air‐conditioned ambience of super stores like Shopper's Stop and Kemp Fort to the bustling by‐lanes of Chickpet, Bangalore has something to offer every kind of shopper. You could find some of the biggest brands in the world while strolling down Brigade Road, or exquisite silk sari somewhere in the City Market. Whether you are looking for Kancheepuram Silk or Swarovski crystal, chances are you will find it in Bangalore. You just need to know where to look.
Bangalore is currently seeing something of a retail boom. Several supermarkers and malls have sprung up in the recent past. To name a few, the largest mall in Bangalore, the Mantri Square in Malleshwaram was recently inaugurated. Besides there are others such as the Fabmall, Sunday to Monday, and the brand new Family Mart. The latest buzz is that of hypermarkets ‐ Big Bazaar is already functional. Bangalore is also the base for Metro Cash & Carry, strictly a B2B retailing zone, which now has establishments in Yeshwantpur and Kanakpura Road. The newest addition to the Mall Wagon is the Gopalan Mall or Namma Mall on Msore Road.
Mantri Square : The newest addition to the Bangalore Mall scene is the Mantri Square on Sampige Road Malleshwaram, said to be the largest mall in Bangalore till date. It has been developed by real estate developer Mantri group just besides their residential complex Mantri Greens.
Mantri Square has 5 stories including shops in the basement. It has another 2 stories of basement for parking.
Mantri Square Mall has many unique features:
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* The only mall in Bangalore to have 5 departmental stores under one roof. * Largest Food Court (Palate) in Bangalore with a seating capacity of 750. * 39 F&B Outlets ‐ Highest in South India
Anchor Tenants:
* Spar Hypermarket spread over 90,000 Sq Ft. * Lifestyle, Shoppers' Stop, Pantaloons, Marks & Spencer & Reliance Trends. * Reliance Digital, Home Centre, Reliance Home, Reliance Timeout & Showoff. * Palate Food Court consisting of 14 Food Counters. * 6 Fine Dining Restaurants, Bangalore's First Open Bar. * A 6 theater multiplex including 1 Gold Class Screen to be operated by Inox. * A family entertainment and gaming center spread over 23,000 Sq Ft to be operated by Amoeba.
Gopalan Mall, the first mall on the crowded Mysore Road, is an ideal shopping destination for people commuting from Mysore to Bangalore. With the theme Namma Mall, Gopalan Mall provides all commodities at reasonable prices to consumers.
With the city undergoing rapid development and urbanisation, the public is being wooed with various malls that offer complete entertainment to the entire family. The shift of focus from the central part of the city to the outskirts has become more obvious with the speedy development that is taking place in faraway places.
The most recent trend, of course, is mall mania! The Forum Mall on Hosur Road is the city’s important landmark, housing some of the world’s best‐known brands, along with state‐of‐the art parking facilities, with an 11‐screen multiplex due soon. Sigma Mall on Cunningham Road, is being positioned as a young adult’s entertainment zone.
And, as if to epitomize the transformation of Bangalore from
pensioner’s paradise to young people’s paradise, the erstwhile Victoria Hotel off M.G. Road has become Bangalore Central, housing a pub, entertainment areas and food courts. "The Forum" on Hosur Road offers people not just a shopping experience, but several options from food to entertainment. Sources say it could well be the biggest mall in India with an area of around 650,000 lakh sq ft and parking of 300,000 sq ft where around 800 cars can be comfortably parked. Some of the biggest brands in the City are swearing by this upmarket mall. The ‘who’s
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who’ in the fashion, food and lifestyle retail business are talking about the virtues of sharing space at The Forum. Brands like West Side, Landmark, Reebok, Adidas, Cafe Day, Bose, Sangeetha, Lee, Wrangler, William Penn, Pepe Jeans, Archies have set up shop here while the rest are getting ready to do the same.
Bangaloreans are making a beeline to The Forum to get a feel of the ‘special’ shopping experience it promises. Situated next to Prestige Acropolis on Hosur Road in Koramangala, you just cannot miss its eye‐catching facade. There are two entrances to the mall: from Dairy Circle and Hosur Road. The ambience of The Forum is designed so as to give other shopping districts in Bangalore stiff competition.
The mall is split into four levels. Level 1: Apparel, luxury goods. Level 2: Women’s wear, casual wear, footwear. Level 3: Landmark, food courts. Level 4: The multiplex with seven normal and four deluxe screens, having a seating capacity of around 30 to 120 people. Besides, there is also the Central Atrium for exhibitions. In fact, one of the highlights of this mall is the unique parking facility. Something like a drive‐in theatre, it allows a shopper to drive right into the mall, park his vehicle and walk just a few steps to enter the shop of his choice. The latest addition to the exciting world of shopping is the Bangalore Central Mall. In the place where once stood the sprawling Victoria hotel with its laidback attitude and old world charm, now stands Bangalore’s newest shopping mall ‐ Bangalore Central ‐ opposite Mayo Hall, in the heart of the City. Constructed with an investment of over Rs 30 crore and occupying over 120,000 sq feet to house more than 300 brands across various categories, Bangalore Central, is all set to redefine shopping. A unique feature is that Bangalore Central is India’s first 'seamless mall’ which is aimed at making shopping easier. There are counters for every brand, but no doors or separators for stores. It’s like one huge store within the ambience of a mall. A cross between Macy’s and Target, Bangalore Central also has a floor where you can access your groceries, canned food and imported fruits. It too has a bookstore and several floors of clothes for everyone in the family. The company managing the mall promises international standards in ambience and services and is equipped with state‐of‐the‐art infrastructure, offering the customer a variety of choices with all brands, regional and international under one roof. The six‐storeyed mall boasts of apparel, fashion accessories, supermarket including Food Bazaar, liquor store, electronics, consumer durables, cosmetics, books and music on each floor, adding to the convenience of shopping. Eateries occupy an important place in any shopping centre. Bangalore Central has its own Food Court with restaurants, cafes and eat‐outs, occupied by the likes of Cookie Man, MTR, Baskin Robins, 3 Amigos, Gangotri and Coffee Day Cafe. And the mall also boasts of a unique and first‐of‐its‐kind in‐house radio called “Radio Central”, which will have an RJ anchoring events, playing music and arranging surprises for customers. Central will also offer services like travel, cinema ticket booking, payment of bills and foreign exchange. Investment and insurance services are also on offer. On the anvil are a wedding registry and “Central Square”, a specially dedicated space to host events, displays, art exhibitions and even product launches.
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The mall has ample parking space with two floors dedicated for parking vehicles and entry from MG Road and Magarath Road. Bangalore Central is the first of the seamless chain malls which Pantaloons intends to start in other cities as well. Hyderabad and Pune will be the next cities to have similar malls later this year.
The newest addition to the Bangalore Malls is the Garuda Mall on Magarath Road, opposite the Shoppers Stop. With enough space to park a thousand cars, the city's largest integrated parking complex and "shoppertainment" centre is spread over 11 floors and two basements. The Complex includes 2,30,000 sq. ft. of shopping and entertainment space on five floors, including a five‐screen multiplex and a 140‐room hotel. Garuda's entertainment options will include the INOX multiplex with five screens and 1,350 seats and activity centres for children. The complex will also offer shoppers a wide range of cuisines at a food court with over 20 food counters. Besides, there will be dining options in five exclusive restaurants
serving Oriental, Continental, Mediterranean and Frontier cuisines.
Lido Mall ‐ The latest mall to have caught the frenzy of shoppers in the city is Lido. This spankingly new shopping space is located at Ulsoor, where the Lido theatre used to be. It sports everything from designer wear to dazzling accessories from all over the world. At Lido, international brands stand cheek by jowl with their desi cousins and vie for your attention
Cosmos Mall, ITPL, Brookfield ‐ Close to ITPL, the IT corridor and the airport, this mall is one of the new
kids on the block. Boasts of some international quality brands such as The Body Shop, Thomas Scott, Jewellery from Thailand and Malaysia...in fact there is even Dollar Store.
Another recent addition is the Oasis Mall on Inner Ring Road, Sarjapur which boasts of 200,000 sq feet of shopping and office space. International brands such FCUK, Calvin Klein, Lifestyle, Spar Hypermarket, NDS office and a food court are all there. This mall is not like our other regular malls where you have different shops lined up, but this is more like Bangalore Central where you have everything under a common roof. The SPAR supermarket is also a must see. There is ample space to move around and you wont come across customers bumping into each other.All in all a good shopping experience.
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Some of the older and smaller Malls that still attract large crowds are:
Shopper's Stop‐ Magarath Road. This is a huge department store which offers an exclusive shopping experience for the discerning shopper. The store which is considered the The Harrods of Bangalore has the best brands available in India and are priced reasonable. The window displays are also attractive and of international standard.
Eva Mall, Brigade Road ‐ The flower‐embossed building called Eva Mall stocks only women's wear. Shoes, accessories, clothes, swimwear — the entire range is available at this Mall. Beachwear outfits, in bright colours and with floral motifs, include tank tops, T‐shirts, swimwear, shorts and three‐fourth pants.
Safina Plaza‐ Infantry Road. This is one of the earliest Malls where the Stores offer regular Sales and discounts. You can find shops for clothes for the whole family, shoes, handicrafts and grab a bite to eat at many of the food joints here. Arihant Plaza‐ Commercial Street. A Busy Mall for its location which has everything for the Family. This Mall house several shops sellings an assortment of foods, especially chocolates, biscuits and cookies. Other than the Sporty, casual and formal wear for girls and guys, the mall also caters t shoppers interested in accessories and Electronics with great deals.
The Leela Galleria at 23 Airport Road ‐ Bangalore's one of the largest Shopping Mall featuring a Sports Centre and an all Night Disco.
5th Avenue‐ Brigade Road A shopping mall on four levels with music shops, men's and women's clothing, the Supermarket, a beauty parlour, gaming centers, Time and Again disco, a food joint, jewellery shops and shoes.
Mota Royal Arcade ‐ Brigade Road. ‐ Bangalore's Mall culture started with this Mall which opened about 7 years ago and was a very popular hang‐out for teenagers and adults alike. Houses the ever popular Only Place restaurant, notorious for its steaks and desserts. Also has Fashion Flash, G's lanes for bowling and pool and the One Stop Shop for everything under the sun. All the parking space you need is available underground.
Devatha Plaza‐ Residency Road. A Well known name under shopping complexes but has lost its charm after the big ones have taken over. You can find shops selling flowers, clothes, and also several doctors and dentists in this complex.
Alankar Pearl Plaza‐ Kempegowda Road. Another very busy and popular rendevouz for families for its wide range of garments and other discount shops.
Hong Kong Market‐ Gandhinagar, below Tribhuvan Theater. Sell imported goods like cutlery, chocolates, electronics etc. Sells mosts imported and smuggled goods. One needs to be very careful while shopping here as most of the goods sold are not genuine ones.
Burma Bazaar‐ Gandhinagar, opposite Tribhuvan theater. A small Mall mainly for the imported goods, mostly smuggled.
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Bangalore Palace
Today, when I reached the palace and saw it from outside, I was in doubt if I have reached the right place as the place looked deserted except for 2 or 3 cars standing outside and there was no name board(Got so much used to directions and nameboards that I have started looking for a nameboard saying "Palace" for a palace too:‐)). But then this feeling lasted only until I entered it.
I was in for a surprise when I visited Bangalore Palace today. Little did I know before, that this was where the famous “Chandramukhi” movie starring RajniKanth, Jothika was shot. I will come to this part later.
Palace administrative office phone no is 080‐23360818.
The palace is open for visitors on all days except Sundays. The timings are 10 AM to 6 PM.
How did I reach there?
I called up palace administrative office and asked them how can I reach the Palace from Domlur. They were of good help.
Most of the places in Bangalore are like nodes of doubly linked list. Consider alphabets as nodes in the doubly linked list. You can reach the letter “S” from A, traversing through B,C,D,…..P,Q,R or by traversing through Y,X,…U,T from Z.
So there are 3 ways you can reach the Palace from Domlur.
1. Go to Shivaji Nagar bus stand. From there, take a bus that goes towards Yeshwanthpur. Get down at Vasanth Nagar.
2. Go to M.G. Road ‐> Cunningham Road. Find Chandrikha hotel and from there the palace is of 5 minutes walk. It is near Mount Carmel College.
3. Go to Majestic. From there take a bus towards Vasanth Nagar from platform no. 24.
Among these routes, the first two are shorter. But as I am comfortable and have many buses to reach Majestic by bus no 333. I took bus no.111 from platform no.24 and got down at Mount Carmel College and the palace is 2 mins walk from there.
From Vasanth Nagar, bus no. 137A takes you back to Domlur, but I got down at IndiraNagar.
Total cost of the trip: Rs. 144 Domlur to Majestic ‐ Rs. 10 Majestic to Vasanth Ngr ‐ Rs. 7 Entry fee to Palace ‐ Rs. 100 Vasanth Ngr to IndiraNgr ‐ Rs. 7
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A big calendar with photos of Fern Hill Palace in Ooty and a table calendar are given as a complementary gift when you get the entry ticket. The Fern hill palace has now been converted in to a five star hotel.
Once you pay the entry ticket, there are guides appointed in the palace to take you around and give you a brief description about things.
Wodeyars Wodeyars are considered the real kings of Mysore and Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan created a kingdom of their own and ruled from Srirangapatna.
Wodeyars have three palaces – this Bangalore Palace, the Mysore Palace, and Fern Hill Palace Ooty. This Bangalore Palace was built using Windsor Castle as a model and Mysore Palace was built with Buckingham Palace as model. The throne in Mysore Palace is said to have ascended from Pandavas, which was then used by King Vikramaditya too and now is with Wodeyars. Even now, during Dasara festival, the current descendant of Wodeyar dynasty sits in it wearing royal clothes. But it is so rich and made of metals that it gets heated up and the King doesn’t sit in it for more than half an hour.
There is a very big dressing mirror in a room whose frames are coated with gold.
Elephant’s legs and head
There is a head of the elephant near the entrance of the palace(inside the palace). It is a real elephant’s head which is preserved using chemicals. The elephant was very wild and killed many people and hence it is said the Wodeyar King ordered his men to kill it. The of lower part the elephant’s legs are cut off to a height of 2 foot and cushions were made and they are fixed at the top of the elephant legs to make stools(which resemble dressing table stool). There is a stool made of bullock’s legs also. All these were treated with chemicals so that they don’t decay.
Weighing machine
I found a weighing machine in the palace. The setup is as: there is a two seater sofa kind of thing made of wood. The person to be weighed should sit on one seat and the other seat contains a weighing instruments which is connected to the first seat. But it is sad to find that this is not working now.
Refrigerator There is a cupboard made of a different material, coated with wood on the outside. There are many compartments inside it and ice cubes are placed in the top most compartment on one side. This was used like a refrigerator to preserve food materials.
There is a seater(like sofa) made of a material like tiles, which was brought from Spain. Queen’s room is decked with wallpaper from Japan.
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There are other things like dressing tables, chairs, lamps, empty perfume bottles, statues and sculptures that are available in any other palace. There are many paintings painted by Raja Ravi Varma and many other painters all over the palace. The most striking thing, here is there are numerous black and white photos of few past generations of Wodeyar Kings. I haven’t found so many photos in any other palace, I have visited so far.
And this is the first palace, where I got to see bathrooms and toilets. There were Western toilets and the Queen’s bathroom was bigger than the King’s. There was a partition between the place where the Western Toilet commode was present and the bathroom.
Chandramukhi movie
Many rooms of the palace was rented out for the shooting of Chandramukhi movie. The rental per day is something around Rs. 1.5 lakhs. The Chandramukhi room is actually the King’s room and from one of the windows, is where Jothika looks in to the dance master’s (Vineeth’s house). The dance master house is actually a small quarters or a guest house for officers coming from outside the state to stay.
I saw the stairs they show in the movie, which leads to Chandramukhi room. In reality, this set of stairs and the room where Malavikha faints and falls are at a distance from Chandramukhi room. And the door(which has all those sacred threads and is opened by a long key) that is shown that leads to Chandramukhi room is a set, and was placed in fron of the original door. Apart from the door, the rooms are real.
On a last note, renovation is going on to preserve the palace in good condition. The maintenance is good and this palace is a must‐see if you are in Bangalore or visiting Bangalore!
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Bangalore Palace Palace Road Vasanth Nagar Ph: (080) 23360818
Timings 10am to 5:30pm. Open all days, except Sundays.
Speciality Beautiful paintings and old photographs of the royal family. A great place to travel back in time.
Parking Enough for royal entourage, and more. Parking fees are nominal.
Getting there From Mekri Circle, go down Ramana Maharshi Road (towards MG Road). Turn right on to Palace Road. The entrance is at the end of the road, just before an overbridge. From MG Road, go down Millers Road, and then turn left on MV Jayaram Road. Turn right onto Palace road and take a U turn to enter the premises.
REVIEW A Bygone Era
Magnificent paintings, old black and white photographs from the royal family, antique, reallyantique furniture, elephants on the walls and on the legs of stools. Torn chairs and bedrooms indisrepair. That is the story of the Bangalore Palace today. Read along to see what you can expectfrom a visit to this palace.
The Palace Itself
The palace looks out of place... It's got none of the 'exotic' features that we normally associateIndian palaces with ‐‐ instead, it looks all western, as if a slice of England was cut away and placedin namma Bengaluru. Tickets are reasonably priced at Rs. 100 per person. But throw 'reasonable'out of the window if you want to take photographs ‐‐ prepare to fork out Rs. 500 for photography and Rs. 1000 for video! Absolutely ridiculous rates. . No wonder the guards will scowl at you if you take photographs of the palace (even from the outside!) without purchasing the tickets. Guidesare available at the counter at the rate of "pay as you like, saar".
The elephant in the room
Can be taken literally in this case. As you walk up a highly decorated staircase, doff your hat to ahuge elephant that's seems to have been around for uh...quite some time. And then enter themagnificent Durbar Hall. Tall ceilings, colourful windows, furniture from another era ‐‐ this was the place where the king used to hold court and discuss matters of the state.
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Beautiful paintings
The piece de resistance of Bangalore Palace are the paintings. As you walk down the corridors,stop and admire the paintings by Raja Ravi Raj Varma and many other internationally renowned artists. A small gallery of nude paintings spice things up one notch.
Antique furniture
An old sit down‐and‐weigh‐yourself machine (not working, so don't try it out!), a cooler to keepdrinks chilled, wooden fans (from General Electric), and a beautiful blue garden bench from France are some of the exhibits you can see here. And more elephant accessories ‐‐ dressing table stools with elephant legs. Also stools with legs of a wild bullock!
History and Controversy
The palace was constructed by Rev. Garrett over a hundred years ago. The then Maharaja,Chamaraja Wadiyar, bought the palace and the land adjoining it, for a royal sum of twelve lakhrupees. However, since last forty years, the palace has been under legal dispute ‐‐ first with a private party (Chamundi Hotels Pvt Ltd) and then with the State Government itself ‐‐ the state has been trying to acquire the property too for quite some time now. The dispute is still pending withthe Supreme Court. Meanwhile, the current scion is determined to renovate the palace back to its pristine glory. The palace is the place in the city for all rock concerts ‐ The Rolling Stones, Scorpions, Sting, Iron Maiden and many others have all played here. Also, many iconic Indianmovies have been shot on this location (Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander, Chandramukhi)
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BANGALORE Palace
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ABOUT:
BANGALORE PALACE, built in 1887, belongs to the “Wodeyars” , they are considered to be the real kings of Mysore. And the Wodeyars have three palaces, the Bangalore Palace, the Mysore Palace, and Fern Hill Palace in Ooty. This Bangalore Palace was built using Windsor Castle as the model… Its surrounded by a huge garden which was once very beautiful now due to lack of care its holding on by a thread...
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I went by car to the palace… Nowadays it’s so easy to get directions from Google Earth… Reached their about 11am & as always I was 1 of the early birds… Upon entering, the first thing that really took my breath was the head of the elephant, it was pretty HUGE!!!...
Earlier, guides would take the visitors around but now they have modernized their system… Each individual is given a device and a headphone..
You wear the earpiece and a pre recorded narration you shall hear… Its available in a couple languages. You have to give them an identity proof or else 2000/‐ Rs as a refundable deposit for the gadget, (per group 1 deposit)…They will also guide you on how to use the machine… It’s really easy…
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You will find numbers on the walls and according to that press the number on the gadget and just listen to the narration…
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Best part is all the guards are outside the palace so no 1 will follow you around (I totally hate that) but there are cameras everywhere...
So don’t think you’re not been watched…
The full palace takes you back into into history and tells you about what the kings did back then till the present king…
We had no idea but at the ending route we came to know that some puja was been done and we could also look… At the end of puja everyone was taking the blessing of someone and thats when I noticed that the present king was right there in front of me… You can easily spot him as all the serious guys dressed in grey suits were near, I guess they were his security guards…
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Finally we reached the exit & as usual the crowd started… Four groups entered then .. Another juicy info for all the movie buffs out their..
Those of you who have seen Chandramukhi movie will understand what I'm trying to say... Many room were rented for shooting of this movei. The palace was rented out for about Rs. 1.5 lakhs... The dance master's house is actually a quarter for officers to stay which cannot be seen now by the public, they have closed it and its private now... Chandramukhi's room is actually the King’s room and from one of the windows, is where Jyothika looks in to the dance master’s (Vineeth’s house), we could not make out exactly which window it was as they were shut... I recognized the stairs they show in the movie, which leads to actress's (Chandramukhi) room... In reality, this set of stairs and the room where Malavikha faints and falls are at a distance from Chandramukhi's room... Now the staircase path is filled with paintings (they are exotic ones and its only exit path so you have to go through it, this passage was a bit uncomfortable for me)... We could not find a particular door (which has all those sacred threads and is opened by a long key, that leads to Chandramukhi room) & upon asking we found out that it was a set that was placed in front of the original door for the shooting... I don't know why they did that... Apart from the door thing, the rooms are real it seems.
WHEN TO GO:
Any time for the month is fine…
DO'S: Make time... It will take about 2 to 3hrs to check out the full palace... Best to leave luggage in vehicle..
DON'TS: Don't make loud noise..
Don't touch the paintings..
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TIMINGS:
10:00 am to 5:30pm
open on all days except Sunday, but still best to call up and visit.
ENTRY FEES:
The cost per person is 175/‐ (Indians) , 350/‐ (foreigners)
500/‐ (for camera) 1000/‐ (for video camera)
NOTE: Food, beverages are not permitted inside
ADDRESS:
Jayamahal Rd, Armane Nagar, (palace gardens)
Bengaluru,
Karnataka.
PHONE:
080 2336 0818
WEBSITE: None
a few images of whats inside the palace...
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Hope the information I have posted is helpful for you all...
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Also check out my other blogs http://everytipiknow.blogspot.com/
http://shopping‐in‐bengaluru.blogspot.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/evwijk/2749687196/in/set‐72157606644940186/
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ISKON Temple History
Temple Architecture & History
In September 1987, ISKCON Bangalore was operating from a rented house in the city with a handful of devotees. Under the leadership of the Temple President, Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa, ISKCON Bangalore applied for a 7‐acre hillock from the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA). The BDA had described it as “karaab land” (waste land) as it was a huge piece of monolithic rock and could not be converted into sites. The BDA sanctioned the land at a cost of Rs. 11 lakhs to be paid in 90 days. With practically no resources in hand, the team of devotees managed to collect the sum partly with the help of some donors and partly through loan.
On Lord Balarama’s appearance day of September 1988, the Deities of Krishna Balarama moved to a temporary shed on this land.
Primary concept
The master plan of the project on the Hare Krishna Hill was conceived by Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa, who is a qualified civil engineer from IIT (Mumbai). The initial concept as it stood from outside was conceived by Sri Jagat Chandra Dasa who is a product engineer from IIT (Mumbai). The unique combination of glass and gopuram, blended modern and traditional elements. Considering the nature of the sloping rocky hillock, this unique concept was further developed architecturally into the present design as it stands by Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa and Bhakti Lata Devi.
Click here to view the photo gallery of the construction of the temple
The whole construction was carried out by the ISKCON Construction Department. Between 1990 and 1997 a total of 10 million man‐hours were put by 600 skilled craftsmen, 32,000 cubic meters of stone, 131,250 tones of cement and 1,900 tones of steel were used.
Read more about the architecture of the temple: An interview with the Temple President Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa.
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Garbhagriha
The Deities The Deities in the main sanctum sanctorum are standing on complete piece of stone column of about 90 feet height.
The gopurams were made with special technology using Ferro cement. It was for the first time that this technology was used for temples. The basic structure is a main frame of steel and wire mesh covered with cement and concrete of around 6 inch that adds to the dynamics of the structure.
The 36 feet high and 18 feet base, intricately designed and gold plated kalasham was placed on top by a chain pulley from the floor level to the top about 150 feet high. This was an engineering feat considering the risk of lifting 1.5 tons of gold plated kalasham going over a glass canopy to a height of 150 feet.
Deity installation
The original simple temple design started in 1990 and estimated to cost Rs.10 crore gave way to a more stunning, unique architectural model that cost Rs.32 crores and that today represents a fusion between majestic traditional styles and bold new aesthetics.
The prathistha ceremonies or Deity installation ceremonies was conducted in the month of April 1997. Yajnas were held for continuous 45 days non‐stop. On 31st May 1997, the President of India, Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma inaugurated the Sri Radha Krishna Chandra Temple and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Cultural Complex.
Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma said, “It gives me immense pleasure to associate myself with the inauguration of this Center For Advancement of Culture of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) here in Bangalore. This magnificent complex, a blend of tradition
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and modernity, is a symbol of the dedication and devotion of ISKCON to the cause of bhakti and service. It is an architectural landmark.
I congratulate all those who have worked tirelessly to set up this splendid edifice.”
Deities
The archa‐vigraha is an incarnation of the Lord in a form appreciable by a devotee. Devotees engage in devotional service of the Lord in His archa‐vigraha form, which according to the shastras can be made of material objects such as stone, metal, wood, jewels or paint. These are called sthula, or physical representations. Devotees follow the regulative principles of worship, as enjoined by the scriptures, accepting the physical form of the archa‐vigraha as non‐different from His original spiritual form. Thus services rendered to the archa‐vigraha enable the devotees to achieve the ultimate goal of life which is to be always absorbed in thoughts of the Lord.
Sri Sri Radha Krishna‐chandra
Krishna is glorified as the Supreme Personality of Godhead by the Vedic literatures, saints of bygone ages and great devotees. Srimati Radharani is the quintessence of all the devotees of the Lord. Sri Sri Radha Krishna‐chandra are the presiding Deities at ISKCON, Bangalore. This form of the Deities represents Their Lordships as always relishing the sweet and charming environment of Vrindavana with Krishna playing the flute.
Sri Sri Krishna Balarama
It is enjoined in the scriptures that whenever Krishna incarnates on this Earth to annihilate the miscreants, He is accompanied by His intimate associates. Balarama incarnated with Krishna as His elder brother in Vrindavana when They appeared on this planet in the previous age of Dvapara yuga. Krishna and Balarama played in the forests of Vrindavana and took care of Their cows along with Their friends. It is this age group of Krishna and Balaram that the Deities of Sri Sri Krishna Balarama represent.
Sri Sri Nitai Gauranga
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Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was the initiator of the bhakti movement in Bengal in the fifteenth century. The Srimad Bhagavatam has described His position as a hidden avatara or incarnation of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. His appearance in the Kali yuga was to propagate the congregational chanting of the holy names of God, specifically the maha mantra ‐ Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. This is the recommended process for self‐realization in this age of Kali. Sri Chaitanya was also known as Gauranga, after His golden hue. The Sri Sri Nitai Gauranga Deities represent Lord Chaitanya and Nityananda Prabhu, His intimate associate who is the incarnation of Balarama. The Deities of Sri Sri Radha Krishna‐chandra, Sri Sri Krishna Balarama and Sri Sri Nitai Gauranga are made of pancha‐loha, an alloy of five metals: gold, silver, copper, brass and iron.
The Deities were made by Devasena Sthapathi and his son Radha Krishna Sthapathi at Swami Malai near Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu, the hub of traditional South Indian bronze sculpture. The sculptors are descendents of a family that worked for King Rajaraja Chola, one of the most famous Chola rulers.
Sri Srinivasa Govinda
This Deity of Lord Vishnu, an expansion of Lord Krishna, is also known as Venkateshwara or Balaji, the Lord of seven hills at Tirupati. He holds a chakra (disc) and shankha (conch) in two hands and blesses devotees with the other two.
Sri Prahlada Narasimha
Narasimha is the half‐lion and half‐man incarnation of the Supreme Lord who killed the demon Hiranyakashipu and saved His five year old devotee Prahlada. The Sri
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Prahlada Narasimha Deity at ISKCON, Bangalore has a unique shanta or peaceful form exhibiting six hands with Prahlada Maharaja standing by His side offering Him prayers.
The vigrahas of Sri Srinivasa Govinda and Sri Prahlada Narasimha are monolithic black granite. They are made in the traditional shilpi style of Tamil Nadu by Sri Perumal who is one of the most renowned sculptors in Mamallapuram, the centre of traditional shilpi shastra near Chennai.
Srila Prabhupada
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada went to America in 1965 at the age of 69 years to fulfill the order of his spiritual master. Within a short period of 12 years, he presented the Vedic literature through more than 50 books in English. Highly respected by the academic community for their authority, depth and clarity, his books are used as standard text books in numerous college courses. Alongside writing he also traveled around the globe preaching Krishna consciousness. In 1966, he established the ‘International Society for Krishna Consciousness’ in New York. He guided the society and saw it grow to a world wide confederation of more than hundred ashrams, schools, temples, institutes and farm communities. In 1977, he returned to the Holy Dham Vrindavana and left this world. His disciples are engaged in expanding this movement established by him.
At ISKCON, Bangalore, the mula‐vigraha of Srila Prabhupada made in brass is installed. The Deity sits on the rosewood gold plated altar in the main temple hall. This life‐sized Deity was carved by his disciple ‐ His Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhu and is one among the very few brass deities of Prabhupada in ISKCON today.
Daily Program Darshan Timings
4.15 a.m to 5.00 a.m.
7.15 a.m to 12.50 p.m.
4.00 p.m to 8.45 p.m.
3:45 am ‐ 4:00 am Jagaran Seva
4:00 am Balya bhoga offering
4:15 am Mangala arati : first puja & darshan of Lord Sri Radha Krishna‐Chandra with arati & kirtana (in the main temple hall)
4:45 am Sri Tulasi puja (with Deities darshan closed)
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5:00 am Puja for Sri Prahlada Narasimha
5:15 am Suprabhata seva of Sri Srinivasa Govinda
5:20 am to 7:15 am Offering of daily worship of Shodasha nitya puja to the Deities (darshan closed), Japa Meditation
7:15 am Shringara darshan ‐ puja of Lord Sri Radha Krishna‐Chandra after shringara, with arati & kirtana (main temple hall)
7:30 am Parikrama of the Deities in procession with kirtana, with the murti of Srila Prabhupada
7:45 am Shringara darshan of Sri Prahlada Narasimha
7:55 am Shringara darshan of Sri Srinivasa Govinda
8:00 am Sri Guru Puja of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
8:10 am to 8:35 am Pratara bhoga offering
8:15 am Lecture on the Srimad‐Bhagavatam
12:00 noon Raja bhoga offering
12:30 pm Raja bhoga arati ‐ puja of the Lord with arati & kirtana
1:00 pm to 3:45 pm Shayana seva (darshan closed during this time)
3:45 pm to 4:00 pm Jagaran Seva
4:00 pm Vaikalika bhoga offering
4:15 pm Dhupa arati (darshan opens)
5:00 pm Sandhya bhoga offering
6:45 pm Sri Tulasi Puja
7:00 pm Sandhya arati ‐ puja of the Lord with arati & kirtana
8:00 pm Ratrikalika bhoga offering
8:15 pm Shayana arati
8:45 pm Darshan Closes
3:45 am ‐ 4:00 am Jagaran Seva
Waking the Lord by chanting of the Vedas, stutis, and other verses accompanied by musical instruments, thus offering oneself submissively to the Lord before entering the Deity room for puja.
During the auspicious morning hours of brahma‐muhurta when the entire atmosphere is spiritually surcharged, Their Lordships are requested to wake up from the sleep and accept the service of devotees.
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Traditionally, in large temples devotees chant Vedic verses to awaken the Lord in the temple. In Tirumala of South India, devotees chant suprabhata, a hymn specifically meant for waking the Lord.
4:00 am Balya bhoga offering
Immediately after Their Lordships wake up, They are offered kheer, a preparation of rice with sweet condensed milk which is called as balya‐bhoga. In some temples the Lord is also offered rasagulla, sandesh and burfi. The sweet rice prasadam is distributed to devotees after darshan‐arati and it tastes like nectar. Balya bhoga is offered around 4:00 am to Their Lordships.
4:15 am Mangala arati : first puja & darshan of Lord Sri Radha Krishna‐Chandra with arati & kirtana (in the main temple hall)
Srila Prabhupada writes: There must be regular mangala‐arati in the temple during the early morning, an hour and a half before the sun rises. (Cc. Madhya 24.334, purport)
Arati is also called nirajana or drishti, which means waving auspicious items before a person in order to dispel inauspicious influences or elements, as a means of protection. The various items offered, all representing of the material elements in pure form and the corresponding sense objects (i.e. sound, form, touch, etc.) are auspicious and purifying. Thus all arati ceremonies offered to the Lord are auspicious (mangala), but the first arati of the day, in the early morning, is considered particularly auspicious for all who participate.
After the morning offering of sweet rice, Their Lordships get ready to receive mangala‐arati, the first arati of the day. Devotees adorned in bright tilaks and in the ambient fresh low light of dawn, start assembling in the temple to have darshan of Their beloved Lords. Conch‐shells blow pumping in the transcendental sound into the air thus announcing the opening of the doors of Sri Sri Radha Krishna‐chandra, Sri Sri Krishna Balarama and Sri Sri Nitai Gauranga, all mercifully glancing upon Their beloved devotees.
The mangala‐arati is a full arati, with incense, lamp, water, cloth, flowers, chamara (fan made of yak tail) & vyanjana (fan made of peacock feathers). This arati ceremony goes on amidst the sweet kirtana which devotees sing for the pleasure of Their Lordships. To the accompaniment of this kirtana devotees sway back and forth, raising their hands in the air, in the sign of appealing to the Lord to shower His mercy upon them.
After mangala‐arati, pujaris sprinkle sacred water on devotees and then the devotees inform Their Lordships about the temple activities.
4:45 am Sri Tulasi puja (with Deities darshan closed)
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Tulasi is glorified throughout the Puranas and Pancharatra: It was for the spiritual upliftment of the souls in the material world that Lord Vishnu created tulasi as the ocean of milk was being churned. Tulasi is more dear to the Lord than Lakshmi, for Tulasi‐devi undertook extreme austerities and worshiped the Lord with love in order to have Him as her husband, and the Lord fulfilled her wish.
In the morning, after mangala‐arati all the assembled devotees attend tulasi worship and circumambulate Shrimati Tulasi‐devi. First they offer obeisances to Tulasi‐devi with the tulasi‐pranama‐mantra, chanted three times.
Then they sing the tulasi‐puja‐kirtana while pujari offers arati to Tulasi‐devi with incense, a ghee lamp and flowers. When the arati is finished, the assembled Vaishnavas circumambulate Tulasi‐devi at least four times and offer her water by pouring some drops at her root. When a person circumambulates Shrimati Tulasi‐devi, all the sins he may have committed are destroyed at every step, even the sin of killing a brahmana.
5:00 am Puja for Sri Prahlada Narasimha
After tulasi‐puja devotees approach Sri Prahlada Narasimha temple to attend mangala‐arati of Sri Prahlada Narasimha. Narasimha‐kirtana is sung while the pujari offers an arati to the Lord.
Sri Narasimhadev is half‐lion and half‐man incarnation of the Lord who takes away obstacles on devotional path of the devotees. Therefore it becomes necessary for devotees to pray to Him before they start the day’s devotional service. After arati, Narasimha‐kavacha mantra is chanted by the devotees.
5:15 am Suprabhata seva of Sri Srinivasa Govinda
kausalyasuprajarama! purva sandhya pravartate, uttishtha! narashardula! kartavyam daivam ahnikam.
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These sacred chants start echoing into the atmosphere soon after Narasimha‐arati when devotees move to have darshan of Sri Srinivasa Govinda. Sri Srinivasa Govinda is the Lord of seven hills and is worshipped in the mood of awe and reverence. Devotees chant Vedic hymns like Purusha‐shukta, Brahma Samhita, Selected prayers from Srimad Bhagavatam, Svasti Vachanas, Sri Venkatesha Suprabhata to greet the Lord after He is awake. A full arati is performed to the Lord while devotees chant His glorification.
5:20 am to 7:15 am Offering of daily worship of Shodasha nitya puja to the Deities (darshan closed), Japa Meditation
After Suprabhata, all the devotees assemble in main temple hall and together get immersed in the chanting of Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare with the transcendental voice of Srila Prabhupada.
Srila Prabhupada mentions that:
In the early morning hours (known as brahma‐muhurta) one should get up and immediately chant the Hare Krishna mantra, or at least 'Krishna, Krishna, Krishna.' In this way, one should remember Krishna. Some shlokas or prayers should also be chanted. By chanting, one immediately becomes auspicious and transcendental to the infection of material qualities. Actually one has to chant and remember Lord Krishna twenty‐four hours daily, or as much as possible. (Chaitanya‐charitamrita, Madhya‐lila 24.331, purport)
Meanwhile behind the closed doors of altars, the kautuka‐murtis of Sri Sri Radha Krishna‐chandra, Sri Sri Krishna Balarama and Sri Sri Nitai Gauranga are offered shodashopachara seva, a worship with sixteen upcharas.
The Agama‐shastras recommend that a temple needs to have 5 sets of Deities called as Pancha Beras – Mula Bera, Utsava Bera, Shayana Bera, Abhisheka Bera and Bali/Bhoga Bera. Further to this, two or three beras can be installed into one Deity also as per the temple standards.
At ISKCON, Bangalore, there are three sets of Deities in the altar – The Mula Vigraha, Utsava Vigraha and the Kautuka Vigraha (which is the combination of shayana bera, abhisheka bera and bali bera).
The Kautuka vigrahas receive shodashopachara seva in the morning as well as the shayana seva.
During the shodashopachara‐seva These Deities are offered the upacharas which include inviting the Lord to the seat of bathing, welcoming the Lord, offering the water for sipping, etc. As a part of the shodashopachara, Deities are also offered panchamrita‐abhisheka (with milk, curds, ghee, honey and sweet water) and are dressed gorgeously.
It is also during this time that Mula Vigrahas are adorned in gorgeous outfits and garlands for the darshan‐arati or shringara‐arati.
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7:15 am Shringara darshan ‐ puja of Lord Sri Radha Krishna‐Chandra after shringara, with arati & kirtana (main temple hall)
Just before 7:15 am some devotees start performing the kirtana to greet Their Lordships. It is during this time many more devotees throng to the temple to have darshan of Their Lordships before starting their daily duties. The kirtana is stopped by the sign of conch shells blowing, announcing the opening of Lord’s darshan.
The doors open, an aromatic smoke finds its way out the altar and engulfs the entire atmosphere of main temple hall, before revealing the transcendental forms of Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Krishna‐chandra, Sri Sri Krishna Balarama and Sri Sri Nitai Gauranga. Govindam Adi Purusham song during this, stirs one’s soul.
It’s a unique experience being there in the main temple hall, witnessing the arati of the Lord. Devotees then pay obeisance to Their Lordships. Their Lordships are then showed a mirror in which They glance at Themselves. Then an arati is performed during which kirtanas glorifying Sri Krishna Chaitanya and Krishna Balarama echo the atmosphere.
7:30 am Parikrama of the Deities in procession with kirtana, with the murti of Srila Prabhupada
After Shringara‐arati, devotees carry out the processional murti of Srila Prabhupada in a palanquin and go around the main temple altar 4 times. During pradakshina he takes darshan of Their Lordships. Devotees also circumambulate the Deities following Srila Prabhupada.
The Deity of Srila Prabhupada receives charanamrita and shatari after the pradakshina. During this time all the devotees are also blessed with the shatari, (Shatari is impressed with the lotus feet of the Lord).
7:45 am Shringara darshan of Sri Prahlada Narasimha
The Deity of Srila Prabhupada is then carried in a procession to Sri Prahlada Narasimha Temple. Before entering Narasimha temple, Srila Prabhupada takes blessings from Sri
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Gaurada and Sri Hanuman. Sri Prahlada Narasimha, then gives His darshan mercifully to the devotees. The Lord is offered an arati and the devotees glorify Him by singing sri narasimha jaya narasimha jaya jaya jaya narasimha!!!
After the arati, the Deity of Srila Prabhupada receives flower from the lotus feet of the Lord and shatari prasadam and then He proceeds to Sri Srinivasa Govinda Temple.
As soon as Srila Prabhupada leaves to Srinivasa Govinda Temple, all the devotees also are blessed with the shatari of the Lord.
7:55 am Sringara darshan of Sri Srinivasa Govinda
Soon after the sringara darshan of Sri Prahlada Narasimha, devotees follow the Deity of Srila Prabhupada to the temple of Sri Srinivasa Govinda, the Lord of the seven hills.
The sacred hyms – kamala kucha chuchuka kumkumato are chanted by the devotees to greet the Lord. Literally it is a visual retreat to see the Lord who is decorated with the scintillating jewels.The Lord is offered an arati. Again pujari offers the flower prasadam from the lotus feet of the Lord and shatari prasadam of Sri Srinivasa Govinda to the Deity of Srila Prabhupada.
8:00 am Sri Guru Puja of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
After an arati sacred water is sprinkled on devotees and the processional Deity of Srila Prabhupada goes back to the main altar.
Srila Prabhupada says: This is our duty, to dress Krishna in such an attractive way that people at least see that it is very beautiful. Then he becomes a devotee, simply by appreciating. Simply by appreciating, if they say, "Now the Deity worship is very nice," then they go a step forward, step forward immediately, simply by appreciation. Then other things will come gradually. Therefore the temple worship should be exactly to the routine, to the instruction of the shastra and guru and acarya, so that the worshiper in the temple as well as the visitor, both of them will benefit. They will be gradually seeing. Krishna is so kind that He has consented to appear in a way so that we can see.
At the present moment we cannot see Krishna as He is spiritually embodied, sad‐chid‐ananda‐vigrahah, because we have no eyes to see sac‐chid‐ananda‐vigrahah (Bs. 5.1). So here is also sac‐
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chid‐ananda‐vigrahah, archa‐murti. It is not idol worship. The atheist class may say so, but it is not so. Those who have got eyes, they can see. Just like Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, when He entered the temple of Jagannatha, immediately He fainted, "Oh, here is My Lord. Here is My Lord." So one has to become santah. Then one can see. But it is culture, by culture. Premanjana‐cchurita‐bhakti‐vilochanena santah sadaiva (Bs. 5.38). When you develop that culture, when you develop that love for Krishna, then you will see immediately and you will faint, "Oh, here is my Lord." (Srimad‐Bhagavatam 3.25.35 ‐‐ Bombay, December 4, 1974)
8:10 am to 8:35 am Pratara bhoga offering
The second elaborate offering of the day is called as Pratara Bhoga. This is offered to Their Lordships around 8:15 am when the Lord is being greeted with the sankirtana. As a part of the Deity worship standards, the Lord is offered delicacies like bhaji, chutney, puris, sabji, paratha, halva, sandesha, fruit salad, juice, milk, etc.
8:15 am Lecture on the Srimad‐Bhagavatam
Hearing shastra‐especially Srimad‐Bhagavatam‐is one of the five principal activities of sadhana‐bhakti recommended by Lord Chaitanya. Thus every devotee at the temple here regularly hears the morning class. Hearing must be done with full concentration and attention, with an active interest in understanding and relishing the message of shastra. At the end of the session, devotees put forth their questions to the speaker in order to clearly understand the subject.
After guru‐puja and the morning sankirtana, devotees assemble in English Lecture Hall where the audio lectures of Srila Prabhupada are played. On some days of the week, senior devotees lecture on the verses of Srimad‐Bhagavatam and Srimad Bhagavad‐gita.
12:00 noon Raja bhoga offering
Around 11:30 am, the altar of Their Lordships starts getting ready to receive the Rajbhoga offering which is the third elaborate offering of the day apart from the numerous offerings of fruits which the Lord gets from His devotees. This is a grand offering of the Lord and includes varieties of delicacies like pickles, salads, raita, savories, puris, sabjis, rotis, dhal, kari, papad, shrikhand, thick juice, rice, etc.
Later after an arati, the prasadam is made available to the devotees to honor.
12:30 pm Raja bhoga arati ‐ puja of the Lord with arati & kirtana
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As the name suggests, it is the grandest arati of the Lord during the day which is performed after Rajbhoga offering.
Devotees gather in front of the altars and perform the kirtana while the pujari offer the full arati with incense, pancha‐dipa, arghya, vastra, pushpa, chamara and vyanjana. After the arati, pujari sprinkles the holy water on devotees.
1:00 pm to 3:45 pm Shayana seva (darshan closed during this time)
Around 1 pm, Their Lordships are given rest for next three hours and the temple is closed completely. During this time all the sevas are completely stopped.
3:45 pm to 4:00 pm Jagaran Seva
Around 3:30 pm, the Lord is awaken from His short sleep and is requested to give darshan to His devotees.
4:00 pm Vaikalika bhoga offering
This is the fourth offering of the day and happens behind the closed doors immediately after the noon jagrana‐seva. Delicacies like lassi, fruit juice, fruit salad, fried nuts, sweet pakauras, honey, whipped‐cream are offered to the Lord.
4:15 pm Dhupa arati (darshan opens)
Around 4:15 pm, the pujaris blow conchshells and announce the opening of the darshan of Their Lordships. After darshan opens, Their Lordships receive a short arati called dhupa‐arati amidst sweet kirtana sung by the devotees of the Lord.
All the other sevas like pushpanjali seva and fruits offering resume after the dhupa‐arati.
5:00 pm Sandhya bhoga offering
Varieties of sabjis, rice, chutney, puris and gulab‐jamun form the part of Sandhya bhoga offering which is offered around 5 pm.
6:45 pm Sri Tulasi Puja
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Around 6:45 pm a tulasi‐plant comes out of the main temple altar and is taken to the Tulasi square, an area adjacent to the main altar where the second tulasi‐arati of the day is performed. This arati is performed just like the one performed in the morning.
7:00 pm Sandhya arati ‐ puja of the Lord with arati & kirtana
This is again a very grand arati of the Lord. The holy kirtana of kiba jaya jaya gaura‐chander… echoes in the main temple while the pujari offers full arati to Their Lordships. During this arati, Sri Chaitanya is especially glorified. Prayers are also offered to Narasimhadev by the devotees during this arati.
At the end pujari culminates this arati by sprinkling sacred waters onto devotees.
8:00 pm Ratrikalika bhoga offering
Varieties of sabjis, milk, puris, cakes are offered during this ratrikalina bhoga offering and is the sixth offering of the day.
8:15 pm Shayana arati
This is the last arati of the day and it evokes a festive mood into devotees. Few minutes before the arati, all the lights in main temple are dimmed to almost dark. Conchshells blow, and the doors open letting the aromatic smoke out which slowly reveals the form of Their Lordships.
Radha Krishna prana mora, jugala kishore.. devotees sing this song very melodiously while Their Lordships receive an arati. The visitors are made to sit in front of the Lord and when they witness opening of the Lord’s darshan, they can only express their devotion by clapping and joining in the kirtana. They totally get bemused by the sight of Their Lordships receiving the service of Their loving devotees. Claps grow louder and louder when the arati comes to an end.
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After shayana‐arati gets over, one can see a decorated palanquin is brought to the altar and the pujaris make the smallest pairs of Deities on the palanquin to sit. Just after few minutes, the Pallaki utsava commences. During the fifteen minutes of this festival, Their Lordships are taken three times round the main altar amidst the tumultuous sankirtana. Visitors and devotees also follow the palanquin of Their Lordships.
The Pallaki utsava culminates by a grand arati to the Deities in palanquin. Tambula and flowers are offered to the Lordships during this time. Bells, conchshells, kirtana, singing of the devotees, all mark a grand ending of the sevas for a day to Their Lordships.
8:45 pm Darshan Closes
After Pallaki utsava, the Deities are taken into the shayana room where They are offered shayana‐seva.
The grand‐aratis and the daily program at ISKCON, Bangalore is really a lifetime experience which one needs to have and which can really be not described through the words.
The single upachara that the devotees offer in a day to Their Lordships is bhakti. Please do visit the temple and offer this single upachara to Their Lordships.
ISKCON, Bangalore performs opulent Deity worship in line with the desire of the Founder‐Acarya, Srila Prabhupada who writes:
Worship of Radha‐Krishna Deities is the ultimate pinnacle of Deity worship, and it must be done with the utmost caution and attention to every detail of giving opulent service.
(Letter to: Gunagrahi: ‐‐ New York 3 July, 1972)
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Sri Sri Nitai Gauranga
Sri Radha Krishna‐Chandra
Sri Sri Krishna Balaram
Sri Srinivasa Govinda
Sri Prahlada Narasimha
Srila Prabhupada
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Bull Temple at Basavanagudi
A temple built in the Dravidian style by Kempe Gowda, founder of Bangalore, it has a monolithic bull, made of gray granite which is 4.5 mts high and 6.5 mts long. The Nandi bull is revered as the 'vahana' (vehicle) of Lord Shiva. The temple was supposedly built to appease a bull that devoured all the groundnuts/peanuts grown in the area.
The bull stopped inflicting damage and the thankful farmers held a Groundnut Fair (Kadalekai Parase) near the temple premises which continues even to this day! The monolithic Nandi bull is . One can also visit one of Kempe Gowda's four towers situated near the temple.
Banashankari Temple on Kanakapura Road
The uniqueness of Sri Banashankari Amma Temple is that the deity, Banashankari Amma is worshipped in Rahukala, an inauspicious time according to Hindu belief. The area, Banashankari is named after the goddess. Situated on the busy Kanakapura Road, it is one of the most popular temples of Bangalore. Devotees believe that by worshipping the goddess Banashankari Amma in Rahukala one's hardships and poverty will be removed. Considering the large number of devotees who come to the temple, the Government of Karnataka has taken it into the purview of the Endowment Department. Though the temple is opened to devotees everyday, Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays are special days when thousands of devotees throng to the temple from dawn to dusk to offer special Pujas. The goddess is worshipped with deeparaadhane by lighting multiple oil lamps in half cut lemon peels with the pulp removed. The temple was built in 1915 by a devotee, Somanna Shetty who installed a deity of Banashankari Amma brought all the way from Badami in Bijapur district. There are three big cultural ceremonies that are held annually at the temple. The first one on September 13 every year celebrates the birthday of Banashankari Amma. The temple also conducts the Dasara Festival in October and the temple anniversary in Pushya Maasa, which falls either in the end of December or in the first week of January.
Kadu Mallikarjunaswamy Temple at Malleshwaram
Built in one of the oldest areas in Bangalore ‐ Malleswaram, the temple is on a hillock. As the legend goes, the temple belonged to Chatrapati Shivaji's stepbrother Venkoji, who came upon a 'shivalingam' in 1669 and consecrated the temple around it.
Dodda Ganesha Temple at Basavanagudi
The monolithic Ganesha is about 18 ft in height and 16 ft in width. The God is also known as Shakthi Ganapathi or Satya Ganapathi. People from all walks of life come here to seek blessings. What makes
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this idol more attractive to the devotees is, the different types of decorations that are done during the week. The most famous is the butter coating of the idol. More than 100 kgs of butter is used for this purpose.
Shiva Statue on Airport Road
The Shiva Temple, located on Airport Road, is seated Shiva in the Himalayas, built in the year 1995. Shiva's idol is a great crowd puller due to its grandeur, aesthetic values, scenic beauty and majestic look. During festivals it draws nearly four to five lakhs of devotees in a day. Puja seva (service) is free of cost for everyoneIt boasts of Awesome 65 feet high depiction of Lord Shiva seated in Lotus position. It has the backdrop of Mount Kailash the Lord's heavenly abode and the river Ganga flowing from his matted locks as depicted in the mytholog
Gavi Gangadareshwara Temple
This temple, also located near Basavanagudi, is well known for its remarkable architecture. The Gavi Gangadhareshwara temple is one of the oldest temples in Bangalore. Legend has it that the cave temple dates back to the Tretha Yuga. Kempegowda built two of the oldest temples in Bangalore: the Bull temple and the Gavi Gangadareshwara Temple. The temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi is inside a natural cave in Gavipuram. Legend has it that Kempegowda built this temple in gratitude after being released from his five‐year imprisonment by Rama Raya. Devotees gather here on Makara Sankaranti day when it is believed that at a particular moment in the evening the sun's rays fall directly on the linga inside the cave, passing between Nandi's horns.
The temple, which roughly covers an area of 300 ft by 200 ft, was renovated during the period of the local chieftain Kempegowda, who is also known as the founder of Bangalore. This dates the temple back to nearly 500 years. The 14‐pillared Mantap of the temple has elements of the Vijayanagar style of architecture.
The trishula dhamaruga (a drum attached to a trident), two monolithic pillars called Suryapana and Chandrapana, the towers on the rock outside the temple and a stone wall on the adjoining Harihararaya Gudda were all said to be installed during the Kempegowda period. The most interesting feature of this temple is said to be the two paths inside the cave. It is believed that while one path leads to temple town Shivaganga in Tumkur district, another path leads to Kashi. Apart from the idol of Eshwara with the river Ganga springing from his head, there are also Durga and Parvathi temples inside the cave. If one circumvents these, one can see Sapthamathruke, Sridevi and Bhoodevi idols.
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Apart from these idols, there is also the idol of Agnimurthi, which comprises two heads, seven hands and three legs. It is believed that worshipping this deity will cure one of all eye defects. The priest points out that hundreds visit the temple to find an answer to their problems. Mondays see a huge turnout of devotees, he adds. Apart from that, the Shudda Pournami day in February is also a special day at the temple. A car festival is also held during that time.
The temple blends in beautifully with the entire area, which also has a feel of old‐world simplicity to it ‐ a little Bangalore away from the fancy and footloose City that we all know of. The well‐lit park that adjoins the temple, with fountains et al, is probably the only “modern” element in the vicinity.
The temple is open from 7.30 am to 12.00 pm and again from 5 pm to 8.30 pm.
Dharmaraya Temple
Located in Nagarathpet, this temple has two exceptionally fine images of Lord Krishna and Dharmaraja ‐ hero of the epic 'Mahabharata'. The temple is also well known for the annual Karaga festival. The Karaga festival ‐ a form of Shakti worship, is celebrated during March/April of every year. The Karaga procession starts from the Dharmaraya temple at Nagarthpet at about 2 am.
ISKCON Temple on West of Chord Road
Sri Radha Krishna temple and cultural complex, which is an architectural masterpiece is set on a seven‐acre hillock called the 'Hare Krishna Hill'. This is ISKCON's global project to commemorate the birth centennial of its founder Sri Prabhupada. Built in the Neo‐Classical style, it combines traditional elements of temple architecture with high‐tech utilities. Ornamental arches and illuminated water cascades lead to an elaborately decorated Rajagopuram. There is a unique open air amphitheatre for concerts and festivals.The four temple 'gopurams' are connected by a stunning glazed glass canopy which forms the main 'Hari Naam Kirtan' ‐ a hall of 10,000 square feet. The hall has wonderful ceiling paintings. There are also Vedic museums and exhibit areas, a lecture hall with multiple language translation system and landscaped gardens. The main attraction is ISKCON Vedic Theatre, where a multimedia Vedic film is shown.
Prasanna Veeranjaneya Temple in Mahalaxmi Layout
The uniqueness of the Prasanna Veeranjaneya temple, apart from the 22‐foot‐high deity of Veeranjaneya, is its peaceful atmosphere. The cool breeze and surrounding greenery, coupled with an aura of mysticism, bring solace to devotees visiting the temple.
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Sugreeva Venkateshwara Temple
Located in Balepet area, this temple houses idols of Sugreeva and Venkateshwara. The inner shrine of the temple has an idol of Lord Venkateshwara placed on a pedestal. The Sugreeva idol, which is about six feet in height and appears like Hanuman. The long teeth on either side of the mouth are the only thing which differentiates it from Hanuman.
Kanyakaparameshwari Temple in KumaraPark
Apart from the Goddess which is a popular among the devotees in and around Malleshwaram, the Temple has a fascinating feature ‐ Marble Mandira, murals of holy places and Darpana Mandira (Mirror Mandir) depicting Rishis, Bhagawada Gita and Vasavi history
Venkataramanswamy Temple
Is a small temple with some interesting carvings, built by Chikkadevaraj Wodeyar. There are figures of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva on the walls and an idol of Venkatarama in the sanctorum. After Lord Cornwall's assault, in 1791, the original pillar had to be replaced as it was hit by a cannon ball. Built in typical Dravidian style, this temple has survived through the reign of Chikkadevaraj Wodeyar, Sultan Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan.
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ISKON Anjaneer Temple Lord Balaji Temple, J.P.Nagar, Tirumalagiri Lakshmi Venkateshwara Temple, JP Nagar Sree Tirumalagiri Lakshmi Venkateshwara Temple is located in a beautiful location in J P Nagar 2nd Phase in Bangalore.
The Tirumalagiri temple is dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara (Lord Vishnu). The main attraction of Tirumalagiri Temple is the image of Lord Venkateshwara. The image of Lord Venkateshwara at Tirumalagiri temple in J P Nagar appears to be a replica of the idol at Tirumala (Andhra Pradesh). The presiding deity, Lord Venkateswara is accompanied by Lord Narasimha Swamy to his right and Goddess Lakshmi to his left. There are separate shrines for Lord Govindaraja Swamy, Lord Anjaneya (Hanuman), Lord Ganapathi and Maha Shesha. Address: Tirumalagiri Lakshmi Venkateshwara Temple 9th Cross, 80 Feet Road, J.P. Nagar, 2nd Phase Bangalore ‐ 560 078, Karnataka, INDIA Landmark: Near Durga Parameshwari Ground http://www.mantrisquare.com/searchfilter/common_categorylisting.asp Mantri Square #1 Sampige Road, Bangalore Ph:+91 80 3016 0001 Email: [email protected] Website : www.mantrisquare.com
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Tour 6 : Bangalore Sight Seeing (One Day) Full Day : 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. National Park, Lion Safari, Shiva & Iskon Temple. Half Day : 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 2 p.mm to 7 p.m. Tippu's Palace, Bull Temple, Lalbhagh, Botonical Garden, UlsoorLake, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Public Utility Building, CommertialStreet, Arts & Crafts Emporium, Cubbon Park, VisveswaraiahMuseum, Venkatappa Art Gallery, Vidhana Soudha.
Packages
Visiting Places No. of days
Standard Dluxe Per Head
Tour ‐ 1 Mysore / Ooty 2 days 1,250/‐ 1,500/‐ Tour – 2 Mysore / Ooty / Coonoor 3 days 1,900/‐ 2,250/‐ Tour – 3 Mysore / Ooty / Kodaikanal 5 days 4,250/‐ 4,750/‐ Tour – 4 Mysore / Ooty / Kodaikanal 7 days 5,000/‐ 5,500/‐ Tour – 5 Mysore / Site Seeing 1 days 300/‐ 300/‐ Tour – 6 Bangalore / Site Seeing Half / Full
day 80/160/‐
Tour – 7 Balaji Dharsha ‐ Non Ac‐ 850/‐ Ac‐ 1200/‐
CONTACT US
STC TOURISM No. 131A, 1st Cross, R.K. Puram, Gandhinagar, Near Subway, Opp. Hotel Sangam Paradise, Bangalore ‐ 560009
Telephone : + 91 ‐ 80 ‐ 40921711
Mobile : + 91 ‐ 98453 22285
Email : [email protected] [email protected]
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Bangalore Sightseeing Tours KSTDC operates two daily sightseeing tours round the city. Departure ‐ At 7.30 am and at 2 pm. Return ‐ 1.30 pm and 7.30 pm respectively. Fare ‐ Rs 100. The tour takes you around the city starting at Tipu's Palace. The next halt is at Bull Temple, followed by Lalbagh, Ulsoor Lake, Cauvery handicrafts emporium, Vidhana Soudha and finally the Museum.
The second tour takes you around the city and covers some of the new wonders of Bangalore.
Departure ‐ Daily at 8 am. Return ‐ 8 pm. Fare ‐ Rs 150.
The places covered in this trip are Raja‐ rajeshwari Temple, Bannerghatta National Park, Sankey Boat Club, Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium, ISKCON Temple, Prasanna Anjaneya temple and the Musical Fountain.
Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation has introduced "Curitoba" model air‐conditioned buses that takes tourists on "Bangalore Round" The buses are fully air conditioned with vents for airflow and have well‐cushioned reclining seats and ample legroom. As in some airlines, in front of each seat is an LCD monitor that doubles up as a source of entertainment and information.
These buses have a seating capacity of 35 with 22 seats branded "Silver Class" which have a pullout tray for refreshments as in air‐conditioned railway coaches. Like the executive class on airlines, there are three Gold Class seats which are larger and with more legroom at the rear end of the coach. All passengers get to hear the FM radio channel with music, entertainment and the latest city news.
The public address system is used to describe the sights they pass through and where they next stop. The daily trip starts at 8.45 a.m. from Kempegowda Bus Station and returns there by 8 p.m. after covering the sights of Bangalore.
The Silver Class tickets cost Rs. 200 on weekdays and Rs. 250 on weekends and holidays and the Gold Class costs Rs. 300 and Rs. 350. Children aged between 6 and 12 are charged half the adult fare. For information about the city tours, call 22952311 or 9844263157.
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Bangalore Sight Seeing Full Day package tour BFD
A one day bangalore sightseeing package tour covers Rajarajeshwari Temple, Bannerghatta Biological Park, HAL Museum, Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium, ISKCON Temple, Prasanna Anjaneya Temple, Musical Fountain and Karnataka Chitrakal Parishat
Amenities
Bangalore sight seeing package tour is operated by Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (KSTDC) Frequency: Wednesday to Sunday
Accessibility
Timings for Bangalore sightseeing package tour : Dep: 7.15 AM Arr: 8.00 PM
Tariff
Room Type Plan Tariff
Non A/c Day Visit Package 350.00
Note Children above 5 years will be charged full The cost do not include food charges, entrance fee & any other personal charges. A minimum of 10 persons are required for operation of this package. Discretion in this absolute right of KSTDC, the tour organizers. *Travelers need to report at the departure counters 20 minutes before departure. We are not responsible for any loss of valuables during the journey. Cancellation Policy: 48 hours before the proposed date of departure ‐ 10% deducted 24 hours before the proposed date of departure ‐ 25% deducted 24 hours within the proposed date of departure ‐ No refund
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Plant Wealth
Specifications of the fountain
For further information contact
The dancing and musical fountain was commissioned in the year 1996 as part of the beautification plan for the city of Bangalore. Located in the heart of the city on the Raj Bhavan road in the old LRDE Complex, this is one of the places of tourist attraction in Bangalore. The fountain is installed amidst a landscape that synchronizes with the system. The area is about 17 acres located opposite the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium near the Raj Bhavan. The fountain is under the aegis of the Department of Horticulture, Government of Karnataka. The development and maintenance of the garden in the LRDE premises is the responsibility of the Deputy Director of Horticulture, Cubbon Park, Bangalore. Development of the garden is taken up with a view to improve the landscape of the area.
The dancing and musical fountain is based on the latest multimedia technology, providing high versatility in programming as well as in play back to various Indian and Western musical themes. A number of fountain patterns, each with three distinct heights, develop into formations creating an illusion of a folk or group dance.
Salient features
The dancing and musical fountain is one of the most advanced dancing fountains in India based on multimedia technology, with industry standard MIDI interfaces and hardware architecture. For the first time in the country, the programme generated would become portable across any similar installation, with very less modification.
With in‐built ability in the programme to compensate for individual time delay characteristics of each fountain form, the time synchronization of the development of patterns or the movement of the patterns are possible within very close limits surpassing even the imported designs.
Unlike many other fountains in the country, this fountain uses a unique binary control concept to obtain three distinct levels for each of its forms.This fountain uses hydraulic system to produce the dancing movements, instead of geared motors. This enables for provisions of a number of independent channels for control of the fountain patterns.
The fountain grid design, pumping system, hydraulic dancing mechanism and the controller electronics are all modular, thereby making them adaptable for future expansion. The design is compact and works on re‐circulated water. In this design, the consumption of water is kept very low, avoiding the need for large outlays in terms of water supply lines.
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The fountain is built on the backdrop of a multimedia show using a twin projector. This would project images of stills on the screen behind the fountain, which is also synchronized with the music. It is the countrys first musical fountain, which has a visual image facility. The compact design of the fountain is well suited for construction of a canopy on the top as a part of the future expansion programme. This would create an amphitheatre atmosphere and enable arranging daytime shows of the fountain.
Shows / Events
Scheduled shows of the dancing and musical fountain are organized every day in the evening. Two shows each lasting for about half an hour ‐ between 7 and 7‐30 PM and 8 and 8.30 PM are organized. Mondays and second Tuesdays of the month are holidays.
Plant Wealth
The area surrounding the Musical and Dancing fountain has a landscape that is enriched with many trees, shrubs and creepers. Added to these are a rosary, rockery, and lawns that beautify the area. Some of the tree species found are Ficus sp. Cypress, Eucalyptus, Peltophorums, Poinciana regia, Lagerstroemia flos‐reginae, Silver Oaks And other tree species. Shrubs that are found in the area are Mussaenda rosea, Mussaenda phillipica, Murraya exotica, Euphorbia leucocephala, Bottle brush ‐ callistemon sp., Duranta sp., Thuja compacta, Euphorbia ‐ Flaming sphere, Crotons , Agave americana, Yucca sp.; Creepers include Jacquementia violacea, Bougainvillea sp., Bignonia venusta, Passion flowers ‐ Passiflora edulis, and others.
Rockery: The rockery is beautified with plants such as Aglonema sp., Diffenbachia sp., Syngonium sp., Alternanthera sp. Chlorophytum sp., Cuphia sp., etc.
Rosary : Two small rosaries are located on either side of the fountain. Roses of different colours / varieties are grown that make the landscape attractive.
Lawns of American Bermuda, Cyanodon dactylon near the fountain area gives the view of an open landscape.
Specifications of the fountain
Dimension ‐ 30m x 10m
Basic patterns
Linear patterns
Peacock Tail (Dynamic) Spinners (Dynamic) Orgain Pipe Cross streams Clapping Hands (Dynamic) Waltzing Fountain (Dynamic) Water curtain (Dynamic)
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Mist
Square Grid Patterns
Wedding cake Cross Arm Diagonal Arm Ping Pong High Jet (central)
Heights : Low, Medium and High
Combination : 30 combination patterns can be obtained
using the above basic patterns.
Number of lights : A total of 100 lights are used and synchronized with music. These lights are grouped into five colours and arranged appropriately to illuminate a particular pattern.
Entry
To view the musical and dancing fountain, entry fee is charged for adults and vehicles. Children below the age of 10 years are exempted from paying the entry fee.
For further information, please contact :‐
The Directorate of Horticulture, Lalbagh, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
Ph: 080 ‐ 26571925 Fax: 080 ‐ 26570181
OR
The Deputy Director of Horticulture, Cubbon Park, Bangalore
Ph: 080 ‐ 22864125
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Musical Fountain of Bangalore
Location On T. Chowdaiah Road in the L.R.D.E. area of Bangalore, the Indira Gandhi Musical fountain is situated right opposite the Nehru Planetarium. On your way to the Chitrakala Parishat or the Golf Grounds, right after the Raj Bhavan you will find this beautiful Musical fountain of Bangalore. Features and Technicalities Created by the B N A Technology Consulting Ltd, Hong Kong, the Musical fountain of Bangalore is perhaps the most technically advanced fountains in India. Based on multimedia technology, industry standard MIDI interfaces and hardware architecture the Musical fountain in Bangalore has unimaginable features that enthrall the audience. The programme‐generated fountain uses unique binary control concept for obtaining three distinct levels for varied forms, a hydraulic system for producing the dancing movements and an advanced pumpimg system that can re‐cycle the water. Moreover, the fountain uses everything modular be it the grid design, the hydraulic mechanism, the controller electronics or the grid design, making it highly adaptable for any further expansion, development and modification. Infact, with very little modification this Musical fountain, Bangalore can be turned into a more advanced portable fountain that could surpass many foreign designs. The Fountain and the Light and Sound Shows: With as many as 1000 nozzles, the fountain has 15 formations and 27 different combinations that's a feast to the eyes. While there are basic patterns like Peacock Tail, Spinners, Orgain Pipe, Cross streams, Clapping Hands, Waltzing Fountain, Water curtain and Mist, you can also see the spectacular Square Grid Patterns like Wedding cake, Cross Arm, Diagonal Arm, Ping Pong and High Jet. Beside these there are 30 other combinations that can be formed out of these basic forms. In a nutshell, the superb synchronization of the melodious music tracks with the dance movements and btrilliant lighting is a visual delight that one can hardly afford to miss. While the fountain dances to the musical notes, a wide screen at the backdrop shows the reflection of the multimedia show that is synchronized with the music for a wonderful visual experience. Show Timings: There are two shows daily in the evening that lasts for a fixed duration of half an hour each. Show I ‐ 7:00pm to 7:30pm Show II‐ 8:00pm to 8:30pm All Mondays and second Tuesdays of the month are Holidays
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Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain, a must‐see | Bangalore
What you see – Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain on Raj Bhavan Road in Bangalore is located inside an energy park maintained by the Horticulture Department and the department of Karnataka Renewable Energy. And so while you make your way towards the fountain, solar panels, a windmill and a biomass plant will catch your attention. The park uses energy generated from these non‐conventional sources for powering lights in the evenings. This includes the beautiful, musical fountains with their multi‐colored lighting.
What you get ‐ The Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain in Bangalore conducts sound and light shows in the evenings. These shows feature fountains dancing to the tunes of patriotic songs, popular Bollywood numbers and a few Kannada songs. The shows start with an introduction to the fountain in Kannada followed by the national song of ‘Vande Mataram’. It ends on a spectacular note to the music of ‘Sare jahan se achha’, giving most of its viewers, goose flesh.
The musical fountain show is a perfect example of synchronization of music and technology. The flow is patterned in such an apt fashion that not a single beat of music is missed. Each rhythm is followed with the jets of water performing as efficiently if not better than trained, human dancers. And formations with colored lights are as perfect too ranging from a swaying peacock tail to showcasing a rainbow colored mist. For further visual delight, there is a projector in the backdrop that displays still images relevant to the song or music.
Our verdict ‐ The Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain in Bangalore is a treat to the eyes. It’s a perfect match of nature, music and technology. It’s unusual and worth an experience. The area around the fountain is surrounded by a canopy of lush green, tall trees and has a seating capacity of over 1,000. But the best part is that all of this is powered by renewable energy resources. This could be a good learning experience for kids as well. Besides, there’s a children’s park here too.
With an entry ticket of Rs. 10 per adult, watching the sound and light show under a starry night would be the best way of entertainment in Bangalore. It could just turn out to be a pleasant musical evening with family or loved ones. You could even indulge in some night light photography. Shows are for 30 minutes each and are held at 7 PM and 8.30 PM daily. Parking space is available inside the park.
Anytime between – 7 PM – 8.30 PM (Closed on Mondays and second Tuesdays)