Bengaluru (Bangalore): overview
Bengaluru is at the vanguard of India's booming outsourcing industry and is as modern and efficient a city as you would expect.
The capital of Karnataka, Bengaluru (which changed its official name from Bangalore in November 2006) is a convenient gateway to the western half of the peninsula. Situated 930m (3,000ft) above sea level, it boasts a temperate, mild climate that’s noticeably cooler than that of the coast.
History
The city derives its name from Benda Kaluru, “place of boiled beans”. It was originally founded in 1531 by a local chieftain, Kempe Gowda, who built a mud fortress here that was later extended by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan. During the British Raj the pleasant climate made it a popular garrison town with attractive parks and gardens, and the summer capital of the Madras Presidency.
Bengaluru the boom town
The spectacular growth of India’s boom town in electronics, software, telecommunications, back-office and call-centre support has not only greatly increased the population (to well over 6 million) but has also transformed the healthy climate; it is now several degrees hotter here now than it was 30 years ago. However, there are still pleasant walks to be had in Cubbon Park and in the terraced greenery of the botanical gardens of Lalbagh. A major transport centre, Bengaluru presents the modern face of India and has some of the country’s best accommodation, some excellent restaurants and lively bars. Also in Bengaluru is the headquarters of the Art of Living Foundation, the spiritual and humanitarian organisation founded by New Age guru and Hindu evangelist Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Things to do in Bengaluru (Bangalore)
Walk in Cubbon Park
This peaceful 1,200-hectare (3,000-acre) park was laid out by the British viceroy in 1864. Notable buildings including the Vidhana Soudha (Secretariat and State Legislature), the red Gothic High Court and the State Central Public Library stand at its edge.
See rare plants at Lalbagh Botanical Gardens
Found in the south of the city, this park was laid out in the 18th century by Tipu Sultan and Hyder Ali, and contains India’s largest collection of rare tropical and subtropical plants, with trees from Iran, Afghanistan and Europe, and a glasshouse similar to the former Crystal Palace in London. Lalbagh is the venue for flower shows in January and August. The low hill at its centre affords tremendous views over the city.
Get spiritual at the Art of Living Foundation
This spiritual and humanitarian organisation is found in the state-of-the-art Ved Vignan Mahahvidyapeeth, or VVM campus, a massive, five-storeyed meditation hall, built entirely of marble in the shape of a lotus, with 1,008 stone petals encrusting its exterior. Inside, adoring audiences, drawn mostly from the city’s English-speaking elite, gather on the polished marble floor to listen to the teachings of their long-haired, bearded guruji, who sits on a stage in flowing silk robes – a bespectacled British journalist, Edward Luce, once remarked that the scene “looked as if Jesus were shooting a shampoo advertisement”.
If you're interested in South India...
• Explore Chennai, the south's major metropolis
Read more from the travel guide to India
