The Fort and Tipu Sultan’s Palace: Only parts of the fort remain, standing in mute testimony to the struggle of Tipu Sultan against British domination. Tipu Sultan in the 18th century. The fort is noted for its beautifully carved arches in Islamic style and for the well preserved Ganapati temple. Originally built by Kempe Gowda in 1537. It was extended and fortified by Tipu Sultan. Hyder Ali, Tipu’s father had imprisoned David Baird along with a number of British army officers here. Tipu Sultan’s Palace close to the fort is now a museum. The palace was started by Hyder Ali and completed by Tipu Sultan in 1791 it took ten years of planning and construction. This was one of Tipu Sultan’s summer retreats. It is a two-storeyed ornate wooden structure with pillars, arches and balconies flanked by gardens on either sides leading to the palace. The eastern and western projecting balconies of the upper floor contained the seat of state from where Tipu conducted affairs of the state. An inscription on the wooden screen describes the palace as the “Abode of Happiness”.

Lalbagh Garden: The rich and beautiful Lalbagh Garden is a pleasant 240 acres park in the southern suburbs of Bangalore. One of the many gardens in the city, Lalbagh is the most famous garden in Bangalore. It derives its name from the profusion of Red roses, which bloom here. Rulers of Mysore laid this garden. Haider Ali started building this garden in 1760 but his son Tipu Sultan completed it. The Lal Bagh rock is one of the oldest rock formations in India and is believed to be 3000 million years old.

The gardens surround one of the towers erected by the founder of Bangalore Kempe Gowda. Haider Ali, the warrior-king of Mysore, decided to create this garden in 1740 on the lines of the Mughal Gardens that were gaining popularity during his time. The park has some rare species of plants brought from Persia, Afghanistan and France. With an intricate watering system for irrigation, this garden is aesthetically designed, with lawns, flowerbeds, lotus pools and fountains. Most of the centuries old trees are labelled for easy identification. Don’t forget to visit the Lal Bagh Rock, one of the oldest rock formations on earth actually dating back to 3000 million years! Now the garden also accommodates the Glass House, with a permanent flower show in addition to the extravaganza held every year on Independence Day and Republic Day.

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

Sri Gavi Gangadhareswara Temple: The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is caved out of a monolithic granite rock. It is believed that on January 14th every year, a ray of sunlight passes through an arch between the horns of stone bull that stands outside the temple and lights up the idol inside. It shows the supremacy of the techniques used in ancient architecture combined with their knowledge of astronomy.

Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium: Founded in the year 1989, to commemorate the birth centenary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru,the Planetarium aims to instill an awareness of astronomy amongst students as well as the common public. The sky theater with a dome of fifteen meters in diameter has a seating capacity of 225. It also has an observatory with a professional six inch code refractor telescope.

ISKCON Temple Complex: This temple is an exquisite blend of modern and traditional south Indian temple architecture. The building houses a multi-vision cinema theatre, ten mini computer aided presentation theatres, vedic library and a preaching library. The temple has varieties of accommodations to house various types of people, like bramacharis, members, devotees and people taking short term courses offered here.

Vidhan Soudha: The Vidhan Soudha or the State Secretariat, built in 1954, is the main attraction of this city. It is a marvel of modern architecture and is a fine amalgamation of traditional Dravidian and modern styles. This magnificent neo-Dravidian granite building near The Park is an ideal place to visit late in the evenings.

Vidhan Soudha houses the State Legislative Assembly of Karnataka and part of the Secretariat. Supervised and executed by engineers and architects led by the then Chief Engineer, late B.R.Manickam of the Public Works Department, the Vidhana Soudha is an arresting monument. The building project was started in 1952 and was completed in four years. Five thousand labourers, 1500 chisellers, masons and wood carvers were employed to bring the building to its present form.

Fun World: Fun World is a World of Wonders & created specially for you. It is a place that loves Kids. Fun World is a 12 acre Disney Land Like Amusement Park, tucked into Palace Grounds, Bangalore. Fun World has rides that are safe & good fun, like Atlanta Roller Coater, Caterpillar Rides, and Rounded Train & Toy Rides. For Kids of all ages, there are surprises galore at Fun World.

Cubbon Park: In 1864, Lord Cubbon, the then viceroy of India, laid out 300 acres of verdant tranquility. Today, it remains anoasis of greenery in the heart of modern Bangalore. This beautiful park is the haunt of the seeker of pleasure and tranquility and is highly popular with walkers, joggers and nature lovers. Complementing the natural beauty of the park are the red Gothic structures of the State Central Library and the High Court.

Attara Kacheri: This magnificent building, is situated opposite to Vidhan Soudha, was constructed in 1867 in Gothic Style. The offices of the eighteen departments of Revenue and General Secretariat grew to such a size during Tipu’s reign that it could not be contained in his palace. So, he constructed a new building and named it Attara Kacheri (meaning eighteen offices or departments) in Hindustani.

This two storey building is built in European classical style and is now known as the High Court building. This deep red building is a perfect blend to the white columned Vidhana.

Jumma Masjid: The mosque is located in busy area of K.R. Market in Bangalore. ‘Jumma Masjid’ means ‘Friday Mosque’. It is city’s oldest mosque and was earlier known as Sangim Jamia Masjid. Some records reveal that Mughal Killedar built it. It has an elevated prayer hall with tall ornamental granite pillars. Although the roof of the masjid was destroyed by cannon fire by English Army during Third Mysore War but was renovated in 1836 by Mohiyuddin Ali Khan Mekkri, the Baksh of Bangalore Court.

St. Andrew’s Kirk: The only Scottish Kirk in Bangalore, situated on Cubon Road parallel to MG Road contains stained glass windows depicting Lord Jesus and his eight apostles. A pipe organ was also installed here in 1881. The walls are adorned with polished brass plaques. There is also a plaque of John Cook, the Principal of Central College in Bangalore in 1915.

Bangalore Palace: Built in the year 1887, Bangalore Palace holds a huge similarity to Windsor Castle in England. Built by Chamaraja Wodeyar, majority of the palace is built of wood. The lavish and elegant interiors of the palace never fail to mesmerize its onlookers. It was once covered with some exquisite gardens that are no more there. The Palace is now a day used as a venue for high society parties, weddings, and music concerts. Bangalore Palace has also become a famous spot for shooting as well.

St. Marks Cathedral: Located on the Mahatma Gandhi Road - a very popular commercial hub of Bangalore, St Mark’s cathedral was built in 1812 and was consecrated in 1816 by bishop of Calcutta. The famous monumental cathedral was further expanded and rebuilt in 1927, which heightens the glory of this historical cathedral.

Modelled on the world famous 17th century St Paul’s Cathedral, the St Marks Cathedral is one of the best colonial structural buildings of Bangalore. Delicate wood work and excellent carving on its entrance, graceful domes and stained glass works in the newly constructed parts are wonderful to view here. Being located in the hot spot of Bangalore make the cathedral must-visit place.

Gandhi Bhavan: The Gandhi Smarak Nidhi, which is housed in the Gandhi Bhavan (Kumara Krupa Road), seeks to propagate the life and teachings of Gandhiji. The Gandhi Smarak Nidhi has organized a comprehensive picture gallery depicting Gandhiji’s life in pictures from early childhood to the last day. Photostat copies of letters written by him to various personalities of his day can also be seen.

St. Mary’s Basilica: This Church situated opposite the Russel Market Square was built as a small chapel in 1818 by Abbe Dubois, but was later converted into an ornate Gothic style Church by Rev. L.E.Kleiner. By 1882 a fairly large number of stained glass windows from Paris adorned the Basilica, but were removed during World War II. These were re-restored with great care in 1947. The Church was given the status of a Basilica (then the Sixth in India) in 1973 through a Papal order by Pope John Paul VI.

Indian Institute of Science: Founded by the Tatas, this premier science institute has been the research place of many famous Indian scientists including the Nobel Prize winner C.V. Raman and space scientist Vikram Sarabhai. Its stately buildings are in classic European style, with a central quadrangle decorated with attractive Persian motifs. On February 1, 1911 Krishna Raja Wodeyar, Maharaja of Mysore, laid the foundation stone of the grand main building. The Institute has 22 departments of various branches of science, and a collection of over 2, 68,000 books.

Bull Temple: The Bull Temple is located at Basavangudi, atop ‘Bugle hill’ in Bangalore. Kempe Gowda, who is known as founder of Bangalore, constructed this temple in a typical Dravadian style. The temple has a mammoth monolithic bull called ‘Nandi’ which is 4.5m high and 6.5m long. It is believed that the statue keeps on growing in size further and further.

According to a legend, the temple was built in order to appease a vagrant bull that persisted on eating away the entire groundnut grown in the surrounding fields. Ever since the enunciation of Bull temple, the bull never did the same again.

Thankful farmers still hold annual Groundnut Festival (kadalekayi parishe) near temple premises. Farmers offer their first harvest in the month of November-December to the bull as to show their gratitude. The temple is adjacent to that of ‘Lord Ganesha with a unique feature. The idol of the deity is made out of 110 kg of butter after every 4 years. Amazingly the butter never melts. After the end of four years, butter is distributed among devotees.

Ulsoor Lake: Ulsoor Lake constructed by Kempe Gowda II during the second half of the second century, is a perfect gateway dotted with picturesque tiny islands. The 1.5sq km lake extending over an area of 125 acres is located on the north eastern fringe of the city centre, close to MG Road. Originally known as ‘Halsur’ or ‘Alasur’, this pretty picnic spot is an ideal place for boating and shopping. KSTDC organises boating in the lake and pedal or row-boats can be hired for a requisite amount per hour. It is open on all days including Sundays and government holidays between 9:30 am and 5:30 pm. A swimming pool adjoins the park and there is also a small garden known as ‘Kensington Park’ to the North-east of the Lake. The lake comes alive during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in the month of August-September.

Cariappa Memorial Park: Situated in a portion of the parade ground between M.G Road and Cubbon road, is the Cariappa Memorial park. Spread over 22 acres, the park was laid out in 1996 as a memorial to Field Marshall K.M Cariappa. The unique attraction is a huge man-made 27-foot waterfall situated on left side of the park. In order to enhance the physical strength and mental co-ordination of children, the play areas are created in military style. About 3000 species of indigenous and imported plants and trees can be found in the park. The garden is maintained by various divisions of the Army and every fortnight six military bands perform at the bandstand or the elevated lawns. A seven-foot monolithic statue of Cariappa can also be seen here.

The park is open to public on all days between 5:30 pm and 8 pm except Saturdays and Sundays. On that day the timings are 1 pm to 7 pm and 9 am to 7 pm respectively.

Ravindra Kalakshetra: The Kalakshetra, built to commemorate Rabindranath Tagore’s centenary, promotes cultural activity in the city. It has a superb theatre and houses the Cultural Akademi Offices. Next to it is the Gothic styled Puttannachetty Town Hall whose huge auditorium can easily accommodate over 1500 persons.

Aquarium: Located on Kasturba Road, the Aquarium is housed in a diamond shaped building. The aquarium has a variety of exotic cultivable as well as ornamental fish. Located at Cubbon Park, Kasturba Road Bangalore 560001.Open from 1000 hrs to 1700 hrs.

Venkatappa Art Gallery: One of the country’s oldest art museum, this gallery houses many interesting antiques and archaeological objects.

Seshadri Iyer Memorial Hall: The State Central Library has a rich collection of reference books.