subject: Bangalore The Cosmopolitan Metropolis Of India [print this page] According to some legends, King Veeraballa of the Vijayanagara dynasty once lost his way in forest. Starved and exhausted, he chanced upon lonely shack in the dense forest wherein he came across an old woman. When he asked for food, she gave him boiled beans (called 'Benda Kalu' in Kannada). The King was surprised to discover that this modest meal tasted better than the most sumptuous menu of his palace. To mark this incident, he titled the place as "Benda Kalu Ooru" (meaning the Place of Baked Beans). Over the years, the words Benda Kalu Ooru slowly got transformed into the name Bangalore.
The Capital City of the South Indian state of Karnataka, Bangalore is one of the fastest growing cosmopolitan cities of Asia. It is home to some of the most sophisticated industries of the country. The Information Technology industry especially views Bangalore as the 'Silicon Valley' of India. Bangalore is also home to some of India's premier scientific organizations. Endowed a healthy climate, gardens & parks, natural lakes, architectural landmarks, business opportunities, shopping malls, multi cuisine restaurants and pubs in this part of the world, currently Bangalore is considered as the ideal gateway to India and beyond. Bangalore has something to offer for everyone - music and dance concerts (Western and Indian), dramas, exhibitions, carnivals, conferences and other cultural activities are all a part of the life in Bangalore.
The ideal place for disco-hopping, social drinking, shopping till the feet gives away, eating in the most fashionable restaurants, watching ones favourite movie in comfortable movie hall or simply teeing off to fame, everything is easily possible in Bangalore.
The major sightseeing attractions in and around Bangalore include the Bangalore Palace, Lalbagh, Iskcon Temple, Ashoka Pillar (near Lal Bagh), Dargah Hazarath Tawakkal Mastan, Juma Masjid (oldest mosque of the city), Ravindra Kalakshetra (built to commemorate the centenary of Rabindranath Tagore), St. Mary's Church (established in 1811), Indian Institute Of Science (IISc or Tata Institute) Gandhi Bhavan, Innovative Film City, Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium, Ulsoor lake, Hebbal Lake, Visvesvaraya Museum, Vidhana Soudha, Cubbon park, The Bangalore Race Course, Muddenahalli (birthplace of Sir M Visvesvaraya), Devenahalli (birthplace of Tipu Sultan) and Chikkajala (a vassal fort), to name a few.
Bangalore is easily accessible as it is well connected by air, rail and road to all the major cities of the country. Bangalore Airport is used for both domestic and international flights. Bangalore is directly connected to cities such as Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad, as well as almost all other important cities and towns of Karnataka and neighbouring states.
Bangalore also enjoys regular train and bus services to and from Chennai, Mysore, Kolkata, New Delhi, Mangalore and Kochi among others.
