Bangalore Off The Beaten Path

Maharajah's Bangalore Palace.

Set amids the greeen exuberance of a sprawling garden is a palace straight out of the pages of british history- or so it seems. Built on the lines of medieval castles in Normandy and England, the bangalore palace is farily close imitation of Windsor Castle. It is, however a recent construction (1887). Made grand by its majestic turrets and ornamental stone work, the Palace boasts of lelegant wood carving in its interiors.

Bull Temple (Basavangudi).

This shrine, a typical Dravidian- style temple us built by Kempe Gowda. It has a mammoth monolithic Bull 4.5 metre high and 6.5 metre long. The nadi bull is revered for being the vahana (vehicle) of Lord shiva.

Bugle Rock

This mammoth rock which is very near to Lal Bagh has attracted world-wide geological intrest. It got its name because Kempe Gowda's watchtower, which stands on it, at one time alerted the city to the advent of visitors and intruders, presumably by a warning bugle call. This rock is 3,000 million years old and in geolofical parlance, is lermed 'pennisular gneiss'.

LAL BAGH

Sprawling in flowering glory over 240 acres, lal bagh's rare collection of tropical and sub-tropical plants, trees and herbs will have both horticulturists and laymen searching for superlatives to describe it sbudant natural beauty.
This artistically oilandscaped garden have a profusion of flower beds, lotus pools, tinkiling fountains, flowering indian trees,like, Asoka (saraca indica )is one of the most beautiful flowering tree with brick-red flowers, rarer, yellow bloom-bearing variety (saraca declinata), Mangolia, Champac to name a few.

The pride of Karnataka's festivals is Dussehra. It is a celebration that lasts for ten days. The rulers of Vijayanagara Empire used to celebrate Dussehra with remarkable brilliance. The rulers of Mysore continued the tradition. The Maharaja of Mysore used to hold a Durbar for 9 days and on the 10th day went in a procession on a caparisoned elephant. With the ending of the royal rule, a picture of Bhuvaneshwari, the patron goddess of Karnataka, is taken out in procession. It is a unique and significant festival of the Hindus.

To get to the Big Banyan tree go out of Bangalore on the Mysore highway. About five kilimoters past Bangalore University you will see a sign for Banyan farm and Banyan Tree Club. Turn right and go eight kilomenters.

Do stop at the Banyan tree club for a lunch and swim. You can rent the bathing suits and towels.

Marvel at the heritage homes scattered throughout the city. The one shown here, located in busy (and very prime) MG Road, offers a refreshing break from the traditional (but architecturally magnificent) Indian architecture.

Simply walking down the street can be an adventure in India, but Bangalore is changing so rapidly that much of the 'local flavor' is disappearing. Population increases and air pollution have increased the average temperature in the city, and the traffic can be chaotic (even by Indian standards). Areas of Bangalore that have escaped the siliconization of the high tech city include Russell Market, a typical Indian market complete with chickens, fish, and the exuberance that makes India so thrilling to westerners. Within walking distance of the tourist centers of MG Rd. and Commercial St.