“Silicon Valley”, “Garden City”, “Paradise for Retirees”, “Capital of Pubs” - as soon as Bangalore (India) is not called. This metropolis was the first in the country where electricity was conducted. And it continues to be the most innovative city where high-tech industries are developing. For this, he received the second name - "Silicon Valley of India." Brains are leaking here not only from other parts of the country, but also from various states. As a result, the city has developed a cosmopolitan flavor. High-tech amenities and a large number of green spaces brought Bangalore the glory of "Paradise for Retirees." This city is considered the best for living in India, and wealthy citizens tend to move here in their declining years. In this article we will tell a lot of interesting things about Bangalore. How to get, where to stay, what to see - all practical information based on reviews from tourists is given below.
Where is Bangalore (India)
On a map of the country, the metropolis is located in the south. It is elevated above sea level because it lies on the Deccan plateau. Bangalore (the name of the city is often pronounced Bengaluru) is the capital of Karnataka, and is located in its southeastern part. The city is seventy-seven degrees from the Greenwich meridian . But the reviews of tourists warn that the time in Bangalore is quite interesting: the state of India lives in the time zone UTC +5: 30. For comparison: Western Europe - UTC +1, Eastern - UTC +2, Moscow - UTC +3. Thus, to find out the time in Bangalore, you need to add to the timer in the UK five and a half hours. And if in Moscow it is noon, then in the Indian city it is half the third day. Bangalore is located at the thirteenth degree of north latitude. Therefore, there is no need to switch to summer time.
Climate Bangalore (India)
On the map, the city lies in a humid tropical zone. But the elevation of the Deccan Plateau creates a unique climate in Bangalore. When in other cities of India it is stuffy and hot, fresh winds blowing on the hill all year round, dispersing the heat. Travel to Bangalore is recommended by tourists from March to May. These are the hottest months of the year. Temperature during the day reaches +36 ° C in the shade, at night it does not fall below twenty-three. Rains during this period are extremely rare. In June, the monsoon begins to blow, which brings downpours. All the summer months, the city of Bangalore (India) experiences a rainy season. Autumn showers begin to subside. In winter, the weather is clear, but due to the elevation of the place, it is cool. January temperature may drop to plus five degrees.
How to get there
Unfortunately, this city in India is not connected with Moscow by direct flights. You can get to Banglore from London (British Airways), Paris (Air France), Frankfurt (Lufthansa), Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, Bangkok, and Hong Kong. Naturally, the administrative center of the state of Karnataka is connected with other Indian cities by domestic flights. Arriving in Bangalore meets a brand new international airport, which opened in May 2008. As befits the Silicon Valley, its hub is the most modern in India. It is located forty-four kilometers from the city. The cheapest way to get from the airport to Bangalore is called by the buses of the BMTS company (Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation). They depart every fifteen minutes. Private taxis (their parking next to the red Volvo buses) are much cheaper than official ones, which will cost you about a thousand rupees. The chic Bangalore hotels are equipped with helipads. So, you can arrive at Golden Grand Apartments and other similar hotels by air on helicopters from Air Limousine (at least five thousand rupees). It is planned to open a high-speed train to the business center of Bangalore.
Where to stay
This city in India offers visitors a huge number of hotels and apartments for every taste and - most importantly - a wallet. For discerning customers, for whom the main thing is not money, but convenience, we can recommend JW Marriott Hotel Bengaluru. Prices start there from eleven and a half thousand rubles per night. Good five-star hotels are Oakwood Premier Prestige Bangalore, Luxury Collection Hotel (8,000 rubles). Middle price segment: Lemon Three Premier, San Mark Hotel, Ibis Bengaluru City Center hotels. Number in them will cost from three to four thousand rubles. For those who want to have a small kitchenette in the room, you can advise NM Suites & Studios. Such an apartment costs only 2,300 rubles. Do not be afraid to rent budget hotels in Bangalore. According to the reviews of tourists, the Atlantic Inn and the Tribo Urs Regency have worked well. A night in such hotels will cost a traveler nine hundred rubles for a double room.
History of the city
Bangalore (India) was founded in 1537 as a military fort of Kempe Gouda I, a feudal lord of the Vijayanagara empire. The small settlement was turned into a large city by the British. In 1831, Great Britain captured the kingdom of Mysore and turned Bangalore into the provincial capital. In 1906, the streets of the city were electrified - for the first time in India. But the most powerful impetus to the development of Bangalore was the construction of Electronic City. This special area in the southern suburbs consists of various IT companies that satisfy the demand of mankind for computers and software, as well as telecommunications and aerospace products. Bangalore not only attracts IT people from all over India, but also forges its personnel. The city has many institutes and colleges. The “influx of brains” has increased the population of the metropolis to less than nine million people. By this indicator, Bangalore ranks third in India and 28th in the world.
The city's attractions
As you can see, the not too long history of the metropolis does not imply the presence of any antiquities. Most tourists (judging by their reviews) regard Bangalore (India) as a launching pad for a trip to the ancient cities of the south of the country. But still there are some attractions here. The Lalbach Botanical Garden was not broken by the British. It was founded in the eighteenth century by the ruler of the kingdom of Mysore Haider Ali. Symmetrical lawns, ponds with lotuses, greenhouses spread over an area of 97 hectares. Here the tower of the fort built by Kempe Gouda was saved from the onslaught of time. Bangalore Palace was built in the nineteenth century in the architectural style of the Tudor era. A lot in the metropolis and religious Hindu shrines. Among them, tourist attractions are the temples of Nandi and Shiva. The first shrine was built in 1537. The temple is famous for its huge statue of Nandi. In Hindu iconography, he is portrayed as a creature with a bull head. The five-meter-high statue is carved from a granite monolith. But the sculptural image of Shiva, sitting in a lotus position in the middle of a reservoir, overshadows Nadi. This magnificent statue reaches a height of twenty meters.
Beautiful buildings
The state administrative center is rich in beautiful and impressive government buildings. One of them is Vidhana Soudha, the palace in which members of parliament sit. Although this building was built in the mid-twentieth century, it repeats elements of Dravidian and Indo-Saracen architecture. No less beautiful is the summer residence of the Sultan Tipu (year of construction 1790). This wooden building impresses with carved wooden balconies, arches and columns. The palace is surrounded by a beautiful park.
Museums
Bangalore, whose attractions are located not only in the open air, can show a curious tourist a lot of antiquities. To do this, you need to visit the Kabbon Museum, named after the former commissar of the city, who has collected an excellent collection of coins, ceramics, sculptures. Here you can see the tips of spears and arrows from the ancient city of Mogenjo Daro, figurines of the Hoysal era and much more. Not far from the Kabbon Museum is the Bangalore Art Gallery. The Silicon Valley of India also has an interesting Jawaharlal Nehru planetarium . Those tourists who arrived in Bangalore in November can visit the Maharaja Palace. This attraction is open to the public only one week a year.
Shopping
The city of Bangalore is full of shopping centers, boutiques and oriental bazaars, where you can buy the products of local artisans. For clothes and shoes of world brands, reviews of tourists are advised to go to Vittal Mallia Road, as well as to the UBC City area. Reviews of tourists advise avid shopaholics to walk along Brigade Road. Here you can buy souvenirs, Indian jewelry, clothes. The chic Bannerhatta Road is perfect for evening walks. Here are theaters, restaurants and other entertainment venues. The name of the street Commercial Street speaks for itself.