Bangalore is the principal administrative, cultural, commercial and industrial centre of the state of Karnataka. The city, which is spread over an area of 2190 sq km, enjoys a pleasant and equable climate throughout the year. It is now home to more than 250 high-tech companies. Including homegrown giants like Wipro and Infosys. The continuos technology boom has made Bangalore the Silicon Valley of India.

Also known as the Garden City of India, Bangalore is a beautiful city filled with the tranquillity of its greenery. The Lalbagh garden is particularly beauliful and well laid out. It has one of the largest collections of exotic Indian Tropical and Sub-tropical vegetation, Lakes and Lotus-filled pools. Cubbon park, Bull temple, Mysore arts & crafts centre are worth visiting.

Bangalore is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Located on the Mysore Plateau in southwestern Karnataka, Bangalore has an estimated metropolitan population of 6.1 million (2006), making it India's third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area. Though historical references to the city predate 900 CE, a written history of continuous settlement exists only from 1537, when Kempe Gowda I, whom many regard as the architect of modern Bangalore, built a mud fort in the city and established it as a province of the Vijayanagara Empire.

On December 11, 2005, the government of Karnataka announced that it had accepted the proposal by Jnanpith Award-winner U.R. Ananthamurthy to rename Bangalore to its Kannada name, Bengalūru. The new name was expected to be effective from November 1, 2006.[1] However, after changes in the political leadership of the state government, it is unclear whether the proposed name change will be implemented.[2]

During the British Raj, Bangalore developed as a center for colonial rule in South India. The establishment of the Bangalore Cantonment brought in large numbers of migrant Tamil, Telugu and North Indian workers for developing and maintaining the infrastructure of the cantonment.[3] The city's temperate climate, which is milder than those of other cities in the country, has been a major attraction to people from other parts of India.

After India gained independence in 1947, Bangalore evolved into a manufacturing hub for public sector heavy industries—particularly aerospace, space and defence. The establishment and success of high technology firms in Bangalore after the liberalisation of India's economy has led to the growth of India's information technology industry. Bangalore is referred to as the Silicon Valley of India and accounts for 35 percent of India's software exports.[4] Home to prestigious colleges and research institutions, the city has the second-highest literacy rate among the metropolitan cities in the nation. However, as a large and growing metropolis in the developing world, Bangalore continues to struggle with problems such as air pollution, traffic congestion, and crime.

An inscription found near Begur, reveals that the district was part of the Ganga Dynasty until 1004 CE and was known as Benga-val-oru, the City of Guards in old Kannada. The Cholas of Tamil Nadu ruled over the city from 1015 to 1116 until the town came under the rule of the Hoysala Empire. Modern Bangalore was founded by a feudatory of the Vijayanagara Empire, Kempe Gowda I, who built a mud fort in the proximity of modern Bangalore in 1537. Kempe Gowda referred to the new town as his gandu bhoomi or Land of Heroes.[7] Within the fort, the town was divided into petes (IPA:/peɪteɪ/) or localities. The town had two main streets: Chickpete Street ran east-west and Dodpete Street ran north-south. Their intersection formed Dodpete square — the heart of Bangalore. Kempe Gowda's successor, Kempe Gowda II, built four famous towers that marked Bangalore's boundary.[8] During the Vijayanagara rule, Bangalore was also referred to as Devarāyanagara and Kalyānapura ("City Auspicious").[9]

After the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire, Bangalore's rule changed hands several times. It was captured by the Maratha chief Shahaji Bhonsle prior to a Mughal invasion. The city became part of the Kingdom of Mysore when the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb leased Bangalore to Chikkadeva Raja Wodeyar in 1689. After the death of Krishnaraja Wodeyar II in 1759, Haider Ali, Commander-in-Chief of the Mysore Army, proclaimed himself the de-facto ruler of Mysore. The kingdom later passed on to Haider Ali's son Tipu Sultan, known as the Tiger of Mysore. Bangalore was eventually incorporated into the British East Indian Empire after Tipu Sultan was defeated and killed in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799). The British returned administrative control of the Bangalore pete to the Maharajah of Mysore, choosing only to retain the cantonment under their jurisdiction. Under British rule, Bangalore was incorporated into the Madras Presidency. The Kingdom of Mysore relocated its capital from Mysore city to Bangalore in 1831.[10] Two important developments during this period contributed to the rapid growth of the city — the introduction of telegraph connections and a rail connection to Madras in 1864.

In the 19th century, Bangalore essentially became a twin city, with the pete, whose residents were predominantly Kannadigas, and the Bangalore Cantonment, whose residents were mostly migrants from Tamil Nadu.[8] Bangalore was hit by a plague epidemic in 1898 that dramatically reduced its population. Telephone lines were laid to help co-ordinate anti-plague operations, and a health officer was appointed to the city in 1898. In 1906 Bangalore became the first city in India to have electricity, powered by the hydroelectric plant situated in Shivanasamudra. Bangalore's reputation as the Garden City of India began in 1927 with the Silver Jubilee celebrations of the rule of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV. Several projects such as the construction of parks, public buildings and hospitals were instituted to beautify the city. After Indian independence in August 1947, Bangalore was included in the dominion of Mysore State. Public sector employment and education provided opportunities for Kannadigas from the rest of the state to migrate to the city. Bangalore experienced rapid growth in the decades 1941–51 and 1971–81, which saw the arrival of many immigrants from northern Karnataka and Kodagu. By 1961 Bangalore had become the sixth largest city in India, with a population of 1,207,000.[8] In the decades that followed, Bangalore's manufacturing base continued to expand with the establishment of private companies such as Motor Industries Company (MICO; a subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH), which set up its manufacturing plant in the city. Bangalore experienced a boom in its real estate market in the 1980s and 1990s, spurred by capital investors from other parts of the country who converted Bangalore's large plots and colonial bungalows to multistorey apartments.[11] The establishment of multinational companies such as ANZ Bank and Citibank as well as international fast food chains such as Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) in the 1990s continued to expand foreign investment in Bangalore. The city witnessed one of its largest media events ever when it hosted the 1996 Miss World beauty pageant, which was seen by over two billion viewers worldwide.[12] Many of these developments were met with opposition from groups fearing the loss of the city's national and linguistic identity. Widespread protests organised against the Miss World contest by women's organisations led to the arrests of about 1,000 protesters. In 1996 farmer activists attacked and damaged the KFC outlet in Bangalore, accusing it of "representing western food habits which are not needed in India".[13] Through the 1990s the state government promoted large-scale development projects such as the construction of sports stadia and exclusive apartment complexes, which resulted in the demolition and resettlement of poorer settlements to distant peripheral locations.[11] In the mid-1990s, Bangalore's economy grew many fold because of the software boom. Contrastingly, employment opportunities in almost all other sectors, in the city's manufacturing industries, declined.

Bangalore is situated in the southeast of the South Indian state of Karnataka. It is located in the heart of the Mysore Plateau (a region of the larger Precambrian Deccan Plateau) at an average elevation of 920 m (3,018 feet). It is positioned at 12.97° N 77.56° E and covers an area of 2190 km² (1,360 mi²). Bangalore District borders with Kolar District in the northeast, Tumkur District in the northwest, Mandya District in the southwest, Chamarajanagar District in the south and the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu in the southeast. The Bangalore Urban district is divided into three taluks: Bangalore North, Bangalore South and Anekal. The Bangalore North taluk is a relatively more level plateau, while the Bangalore South taluk has an uneven landscape with intermingling hills and valleys.

The topology of Bangalore is flat except for a central ridge running NNE-SSW. The highest point is Doddabettahalli, which is 962 m (3,156 ft) and lies on this ridge.[14] No major rivers run through the city, though the Arkavathi and South Pennar cross paths at the Nandi Hills, 60 km (37 mi) to the north. River Vrishabhavathi, a minor tributary of Arkavathi, arises within the city at Basavanagudi and flows through the city. Together, rivers Arkavathi and Vrishabhavathi carry much of Bangalore's sewage. A sewerage system, constructed in 1922, covers 215 km² (133 mi²) of the city and connects with five sewage treatment centers located in the periphery of Bangalore.[15]

In the 16th century, Kempe Gowda I constructed many lakes to meet the town's water requirements. Later in the 20th century, the Nandi Hills waterworks, commissioned by Sir Mirza Ismail (Diwan of Mysore, 1926–41), provided adequate water supply to the growing city. Bangalore currently relies heavily on water reservoirs from the Kaveri basin and on Vrishabhavathi and Arkavathi water treatment plants to meet the water needs of its population of six million. Bangalore receives 800 million litres (211 million US gallons) of water a day, more than any other Indian city.[16] However, water shortages, especially during the summer, are commonplace. A random sampling study of the Air Quality Index (AQI) of twenty stations within the city indicated scores that ranged from 76 to 314, suggesting heavy to severe air pollution around areas of traffic concentration.[17] For purposes of comparison, India's metropolitan cities Ahmedabad, Delhi and Kolkata were classified as having heavy pollution, while Bangalore and Mumbai were categorised as having moderate pollution.

Bangalore has a handful of freshwater lakes and water tanks, the largest of which are Madivala tank, Hebbal lake, Ulsoor lake and Sankey tank. Groundwater occurs in silty to sandy layers of the alluvial sediments. Bangalore receives adequate rainfall from the Northeast Monsoon as well as the Southwest Monsoon. The Peninsular Gneissic Complex (PGC) is the most dominant rock unit in the area and includes granites, gneisses and migmatites, while the soils of Bangalore consist of red laterite and red, fine loamy to clayey soils.[17] Vegetation in the city is primarily in the form of large deciduous canopy and minority Coconut trees. Bangalore has not been affected by major seismic activity due to it being located in a seismically stable zone (Zone II). Only mild tremors have been recorded in the city.

Because of its elevation, Bangalore enjoys a pleasant and equable climate throughout the year. The highest temperature recorded is 38°C (102°F) and the lowest is 11°C (52°F).[19] Winter temperatures rarely drop below 12°C;(54°F), and summer temperatures seldom exceed 38°C; (100°F). The wettest months are August, September and October, in that order. The summer heat is moderated by fairly frequent thunderstorms, and occasional squalls cause power outages and local flooding. Most of the rainfall occurs during in late afternoon, evening or night, and rain before noon is infrequent. The heaviest rainfall recorded in a 24-hour period is 180 mm (7 in) recorded on 1 October 1997.

Vidhana Soudha

An imposing edifice housing the State Legislature and the Secretariat of Karnataka, this is one of the best-known landmarks of Bangalore.

Tipu’s Palace

Built in 1791, Tipu Sultan’s summer retreat is a two-storied ornate wooden structure with fluted pillars, cusped arches and balconies. It now houses a museum that contains artefacts relating to the Hyder-Tipu regime.

Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace Bangalore Palace

Modelled on the lines of the Windsor Castle in England, the Bangalore Palace flaunts turreted parapets, battlements, fortified towers and arches. Entry to the palace is restricted.

Lalbagh Gardens

Take a stroll in this 240-acre park, which is home to India’s largest collection of rare tropical and sub-tropical plants, as well as many centuries-old trees. It contains one of Kempegowda’s watch towers, a surreal lawn surrounded by Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, an ornamental clock, a beautiful lake, a topiary park, a charming wooden bandstand and a glasshouse modelled on London’s Crystal Palace.

Cubbon Park

Cubbon Park provides Bangaloreans with over 300 acres of sprawling greenery in the heart of the city. The park houses the State Library, an impressive, red Gothic structure, and is dotted with fountains, statues, flowering trees and shady groves.

Government Museum

Acclaimed as one of the oldest museums in the country, this museum houses an amazing collection of archaeological objects, including stone carvings, pottery, weapons, paintings, coins, textiles, sculptures, inscriptions, stone carvings and weapons.

Gavi Gangad Hareshwara Temple

Built during Kempegowda’s reign, this unique cave temple contains a granite moon; sun-disc monoliths; a stone umbrella; a Shivalinga; and three cave passages. Every year, during Makara Sankranthi, this cave temple witnesses a strange phenomenon when a ray of light passes precisely through the horns of the stone bull outside the temple and illuminates the deity inside the cave.

By Air

Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Chennai, Cochin, Coimbatore, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Madras,Mumbai, Trivandrum.

By Rail

Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Guwahati, Madras, Mysore, Delhi, Trivandrum.

By Road

Bangalore is well connected to all the major cities of India by road.

Bangalore is a right place to enjoy shopping. Bangalore has something to offer every kind of shopper. You could find yourself shopping for the some of the biggest brands in the world while wandering down the Brigade Road, or you might also like to haggle with a shopkeeper for an exquisite silk sari somewhere in the City Market. Whether you are looking for Kancheepuram silk or Swarovski crystal, chances are you will find it in Bangalore.