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 Bangalore,
the garden city of India, is a modern, bustling city which
is rapidly expanding into an industrial centre. The city is
the gateway to some of the most interesting historic
architecture in India, with a wide and tumultuous past.
Steeped with history and teeming with forts and palaces, the
countryside is as picturesque as the glorious past it
projects. The temples at Belur and Halebid, along with that
ofSomnathpur, are one of the most artistically exuberant
periods of Hindu cultural development. Shravanabelgola is
one of the oldest Jain pilgrimage centres in India and the
site of the huge statue of Lord Bahubali.Hampi, near Hospet,
was once the capital of one the largest Hindu empire in
Indianhistory.
The founding of present day Bangalore is attributed to
the Magadi Chieftain, Kempe Gowda, who laid its foundations
in 1537. According to local folklore the present name
Bangalore, derives from 'Bendakalooru' or the town of boiled
beans, a name given by Veera Ballala, a king of the
Vijayanagar dynasty, who having lost his way in the forests
was given a bowl of boiled beans by a kindly woman here.
However that may be, the founding of the city is traced back
to 1537 and it has seen the rule of the maharajas of Mysore
mainly. One of the factors that has gone in to make
Bangalore the fifth largest city in India today is its mild
and healthy climate. A large number of people, many from
outside the region have thus made the city their permanent
home. Thus the city has a fairly large number of people who
are retired from active life and others who are here for
exclusive pleasure seeking.
Often termed as a garden city, Bangalore's climate has also
drawn towards itself a large number of industries like the
HAL and the Indian Telephone Industry and has become a
premier manufacturing and commercial centre since the 1950s.
Amidst all this hectic activity, the city offers itself as
an ideal base to explore the fascinating and culturally rich
state of Karnataka. Visitors will find the ruins of the once
powerful Vijayanagar empire, the sculpted wonders of Belur
and Halebid, the awesome mausoleum of Bijapur and much more
within easy reach. The city by itself offers extensive
shopping opportunities, a rich fanfare of cuisine, hotels to
suit all pockets and much cultural and other entertainment.
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