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Bangalore
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bangalore (enc)
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BangaloreBangalore is the English version of Bengaluru in the local language Kannada. It is said that the word Bengaluru originated from the sentence "Benda Kaal Uuru" meaning "cooked-gram-place, as the color of the soil resembled that of cooked gram. During the first centuries immediately after Christ, the Southern part of the present day Karnataka state, where Bangalore is located, Jainism was the main religious belief. Once part of the Vijayanagar kingdom, this city was founded by Kempa Gowda in 1537AD. Later ruled by Tipu and other Mysore kings as well as the British. It was a major military base for the British. To date a vast area of the city is retained by Indian military and defense forces and is not open to visitors and the public. After independence, the Indian government setup strategically important defense, telecommunication and aeronautical development industries here, as it is located hundreds of miles away from the mainland coast and thus safe from possible enemy attacks. The early 1980s saw State (provincial) government initiating a number of electronic industries here and later in 1990s this became a natural hub of the Indian Software Industry. Bangalore is famous for its booming IT and Internet industry. The town has a large Anglo-Indian minority and is considerably more westernized than many Indian cities. The fact that Bangalore is a high-tech place does not mean that it has no interesting sights. It's simply an all-round place. You might want to visit the Palace of Tippu Sultan, once home to the south Indian king famous for battling the British, the Bull Temple, the Indian Institute of Science and other scientific research institutes, Cubbon Park, and the 240-acre/100-hectare Lal Bagh botanical garden with its pools terraces fountains trees and herbs are highlights. Bangalore is also an excellent starting point for exploring Southern India and the state of Karnataka in special. Bangalore is 855 km southeast of Mumbai. It lends itself well for a day-trip to Hampi. There are also a number of organized day trips to Mysore, the historic capital of the state during British India, when it was the princely state of Mysore. Many international tourists consider Bangalore, one of the five biggest Metropolitan cities of India, as just a connecting place to other destinations. They haven't heard of any interesting places in this area, especially compared to neighboring Kerala and Goa. Yet, many people visit Lalbagh Botanical Gardens, Cubbon Park, Vdhan Soudha- the government headquarters, International Software Technology Park, Museum, Bannerghata National Park, Shopping areas like MG ROAD, Commercial Street and various other malls every day The important tourist destinations of South India, like Mysore Palace, Nandi Hills, Coorg,Ooty and Kodaikanal hill-stations, Bandipur national Park and other reserved forest areas, ruins of medieval sculptural excellence of Hassan district and that of Hampi, Jogfalls and other fascinating waterfalls, scenic backwaters and ayurvedic relaxation centers of Kerala are easily accessible from here. The main attraction for the tourists to Bangalore is its nice climate (except in March, April and May) and its relatively large number of English speaking modern population. You see a true mix of different Indian linguistic groups here. Most of the local shopkeepers speak four to five languages. The rapid pace of development during the last few decades saw thousands migrating from the rural areas and other Indian states. Globalization of market helped Bangalore to emerge as the global customer support business outsourcing hub .It is not rupees which is shaping the new face of Bangalore, but dollars. Real estate value has shot up several times during the last two decades making it unaffordable for the average Indian. The fast development of Bangalore has brought in big multinational business houses and other Indian corporations, pubs and night life, clubs and party halls, multi storied buildings and high ways, broad band internet and Internet cafes, amusement parks and lake side parks, travel business and packaged tours, star hotels and resorts, flyovers and shopping malls. But this trend also has brought in pollution, corruption, escalation in the crime rate, drinking water scarcity, mosquito menace, communal hatred, large scale rural to urban migration, and expansion of slum areas etc. Business interest decides the government policies more than the democratic will of the people. The outskirts of Bangalore witness massive real estate development especially around the designated area of the proposed International Airport of Devanahalli and Information Technology Corridor area. Things you may feel happy about Bangalore: modern friendly people, a relatively international culture, good climate and availability of food and consumer items from across the world. Things you may feel unhappy about Bangalore: The fact that the garden city is rapidly losing its serene charm, increase in the greed for money, pollution, corruption, traffic jams, poverty, crime related issues, mosquitoes, scarcity of drinking water, lack of long term interest of authorities and businesses, unclean streets.
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