36 hours in Bangalore

The story of how Bangalore was named goes like this; King Veera Ballala ll of the Hoysala dynasty was lost and hungry, wandering in a forest when he came upon a hut where an old woman offered him boiling beans. He went on to name it land of boiling beans - "Bendakaluru" which eventually became "Bangalore" and was recently changed to "Bengaluru". 

Given multiple different names across the decades, Bangalore has been the garden city, the pub city and silicon valley of India, and definitely is a place for a short visit. Little do tourists realise that there is much more to see in this city, particularly in terms of cultural and historical sights. If you have 36 hours to spare, make sure you don't miss any of the following:

Bangalore Fort (Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons)

Vidhan Soudha (Photo Courtesy:Placesforholidays)

Bangalore Palace (Photo Courtesy: MyTripoLog)

Historical monuments - Some of the historical monuments to see in Bangalore include Bangalore palace, Bangalore Fort, Tipu Sultan's summer palace, Vidhan Soudha and Mayo Hall.

Lalbagh, Bangalore (Photo Courtesy: t4tourism)

Lalbagh - These botanical gardens set up by Hyder Ali in 1760, surround the tower erected by Kempe Gowda l. Kempe Gowda was the founder of Bangalore and this Lal Bagh Rock, dates back to 3000 million years. Once a year, a botanical show is hosted here and over a 1000 types of flora and fauna are displayed.

Cubbon Park  (Photo Courtesy: nava-juni)

Cubbon Park - Created in 1884 by Major General Richard Sankey, Cubbon Park is home to lush trees and lawns. There is an aquarium just outside Cubbon Park which is worth checking out as well.

Venkatappa Art Gallery (Photo Courtesy:PlaceforHoliday)

Museums - Bangalore museum, Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum, Venkatappa Art Gallery, HAL Aerospace Museum and MITHILAsmita Art Gallery. 

Bull Temple,Basavanagudi, Bangalore (Photo Courtesy: trawellguide)

Iskcon Temple Nagapura  Bangalore(Photo Courtesy:iskconbangalore)

Religious monuments - St. Patrick's Church, St. Mary's Basilica, Infant Jesus Church, Memorial Church & Christ Church, Masjid-e-Khadria, Ranganathaswamy temple, Halasuru Someshwara Temple, Bull Temple, Shri Nimishamba Devi Temple, Huge Shiva in old Airport Road, Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple and ISKCON Temple Bangalore are some of the religious monuments that are worth a visit.

Besides this, Bangalore is a big shopping destination. The streets you can spend hours at are Commercial Street, Brigade Road and MG Road. Without a doubt, this cosmopolitan city has great food as well, all kinds, food from different states and different countries. These streets are hot spots for some excellent restaurants, as are areas such as Indiranagar and Koramangala. Feast on the food and visit the famous pubs such as Pecos, Legends of Rock and Stones and lose yourself in the laid back lifestyle of Bangalore. 

Bangalore is a city where you can live on little or be extravagant. Either way, you will have a great time, so get on one of the bangalore flights and explore this lovely city.