Bangalore , known as the fifth largest city in India is the capital of Karnataka. The presence of many parks and botanical gardens gave the name of ' Garden city ' to Bangalore. The tourist can start his tour from Bangalore with its ancient forts, temples, gardens and shopping. All important tourist attraction in Karnataka can be reached with in a day's journey from Bangalore.

Bangalore is now a part of the great Silicone Valley, is a beautiful city filled with the serenity of its greenery. Bangalore can be defined as the centre for the Information & Technology revolution in India… Moderate and pleasant climate throughout. With all this and much more, Bangalore has grown into a major tourist spot in India.

	Bangalore is also an ideal place for the spiritually inclined people too, because it houses many of the temples like, Bull Temple, Gavi Gangadhareswara Cave Temple, ISKON Temple, Shiva Temple, the Someshwara Temple, Venkataramanaswamy Temple.
		For the fitness freaks there are Ample Yoga Centres in Bangalore.

For the naturalists and tourists the Banerghatta National Park is a natural retreat close to Bangalore. The fabulous flora, fauna and the birds at the Banerghatta National Park attract all.

For a shopping extravaganza in Bangalore the traditional handicraft items, like silk sarees, elegantly carved sandalwood items and tribal jewelry can be tried out. Cubbon park, Mysore arts & crafts centre are worth visiting places.

For picnic spots Ulsoor Lake is the perfect location near Bangalore. Nandi Hill is a health resort popular with the people of Bangalore. The lovely lake and the gorgeous green valley present a picture perfect setting for holidays. Close to Bangalore is Ramohalli renowned for its big Banyan tree called Doda Alada Mara. The tree is spread across three acres of land and is worth visiting.

For all those who have a lean towards music and dance Nrityagram village is ideal to visit, which is known to be the home to a classical dance academy.

For adventure seekers Devarayandurga and Ramanagaram are ideal spots for trekking and rock climbing.

The best part of this city is that it is traveler friendly all year round. It's never too hot or too cold in Bangalore. It's just right.

HISTORY

There is a history behind the naming of this city. Legends say that this city is named after an old woman, who lived in this area and offered a humble meal of boiled beans to King Ballala, a Hoysala ruler. The king was so pleased with her hospitality that he named the entire city as bele-benda-kalu-ooru, which in the local language of Kannada literally means, ‘the place of boiled beans’. The historical evidence of the name "Bengalooru" can be found in a 9th century inscription found in a temple in the village of Begur. Today the name has been shortened and anglicized after the British influence and has come to be called Bangalore.

The source of the present-day city of Bangalore can be traced to the early 16th century, when Kempegowda, a local chief, built a small mud fort here. Bangalore gained prominence in the 18th century, when it became an important fort city, under Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan of Mysore. This area was witness to the struggle between Tipu Sultan and the British. The British defeated Tipu Sultan and took over Bangalore city. In 1831, the British made it the regional administrative city and established a big cantonment here. 

The modern city of Bangalore ('Bengaluru') was founded by Kempe Gowda, the Vijayanagar Chieftain of Yelahanga, over 400 years ago. But ancient inscriptions pointing to the existence of a village called 'Bengaluru' prior to the 10th century AD.

Kempe Gowda built a mud fort in his city with 8 gates which lent their names to different areas inside the fort. Inside the fortress walls, the city grew into a commercial haven divided into localities ('Pet') where individual trades dominated each area. To this day these areas bear their old names such as Chickpet (little town), Dodda pet (big town ), Taragupet (grain market ), Halipet (cotton market) etc. Kempe Gowda also built several temples including Gavi Gangeswara Temple at Gavipuram and the Bull temple at Basavanagudi.

In 1687 the Moghuls captured Bangalore from the Sultan of Bijapur and gave it on lease and later sold to King Chikkadevaraya Wodiyar of Mysore. In 1761 Hyderali rebuilt the fort with stone. It was the stronghold of Hyderali and Tipu Sultan. In 1807 the British shifted their cantonment from Srirangapatnam to Bangalore. The 19th century saw Bangalore growing into an administrative center and a prime residential area. Mysore State was acceded to the Indian Union in 1947 with Bangalore as its capital. In 1973 Mysore State was renamed Karnataka. 

Bangalore is located at an altitude of 920m (3021ft) from the sea level. It has a moderate and pleasant climate throughout the year. During summer the temperature reach a maximum of 27^o Celcius. Winters are colder when temperature goes down to 20^o C. Bangalore enjoys both southwest and northeast monsoons. October and November are the wettest months. The Monsoons are during June-Sept.

Bangalore has a domestic airport that connects most of the major cities of the country. A few international flights are also operated from here. The city is connected by rail and roads to all parts of the country.