Tipu ' s Palace
Albert Victor Road, City Market In the midst of the chaos and din of City Market th
stands an 18 century monument – Tipu Sultan ' s Palace – a looming Indo-Islamic structure. Little-known and little-visited, this palace served as the administrative seat of Tipu Sultan ' s kingdom, where the ' Tiger of Mysore '( as he was titled) retreated for the summer. It was Nawab Hyder Ali who started building the palace in 1781 and Tipu Sultan completed its construction in 1791. Like all the other Tipu Sultan palaces, this one is simple and elegant, and made of wood and stone. What is interesting about this monument is that it gives the illusion of being single-storeyed, while actually spreading across two floors. The façade of the palace is replete with pillars— 160 fluted, wooden pillars to be precise, with some of them reaching all the way up to the upper storey. Cusped arches and brackets spring off these columns. The ground floor houses a museum of sorts, featuring interesting trivia about the statesman-king, Tipu Sultan. Paintings of the palace by British artist Robert Holmes are on display. The palace is poorly maintained, so you will have to use your imagination to view the
palace in its former glory. Cubbon Park
Accessible from MG Road, Kastruba Road and Hudson Circle, Tel: 2286 7440, Open all day Bangalore ' s legendary Cubbon Park can be described as three hundred acres of bewitching greenery in the middle of the trafficridden city. The park ' s eco-system consists of jade lawns, indigenous flora and fauna, blossoming trees and thick bamboo groves. Responsible for giving Bangalore its famed sobriquet of ' Garden City ', Cubbon Park was laid out in 1864 by Sir Richard Sankey( the chief engineer of the Mysore state) and was named after British Commissioner Lord Mark Cubbon. Over 6,000 plant species flourish in the Cubbon Park habitat, which also happens to be dotted by a multitude of flowering trees, including flaming Gulhomars, blush-pink Cassias and bright yellow Tabebuia. With its nippy air and wide expanses, the park is popular with nature lovers and morning joggers. But it is also a historical hotbed. Find quaint remnants of Bangalore ' s colonial past as you walk through its many tree avenues and shaded groves – like the statue of Queen Victoria statue or the one of King
Lalbagh Lalbagh Main Gate, Mari Gowda Road, Tel: 2657 3667, Open all day This 240-acre garden in the heart of the city was laid out as far back as 1760 during the regime of military-statesman Nawab Hyder Ali. Lalbagh is something of a botanical wonderland, covered with swathes of indigenous and international flora – Hyder Ali imported plants from Afghanistan, England, Mauritius, Turkey, Africa and Persia to create the look and feel of a Mughal Garden. Rare tropical and sub-tropical plants, exotic flowers and ancient trees figure among Lalbagh ' s wealth of natural vegetation. The garden ' s attractions include the rose garden, a lotus pond, a floral clock, a bandstand and a mango grove. A glass hothouse modelled along the lines of the Crystal Palace in London, a lake and a quaint wooden bandstand are other Lalbagh landmarks. While the sights of Lalbagh are obviously stimulating, do pay attention to its sounds too. The garden is home to a flurry of birds, so take your binoculars along for an ornithological expedition. Round off the trip with piping hot south Indian coffee and delicious masala dosas at nearby Mavalli Tiffin Room, a historic eatery in the city.
Edward II. A walk through the park will also take you to past heritage buildings like the Attara Kacheri and the Sir Seshadri Memorial Hall. The bandstand, Bal Bhavan and the government aquarium are also set in the park.
Visveswaraya Industrial and Technology Museum 52 Kasturba Road, Tel: 2286 4009, Open from 10am to 6pm Located on the edge of Cubbon Park, this museum gives visitors an insightful tour through the world of all things science and tech. Set up in 1962 to showcase the history of technological development in the country, the museum criss-crosses through wide-ranging topics like astronomy, popular science, automobile engines and aircrafts. A bevy of galleries explore the intricacies of biotechnology, dinosaurs, electronics, rocket science and fun science. The USP of this science centre is interactive exhibits that show and tell. Named after the city ' s most famous scientist and engineer-statesman, Sir M Visveswaraya, the museum is stimulating to kids as well as adults. Go here to engage with science in a light-hearted vein.
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