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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