Bangalore is a well-connected city, making it a good base for travelling around. From open country to mist-shrouded mountains, there is plenty to see in the surrounding districts. With self drive cars available for rent at affordable prices, a short drive from the city can be planned spontaneously. Here are some easy-to-reach destinations that curious travellers can explore on the next holiday. Nandi Hills Located just around 60 kms from Bangalore, Nandi Hills has sprouted up as a popular adventure and leisure hub for city dwellers. Apart from its historical attractions, the winding roads leading to the 1500 metre summit have many other surprises. Bird watchers and nature photographers would…

Christmas Decor at Orion Mall, Bengaluru (Slideshow) from Rajesh K on Vimeo. Recently we went to Bengaluru for a function and a meet. Since we had some time in hand, we decided to go to the ISKCON Temple. But as we reached the venue one-hour before opening (after lunch) we went across the road to the check out the neighboring Orion Mall, the third largest mall in Bengaluru with an artificial lake and fountain. Orion Mall is near Sandal Soap factory Metro station at Mahalakshmi layout near ISKCON. Since we went there during the festival time (Christmas), the mall was decorated with Christmas Trees, Snowman, and other Christmas props. A slideshow…

I have gone to the Lalbagh gardens twice before (most recent being 4 years back), and at that time I did not think of it as a great garden or anything. But my most recent trip to Lalbagh Botanical gardens in Bangalore changed my perspective. My, has the garden been revamped or something? It looks so mesmerizing now!

If you just have one day in Bangalore and you want to spend it usefully, just don’t hesitate to visit the Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum in Bangalore! This museum is present in the Kasturiba Gandhi road and is near M G Road, Cubbon Park and the Government aquarium. In other museums, you are warned not to touch any of the exhibits. But in this one, you need to touch and interact (at least read) with each of the exhibits, in order to understand it. That’s the biggest advantage and if you have kids studying 6th Standard – College, they will find it even more useful!

Before I go into this post, I would like to show you all the photo of Vidhan Sowdha that I took while I was near the Cubbon park.  8) Howzzzziiiitttttt?  8) I don’t know why they made such a beautiful palace into a Vidhan Sowdha? They could have made it into a Tourist destination and allowed public to see inside – like the Chowmahalla Palace in Hyderabad. Hmmm…

The Government Museum & Venkatappa Art Gallery are located in Kasturiba Gandhi Road, near the Vishveshwariah Technical Museum (which was absolutely stunning – more about it in a later post) and the Cubbon Park. This museum has a nominal entrance fee. The museum has a beautiful and an imposing structure (museum building shown in the above photo).

A small part of what is left of the Bangalore Fort is situated near City Market in Namma Bengaluru. It seems this Fort (and the city around it) was initially built by Kempagowda, who was a feudatory of the Vijayanagara empire, during the Sixteenth Century. The name Bangalore originally came from ‘Bengaluru’, in a reference to it in a Ganga inscription (dating back to 890 AD) found near Begur Temple.