DESTINATIONS INDIAN CITIES | ASIA
Bangalore
Bangalore Palace
Bangalore is a city of two sides – home to India’s biggest tech giants and more breweries than any other city, but also more parks and gardens, hence its nickname, the Garden City. On a tour of Lalbagh Botanical
Garden, my guide points out ‘sausage’ trees and an enormous rose garden. We then pass the bandstand, plus an enormous chunk of rock. “Just a boulder,” says my guide dismissively. I later discover it’s three billion years old and one of the world’s earliest examples of metamorphic rock. Back in the centre of Bangalore, I crunch up the gravel drive to a
replica of Windsor Castle, complete with ivy-clad turrets. Bangalore Palace was built in 1888 by former Mysore king Chamaraja Wadiyar, who had visited Windsor and fallen in love with it. Inside are elaborate spiral staircases and colourful, Moroccan-style courtyards. Bangalore is also famous for temples. One of the oldest is the Nandi Temple, with its huge bull idol (Nandi was Shiva’s mount) carved from one piece of granite. Then there’s ISKCON Sri Radha
Krishna Temple, rising like an Aztec pyramid above the city. Splash out on a VIP ticket (about £3.30) for fast-track entry.
The presence
of so many tech giants means that hotel brands are clamouring to open properties here
Don’t forget to check out the nightlife, either. Lively Indiranagar is Bangalore’s nightlife hub. A popular spot is Toit brew pub, with its hipster decor (including a wall-mounted tuk-tuk). UB City, India’s first luxury mall, is equally happening and has some of Bangalore’s best
expert ASK THE
“Bangalore’s pleasant climate, lively nightlife, Victorian-era architecture and lush parks make it a great place to visit. As a tech hub it’s vibrant, and the metro makes it easy to get
around. Must-see attractions include Cubbon Park, the Opera House and National Gallery of Modern Art.
“Synonymous with culture and history, Amritsar is an epicentre
of faith. With bustling streets and delectable Punjabi cuisine, it’s a
haven for foodies and the Golden Temple is a captivating sight.”
Karan Anand,
head of relationships, Cox & Kings India
restaurants. These include Sanchez, where Indian chef Vikas Seth serves up his legendary Mexican cuisine. One advantage of the presence of so many tech giants – including Google and Ola, India’s version of Uber – is that hotel brands are clamouring to open properties here. Bangalore’s finest include a Shangri-La, Ritz-Carlton and Le Méridien. Luxurious ITC Gardenia is a foodies’ paradise, with restaurants specialising in Japanese, Italian and Indian cuisine. My advice? Head to its Kebabs & Kurries restaurant to gorge on central Asian cuisine cooked in clay ovens and tandoors. Just don’t count the calories.
travelweekly.co.uk 23 MAY 2019 59
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