the light baggage

Overview: Halasuru is an old village just next to the erstwhile Cantonment part of Bangalore. There might have been a big jackfruit grove in this area, which is called ‘Halasina hannu’, hence the name ‘Halasuru’ given to this area. The gateway to Halasuru from MG road is the Halasuru Lake, one of the last surviving lakes of Bangalore, originally dating to Kempegowda’s times, later beautified by the British. Just adjacent to the lake stands the eastern tower built by Kempegowda to mark the boundary of Bangalore. Halasuru Someshwara temple is the main attraction and is very popular across Bangalore. Legend says that the Someshwara Linga was installed by Mandavya Rishi. The outer structure has Vijayanagara features and has been built during the rule of Kempegowda I. Recent excavations have surfaced an ancient pond around 1200 years old just next to the Someshwara temple. This kalyani was closed by the British around 150 years ago. Apart from this temple, Halasuru is home to a number of o...

Overview: Kalasipalaya is adjacent to Pete area, even more important than the Pete, because of Tipu Sultan ’s fort and Palace. In 1686, the Mughals under emperor Aurangzeb won Bangalore after defeating the Marathas. The Mughal General captured all the surrounding areas in 3 years and in 1689, sold Bangalore to the Wodeyars lead be Chikka Devaraya Wodeyar for 3 lakhs. In the same year, Sri Chikka Devaraya Wodeyar built the Kote Venkataramanaswamy temple around the mud fort built by Kempegowda. During the 1791 war between Tipu Sultan and the British, the gunshots damaged a part of the pillar of the temple. This pillar, while shifting it for road expansion, broke into four pieces and had to be removed from the original site. The pedestal was transported to another temple near Chamarajpet and a new pillar similar to the old one was installed at the temple. The temple was built in Vijayanagar style with huge gopurams and the victory pillar. Hyder Ali got the Bangalore Fort as jagir in 1758...

Overview: Horsley Hills is a popular weekend getaway from Bangalore and is good for a long drive without too much crowd. Situated around 160km from Bangalore, this place is in Andhra Pradesh, and is promoted as APs Ooty. The drive through Kolar is scenic with a few beautiful lakes on the way. The vehicles go all the way to the top and there are a few viewpoints offering great views of the valley. Other than the views, there is an APTDC guest house offering stay and food options. Other attractions on the hill are the 125 Eucalyptus tree planted by the British collector William Horsley, George Horsley's Tomb, a mini zoo and a museum. Overall, a trip to Horsley Hills is a welcome break from the routine activities. The hill is also popular among bird watchers, with over 130 species of birds have been recorded so far. The museum has a good display of local artifacts like Geological structures, rocks, and details about the wildlife found in the region have been displayed. Horsley Hills ...

Overview: The name Shankarapuram comes from the Shankara Math in this area. Apart from Shankar Math, the area is known for eateries, like the Brahmin’s coffee bar for the traditional Kannada breakfast, and is more of a heritage restaurant. Right opposite the BCB is the Kannada Katte, which is a small place for gathering as one gulps the soft idlies with a dose of by-2 coffee. The Kannada Katte is blessed by the portraits of famous personalities from Karnataka. Not far from Shankarapuram is the Chat Street in VV Puram famous for different kinds of chat items and is popular street food place in Bangalore. Shankara Math, Shankarapuram Brahmin's Coffee Bar Vishveshwarapuram, or VV Puram as it is known, is another traditional locality in South Bangalore. With many temples around Sajjan Rao circle, most popular being the Subramanya temple, is thronged by devotees. Annual car festival is held in this area. A popular hangout among the locals in VV Puram is the Chat Street, which opens aft...

Overview: Domlur, a flourishing village during the Cholas, is now in the hub of modern Bangalore. With MG Road, Indiranagar, HAL airport road in the vicinity, this is one of the most popular areas of Bangalore. Chokkanatheshwara temple in Domlur is one of the oldest temples in Bangalore, built in the 10th century. According to the inscriptions found in this temple, Domlur is referred to as ‘Tombalur’ talking about grants offered to the temple. Some records mention the name of the place as 'Desi Mannika Pattnam'. The temple was initially built by the Cholas and later renovated by the Hoysalas and Vijayanagara rulers. One inscription from 1440 CE mentions about the tolls from Sondekoppa village being granted to this temple. Two more earlier inscriptions indicate grants from Karadihalli and Sunkenahalli (Hanumanthanagar). There is one Anjaneyaswamy temple a few metres from the Chokkanathaswamy temple, dating back to the Vijayanagara times. It is believed that the head of Anjaneya...