After lot of confusion on whether we would go on vacation or not, we made up our mind at the very last moment and the fact the train reservations got confirmed a few hours before the departure also helped the matters. So off we went to our 5 day tour of Bengaluru, Mysore, Ooty and Coonoor. We took the train to Bengaluru, did a half-day tour of the city and then took the 3-day tour of Mysore, Ooty and Coonoor via KSTDC. This was an excellently arranged and executed tour by KSTDC. Eventually, we spent another day in Bengaluru before we took the train back to Pune.

The half-day Bengaluru tour was a fun and covered places that generally are overlooked because other places in the city have now stolen the limelight. It started with the Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum. It is slightly different from any traditional museum where you just have to watch and read through the artifacts, since there is lot of interaction you can do, try out things to gain a practical understanding of how things work, etc. There is a robotically-controlled dinosaur, which moves and roars, causing both anxiety and curiosity among kids. A science section for children is totally interactive, where they get practical knowledge of various aspects of science. There is a space gallery that talks of India’s advancements in space science; and a gallery on Biotechnology that walks you through the evolution of life on earth. There is also a 3-D theater, which we could not enjoy due to shortage of time. A full-sized replica of the first plane built by the Wright brothers is also on display.

The Dinosaur at the Visvesvaraya Museum

Then we moved on to some of the other well-known destinations in the City. Tipu Sultan’s summer palace is made of teakwood, ensured that it will remain cool during summers. By ‘palatial’ definitions, it is very small and simple, yet elegant. It wonderfully decorated wooden columns, carved arches and balconies are splendid. We also covered the Bull’s temple, which has the giant and magnificent Nandi carved out of a single rock of granite.

Tipu's palace in Bengaluru

However, the highlight of the tour, at least for us was the Gavi Gangadhareshwara cave temple. Carved out of rock, this 9th Century temple has been sanctified by Lord Shiva. During Makarsankranti, the rays of sun pass through the Nandi’s horns and fall upon the Shivlinga inside the holy abode. Several other gods and goddesses make their presence felt on the ‘parikrama’, which still retains its originality of being part of a cave. On both sides of the entrance are the deities of Surya, the Sun God and Agni, the God of Fire.

It was great to see that the tourist attractions in the city are well-maintained and are clean. There are entry fees to many of these attractions such as the Lalbagh Gardens, the Industrial museum, etc, but it is heartening to see that these collections are being utilized well.