Vidhana Soudha- government building
Lalbagh Garden
Bangalore Diary
by: Jennifer Kumar
Bangalore is in the state of Karnataka, and in this state people speak a language called Kannada.
Kannada is very different from Tamil and even has a different script. Hindi is very commonly
spoken in Bangalore as is English, but English is not so commonly or fluently spoken by the
autovallas or people in general is it is by those in Madras.
To the left is Vidhana Soudha. I saw this on a sight seeing tour of the city, which cost me Rupees
75 or about a little less than 2 US dollars. I was the only girl for some time, and for the whole
time the only non-Indian. The tour was totally in Hindi (which was ok, since I have studied Hindi
in the past), but the others in the bus did not quite understand too much English!
Bangalore is known as the 'garden city,' and no doubt as seen in these photos! This is only one of
several gardens I have seen in the city, but the most well known! The top photo on right is
supposed to be snow white and the seven dwarfs clock! It is so cute! And it really
tells time! The tour guide had told us that Lalbagh Gardens is known as Lover's Garden, and no doubt it is one
of the most romantic places I have been so far in India (besides, maybe Mahabilipuram). However, I
was unfortunate not to have a lover to accompany me!
I saw only a small portion of this beautiful and fantasy island, and hope to go back sometime in this
lifetime!
Other places I saw on this tour was Tippu's Palace, a palace of an old Muslim Ruler and a few shopping
districts. Besides gardens, Bangalore is known for world- class shopping. I got a few interesting things,
including a miniture chess set in a lockable case and a four-headed Ganesha.
This is one temple I saw on my own personal sightseeing tour. Some stories of Ganesha
tell of him being a bachelor, and some say he has two wives, Siddhi and Buddhi. I am guessing
this temple is for the followers of Ganesha who believe he was married.
Siddhi Vinayak Temple
Banashankaridevi
I also had seen three other temples in Bangalore. One was the Bull Temple, and my friend's family's
temple and a Ganesha temple. My friend's family's temple was not of a God but of a Saint, their caste
believes in the saint and the temple had been donated to the community by my friend's family's relations.
The other temple I saw was a Ganesha Temple. (A different one from the one pictured on the right.)
In this temple I had met a diety, Sri Banashankari Devi.
Never before had I got such a feeling from seeing something so powerful as this goddess. To this day,
I remember her black figure and sparkling diamond eyes!
