India · Silicon Valley of India
ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು
India
12.5 Million
Karnataka
UTC+5:30 (IST)
Bengaluru, officially renamed from Bangalore in 2014, stands as India's Silicon Valley and third-largest city with a metropolitan population of 12.5 million, serving as the capital of Karnataka state on the Deccan Plateau at 900 meters elevation. Known as the "Garden City" for its pleasant climate and green spaces, Bengaluru has transformed from a pensioner's paradise into India's technology powerhouse. The city hosts over 2 million tech professionals including the world's largest concentration of data scientists and software engineers, contributing $64 billion in annual IT exports—representing one-third of India's total technology revenue. With 2,467 active startups accounting for 23% of India's entrepreneurial ecosystem and over 400 global R&D centers from companies like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and Apple, Bengaluru ranked as the fastest-growing tech hub in the world in 2021.
The city's landmarks beautifully blend colonial heritage with technological modernity. Lalbagh Botanical Garden, established in 1760 by Hyder Ali and expanded by Tipu Sultan, showcases 1,800 plant species across 240 acres with its Victorian-era glass house modeled after London's Crystal Palace. Cubbon Park's 300 acres of greenery house colonial administrative buildings including the Attara Kacheri High Court. Bangalore Palace, built in 1878 in Tudor Revival style, echoes Windsor Castle with its fortified towers and Gothic arches. Vidhana Soudha, the neo-Dravidian legislative building completed in 1956 with 60 granite columns, symbolizes post-independence Karnataka pride. These historic sites coexist with Electronic City, Whitefield, and Outer Ring Road technology corridors housing 67,000 registered IT firms.
Bengaluru's economy extends beyond IT through aerospace and defense manufacturing at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and ISRO facilities, biotechnology research earning it the "Biotech Capital of India" designation, and elite institutions like Indian Institute of Science and IIM Bangalore producing 90,000 engineering graduates annually. The city sustains over 13,000 active startups and attracts 40% of India's venture capital funding. Challenges include severe traffic congestion, infrastructure struggling with 5% annual population growth, environmental degradation as lakes disappear under construction, and widening inequality between tech professionals and service workers. Yet Bengaluru's cosmopolitan energy, pub culture, international cuisine diversity, and role as India's innovation laboratory ensure its position as the subcontinent's most dynamic city where ancient temples coexist with startup incubators.
This magnificent 240-acre botanical paradise, commissioned in 1760 by Hyder Ali and developed by Tipu Sultan, houses over 1,800 species of rare plants and flowers, some centuries old. The centerpiece Victorian-era Glass House, built in 1889 and inspired by London's Crystal Palace, hosts biannual flower shows attracting millions. Kempegowda's watchtower atop ancient Lalbagh rocks marks Bangalore's 16th-century southern boundary. The garden's heritage trees, tranquil lakes, and meticulously maintained collections provide green sanctuary in the bustling metropolis, embodying Bengaluru's "Garden City" legacy despite urbanization pressures transforming surrounding neighborhoods.
Officially Sri Chamarajendra Park, this 300-acre urban oasis established in 1870 serves as Bengaluru's green lung in the heart of the Central Business District, offering respite beneath canopies of rain trees and acacias. The park houses architectural treasures including the imposing Attara Kacheri High Court building with its classical European facade, Seshadri Iyer Memorial Hall, and the State Archaeological Museum preserving Karnataka's cultural heritage. Weekend mornings find the park alive with walkers, yoga practitioners, and children feeding park wildlife, while tree-lined paths and colorful flowerbeds embody Victorian-era urban planning principles still providing ecological value to contemporary Bengaluru.
Built in 1878 by Chamaraja Wodeyar in Tudor Revival architecture reminiscent of England's Windsor Castle, this sprawling palace features fortified towers, Gothic windows, battlements, and turrets spreading across 45,000 square feet of opulent interiors. The palace showcases royal memorabilia including elegant furniture, Victorian paintings, hunting trophies, and photographs documenting the Wodeyar dynasty's rule. Elaborate wood carvings, floral motifs on ceilings, corniced towers, and sprawling grounds hosting contemporary concerts blend historical preservation with modern cultural programming, representing Bengaluru's royal heritage predating its technology transformation.
This exquisite two-story teak palace, begun by Hyder Ali and completed by Tipu Sultan in 1791, exemplifies Indo-Islamic architecture with ornate pillars, floral motifs, and balconies overlooking courtyards where the "Tiger of Mysore" planned resistance against British expansion. The predominantly wooden structure features delicate frescoes, vibrant paintings depicting Tipu's military victories, and museum exhibits on the 18th-century Mysore Kingdom. Located in the old Bangalore Pete area amid traditional markets, the palace connects modern tech city residents to pre-colonial history when Bangalore served Mysore rulers' strategic interests.
This monumental neo-Dravidian legislative building, completed in 1956 to house Karnataka's state legislature and secretariat, rises four stories in imposing granite grandeur as a post-independence architectural statement of regional pride. Designed by Kengal Hanumanthaiah, the structure incorporates traditional South Indian architectural elements at massive institutional scale with 60 granite columns supporting a 46-meter central dome. The building's sheer size and elaborate detailing required 5,000 workers and represents conscious rejection of colonial styles in favor of indigenous design. Illuminated at night, Vidhana Soudha dominates Cubbon Park's northern boundary as Bengaluru's most recognizable government structure.
This magnificent Krishna temple complex built in 1997 combines traditional South Indian architecture with modern amenities, attracting millions of devotees and tourists annually to its hilltop location. The temple features beautifully carved pillars, elaborate gopuram (tower), and sanctum sanctorum housing deities of Radha-Krishna. The sprawling complex includes Vedic museum, cultural center, restaurant serving prasadam (blessed food), and gift shops. Daily aarti ceremonies with devotional chanting and cultural programs showcase Bhakti yoga traditions. The temple represents Bengaluru's spiritual dimension coexisting with its technology identity, providing contemplative space for the city's diverse residents seeking traditional religious experience amid rapid modernization.
Bengaluru's $359.9 billion metropolitan GDP reflects its IT sector dominance, with 67,000 registered technology firms employing over 2 million professionals generating $64 billion in annual exports. Global corporations including Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Apple operate major R&D centers alongside indigenous giants Infosys, Wipro, and TCS, plus unicorn startups like Flipkart, Ola, Swiggy, and Razorpay creating India's deepest venture capital ecosystem. The city's technology clusters in Electronic City, Whitefield, and Outer Ring Road transform rural periphery into glass-tower landscapes housing talent from across India. Beyond IT, Bengaluru hosts aerospace manufacturing at Hindustan Aeronautics and ISRO facilities, biotechnology research earning "Biotech Capital" designation, and traditional garment manufacturing. Challenges include catastrophic traffic congestion, infrastructure failing to match population growth, environmental destruction of lakes and green cover, and inequality between tech workers and informal sector laborers.
Bengaluru's culture navigates between traditional Kannada heritage and cosmopolitan tech-city modernity. Kannada identity maintains continuity through festivals like Karaga, Dasara, and Ugadi, while food culture blends South Indian staples, Udupi vegetarian cuisine, and international options. The city pioneered India's pub culture in the 1990s through microbreweries and nightlife districts. Educational excellence through Indian Institute of Science, IIM Bangalore, and numerous engineering colleges created the skilled workforce enabling IT transformation. Museums, galleries, and performing arts venues sustain cultural programming. Religious diversity sees Hindu temples, Christian churches, Islamic mosques, and Jain basadis coexisting peacefully. Linguistic diversity from interstate migration creates both cultural richness and identity tensions, embodying contemporary India's contradictions of innovation amid infrastructure inadequacy.
Bengaluru's history begins with 16th-century Vijayanagara Empire vassal Kempegowda I founding a mud-fort settlement in 1537, building watchtowers marking boundaries and commissioning lakes for water supply. The name derives from Kannada "Bendakaluru" (boiled beans city) according to legend. Hyder Ali seized control in 1761, commissioning Lalbagh gardens, while his son Tipu Sultan built the Summer Palace before British forces killed him in 1799. The British established a cantonment in 1809, attracting residents drawn by pleasant climate. Railways arrived in 1864 connecting Bangalore to Madras, while Wodeyar maharajas modernized the city with electricity and parks earning it the "Garden City" name. Post-independence, Bangalore became Karnataka capital in 1956, with public sector establishments creating engineering expertise. The IT revolution began when Texas Instruments opened India's first multinational development center in 1985, followed by Infosys and Wipro. Liberalization in 1991 unleashed entrepreneurial energies as global tech giants established R&D centers attracted by engineering talent. The city officially changed its name to Bengaluru in 2014. Population surged from 1.6 million in 1971 to 12.5 million in 2025, with corresponding urbanization destroying lakes while infrastructure failed to keep pace. Yet Bengaluru's innovation leadership and startup culture ensure its status as the subcontinent's most economically dynamic city, embodying both opportunities and contradictions of contemporary Indian capitalism.
Bureau Chief 지원자는 물론, Bengaluru를 방문하시는 모든 분들을 위해
편리한 여행 서비스를 안내해드립니다
⭐ 최저가 보장 • 24시간 전 무료 취소 • 안전한 예약