Archive for the ‘States of South India’ Category
February 9th, 2010 | 
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The Neeladri Amusement Park, Bangalore is located 19km from the town near the Electronic city on Hosur road.
As a known fact, Bangalore is a city of stifling heat. Especially during the summers a person can literally be driven crazy by the soaring temperatures in this tropical city. To beat the heat this city has come up with many innovative methods. Not the least of which and very popular among tourists is a visit to the Neeladri Amusement Park, Bangalore.
Neeladri Amusement Park at Bangalore is among the first theme parks to be built in the city. Constructed on 30 acres of sprawling landscape, this is the only combination of amusement park and water park in the city. Restaurants, ice cream parlors, fast food stalls are all designed in colorful and different ways to delight the kids. As with most water parks locker facilities are available to visitors.
There are over 45 different impressive fun rides. The eight popular water rides in the Neeladri Amusement Park, Bangalore consist of water slides, water pools and boating. Various other rides are also available in the amusement park. Some of the popular rides are Formula 2, Family Slide, Zyclone, Guided Cars, Bouncing Castles, Bumping Cars, and Water Chute. There are also video games arcade where one can enjoy simulation games.
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Yediyur Lake
Yediyur Lake is a small lake located in the Basavangudi area of Bangalore. It offers facilities such as boating and water scooter rides. Modern sculptures in the vicinity enhance its beauty. The small park is an added feature. Although not very gigantic in size, this lake attracts a lot of tourists. It is however very unfortunate that although Yediyur Lake abounds in natural splendor, years of neglect has degraded it into a deplorable state. The government has currently made several attempts to restore the state to its former glory. Yediyur Lake is a perfect stopover for tourists holidaying in Bangalore, local residents looking forward to a weekend picnic or a love struck couple seeking the private coziness of a boat amidst a sylvan lake.
Hebbal Lake
Hebbal Lake is located in the north of Bangalore at the mouth of National Highway 7, along the junction of Bellary Road and the Outer Ring Road. It is a natural lake and is maintained by Sate Forest Department. This seasonal lake used to get filled during the monsoon and invariably go dry in the summer. It has a big variety of aquatic vegetation and a large number of birds live around it. You can enjoy bird viewing while boating. Hebbal Lake alone was home to over 70 species of water birds including 40 from the Himalayan and Central Asian regions. Due to increasing in water pollution, the variety has reduced but the numbers are fair enough to make a visit. Incidentally, it was one of the three lakes founded in 1537 by Kempe Gowda.
Ulsoor Lake
Located at the Northeastern fringes of the city on M.G. Road, this enchanting lake is an ideal place for boating and shopping. There is a boat club where you can hire boats for yourself and make a stop at some of the small islands dotting the lake.
This lake is one of the main attractions of the holiday goers in the city. With a radius of about 3-Km, this lake is ideal for rowing around in a boat or to sprawl on the green grass that surrounds the lake.
People could also sit and relax on the small islands that are on the lake. A Ganesha festival is also celebrated at the lake during the month of Aug-Sept. A gurudwara that is the largest Sikh shrine in the city, stands adjoining the lake and is a good place to visit. The lake is surrounded with many buildings that were once part of British army. There is a public swimming pool welcoming tourist to take a dip. Pool opens daily from 9:00am to 06:00pm and remains closed on Wednesdays.
Sankey Lake
Sankey Lake is a 500-year-old perennial water body that lies in the northern part of Bangalore. It harbors a rich biodiversity that includes birds, fishes, aquatic plants and microbes. The presence of a biotically diverse and beautiful botanical garden and a forest nursery adjacent to the lake increases the ecological value.
There are boating facilities and a road running on two sides are ideal for joggers and early morning walkers as they can enjoy the cool breeze and fresh air. Many migratory birds visit this lake during winter every year making it a good place for bird watching. You can do a lot of activities when you visit this lake. The beautiful botanical garden, forest nursery and the park are the added features.
Cubbon Park
This 300acres of sheer beauty was an outcome of a British Chief Engineer of Mysore, Sir Richard Shanky in 1864. The park has been named after Cir Mark Cubbon who was Bangalore’s longest serving commissioner. Beautiful roads, blooming trees and placid plains are spread all around. Cubbon Park is a lush, grassy expanse with flowerbeds adding to the subtle beauty of the park. The park also has several elegant Graeco-colonial style building showing British influence. There are a number of monuments within the park including a memorial hall located at the center of the park that is dedicated to Aeshadri Aiyar, a Jawahar Bal Bhavan, Children’s Park and a Museum. At the entrance you can see a diamond shaped aquarium, the second largest in the country, There is a good collection of exotic fishes in the aquarium. The park remains closed on Mondays.
Cariappa Memorial Park
The Cariappa Park Bangalore was laid out as a memorial to Field Marshall K.M. Cariappa . It is situated in a portion of the parade grounds between M.G. Road and Cubbon Road. Cariappa park in Bangalore is spread over 22 acres and has six segments. The park is blessed with a manned waterfall with a pond which attracts a lot of birds. Six military bands perform at Military stand and elevated lawns every fortnight. In order to enhance the physical as well as mental strength of the children, the park has a play area with spider webs, balance vars, zigzag tunnels, sand pits, tarzan swing and burma bridge. There are about 3000 species of flora that can be found here.
The park is open for public from 05:30pm to 08:00am on weekdays. From 1:0pm to 07:00pm on Saturdays and from 09:00am to 7:00pm on Sundays. No eatables or pets are allowed inside the park.
Regarded as one of the most richly diverse Botanical Garden’s in South Asia, Lalbagh in the Southern part of the city, was laid out by Haider Ali in 1740. You can find a great variety of tropical and sub tropical plants, trees and herbs that are abundant in their natural beauty. Later, John Cameron, the Garden’s Superintendent in the 1870s, imported several more rare species from Kew Gardens in London.
Cameron was also responsible for initiating work on Lalbagh’s famous Glass House, modelled on London’s Crystal Palace and Conceived as a venue for horticultural shows. Surrounded by champaka trees and pencil cedars, the Glass House has played host to several visiting dignitaries. An Annual Flower show will be held here.
Lal Bagh is among one of the most beautiful gardens in India. An intricate water system of 17th century is used to irrigate the plants is observed within the garden.
The Entrance to the Park is marked by an equestrian statue of Chamaraja Wodeyar of Mysore. Another popular attraction is the surreal Floral Clock, surrounded by Snow White and the Seven dwarfs. This was a gift from Hindustan Machine Tools, leading Indian Manufacturers of Watches.
Bannerghatta National Park, established in the year 1971, lies 22 km. away from Bangalore (now known as Bengaluru), the capital of Karnataka state. It covers around 104.27 sq.kms which includes ten Reserve Forests of Anekal Range of the Bangalore Forest Division.This bewitching park is home to fascinating variety of wildlife including spotted deers and sambars, magnificent elephants and mighty bisons along with the king of the jungle, lion. Banerghatta comprises of a national park, aquarium, zoo, children’s park, Crocodile Park, Snakes Park, prehistoric animals park and a museum.
‘Safari’ will take you to get a close view of the majestic beasts. You can also find 100 different species of birds. The hills surrounding the area give a paranomic view of park. It is a treasure house for large variety of Fauna and Flora. Deciduous Teak trees are found in abundance. The wildlife in their natural habitat creates interests in tourists. Wild animals like Elephant, gaur, leopard, jackal, fox, wild pig, sloth bear, sambar, chital, spotted deer, barking deer, common langur, bonnet macaque, porcupine and the hare are found here.
This park is open throughout the year, and the temperature in Banerghatta ranges from 15°C to 35°C during the year. Visiting hours are: 09:00am to 05:00pm. The park remains Closed on Tuesdays.
Dodabetta Peak
There are many tourist attractions in Ooty and nearly all are well worth a visit when on a sight seeing trip in Ooty. However anyone is sure to be particularly keen on visiting those places from where one can witness the absolutely mesmerizing beauty of this queen of hill stations. Heading straight to the Dodabetta Peak is consequently the best choice. The height of the Dodabetta Peak is 2,623 meters making it the highest point of the district. It is located at a distance of about 10 km from the main town and offers an unbelievably beautiful view of the surrounding topography. One is sure to be impressed by the fascinating views. In fact it is even believed that if the weather does not betray you in any way, chances are there that you will get a view of extreme far off areas. On clear days the distant plains of Coimbatore and the flat highlands of Mysore can also be sighted. However it cannot be denied that such clear days rarely come and it is generally misty. But nonetheless the view that the Dodabetta Peak ordinarily commands is no less overwhelming.
Lamb’s Rock
Lamb’s Rock definitely deserves to be a part of your sight seeing trip in Ooty. The greatest attraction of the Lamb’s Rock is in fact this. It offers enchanting views of the plains of Coimbatore and the tea estates. The effect is almost that of a green carpet covering the slopes of the hills. There are very few places which can offer such a panoramic and overwhelming view of the surrounding picturesque landscape and the Lamb’s Rock is one of them. So make sure to visit the Lamb’s Rock at a distance of just about 9 km from Coonoor and witness for yourself nature at its very best.
Kalhatty Waterfalls
The beautiful Kolhatty waterfalls are about 100 feet in height and are located on the kalhatty slopes. The falls are about 13kms from the city, so anyone on a tour of Ooty can easily check out the falls and the beautiful area surrounding it. Besides, obviously looking at the waterfalls, you can explore the kalhatty-Masinagudi slopes, that are home to many wild species, including panthers, sambhar, bison and wild buffaloes. Kalhatty – Masinagudi slopes is rich in wildlife such as Panthers, Bisons, Wild Buffaloes, Wild Dogs, Spotted Deers, Sambars and different types of hill birds. The falls attracts all sorts of animals like Panthers, Spotted Deer and Bisons, who come to drink water in the early hours of the day and at night.
Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary
Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary is situated 67 kms from Ooty. Mudumalai is the home of about 25 tigers, 700 wild elephants, leopards, panthers, 1,000 gaur (Indian bison), bears, bonnet monkeys, horned antelopes, flying squirrels, hyenas and eagles. As the animals are quite elusive, you will need a combination of luck, patient and a good eye to see anything. There are also reptiles, such as pythons and big monitor lizards, and many species of birds. The park is 320 sq km. The vegetation varies from forest to grassland and swamps. There are over 200 species of birds in the park. You can get a free book, called Birds of Mudumalai, at the WWO office in Ooty.
The Ooty Lake
In the recent years Ooty Lake has emerged as one of the foremost tourist attractions of Ooty. Ooty Lake is an artificial lake that owes its construction to the first Collector of Ooty, John Sullivan. The original intention was to construct an irrigation tank but finally the lake was dredged out in the years 1823-1825. The lake has an irregular L shape and stretches for more than 2 km in length. The width of the lake varies at regular intervals. The over all area of this well known lake that is definitely a must see on any sight seeing trip of Ooty is about one and a half square miles. It remains open from 8 AM to 6 PM. Sitting on the edge of the lake to watch the sunset of Ooty is a tremendous experience.
Botanical Garden
Covering an extensive area of 55 acres, the Botanical Gardens in Ooty was laid way back in the year 1847 by the Marquis of Tweedale on the lower slopes of the Dodabetta Park. It is very well maintained to this date. The Horticulture Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu has been entrusted with the responsibility of looking after this garden. And the fragrance of the flowers is really intoxicating.One of the great surprises of the place is a fossil tree trunk that is believed to be 20 million years old. It may be added here that eucalyptus trees are an integral part of Ooty’s landscape. The trees are in such great numbers that they even support a small oil industry here.