(2001 pop. 4.2 million). Bangalore, traditionally known as the garden of India, is now dubbed the Silicon Valley of India and has become the most important center of information-technology software in the nation. The city is the capital of Karnataka State in southern India and is the sixth-largest city in the nation. With one of the highest population-growth rates in India, Bangalore is likely to have a population of nearly 7 million by the year 2011. The city is famous for historical monuments, luscious gardens, and sandalwood and rosewood carvings of statues of gods and goddesses, toys, puppets, historical figures, buildings, and other items that depict social and cultural values of India. Due to the congenial climatic conditions, the Lalbagh Botanical Garden is the main center of attraction for tourists, especially for its centuries-old trees. Another tourist attraction is the Glass House, which is modeled on London's Crystal Palace. It contains a unique collection of tropical and subtropical plants.
Historically, Bangalore is famous for the royal palace of Tipu Sultan (1750–1799, ruler of the erstwhile state of Mysore in Karnataka State), the son of Muslim ruler Haider Ali (1721–1782). Tipu Sultan fought valiantly against the British empire in 1793 and died while fighting the British in the 1799 war to maintain the autonomy of Mysore State against British designs to spread their power and influence by annexing territories in the southern part of India. The British army and the Hyderabad and Maratha rulers had agreed to wage a combined war against Tipu and later distribute among the rulers the conquered territories.
Architecturally, Bangalore is famous for the Bull Temple, which has a tall carved-granite statue of Nandi, a bull on which rode Siva, the creator of the universe according to Indian mythology. There are many beautiful hill resorts in the vicinity of Bangalore. The most famous are Devarayanadurga and Nandi Hills. The waterfalls of Gaganachukki and Bharachukki are the main source of the city's hydroelectric power plant, built in 1905. Bangalore is also known for its Kolar gold mines, the deepest mining pits in the world, with a depth of 10,000 feet beneath the earth's surface. These mines are located 100 to 130 kilometers from Bangalore city.
Bangalore is one of the most modern cities of India and the fastest-growing center of the software industry in the nation. There are approximately one thousand companies in Bangalore in the information-technology sector. This sector contributes one-fifth of the total revenue of Karnataka State. Bangalore is also the center for aircraft manufacturing as well as for defense- and electronic-equipment makers. It is the headquarters of the Indian Space Research Organization. For research and development in silk technology, the city has the only Central Silk Technological Research Institute in the nation.
Further Reading
Davies, Philip. (1989) "Bangalore." In The Penguin Guide to the Monuments of India. New York: Viking, 531–534.
Hasan, M. Fazul. (1976) Bangalore through the Centuries. Bangalore, India: Historical Publications.
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