Palace for a teenage maharaja
When ten-year-old maharaja Chamarajendra Wadiyar the Tenth of Mysore was sent to the colonial high school in Bangalore, the headmaster had a problem on his hands as the very young king had nowhere to sleep. So a fortune was spent building a palace in neo-Tudor style, complete with battlement towers, Victorian furniture and stained glass windows similar to those at Windsor Castle. Nowadays, the garden is used as festival grounds, where Elton John and The Rolling Stones have performed. Bangalore Palace, still in royal possession, can be visited.
Miniature of St. Paul’s Cathedral
If you didn’t know any better, you might think you’ve been teleported to 17th century England in a red phone booth. Like St. Paul’s of London, St. Mark’s Cathedral in the hectic heart of Bangalore was built in English Baroque style, including exuberant woodwork, classic arches and a very distinct dome. The copy, built in the early 19th century, is quite a bit smaller than the famous original, yet many claim it is the most beautiful of the approximately one hundred churches found in Bangalore. Open daily to visitors except for Sunday Mass.
The most colourful market in Bangalore
Despite an unsightly modern expansion, the old red buildings of the Krishna Rajendra market from 1928 are unmistakably colonial. Everything imaginable is for sale here, from pots and pans to rice balls and from betel nuts to herbs and spices. In the early morning, the market smells of jasmine, lotus, marigolds and rose petals. This is perhaps the oldest, largest, busiest and most colourful flower market in India, where diligent women create garlands for use as offerings in the surrounding temples.
