India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (207 page)
Leela Galleria
(The Leela Palace Hotel, 23 Airport Rd.;
033/2521-1234;
www.theleela.com
) boasts some of the hottest and biggest brands both from India and overseas, making window shopping a pleasure with live piano in the background and Barista at hand for a quick fix.
CULTURAL ACTIVITIES
Check the local dailies for information about cultural events. Besides art exhibitions and traditional dance and music performances, Bengaluru draws major international artists, including pop and rock stars.
The violin-shaped auditorium known as
Chowdaiah Memorial Hall
(Gayathri Devi Park Extension, Vyalikaval;080/2344-5810
)
hosts regular classical music performances, as well as film, dance, and drama. Plays are regularly staged at
Rabindra Kalakshetra
(Jayachamarachendra Rd.;080/2222-1271
), where you can also catch occasional art exhibitions. Numerous art galleries around the city host contemporary Indian art and other exhibitions.
Venkatappa Art Gallery,
attached to the Government Museum (Kasturba Rd.;080/2286-4483;
Rs 10; Tues–Sun 10am–5pm), displays more than 600 paintings year-round.
Karnataka
Chitrakala Parishat
(Art Complex, Kumara Krupa Rd.;080/2226-1816;
www.chitrakalaparishath.org
) has a varied collection of traditional paintings, leather puppets, and artifacts from all over Karnataka. Visit its various art studios and gallery spaces, the open-air theater, and (in particular) the Roerich and Kejriwal galleries. Featuring artists from around the globe, check out a New York based gallery
Streisand Art
(382, 100 Ft. Rd., Indiranagar;080/2520-3535;
www.streisand-art.com
). While
GallerySKE
(82, St. Mark’s Rd.;080/2223-8312;
www.galleryske.com
) is a good place for alternative art,
One Shanti Road
(1, Shanti Rd., Shantinagar;080/2222-0236;
www.1shanthiroad.com
) is a nonprofit artist-led initiative, offering a great space and opportunity for across the globe interaction. Other than the many live acts around the city, the open-to-all
Levis Jam
takes place on the first Sunday of each month—check
www.freedomjam.net
for details.
Nrityagram Dance Village
(along the Bengaluru-Pune Hwy., 35km/22 miles from Bengaluru) is a renowned center for Indian dance training. Performances feature students as well as established artists. Organized tours of the facility include lecture-demonstrations designed to introduce you to Indian culture, life philosophy, and both
kathak
and
odissi
dance forms (080/2846-6313;
www.nrityagram.org
; tours Rs 20 per person; Tues–Sun 10am–5:30pm, dance classes 10:30am–1pm). A through-the-night dance and music festival is held in February; it attracts almost 30,000 spectators, so decent seating is at a premium.
2 Mysore
140km (87 miles) SW of Bengaluru; 473km (293 miles) N of Chennai; 1,177km (730 miles) SE of Mumbai
A city of palatial buildings and tree-lined boulevards, laid-back Mysore is possessed of a quaint charm, a dignified hangover from the days when it was the capital of a rich princely state, and remains a popular destination for travelers, particularly for its
Maharajah’s Palace.
Built over a period of 15 years at the turn of the 20th century, at a cost then of over Rs 4 million, this astonishing Indo-Saracenic palace is testament to the affluence of one of India’s greatest ruling dynasties. During the 10-day
Dussehra Festival,
held here during the first half of October, the entire city is dressed up in show-off style; each night
Mysore Palace
is lit up by 80,000 bulbs, and on the final evening of festivities, the maharajah, dressed in royal finery, leads one of the country’s most spectacular processions on elephants through the city streets. Mysore is also an ideal base from which to explore the temples known as the
“Jewel Boxes”
of Hoysala architecture, which lie some 3 hours north, as well as the nearby Jain pilgrimage site at
Sravanabelgola.