Basavanagudi Darshan - Heritage walk.
This heritage walk is amongst one of the many walks that we conduct in Basavanagudi and the most popular one too.
This part of Bangalore is associated closely with South Indian culture, arts, food and music. On this walk we give guests a "Darshan" of some of the better known temples and monuments associated with its founder Kempe Gowda. The walk begins from a tower which was once used as a lookout post and here we also pay homage to one of Basavanagudi's literary giants. Soon after, we move onto a temple which is incidentally named after a bull which used to rampage through the peanut fields here, centuries ago. At this temple learn more about the history, architecture and legends associated with it as well as the fair which takes place every year in honour of the "Bull".
We next take a nice stroll across to a temple on a hill as well as one inside a cave, where we marvel at the astrological achievements of its builders. The last stop on this walk is a visit to an ashram associated with Swami Vivekananda.
The walk ends with a nice breakfast at a South Indian outlet.
Category: Heritage walk.
Time: 8:00 am onward, 3 hours' duration.
Location: Basavanagudi.
Cost: Please refer to the note at the end of this page.
Bookings: Min. 1 person; 2 days' prior booking. Contact us.
Images from this walk
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Malleswaram Darshan - Heritage walk.
This is a walk in one of the oldest suburbs of the "old Bangalore". Join us on a 'darshan' of the many temples and other religious institutes that dot this area as we narrate to you its origins and about the celebrities/personalities who called it their 'home'. Also on this walk, learn more about the Maratha connection to this neighbourhood as well as how a philanthropist not only helped renovate the Kadu Malleswara temple but also helped create an entire lake in the days gone by.
See how Kadu Malleswara turned into a "Mall-e-swarm" and is fast losing not only it's heritage structures but also its local culture. In between all the bytes of history, we take bites from an iconic eatery in this area.
So join us on this walk next and get to know Malleswaram in a completely new light.
Category: Heritage walk.
Time: 8:00 am onward, 3 hours' duration.
Location: Malleswaram.
Cost: Please refer to the note at the end of this page.
Bookings: Min. 1 persons; 2 days' prior booking. Contact us.
Images from this walk
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A Stroll in the Tiger's 'Bagh'.
No, this is not another green walk, it is a heritage walk in Lalbagh botanical gardens. Join us as we try to unravel the secret behind why Hyder Ali, the Nawab of Mysore chose to lay his Lalbagh gardens at this very spot and not anywhere else in Bangalore in the year 1760. Also discover the secret behind the name ‘Lal’ as well as some of its forgotten architectural buildings.
In Islamic architecture and manuscripts the gardens are based on the concept of ‘Char Bagh’ or the four gardens of heaven, so come learn more about this as well as other aspects like landscaping, irrigation features, etc. Not many know about the spiritual connection of Lalbagh and we will share this with you.
We will also talk about the contributions of some of the people from all across the globe who made Lalbagh, the best botanical garden in the world a long time ago.
On the itinerary are a brief visit to the peninsular gneiss rock, the bonsai garden, a visit to a monument built to mark the visit of a prince, a statue which was bought to Bangalore all the way from Mysore and the house of the man who was responsible for serial blossoming in Bangalore.
A delicious snack unique to this part of the world awaits the participants, post the walk.
Category: Heritage walk.
Time: 8:00 am onward, 3 hours' duration.
Location: Lalbagh Botanical park.
Cost: Please refer to the note at the end of this page. (Note: Does not include entrance fees to the park, camera fees by the horticulture department, parking etc).
Bookings: Min. 1 person; 2 days' prior booking. Contact us.
Images from this walk
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Blog by a walk participant
Lal Bagh: Recollecting the forgotten days of yore
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In the footsteps of the 'Tiger of Mysore'.
Here's a heritage walk that lets you explore the tales and monuments associated with Tipu Sultan, 18th century ruler of Mysore Kingdom, in and around old Bengaluru. The walk begins with an introduction to the origins of Bengaluru and its state during medieval times. We will visit the mausoleum of a noble man associated with him where we will narrate stories of courage and martyrdom during Battle of Bangalore, 1791. We will help you understand the evolution of Bengaluru fort through centuries, its defences, as well as share the tales of its prisoners. Here we will speak of how it compares with similar forts across old Mysore state. We next take you to the royal durbar of Tipu Sultan's summer palace and speak of his obsession with the tiger. Some of his contributions to modern Karnataka will be recollected from literature. We end the walk with a visit to his last armoury in Bengaluru. The host will introduce the guests to Tipu's rocket technology including first hand British India administration accounts of how some of his rockets were found in working condition across his erstwhile territory in Mysore Kingdom, 60 years after his death!
Category: Heritage tour.
Time: 8:00 am onward, 3 hours' duration.
Location: Bengaluru Fort and surroundings.
Cost: Please refer to the note at the end of this page.
Bookings: Min. 1 person; 2 days prior booking. Contact us.
Images from this walk
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Pete (Pettah) Walk, Avenue Road.
This walk takes the guests over 450 years back in time, to the rule of Kempe Gowda I when he founded the city of Bengaluru apparently after coming across strange happenings. Who was Kempe Gowda & what brought him to Bengaluru? What was it that made Kempe Gowda to select the Pete (or Pettah as came to be known later by the British) as the spot to form his new city? What was it that made it such a prosperous city within 100 years that it attracted the Bijapur Sultans supported then by the Marathas? What made it a lucrative possession for the mighty Mughals themselves? Why did the British occupy Bangalore after the IV Anglo Mysore war? What was the old fort of Bangalore like & what happened to it? Unravel the answers to all these questions by taking this walk.
Also, get to know more about the different communities which made Pete their home and also learn about a few famous philanthropists, Sufi saints, temples and much more in the oldest part of Bengaluru. The walk ends with some nice snacks from an iconic eatery, just off this road.
Category: Heritage tour.
Time: 8:00 am onward, 3 hours' duration.
Location: Avenue Road, KR Market.
Cost:Please refer to the note at the end of this page.
Bookings: Min. 1 person; 2 days' prior booking. Contact us.
Images from this walk
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The forgotten clock tower of Russell market.
Another exclusive walk in Shivajinagar which takes us to the sights and sounds around the iconic Russell market.
Everyone knows that the British built the Russell Market in 1927, but do you know that there once stood an earlier market on the same spot called as the 'New market'? This earlier market had a central clock tower which was reused in the construction of the Russell Market super structure. Was it a con job to grab government funds for a job not done? Or was it the fact that the tower was an architectural master piece which the builders didn't want to demolish? Join as we unravel the truth behind this aided by some rare and old images and maps as we taste dates from all across the globe in between.
We also take walkers on a few other iconic heritage monuments in close proximity like a heritage mosque and a church constructed by a father who also started small pox vaccination in Mysore.
Category: Heritage tour.
Time: 8:00 am onward, 3 hours duration.
Location: Russel Market, Shivajinagar.
Cost: Please refer to the note at the end of this page.
Bookings: Min. 1 person; 2 days' prior booking. Contact us.
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Ulsoor Darshan.
Join us, as we take you on a journey across Ulsoor or Halasuru or "Jackfruit village" . On this walk, we narrate stories and anecdotes from the times of the Cholas, Kempe Gowda and finally the British. Learn how this part of town went onto get it's famous churches, gurudwara, temples, ashrams, markets, a kalyani, etc. Also hear more about it's own local festivals too like the annual "Poo palakki".
This area is famous for the Ulsoor lake and the majestic Someshwara temple, but hidden away along the narrow lanes and streets of this locality are heritage spots which are waiting to tell us their tales. Do learn more about some of the philanthropists who left back their names in the history as well as geography of our city. Along the way as we walk through the bazaar we also get to gaze at some heritage houses from a bygone era. The walk ends with some nice South Indian snacks & beverages.
Category: Heritage tour.
Time: 8:00 am onward, 3 hours duration.
Location: Halasooru (Near MG Road).
Cost: Please refer to the note at the end of this page.
Bookings: Min. 1 person; 2 days' prior booking. Contact us.
Images from this walk
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Shopping at the K.R.Market.
Bengaluru by Foot invites guests to go shopping with us in the iconic K.R. market more popularly as City Market. You can shop fresh veggies, fruits, flowers, utensils etc at wholesale prices while we narrate the history as well as a few anecdotes about this area. Learn how a water body (tank) became a market, the people who built it, the battles that took place here as well as the first lamp post in Bengaluru, etc.
The grand finale of this walk is some window shopping at the Sunday bazaar.
Category: Heritage tour.
Time: 8:00 am onward, 3 hours duration.
Location: SKR Market.
Cost: Please refer to the note at the end of this page.
Bookings: Min. 1 person; 2 days' prior booking. Contact us.
Images from this walk
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Houses of Malgudi: Part I & II.
Another popular walk of our's in Basavanagudi once again. This walk focuses on the Urban planning techniques as well as the contruction of heritage homes using technologies which are termed redundant nowadays.
This walk is not connected in anyways to the famous television soap 'Malgudi Days'. "Mal" is for part two of our heritage homes walk in Malleswaram & "gudi" is for Basavanagudi where we are doing part one of this walk.
Thanks to the generous owners, we even get to take a peek inside these homes. Also included are tales about the old Basavanagudi of yore, the history about the original builders of these houses, the planning of Basavanagudi, construction techniques of old houses & the way to preserve these homes for future generations.
The walk ends with a some nice snacks at a South Indian outlet which is a heritage home with loads of history of its own.
Category: Heritage tour.
Time: 8:00 am onward, 3 hours duration.
Location: Basavanagudi (Part 1); Malleswaram (Part 2).
Cost: Please refer to the note at the end of this page.
Bookings: Min. 1 person; 2 days' prior booking.Contact us.
Images from this walk
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Pete (Pettah) walk in Nagarathpet- The Silk Tales.
On this fourth walk of ours in Kempe Gowda's Pete (or Pettah) area, we take the guests on a darshan of one of the most popular temples in Bangalore which is also associated with the popular Karaga festival.
We move ahead to a wrestling akhada or garadi mane to get a glimpse of how warriors were trained in the sport of wrestling a long time ago before the advent of gyms in Bangalore.
But the main focus of this walk is a visit to the last surviving weavers inside old Bengaluru who are engaged in the process of reeling & dyeing silk yarn as well as weaving it. You may have walked into the comfort of an air conditioned silk saree showroom to buy one. Now come see the hard work that goes into its making.
If we still have time we might also pay our respects at the tombs of a few Sufi warriors who were martyred during the III Anglo-Mysore war in 1791.
The walk ends with a tasty breakfast at a South Indian outlet.
Category: Heritage tour.
Time: 8:00 am onward, 3 hours duration.
Location: Nagarathpet.
Cost: Please refer to the note at the end of this page.
Bookings: Min. 1 person; 2 days' prior booking. Contact us.
Images from this walk
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Album 1
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Cubbon Park Heritage Walk.
"Sri. Chamarajendra Park" as the BBMP calls it was earlier called as "Meades park", but today it's popularly called as Cubbon park. Join us, as we unravel the people and history behind the setting up of one of Bangalore's biggest lung spaces.
This park is not the usual botanical park, as it has numerous buildings in it like the High court or Atthra Kacheri, MGID building, Government museum, Venkatappa art gallery, Seshadri Iyer Memorial Hall, Band stand, etc and we enlighten our patrons with tidbits of each of these architectural gems.
Also doting the park are numerous statues like those of Sir Mark Cubbon, Queen Victoria and King Edward VII and we discuss the role played by them in British India and its administration.
So if you are free on a Sunday morning, join us for a leisurely stroll and get bytes of the city's history and some of its famous bygone residents who have left behind their footprints in the landscape of our city forever.
Category: Heritage walk.
Time: 8:00 am onward, 3 hours' duration.
Location: Cubbon Park.
Cost: Please refer to the note at the end of this page.
Bookings: Min. 1 person; 2 days' prior booking. Contact us.
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Once upon a time in Chamarajapete.
This is a heritage walk to the first extension to Bengaluru city by the Maharaja of Mysore. This locality was named after a famous Wodeyor ruler & was home to many famous personalities, whom we will tell you about on this walk.
This area was one of the first in India to have a grid iron plan and was once lined with tree lined avenues. Probably the first layout to also have main & cross roads too. It has many famous hostels, restaurants, hospitals,churches, temples, educational institutes and old homes which we intend to tell more about to our walkers.
Learn more about the monk who sold his ferry in order to set up his charity mission as well as the sisters who are doing yeomen service to benefit the poor irrespective of their caste or creed.
So if you are free this weekend, join us on this walk. Also included is breakfast at a legendary outlet in this area.
Category: Heritage walk
Time: 8:00 am onward, 3 hours' duration
Location: Chamarajapet
Cost: Please refer to the note at the end of this page.
Bookings: Min. 1 person; 2 days' prior booking. Contact us.
Images from this walk
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2019 rates for customised walks/ private tours:
3-hour (half day) walks:
1) 1 - 2 persons : INR 2,750/- per head
2) 3 - 4 persons : INR 2,500/- per head
3) 5 - 9 persons : INR 2,000/- per head
4) 10 - 15 persons: INR 1,500/- per head
5) 16 - 20 persons: INR 1,000/- per head
6) 20 persons+ ( Max in 1 group with 1 guide each): INR 600/- per head |
6-hour (full day) walks:
1) 1 - 2 persons : INR 5,500/- per head
2) 3 - 4 persons : INR 4,500/- per head
3) 5 - 9 persons : INR 3,750/- per head
4) 10 - 15 persons: INR 2,500/- per head
5) Above 16 persons: INR 1,750/- per head
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