Name : Cubbon Park

Location: Kasturba road

Main Attraction: Historic park

The Cubbon Park of Bangalore has a history of more than 100 years. It has been a part of Bangalore’s landscape since 1870. The Cubbon Park, officially known as Sri. Chamarajendra Park, is an historic park, located in the heart of city in the Central Administrative Area. The park provides sylvan surroundings to the State Legislature building- the Vidhana Soudha, the High Court Buildings – the Attara Kacheri and a number of other organizations located along the periphery and within the park which constitute the Central Administrative Area. It was established in the year 1870 by Sri John Meade, the then acting Commissioner of Mysore. The vast landscape of the park was conceived by Major General Richard Sankey, the then Chief Engineer of the State. it covered an area of 100 acres and subsequent expansion has taken place and the area reported now is about 300 acres. It has a rich recorded history of abundant flora and fauna plantations coupled with numerous impressive and aesthetically located buildings and statues of famous personages, in its precinctsAs a mark of honour to Sri John Meade, the park was initially named as "Meade’s Park" and subsequently it was called the Cubbon Park. Since the inception of the park, it was developed and improved by adding new structures and features. In the year 1927, the park was officially renamed as "Sri. Chamarajendra Park" to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of Sri. Krishnaraja Wodeyar’s rule in Mysore State.

Cubbon Park is under the control of the Department of Horticulture. The Deputy Director of Horticulture (Cubbon Park) is responsible for the administration and maintenance of the park.

The colorful landscape of the Cubbon Park wonderfully brings together the rock cut statues and the huge canopy of trees. Cubbon Park is also considered to be a jogger's delight. Here you will get to see beautiful flowerbeds and shady trees. To help the visitors all the trees of Cubbon Park have their scientific names and ages labeled on them. Visitors can also take courses on pottery, aeromodelling and other things at Cubbon Park of Bangalore.

The architecture of Cubbon Park is also wonderful. British influence on the park becomes evident from the presence of the beautiful colonial style buildings. There are also the memorial hall dedicated to Aeshadri Ayer, Jwahar Bal Bhawan, the Children's Park and the Museum that you can explore on your visit to the place. The Museum here is known to be one of the oldest in India.

Cubbon Park, located 2 km from M.G. Road, expands across 334 acres of land.

Statues

The Queen Victoria statue installed (1906 near the Mahatma Gandhi Circle, the King Edward VII statue installed (1919) at the North-Western point of the Queen’s park; the Polyalthia avenue along the road from Queen’s statue to King Edward statue and the chestnut tree avenue from the Chamarajendra statue to Siddalingaiah circle lend a subtle grandeur to the park

The statue of Major General Sir Mark Cubbon near the terrace garden; Rajya Dhurandhara Sir K. Sheshadri Iyer statue installed (1913) in front of the Central Library and the statue of Sri. Chamarajendra Wodeyar (1927) installed in the central portion of the park near the tennis pavillion with a fairly fountain in the front, are magnificent structures found in the park. Owing to the different features and structures in the park, the Cubbon Park is a well-known tourist attraction.

 Band Stand at  Cubbon Park : In the good old times of the city, the band stand at the Cubbon Park used to bring about many cherished memories. This octagonal structure built in cast iron was graced by music concerts and artists renowned all over the country and abroad. Many musicians who have performed there rose to stardom. Over the years, the music notes faded away into time. Now an NGO Prakruti has been trying to revive this lost splendour.

Prasad M.S., convener of Prakruti, musicians have shown interest in performing at the bandstand. “The bandstand is booked for the next eight weeks wherein artistes, including Nandita, Pallavi, Supriya Acharya, C. Ashwath, Puttur Narasimha Nayak and Shankar Shanbhag, have agreed to give concerts.”  may be viewed by public and visitors too.

Major Landmarks at the Park’s vicinity
 Sir Vishweshwariah Industrial and Technological Museum : This museum a tribute to Sir Vishweshwariah, the visionary who brought science and technology to the common man in Karnataka. One can see an airplane and steam engine are displayed in its compound. There are five galleries dedicated to different scopes of science and technology. This Museum is accessible from the Kasturba Road.

Phone: 2286-4563
Entry Fee: Rs.15
Open hours: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

 Karnataka High Court : The Karnataka High Court locally known as Attara Kacheri is located opposite to the Vidhana Soudha. Attara Kacheri literally means "eighteen offices" or departments.

 The State Archeological Museum (also called Government Museum) : is close to the High Court with the same red colour and architectural style. The originaly built by Colonel Sankey in 1876, over the years several wings have been added. B. L. Rice of the Mysore Gazetteer is the mastermind behind the collection in this musuem.

It is one of the oldest museums in the country, it has an exquisite collection of coins, sculptures, old paintings, inscriptions and excavated items.  The Java fig avenue along the road leading to the Government Museum add to the grandeur of the Museum.
Timings: 10 am to 5:30 pm
Location: On Kasturba Road, Bangalore - 560 001.
Phone: 2286 4563

 Venkatappa Art Gallery : This  gallery host more than 600 paintings, which are on display throughout the year. There are  two halls, one showcasing  stone sculptures from the Mathura and Khajarao schools of art. The other,dedicated to pottery and clay articles belonging to the Indus Valley civilisations. There are showpieces from 20th century landscapes and contemporary art. On the ground floor, the paintings of K. Venkatappa,( born in 1887 ) are on display.

His works picturing the landscapes of the Nilgiris and Kodaikanal, a painting on Monsoon and various other sketches are feast to the art-lovers. On the first floor, the works of M. F. Hussain, Vasudev, Hanumaiah, Hariram, Rekha Rao, Yusuf Arakkal and N. S. Bendre along with various other artists are on display.C. P. Rajaram's exquisite wood carvings are also seen here. The second floor is the "Hebbar Section", solely dedicated to K.K Hebbar.
Timings: daily except Mon 10 am - 5 pm
Admission: Rs 10
Kasturba Road, Bangalore - 560 001 Ph: 22864483

Sheshadri Iyer Memorial Hall : It is presently the City Central Library building with an artistic structure worth seeing. Beatiful rosary located infront of the Library attracts many visitors. This onlooks many beautiful lawns that are found in the Cubbon park.

The Ringwood circle, lotus pond and bamboo grove nook are worth seeing. The avenue of Araucarias along with Canna beds on either sides of the road from the Library to Hudson circle is a beautiful view. The avenue of Swietenias in the Northern side of the park.
Timings: daily except Mon 8 am - 7 pm
Kasturba Road, Bangalore - 560 001.

 Aquarium : The Govt. Aquarium is in is an octagonal shaped building. This is one of the largest Aquariums in India, showcasing a variety of indigenous and exotic, cultivable as well as ornamental pet fish.

The Hocks stick, the Pearl Coushmi, the India Tiger Borb, the Moon Tail, as well as edible fish are a feast to the visitors. The Aquarium provides food for thought, but if you want to taste the fish, there is a fish stall here.
Timings 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m (Closed on Thursdays)
Admission by Tickets.

 Jawahar Bal Bhawan : This is Amusement park at the Cubbon Park maintained by the Government.  No child in should missed out on the Puttani Express ride (Toy train ride especially children) when visiting Cubbon park. This Amusemetn park host many game themes and one can find life sizes animals on the park premises.

Here at Sri Jayachamedra Hall conducts many shows for children. The Jawahar Bal Bhawan conducts many short and long term recreational and educational programs for children between the age 5 to 16 years.
Landmark: Near Cricket Stadium, Jewels De Paragon
Phone: 080-22864189
Timings 10am to 5pm (Closed on Thursdays)

Other Facilities : The Indira Priyadarshini Children’s Library, YMCA, Yuvanika- the State Youth Centre, Century Club, Press Club, Tennis Pavillion and a number of other offices are located in the park, few of them offering amusement and sports facilities.
 

 Other Gardens : The gardens of Vidhana Soudha, Vikas Soudha and Raj Bhavan, are integral parts of the development, conservation and maintenance of Cubbon Park. The Vidhana Soudha garden is beautifully landscaped on symmetric lines, complimenting the magnificent architecture of  Vidhana Soudha. The Raj Bhavan garden is well laid out and adds a colourful and spectacular ambience to Raj Bhavan.

The Dancing Musical Fountain, commissioned recently, in the LRDE premises on the Raj Bhavan road; the only one of its kind in India with a visual facility. It uses a unique binary control concept to obtain three distinct levels for each of its form. It provides high versatility in programming as well as in playback to various India and Western musical themes.

Timings of the show : Two shows are organized everyday from 7.00 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. and 8.00 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. each lasting for half an hour. It is closed on every Monday and Second Tuesday of the month.

Timings :
Cubbon Park is a public park with many Government organizations, associations and clubs in its locale. The park is open all the time. It has been declared a silent zone between 5.00 a.m. to 8.00 a.m.

Cubbon Park Image Gallery