athens.taipei The Atlas of City Experiences
The index

126 cities across the atlas, by region — or browse the full A–Z.

Every city, A–Z →
🇮🇳 South & Southeast Asia · metro 15.2M

Bangalore

Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore, is the capital and largest city of the southern Indian state of Karnataka. As per the 2011 census, the city had a population of 8.4 million, making it the third most populous city in India and the most populous in South India. It is located towards the southern end of the Deccan Plateau, at an altitude of 900 m (3,000 ft) above sea level. The city is known as India's "Garden City", due to its parks and greenery. In 1537 CE, Kempe Gowda I established a mud fort which is considered the foundation of the modern city of Bengaluru.

Typical weather

1981–present
JFMAMJJASOND
summermonsoondry-cool
coldcool warmhot ▢ outlined = best time to visit
JFMAMJJASOND
Best time to visit Feb, Mar, Oct, Nov, Dec — mild (15–26 °C mean) and not wet months.

Vital absurdities

measured · the Anti-Awards

What to do each season

3
Nov-Feb

dry-cool

the moderate dry season; openmeteo mean 20.1-23.6 °C (Jan coolest ~20.9; Wikipedia January average low 15.1 °C); very dry (Jan 0.1 mm/day); the most comfortable window — Bengaluru's 'more moderate climate' at its best

  • the pleasant dry season — the outdoor-café, pub and park culture is at its peak; the 'Garden City' greenery (Lal Bagh, Cubbon Park) is the year-round affordance but best now
  • Karnataka Rajyotsava (1 November) and the winter music/cultural season
Mar-May

summer

hot and mostly dry pre-monsoon; openmeteo mean 26.8-28.5 °C (Apr hottest 28.5; Wikipedia April average high 34.1 °C, record 39.2 °C); the summer heat 'is moderated by fairly frequent thunderstorms'

  • the hottest window — afternoon thunderstorms bring brief relief and occasional power outages and local flooding
  • the April–May Ram Navami music season (one of the two main Carnatic music seasons)
Jun-Oct

monsoon

the wet season (SW monsoon Jun-Sep + post-monsoon Oct); openmeteo mean 22.3-24.1 °C (cooler than summer); wet — Sep wettest 5.3 mm/day, Oct 4.4, Aug 4.1; Bengaluru 'receives rainfall from both the northeast and the southwest monsoons'

  • the rains — 'most of the rainfall occurs during the late afternoon or evening'; the lakes and parks fill
  • the September–October Dusshera music season (the second main Carnatic season)

What it is known for

💻'Silicon Valley of India' (the largest IT hub; >1/3 of India's IT exports)🌳'Garden City of India' (parks and greenery)🌳Lal Bagh botanical garden (97 ha, est. 1760s)🌳Cubbon Park (120 ha, est. 1870)🚇Namma Metro (South India's first metro, 2011)Kempegowda International Airport (3rd busiest in India; solar-powered)🍷'Pub Capital of India' / Bangalore Rock🌳Bannerghatta National Park (elephant corridor)🍜masala dosa / Udupi cuisine / darshinisM. Chinnaswamy Stadium (cricket)🌳Electronic City / Manyata tech parksthe Pete / Cantonment dual heritage

Important moments in a year

March or April (9 days)

Bangalore Karaga

  • Bangalore Karaga — the festival dedicated to the Hindu goddess Draupadi, celebrated by the Thigala community
wikipedia:Festivals
11-01

Karnataka Rajyotsava

  • Karnataka Rajyotsava — marks the formation of Karnataka state (1 November 1956); a public holiday
wikipedia:Culture
biennial (Feb)

Aero India

  • Aero India — the biennial air show at the Yelahanka air force station
wikipedia:Transport
annual since 2012

Bangalore Literature Festival

  • the Bangalore Literature Festival
wikipedia:Culture

On the record

source-tracked
nature

Due to its high elevation, Bengaluru usually enjoys a more moderate climate throughout the year, although occasional heat waves can make summer somewhat uncomfortable.

wikipedia:Climate
nature

April is the hottest month with an average high of 34.1 °C, and January is the coolest month with an average low temperature of 15.1 °C.

wikipedia:Climate
nature

Bengaluru receives rainfall from both the northeast and the southwest monsoons, and the wettest months is September, followed by October and August.

wikipedia:Climate
nature

The city is known as India's 'Garden City', due to its parks and greenery.

wikipedia:lead
everyday

It is widely regarded as the 'Silicon Valley of India', as the largest IT hub of the country. The city contributes to more than one third of India's total IT exports.

wikipedia:Economy
everyday

According to the Globalization and World Cities Research Network, Bengaluru is amongst the most integrated with the global economy, classified as an alpha-city.

wikipedia:Economy
social

The city is referred to as 'Pub Capital of India' and the 'Rock/Metal Capital of India' because of its underground music scene.

wikipedia:Culture
movement

Namma Metro is a rapid transit rail system in the city that was opened in 2011, and was the first operational metro in South India.

wikipedia:Transport
movement

Kempegowda International Airport is the third-busiest airport in India in terms of passenger traffic.

wikipedia:Transport
nature

As of 2024, Bengaluru has 1,288 public parks maintained by the corporation.

wikipedia:Parks and recreation
nature

The city had a forest cover of 68.3% in the early 1970s, which reduced to less than 15% in the 2010s.

wikipedia:Geography
everyday

The city had a Gini coefficient of 0.64, indicating significant inequality. There are about 597 slums in the city, housing roughly 16% of the city's population.

wikipedia:Demographics
From the review desk · coming soon
What Cities Let You Do

The method behind this atlas — 196 pp. Not published yet.