APLAS 08 and FSTTCS 08 conferences are co-located at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Bangalore is one of the fastest growing cities in India. Bangalore is also known as the "garden city" and is the high-tech capital of India, with a large base of people working in the IT and technology industry. Bangalore offers a lot of places of historical interest. A trip around the city can be very interesting and provides a rich sightseeing experience with palaces, museums, temples, churches and gardens.
| Indian Institute of
Science, located in Bangalore, is one of
the premier academic institutions in India. It houses more than 50 departments
ranging from Aerospace Engineering to Molecular Biophysics to
Management, with over 400 faculty members, and more than 2,000 students
pursuing postgraduate and doctoral research programmes. This year
happens to be special for IISc, as it complete one hundred years since its
inception in 1908. JN Tata Auditorium, the conference venue (picture on the right), is located in the south part of IISc campus. On the campus map, it is located at (-3,-2) position from the bottom right corner (south of the Plaza [in green]). The customized campus map that highlights the venue, various guest houses, and a cafeteria can be found here. |
 |
It is recommended that all non-Indian participants read the information about Indian immigration at Bureau of Immigration, India and take appropriate actions to comply with the immigration policies/rules. A letter of invitation may be required to apply for an Indian visa to attend the conference(s). In such situation, please contact the chairs of the respective conferences.
In the past instances of FSTTCS, we have observed that it was relatively simpler to get a Tourist Visa to India (in comparison to getting a Visa for an official visit to attend conference). So, we suggest that the APLAS and FSTTCS participants apply for a Tourist Visa to enter India.
In India, INR is the only legal currency allowed in financial transactions. So, visitors are advised to carry sufficient funds in INR for basic expenses and to only transact with merchants in INR. However, many merchants in Bangalore do accept major credit cards --- Visa, MasterCard, and Ames.
INR can be obtained at various foreign exchange vendors both at Bangalore International Airport (upon arrival) and within Bangalore city limits. Thomas Cook, one such foreign exchange vendor, operates an office in the IISc campus very close to the conference venue.
It is advised that any participant converting foreign currency into INR should retain the transaction advice for these conversions. Similarly, it is advised to retain transaction slips for withdrawal of cash in INR from ATMs. These transaction advices and slips are be required to convert any left-over INR into foreign currencies before departing from India.
Orchard Suites. Near Sankey Road. In Seshadripuram. Ph. No.: +91-80-4123-4444
37 Crescent. On Crescent Road. In High Grounds. Ph. No.: +91-80-4037 3737
16 Squares. On Magrath Road. Near M. G. Road (Mahatma Gandhi Road). Ph. No.: +91-80-4147-2212/3/4
Gold Finch. On Crescent Road. In High Grounds. Ph. No.: +91-80-41291300
JP Churchill. On Seshadri Road. Near Race Course Road. Ph. No.: +91-80-4044-1234
Comfort Inn (Vijay Residency). In Gandhinagar. Ph. No.: +91-80-2220-3025
Recently, Bangalore International Airport (BIA) was moved to a location outside the city limits. Given the distance from BIA to Bangalore city (27 Kms / 16 miles), it is recommended that visitors use either the Airport Shuttle Service or Airport Taxi Service. For more information about these services, please refer the BIA Transport Guide. Online reservations can be made with Airport Shuttle Service via Redbus website. The routes of the Airport Shuttle Service can be found here.
For visitors planning to take a cab/taxi from/to BIA, Meru and Easy-cabs are the official cab companies operating out of BIA. The payment for these cabs are made in cash (INR) at the end of the trip. If you want to reimburse this cost, then please ask the cab driver for a printed receipt at the end of the trip. The cab/taxi fare to the hotels suggested above should not exceed 500 INR; however, it is advisable to carry 1000 INR for the purpose of cab/taxi fares.
For visitors planning to avail the Airport Shuttle Service, the cost of the trip from BIA to locations in the vicinity of the above mentioned hotel should not exceed 200 INR; however, it is advisable to carry 500 INR for the purpose of shuttle fares.
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has a big and beautiful temple located close to the conference venue. This temple may be of interest to folks interested in getting a glimpse of temples in India.
Lalbagh is a botanical garden that occupies 240 acres in the heart of Bangalore. An apt description of Lalbagh would be "for folks with a green finger, a visit to Bangalore would be incomplete without a visit to Lalbagh."
Vidhana Soudha is one of the majestic structures of modern Bangalore. It represents the center of Bangalore and it houses the legislative chambers of the Karnataka state government. It is situated opposite Attara Kacheri, a red building that houses the Karnataka State High Court. The opposing placement of these buildings is interesting as it amplifies the contrast in the style of their architecture: the white Indian temple style of Vidhana Soudha against the red classical European style of Attara Kacheri.
A visit to Bangalore would be incomplete without an experience of the night life at the business district of Bangalore situated on and around M.G. Road (Mahatma Gandhi Road) and Brigade Road.
Srirangapatna is a small town at approximately 2 hours drive away from Bangalore (on the way to Mysore). Given the historic significance of the town, it has quite a few historic monuments that are worth viewing. Also, the town is home to a large Ranganathswamy temple that dates back more than a few centuries. If the history at Srirangapatna is an overload, then it can be washed away by visiting Shivanasamudra falls, the second biggest waterfall in India. Alternatively, one could watch the exotic species of birds at Rangana Thitu bird sanctuary.
A tourist visit to Bangalore is incomplete without visiting Mysore, the second largest city in Karnataka. Given the long history of Mysore and its relevance in the history of Karnataka, it offers a plethora of options for sightseeing such as Mysore palace, Chamundi Hills (home of Nandi, the big bull), the zoo, St. Philomena's Church, Brindavan Garden, and Lalith Mahal. While these are options within the city limit, Somanathpura and Bandipur National Park serve as interesting sightseeing options outside of Mysore.
AccuWeather
Weather Underground!
Weather Forecast
Swami Bengaluru: A good website for information about Bangalore. The site provides a graphical peek at Bangalore via pictures and videos along with news bits about the city. Besides a good search feature dedicated to businesses in Bangalore, it also provides a listing of various events in the city.
Bangalore Transportation Information System (BTIS): An excellent website that can help plan inner city travel.
