Bangalore High Court- an architecural legacy

The Karnataka High Court which is located in the building called Attara Kacheri is a very famous tourist attraction of the city Bangalore. 

Located at the entrance of Cubbon Park this red bricked building houses the high court and several other lower courts. The building is two storied and is just opposite to Vidhan Soudha which is the Karnataka Secretariat building and another tourist destination.

The history of the building dates back to the Tipu Sultan reign. Believed to have been built in the late 1860s the Tipu Sultan reign appointed this building as the highest court of appeal back then. Named the High Court of Mysore back then the court received its present name in the year 1973.

The High Court as previously mentioned is located in a building called Attara Kacheri which means eighteen offices. This two storied building was built in the year 1868 under the supervision of Arcot Narayanaswami Mudaliar and was provided as a replacement for the eighteen departments of the general and revenue secretariat of the Tipu Sultan reign. These departments were asked to move into this building as their temporary residence which was Tipu Sultan’s summer palace was way too crowded and uncomfortable to perform the necessary work. When Cubbon was replaced as the Commissioner by Mr. Bowring he considered the building unsuitable for work and paved way for the construction of a new secretariat. The building was proposed to be demolished in the early 1980s but a public litigation against such a proposal made sure that no demolition took place.

The Attara Kacheri is a majestic building constructed in the Graeco-Roman style of architecture. Tourists are allowed to visit the place all year round and enjoy the Gothic architecture of the building. The red paint of the building compliments the beauty of Vidhan Soudha located opposite to it extremely well and this is one reason why it has been considered a great tourist attraction in Bangalore. The expansive premises has various Corinthian columns constructed in Gothic style architecture is an amazement to several architects who consider this place one of the most esteemed architectural marvel in the country. 

The building is located adjacent to the Venkatappa Art Gallery which is known for its display of famous paintings, artifacts and statues of Venkatappa himself who was considered a great artist back in his time. 

The other tourist attractions around this building are the Vishweshwariah Science & Technology Museum, Cubbon Park and Seshadri Iyer Memorial Hall.  

Reaching this place is pretty easy and is easily accessible by using public transport such as buses and Autorickshaw. Tourists new to Bangalore can simply board the suitable bus from the Kempegowda bus station and reach the place in about ten minutes. Accommodation facilities are pretty easy to find here as there are a lot of famous hotels located in and around the locality. Some good places to stay include Fortune Park JP Celestial, Brunton Aster, The Infantry Hotel, Leela Palace Kempinski etc. These hotels are pretty affordable and luxurious.