It is now the third largest urban habitation of India with a population of 9621551. Founded in 1537, its metropolitan area is home to the third largest city in the Asian subcontinent, surpassed only by Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai. Capital of the state of Karnataka (located in the southwest of the country), Bangaluru has risen during the last decades with remarkable development, thanks to the textile, chemical, aeronautics, steel industry and software industry. In fact, Bangalore is known as the "Silicon Valley of India" because of its position within the nation as a leading exporter of IT related topics. In the sixteenth century, Kempe Gowda I built many lakes to provide the water the city required. In the first half of the 20th century, the Nandi Hills water supply plant was commissioned to provide water supply to the city. Currently, the Kaveri River provides about 80% of the total water supply to the city, with the remaining 20% being obtained from two reservoirs of the Arkayathi River. Bangalore receives about 800 million liters of water a day, more than any other city in India. However, Bangalore sometimes suffers from water shortages, especially during the summer season, and even more so in the years of low rainfall.
Today, it continues to be a very important railway junction and, of course, a place worth discovering. The city was founded by Kempe Gowda in the 16th century. But its prosperity and proliferation are of the recent past. Bangalore always hums with cultural activities. There are a number of organizations promoting dance, music and other arts. Among the prime attractions of Bangluru tourism are Lalbagh (Botanical Gardens), Nandi Bull Temple, Ulsoor Lake, Vidhana Saudha, Museum and Art Gallery, Cubban Park and Tipu Sultan's Fort. There is hardly an evening without any cultural programme in the city.