Bangalore, the capital of the state of Karnataka, offers the graceful charms of a well laid out garden city with parks and beautiful buildings. Its lack of ancient monuments is compensated for by first rate modern city planning. The 'Garden City' has several fine parks; Lal Bagh, the botanical gardens laid out by Haider Ali and his son Tipu Sultan in the 18th century, is the loveliest spot in Bangalore. Extending in terraces for over 240 acres, the garden has centuries-old trees, lakes, lotus pools, rose gardens, a deer park and an assortment of tropical and subtropical herbs and plants. The pretty glass house in the centre is the venue of the bi-annual Horticultural Exhibition. Cubbon Park is an extensive stretch of green sprawling over an area of 300 acres. The imposing red gothic structure within the park is now the public library. Vidhan Soudha is an imposing granite structure built in the neo-Dravidian style and houses the Secretariat and the State Legislature. Its cabinet room has a massive door made from pure sandalwood. The Bull Temple is built in Dravidian style and has a monolithic figure of Nandi, the bull, 15 feet high and 20 feet long. History records that it was built by Kempegowda, the founder of the city. The Museum, located on Kasturba Gandhi Marg, is one of the oldest in India, established in 1886. It houses a varied collection of items relating to archeology, geology, art and numismatics, some items dating back to the time of Tipu Sultan.