Mathikere is a residential area located in Bangalore City in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is very close to the M.S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology, the M. S. Ramaiah Memorial Hospital and colleges. The famous Jayaprakash Narayan Biodiversity Park, which was opened in 2006, is located here.
The Jayaprakash Narayan Biodiversity Park, popularly known as JP Park, was opened in 2006 by the Chief Minister of the state of Karnataka, H.D. Kumaraswamy. The foundation stone was laid by a previous Chief Minister, Ramakrishna Hegde, but development was delayed and it was more than a decade before the project was completed. The park was developed by the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) on an 85-acre (340,000 m2) site at Mathikere in the north-west area of Bangalore at a cost of Rs. 9 crores and is the biggest park in Bangalore after Lalbagh and Cubbon Park. The park has four lakes, lawns spread over 25 acres (100,000 m2), over 250 varieties of trees and shrubs can be found there all the time. Select exotic and aquatic species, and a nursery. There is a nature centre, an exhibition plaza, and an amphitheatre.
The M.S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology (MSRIT) is an engineering college located near Mathikere in Bangalore. It was founded in 1962 by Mr. M.S. Ramaiah and was the first institute started by the Gokula Education Foundation. It was granted academic autonomy in 2007 and caters for 4,600 under-graduates and 800 post-graduates students.