Attara Kacheri — "eighteen offices" in Kannada — is the red-painted two-story building that faces Vidhana Soudha across the wide central boulevard. Built in 1864 during the British period, it originally housed the revenue and general secretariat departments; today it is the High Court of Karnataka. The building is painted a deep Pompeian red that photographs dramatically against a blue sky and glows in the evening light.
The building is not open to the general public, but the exterior is one of the most photographed in the city. It pairs naturally with Vidhana Soudha opposite — the two buildings together form the civic image of Bangalore in the way that Parliament and the Supreme Court define New Delhi. If you're in the area in the evening, both buildings are lit up and worth seeing from the boulevard.