THE
CITY OF GARDENS
Bangalore as a geographical entity has existed for
500 million years when the Deccan trap was formed.
Our city is on a highland that seperate the river
valleys of the Dakshina Pinakini and the Arkavati.
The focus of this story is 2000 years of Bangalore.
The region in which Bangalore is now located was
a part of the Stavahana empire around 2000 year ago.
Roman coins excavated in the northern parts of our
city attest the transoceanic contacts that our ancestors
had established. The region was later ruled successively
by the Gangas, the Cholas, the Hoysalas, and the Vijayanagar
kings.
Historically, the name Bengalooru occurs for the first
time on a 9th century stone inscription in Begur,
a village in south Bangalore taluk. (So the story
of the 12th century Hoysalla king Ballala II, while
on a hunting expedition, being pleased with an old
woman’s offering him boiled beans, and calling
the place Benda Kalooru or town of boiled beans in
here honour is just a legend after all.) This Bangalore
hamlet was part of Gangavadi 96000, the numeral being
a revenue –pin code of those days.
The city of Bangalore was founded by Kempegowda I,
a Chief of the Yelahanka province in the Vijaynagar
empire.
Hale (old) Bengalooru at Kodigehalli (near Hebbal)
may have been the source of the new city’s name.
To build the city, the Vijayanagar emperor gave grants
of the revenue of twelve hoblis including Hale Bengalooru,
Varthur, Begur , Ulsoor, Jigani, Banavara and Talaghattapura,
Kempegowda’s daughter-in-law sacrificed here
life to help build the fort. A temple in her memory
was built at Koramangala.
Kempegowda I built the four watch towers and temples
in Ulsoor, Basavanagudi, Gavipura and near the fort.
The borders of city were today’s K.G. Road,
Cottonpet Road, City Market and Cubbon Pet. The central
bus station area was Dharamambudi lake and Kantheerava
stadium was sampangi lake. Different categories of
traders and artisians were allocated commercial areas
like Chikkapet, Balepet, Tharagupet. Today’s
Avenue Road and Chikpet Main Road were the principal
streets.
In the next two centuries, Bangalore was under the
rule of the Bijapur Sultans, the Marathas (Chatrapati
Shivaji’s marriage took place here!) and the
Mughals.
In 1690, Mysore’s Chikkadevaraja Wodeyar purchased
Bangalore for 3 lakh pagodas from the Mughals. In
1759, Hyder Ali fortified the town into a cantonment.
A 16 acre Lal Bagh was laid by him.
After the death of Tipu Sultan in 1799, the Mysore
Wodeyars ruled the region till 1947. Between 1831
and 1881, British Commissioners were the direct rulers
and Bangalore was their headquarters.
After independence, Bangalore became the capital
of Mysore State and of the Greater Mysore State in
1996. As we all know, Bangalore today is the science
and technology capital of India, and one of the world’s
major IT centres.
LOCATION
Bangalore city is located in the southern part of
the state of Karnataka, in the southern region of
India. It is 3,113 feet (949 m) above sea level, on
top of a ridge in the Karnataka plateau. Bangalore
is 998 km from Mumbai (Bombay) and 562 km from Hyderabad.
The climate of Bangalore is moderate and pleasant.
Summers are mild (April-June) and winters are cool
(October-February). The city experiences southwestern
monsoon rains in June-August.
VISITING TIME
Although the weather of Bangalore is pleasant throughout
the year, it is best visited in the winters.
THE PAST
Legend has it that the city is named after an old
woman, who lived in this area and offered a humble
meal of boiled beans to a lost Hoysala ruler. The
origin of the present-day city of Bangalore can be
traced to the early 16th century, when Kempegowda,
a local chief, built a small mud fort here. Bangalore
gained prominence in the 18th century, when it became
an important fort city, under Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan
of Mysore. This area witnessed the struggle between
Tipu Sultan and the British. The British defeated
Tipu Sultan and took over Bangalore city. In 1831,
the British made it the regional administrative city
and established a big cantonment here.
TOURIST SPOTS
Bangalore city has a number of tourist places. Apart
from the numerous gardens, it also has some historical
sites and other places of interest. The Vidhan Soudha
or the State Secretariat, built in 1954, is the main
attraction of this city. It is a marvel of modern
architecture and is a fine amalgamation of traditional
Dravidian and modern styles. Cubbon Park, the 120-hectare
park located near the Vidhan Soudha, has a number
of neo-classical styled government buildings. The
Government Museum of Bangalore (one of India's oldest
museums) and the Visvesvaraya Technological and Industrial
Museum are important museums within the city. The
Lal Bagh Botanical Gardens, which holds a number of
flower shows, especially during the Republic Day (26th
January), is located on the southern fringes of the
city. The 18th-century Tipu Sultan's Fort and Palace
are other important places of interest to the traveler.
The 16th-century, Dravidian-styled temple dedicated
to Nandi the Bull is an important place of worship.
The Venkataramanaswamy Temple, the Gavi Gangadhareswara
cave temple, and the Someshwara Temple are other important
temple of this city. The Ulsoor Lake on the northeastern
edge of the city is an important picnic spot. Bangalore
city is famous for it numerous Yoga centers, where
fitness freaks can learn and practice this ancient
art of keeping healthy.
SITES NEARBY
There are a number of places of tourist attraction
near Bangalore. Thirty kilometers from Bangalore is
the Nrityagram village, housing a classical dance
academy. Bannerghatta National Park, 21 km from the
city, is an important place to visit. Sixty kilometers
from Bangalore is the Nandi Hill Resort, which is
also famous for its temples and fort. Devarayandurga,
70 km from Bangalore, is famous for its hilltop shrines.
The craggy rock formation around Bangalore offers
adventure activities like trekking and rock climbing
to the adventure seeker. Devarayandurga (70 km), and
Ramanagaram (49 km) are important spots for adventure.
Bangalore has a number of cultural centers near it,
which offer to the tourist a number of traditional
craft items. Ramanagaram is a silk cocoon-marketing
center. Janapada Lok (near Ramanagaram) and Channapatna
(60 km southeast of Bangalore) are famous craft centers.
The Doda Alada Mara, a 400-year-old banyan tree lying
28 km from the city, is an idyllic place for picnics.
Mekedatu, 98 km south of Bangalore, and Muthyalamaduvu,
40 km from Bangalore (also known as the Pearl Valley),
are other important picnic spots.
The historic city of Mysore is 139 km from Bangalore
and offers to the traveler a number of monuments belonging
to Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, the erstwhile rulers
of the place. It also has a number of ancient Hindu
temples and a few monuments built by the British.
Whitefield Ashram, the summer abode of the Shri Sathya
Sai Baba, 20 km east of Bangalore, and the ISKCON
(International Society for Krishna Consciousness)
Temple Complex are important spiritual centers, worth
paying a visit.
SHOPPING
This cosmopolitan city is a heaven for shoppers,
as it offers both traditional and modern items to
the traveler. It is a good place to buy traditional
handicraft items, such as silk saris, intricately
carved sandalwood items and tribal jewelry. Bangalore
is famous for its sandalwood cosmetic products and
toiletry. These traditional items can be purchased
from many outlets and emporia on MG road. There a
number of shopping arcades across the city for the
traveler to window-shop and buy things.
