Namma
Bengalooru (History)
Several
speculations have been made about how the name "Bangalore"
came about. Based on information from the Gazetteer of India,
Karnataka State, Bangalore District section, the name "Bangalore"
is an anglicised version of "Bengalooru," a word
in the local Kannada language that was given to a town.
The T she had - some boiled beans. Grateful to her, the
king named the place "bende kaalu ooru." However,
historical evidence shows that "Bengalooru" was
recorded much before King Ballala's time in a 9th century
temple inscription in the village of Begur. "Bengalooru"
still exists today within the city limits in Kodigehalli
area and is called "Halebengalooru" or "Old
Bangalore."
Kempe Gowda marks the four
corners of the city
Another
historical figure instrumental in shaping the city of Bangalore
is a feudal lord who called himself Kempe Gowda, and who
served under the Vijayanagara Kings. Hunting seemed to be
a favourite past time in those days. During one of his hunting
bouts, Kempe Gowda was surprised to see a hare chase his
dog. Either his dog was chicken hearted or the hare was
lion-hearted one does not know, but the episode surely made
an impression on the feudal lord. He told himself this is
a place surely for heroes and heroics, and he referred to
Bangalore from then onwards as "gandu bhoomi"
(heroic place). Kempe Gowda I, who was in charge of Yelahanka,
built a mud fort in 1537. With the help of King Achutaraya,
built the little towns of Balepet, Cottonpet, and Chickpet,
all inside the fort. Today, these little areas serve as
the major wholesale and commercial market places in the
city. Kempe Gowda's son's erected the four watch towers
to mark the boundaries of Bangalore which are traceable
even today and they stand almost in the heart of the present
city. A hundred years later the Vijayanagara Empire fell,
and in 1638, it was conquered by Mohammed Adil Shah, the
Sultan of Bijapur.
Power shifts from Sultans
to Marathas to British
In
1638, Bangalore was conquered by Bijapur Sultan and ruled
for next 50 years. Later it was captured by Mughals who
held it for 3 years. In 1687, the Mughal Sultan of Sira
province sold Bangalore to king Chikkadevaraja Wodeyar of
Mysore for 3 lac pagodas, who built a second fort to the
south of that built by Kempegowda
In 1759, Hyder Ali received Bangalore as a jagir from Krishna
raja Wodeyar II. He fortified the southern fort and made
Bangalore an army town.
When
Tipu Sultan died in the 4th Mysore war in 1799, the British
gave the kingdom, including Bangalore back to Krishna raja
Wodeyar III. The British Resident stayed in Bangalore. In
1831, alleging misrule by Krishna raja Wodeyar III, the
British took over the administration of the Mysore Kingdom.
Under
the British influence, Bangalore bloomed with modern facilities
like the railways, telegraphs, postal and police departments.
In 1881, the British returned the city to the Wodeyars.
Diwans like Mirza Ismail, and sir Vishweshwarayya were the
pioneers to help Bangalore attain its modern outlook.
With
the direct rule of the British Commissioners based in Bangalore,
it became the State Administrative HQ. The destiny of Bangalore
thus took a historic turn, making it eventually a major
city of India and one of the fastest growing in the world.
After
independence, Bangalore's choice as a state capital was
only logical. Mysore had too many associations with the
royal family to be the capital of a new state with an elected
Chief Minister and a nominated Governor. Finally, for an
enlarged Karnataka, Bangalore was more central and better
linked with the major cities of the country.
Today,
Bangalore is booming, and a look at some of its nicknames
says why: "India's Silicon Valley," "Fashion
Capital of India," "The Pub City of India,"
and on. Home to well over 6 million people, and a base for
10,000 industries, Bangalore is India's fifth largest city
and the fastest growing city in Asia.
Important
Historical Dates
- BC
(-) Stone Age implements, Roman coins & burial grounds
unearthed.
-
850 AD 'Bengalooru' appears on Mauryan empire milestone
-
1015 Chola Empire takes over City
-
C.1120 Veera Ballala II calls it 'Benda Kalooru' or 'Town
of Boiled Beans' (after a poor woman feeds him beans in
the forest)
-
1537 Kempe Gowda I designs City as it exists today. (KG
II builds the 4 towers)
-
1638 Shahaji Bhonsle (Shivaji's father) captures City
for Adil Shah who gifts it to him
-
1640 Shivaji marries Bangalore girl
-
1687 Aurangzeb's army captures City
-
1690 Sells it to the Wodeyars for 3 lakhs!
-
1759 Wodeyar gifts it to Hyder Ali who builds Lal Bagh
-
1791 Cornwallis defeats Tipu but returns City to him
-
1799 Tipu dies. City returned to Wodeyar
-
1800 Bangalore GPO opened
-
1809 Cantonment established
-
1812 St. Mark's Cathedral built
-
1831 British take-over administration
-
1853 Sunday declared weekly holiday
-
1859 1st train steams out of City
-
1864 Sankey builds Cubbon Park
-
1867 Attara Kacheri built
-
1887 Bangalore Palace built
-
1898 The great plague. (Another plague-the 1st telephone
rings)
There are a number
of tourist destinations to be visited in Bangalore. Most
of the travel agencies in Bangalore offer travel services
like air tickets, car rental, hotel room reservation and
packaged tours.
Some of the most important
places worth being visited in Bangalore are:
The Vidhan
Soudha that
is based on the neo-Dravidian style of architecture is
an imposing building that currently houses the Legislative
Assembly and part of the Karnataka secretariat.
The Cubbon Park
has an exquisite layout spread over
an area of about 300 acres. The Lal Bagh is a riot of
red roses in bloom throughout the year. This garden is
well frequented at all times.
Venkatappa Art Gallery
has about 600 paintings and some
exclusive collections of scenic displays.
The Bangalore
Palace was built
in the Tudor style in 1887 and is located in the middle
of the city. It covers an area of about 800 acres and
resembles the Windsor Palace of England.
A
visit to the palace and fort of Tipu Sultan
must not be missed by any tourist.
The architecture and layout are a reflection of the ethnic
Mughal lifestyle
The Bull Temple
is dedicated to Lord Shiva's Vahana (vehicle), Nandi the
bull. The huge monolithic statue of the sitting bull draws
a large number of people every day. It is 4.5 meters high
and 6 meters long and was built much before the temple.
The Aquarium and the Jawaharlal
Nehru Planetarium are
both worth a visit. The former is the second largest in
the country and has a good collection of a variety of
aquatic life is a must see
The Shiva Statue
is 65 feet high and depicts Lord
Shiva in the Padmashan or Lotus position. Mount Kailash,
the Lord's heavenly abode and the river Ganga flowfrom
his matted locks in the background.
The
International Society for Krishna Consciousness or ISKCON
Temple Complex of Bangalore
is a marvellous blend of Dravidian and modern architecture.
The building has modern facilities like a cinema theatre,
computer aided presentation theatres, and a vedic and
a preaching library. There is also provision for good
accommodation facilities for members and guests.
Bangalore has a number of
excursion sites. Some of the better known ones are:
Nandi
Hill is situated
60 kilometres from the city, about 1,615 m above sea level.
Its shimmering lake and green valley make it a popular
summer retreat
The Big
Banyan Tree is located
about 28 kilometres away and is spread over almost three
acres of land.
The
Banerghatta National Park
is a birdwatcher's paradise with more than a thousand
species of birds in it. Located about 11 kilometres away
from the main city, one can also explore the temples nearby
Butterfly Park.
-
1903 1st motorcar pollutes city
-
1905 India's 1st electric bulb lit in Bangalore City
Market
-
1909 Indian Institute of Science built
-
1940 1st flight Bangalore / Bombay
-
1948 Deccan Herald launched
-
1954 Vidhana Soudha built
Contact
us for further queries and travel details, travel bookings,
travel arrangements and travel agent services in Bangalore.