Bangalore
is Asia's Silicon Valley because
of its thriving information
technology industry. Bangalore
is India's fifth - largest and
fastest - growing city. Until
its high-tech boom began in
the late 1980s, it was known
as the Garden City, with greenery
flourishing in its pleasant,
temperate climate. Today with
a growing population of young
professionals, it has acquired
a vibrant, cosmopolitan air.
Bangalore was founded in the
16th century by a local chieftain,
Kempe Gowda, but derives its
name from the Kannada word benda
kaluru, or "boiled beans",
which an old woman gave a 10th
century Hoysala King when he
turned up hungry at her doorstep.
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 story goes that
this word was derived from
the phrase "bende kaalu
ooru," which translates
into "the town of boiled
beans." It is said that
King Ballala of the Hoysala
dynasty lost his way in the
jungle while on a hunting
expedition. Tired and hungry,
he encountered a poor, old
woman who offered him the
only food 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 I.
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.
