British Bangalore
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1 2 3 The British set up a cantonment in the region in 1789 around Ulsoor Lake and further expanded their territory over the next century, building a well-planned network of roads up till 1889. They built a lush green belt around the cantonment separating the native village of Bangalore, the Petta, from the cantonment region. Their interest in horticulture in the area was heightened by the city’s suitable climate. They established and expanded existing gardens, built greenhouses and set up apple orchards throughout the city. The cantonment was strictly guarded and controlled by the civil and military administrations. Under various notable British persons, the city became famous for its culture and diversity. Towards the end of the 19th century the divide between the Indian town and the British THE BRITISH EMPIRE gained control of the kingdom of cantonment had diminished. Mysore in 1783 under the leadership of Hector Munro and Sir Eyre Coote. The defeat of Tipu Sultan in the second The city flourished as a center for technological advancements Anglo-Mysore war allowed the East India Company to gain an and cultural variety. The British transformed the city into a upper hand in South India. Tipu Sultan was sent into exile, and well-connected industrial and military center, and with its Bangalore was made base of operations by the British. wholesome climatic conditions the city grew to become a With setting up camp near Ulsoor Lake, the British expansion modern urban settlement that emphasized harmonious living in South India was complete. and educational, intellectual and expressive pursuits. 4 5 Black Pally 25 Black Plateau 69 E J Blakiston Rd. 26 Eucalyptus Plantation 31 J.M. Holmes Building 44 Bowring Institute 57 Braithwaite Gardens 31 Brew And Bush 69 G K Brigade Rd. 29 Gazetteer Rd. 37 Kempabuddhi Tank 66 British Cemetery 42 George Barlow Rd. 47 Kempe Gowda Towers 19 Bull Temple 63 Glass House 58 Krumbiegel H. Instt. 45 C Gosha Hospital 27 Detailed Gowri Mahal 63 L Timeline 78 C.V. Raman Rd. 21 Lal Bagh 19 Canning Street 37 H Langford Gardens 51 Cantonment Extension 41 A HAL 70 Lavelle Rd. 57 Cash Pharmacy 51 Harris Barracks 77 Ali Asker Rd. 26 Cavalry Rd. 29 Hepburn Rd. 52 M Apple Orchards 73 Cenotaph Rd. 13 High Grounds 14 Artillery Rd. 29 Center Memorial Statue 37 Malleshwaram 71 High Top 69 Attara Kacheri 17 Central Admin Offices 39 Mari Gowda Rd. 74 Hosur Rd. Cemetery 61 Avenue Rd. 65 Chamrajpet 67 Marochetti Rd. 35 Hoysala Nagar 48 Cheshire Homes 54 Mayo Hall 49 Hudson M. Church 60 B Col. Pierce Rd. 57 Meade’s Park 11 Coles Park 29 Millers Tank 14 Banashankari 74 Commercial Street 30 I Mission Road 11 Bangalore Turf Club 13 Cornwallis Rd. 54 Moor-House Barrack 77 Basvanagudi 63 Indian Instt. of Science 21 Cubbon Park 13 Myrtle Lane 52 Binny Mills 67 Infantry Rd. 29 6 7 Mysore Residence 41 R U N RAF Museum 39 Ulsoor Lake 47 Nizams Residence 42 Regal Com. Center 33 United Brewer Pub 69 Norris Rd. 52 Regent Circus 69 Richmond Town 51 V O Rotten Row 11 Russell Market 25 Victoria Hospital 64 Old Millers Building 19 Victoria Statue 26 Oval Fort 65 S Vidhan Soudha 17 P Sankey Tank 21 W Sappers P. Grounds 35 Palace Grounds 23 S. Iyer Memorial Hall 17 Western Ale 69 Pears Ride 11 Silver Jubilee Park 70 Windsor Pub 69 Pekin Barracks 77 Snaize Undertaker 52 Persian Stallion 69 South Parade 46 Petta Wall Rd. 67 St. Mary’s Basilica 29 Plague Camp 61 Styx 69 Pottery Village Rd. 75 Primrose Circle 14 T Q The Monarch 69 Thomas Town 32 Quarter Pint 69 Tipu Hyder Museum 59 Tipu’s Palace 65 T&T Taxidermy 52 8 9 MEADE’S PARK Meade’s Park is named after John Meade, the then acting Commissioner of Mysore. It was built in 1848 by Sir Richard Sankey. The park formed a clear green belt next to the cantonment. It now houses multiple government cultural buildings and was once famous for its bandstands. It was one of Sir Richard Sankey’s first contributions to the landscape of Bangalore. ROTTEN ROW The street that runs through Meade’s Park is a pedestrian road, which went parallel to the Manekshaw Parade Ground. It was the hub of the Bangalore cantonment. Before Meade’s Park was laid out, the area used to be a sewage canal which gave the street its name. PEARS RIDE Pears Ride is a pedestrian road in Meade’s Park, which ran perpendicular to Rotten Row on the other side of the Parade Ground. It used to be flanked by pear trees, which were later replaced by gulmohars. MISSION RD. The road is named after the London Missionary Society. The Society was active in Bangalore from the 1820’s, and in 1841, a seminary was finally established which would go on to house the first United Theological College. 10 11 BANGALORE TURF CLUB The Bangalore Turf Club was set up in 1921. Bangalore had always been a city well suited for breeding horses, in particular racing horses from Persia. During World War II the Turf Club made efforts to raise funds, and in 1941, the first day of the seven-day season, was named War Fund Day. CUBBON PARK Richard Sankey designed Cubbon Park near the Bangalore Turf Club in honor of Sir Mark Cubbon, the longest serving Commissioner of Mysore (1834-1861). Cubbon incidentally, never set his eyes on the park. He left India in April 1861, and died on his way back home at Suez on 23rd April 1861. CENOTAPH RD. The Cenotaph was built in memory of the British soldiers who died in the siege of Bangalore in the second Anglo-Mysore War and soldiers who died in different wars with Tipu Sultan till 1784. This monument was about to be destroyed on October 28th 1964 by the Bangalore City Corporation but was saved through public demonstrations. 12 13 MILLERS TANK Millers Tank is a man made lake built in the 1800’s; it links Sankey Reservoir and Kempabuddhi Tank. HIGH GROUNDS High Grounds is so named for its elevated terrain. Earlier a man made tank existed there which acted as a reservoir where water from adjoining areas was collected. This drainage system eventually dried up and the area became a residence for the elite of Bangalore. Not being part of the cantonment limits the houses were spacious with orchard lawns. Surrounded by parks there were numerous bandstands where the armed forces band played every week. PRIMROSE CIRCLE The Circle was name for the Primrose bushes that were grown in the small park. The yellow color of the flowers also gave it the nickname, Round-the-Sun. GAOL RD. “The London Times Madras correspondent reports that the military fired on a crowd of 4000 Hindus in Bangalore, who were storming the gaol, to rescue the prisoners. One of the crowd was killed and five wounded. The firing dispersed the crowd, but later the rioting was renewed. The military are picketing the riot area.” 28 November, 1921. 14 15 SESHADARI IYER MEMORIAL HALL An advocate who served as the Divan of Mysore from 1883 to 1901. He is regarded by most as the “Maker Of Modern Bangalore”. He established the Kolar Gold Fields and the first hydel electric power project. Seshadari Iyer had to deal with a devastating plague, which afflicted Bangalore in 1898 and was responsible for the decongestion of streets and reconstructing the city in the aftermath of the plague. ATTARA KACHERI / HIGH COURT The two storied building made of stone and brick and painted red houses the High Court. Rao Bahadur Arcot Mudaliar supervised the construction of the building and the English Commissioner of Mysore drew up the plans. VIDHAN SOUDHA The seat of the state legislature of Karnataka the Vidhan Soudha is constructed in a Mysore neo-Dravidian style; it incorporates elements of Indo-Saracenic and traditional Dravidian styles. The construction was completed in 1956. Inscribed in front is “Government’s Work Is God’s Work.” 16 17 KEMPE GOWDA TOWERS Kempe Gowda built seven towers that would be hailed as the outer boundaries of his settlement and mark the frontiers of his kingdom. The four towers recognized as Protected Heritage Monuments now stand scattered in the modern city, near Lal Bagh, Ulsoor Lake, Kempabuddhi Lake, and what is now Mekhri Circle. OLD MILLERS BUILDING The Old Millers Building which stands near the Kempabuddhi Tank was a functional 3-story flourmill with a large warehouse. It received grain from the nearby villages and the produce of the mill was subsequently sold in the Petta on Avenue Road. It was set up in 1894. It soon became redundant within the urban city and was abandoned. In the second half of the 20th century it was bought by a private firm and transformed into full-scale bakery and new equipment was installed. The warehouses were refurbished and cafes and restaurants were set up. 18 19 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE It is a public institution for scientific and technological research and higher education. SANKEY TANK Col. Richard Hieram Sankey of the Madras Sappers regiment built the Sankey Reservoir in 1882 to meet the water demands of growing Bangalore city. It is also known as Gandhadhakotikere, as the government sandalwood depot was situated near the lake. C.V. RAMAN RD. C.V. Raman was a prominent Indian physicist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1930 for the discovery, ‘that when light traverses a transparent material, some of the light that is deflected changes in wavelength’.