BANGALORE

THR OUG H THE CENTURIE S

 Bangalore
Through the Centuries

BY

M. FAZLUL HASAN, b .a ., b .l .

HISTORICAL PUBLICATIONS
BANGALORE 41 - INDIA
 BANGALORE THROUGH THE CENTURIES
A historical narrative of Bangalore.
Historical Publications
272/B 37th ‘A' Cross, Jayanagar, Bangalore 41

Firtt EdiHoH 7970

© M. FAZLUL HASAN

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ra n rn s m o id u it a . a. k o s u l a at t k i v i s l s t ra m , w m a t
 DEDICATED

TO

THE CITIZENS OF BANGALORE

TO

PERPETUATE THEIR INTEREST

IN THE GLORIOUS ANNALS OF

THEIR CITY
 FOREWORD

Local history has received little attention in our country.

Many cities of India have a fascinating historical background.
But only a few books have been written about them. The
Gazetteers, though re-written in recent years, give only brief
accounts of places of local importance. The emphasis, in these
accounts, is more on the historical aspect than on the cultural
and social life of the times they deal with.
Bangalore has a singular charm of arousing the interest of
both Indians and foreigners in its chequered history. Its strat­
egic position has played a great part in influencing the history
of peninsular India. Its salubrious climate, which has attracted
people from all over the country and abroad, is largely instru­
mental in leading it to its present prosperity. It is interesting to
know that Bangalore had been a pawn on the chess-board of
Indian intrigues. Kempe Gowda built it. Bijapur Sultanate
conquered it. The Moghuls sold it. Chikkadevaraja Wodeyar
purchased it. It was the personal jahagir of Shahji Bhonsley and
Haider Ali, two great historical personalities, in different periods
of its history. It w'as a ‘Spot of England in India’ during the
British days. This historic city has its strange incidents, too.
How many exciting episodes and fierce battles have been written
into its history!
Bangalore Through the Centuries written by Mr M. Fazlul
Hasan, gives an interesting narrative of these historical events
in twenty luminous chapters. The book has an admirable collec­
tion of representative data. It also deals with other aspects of
local history. The variety and richness of Bangalore’s cultural
heritage has been brought out in good detail. The author, who
has consulted manv historical works available on the subject in
preparing his manuscript, has evinced keen interest in bringing
to light many rare paintings and photographs of old Bangalore,
Indeed, it is difficult to find a better book on Bangalore than the
present one.
Yet, Bangalore’s narrative has dark periods of its history.
The hundred years of the rule of Yelahanka Nadu Prabhus is
still a period of its history of which little is known. This lacuna
in Bangalore's history is a challenge to scholars who may like to
do research work on the subject, Mr M, Fazlul Hasan, who is
well acquainted with the material on Bangalore’s history, I hope,
wilt succeed in unravelling this mystery by the time he brings out
the next edition of his book.
This book is a valuable contribution to local history of this
country. I hope it will be read with interest not only by the
citizens of Bangalore but also by many people in India and abroad,
for Bangalore is a city which has aroused international interest.

Raj Bhavan,
Bangalore,
Dated: 20-5-1970
(D habm a V ir a )
Governor of Mysore
 PREFACE

Bangalore, ‘the Garden City’, is the vibrant heart of Mysore

State. Sprawling and always in a state of perpetual growth, it
presents a vista of countless multicoloured buildings, glittering
parks, narrow streets, well laid roads and superb public edifices
lying unobtrusively around. Here, people drawn by countless
forces are buffeted about in the whirlpool of its life.
Behind this fayade of Bangalore’s modern appearance lies
a glorious past, which if it somewhat appears to be far removed
from the present time, nevertheless almost insensibly blends
into it. The massive walls of Bangalore’s once superb fort have
crumbled with the vicissitudes of time and the requirements of a
growing city except for a small portion which still remains and
reminds one of the glor}^ that was. Great historical events and
political upheavals which have taken place here, in the years gone
by, have left an indelible impress and to a large extent have
a direct bearing on its growth and development as the metropolis
of the State.
Bangalore has enormously changed since it was first built by
Kempe Gowda over four centuries ago. But, its glorious past
remains unchanged. If an>nhing, it is consigned to oblivion by
the remorseless course of time. In these pages I have endeavou­
red to recapture that glorious past. Strangely enough, till now no
approach has been made for a systematic study of Bangalore’s
history. Excepting the guide books there are few books on
Bangalore. It is, therefore, wdth considerable diffidence that
I publish these pages. The subject with which they deal is so vast
and the circumstances under which I had to pursue the study so
disadvantageous that I could hope for no greater measure of
success. I shall be highly grateful to the critics who may
suggest corrections to be made in the book.
It is my foremost duty to record my deep sense of gratitude
to Mr C. S. Seshadri, who wffiile he was Commissioner of the
Bangalore Corporation encouraged me to write this book. His
kindly interest in my book, at every stage of its execution, was a
source of inspiration to me. I am also under a deep debt of gratitude
to the kindness of Mr R. M. Patil, Ex-Minister for Municipal
Administration and of Mr G. Narayana, Ex-Mayor of Bangalore.
Their keen interest in my book has enabled me to publish it
earlier than expected. To Mr K. Balasubramanyam, and to Mr
M. S. Shankara Rao, past and present Administrators, respectively,
of Bangalore Corporation, and to Mr C. J. Padmanabha, the
present Commissioner, I am indebted for the valuable assistance
and encouragement I received from them.
I am under a special debt of gratitude to His Excellency
Mr Dharma Vira, Governor of Mysore, for his scholarly foreword
to the book.
I have especially to thank the authorities of the Bharata
Itihasa Samshodhaka Mandala, Poona; the Municipal Corpo­
ration, Poona; the Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad; the
Saraswathi Mahal Library, Tanjavur; the Connemara Public
Library, Madras; the Mythic Society, the Kannada Sahitya
Parishat, and the Public Library, Bangalore; the Binny Mills
and the Bowring Institute, Bangalore, for their kindness in per­
mitting me to make use of their libraries and in providing me
with valuable photographs of old Bangalore and of the historic
personalities connected with its annals. My thanks are due to
the Commandant, Madras Engineers Group and Centre, Banga­
lore; and to Dr Francois Bernard Machc, Paris, for their
kindness in making available two valuable photographs
of old paintings which relate to Bangalore’s history; to
the Director General of Museums, Government of India
Archaeological Survey, New Delhi; and to the Director of
Archaeology in Mysore, Mysore, for permission granted to me
to take photographs of some paintings and illustrations at Tippu
Museum, Daria Daulat Bagh, Seringapatam and Government
Museum, Bangalore, respectively.
My thanks are also due to Dr A. N. Krishna Rao, the
eminent Kannada litterateur, for his valuable suggestions, to Mr
S. Ramesh for his impressive drawing of Bangalore fort as it
looked when Kempe Gowda built it and for preparing the maps,
to Mr S. R. Ramaswamy for preparing the Index, to Miss
Ameena Shaheen for reading the proofs, to M/s Mysore News
Photos and M/s G. G. Welling, photographers. Bangalore, for
the photographs printed in the book and to Mr K. A. Korula,
Superintendent of the Wesley Press, Mysore, for printing this
book so well.
Bangalore, M . F a z l u l H asan
Dated: 26-5-1970
 C O N T E N T S
C hapter P age

1. ‘The Heroic Land’ 1

2. The Founder 11
3. The Bijapur Conquest 21
4. The Great Southern Campaign 36
5. Escapade in Bangalore 47
6. Chikka Deva Raja Wodeyar 59
7. A Historic Temple 69
8. Haider Ali 78
9. Battle for Bangalore 96
10. Esprit de Corps 112
11. Bangalore Cantonment 124
12. The British Commission 131
13. The Public Offices 139
14. Karaga 146
15. The Law Courts 151
16. The Fourth Estate 164
17. Local Self-Government 174
18. Shadow of the Bihisti 183
19. After Rendition 195
20. The Garden City 211
Appendices 223
Bibliography 235
Index 239
 L I S T OF I L L U S T R A T I O N S

Front end paper

Artist’s impression of Kempegowda Fort when it was built in 1537
Back end paper
A survey map of Bangalore of 1874
Maps
South India in 1537 Facing page 2
South India in 1780 ,, 86
Illustrations
Gavigangadhareshwara Temple,Gavipur „ 16
Dharmaraya Temple, Halsoor Gate,Bangalore ,, 17
Between pp. 32-33
A view of the Halsoor Gate, Bangalore
Eastern view of Bangalore
South-western view of Bangalore from the Kempambudi Tank
Southern Entrance into the Fort of Bangalore
A view of the Southern Oval Fort from the Pettah
Someshwara Temple, Halsoor
Statue of Kempegowda I at Sivaganga 'I'emple
Basava Temple, Basavangudi
Statue of Kempegowda I in front of Corporation Main Office*
Ranganatha Temple, Bangalore
Mohammad Adil Shah, Sultan of Bijapur
Gol-Gumbaz, Bijapur
Shahji Bhonsley
Tomb of Shahji Bhonsley at Hoqdigere
Venkaji
Shivaji
Aurangazeb Between pp. 64-65
Rajaram
Sangin Jamia Masjid, Taramandalpet, Bangalore
Chikka Deva Raja Wodeyar
A Street in the Southern Fort, Bangalore
Venkataramanaswamy Temple, Fort, Bangalore
Garuda Pillar, Venkataramanaswamy Temple
Tippu Sultan’s Palace from the northern entrance
Another view of Tippu’s Palace, Bangalore
Haider Ali Khan
North-eastern View of Bangalore
Mysore Gate, Bangalore
View of the Inner Gate with guard room near Delhi Gate,
Bangalore
Mausoleum of Ibrahim Khan, Khilledar of Bangalore
Nana Phadnavis
Nizam Ali
Tippu Sultan
Lord Cornwallis Between pp. 96-97
Peshwa Savoi Madhava Rao signing treaty with Charles Mallet
A map of Bangalore showing the Forts
A view of Delhi Gate, Bangalore
The Mysore Cavalry and Infantry with Haider Ali and
Tippu Sultan
Battle of Polilore
Moghul Army
Maratha Cavalry
A view of Halsoor from the top of the Trinity Church
Trinity Church, Halsoor
A view of Bangalore Cantonment from St. John's Church
 Between pp. 96-97
Sir Mark Cubbon „
L. B. Bowring „
Bangalore Fort with the Pettah on the northern side „
Doddapet, Bangalore
Avenue Road (Southern end) „
Map of Bangalore of 1850 ,,
Between pp. 160-161
Southern View of Tippu Sultan’s Palace „
Old Public Offices Building (Attara Kutchery) „
Vidhana Soudha „
Karaga
Darga-e-Shariff of Hazarat Taukkal Mastan, Cottonpet „
Main Offices of Bangalore Corporation, Narasimharaja Square ,,
Mayo Hall—Meeting Place of Bangalore Corporation Council ,,
A. Maigandhadeva Mudaliar „
T. V, Raghavalu Naidoo >,
K. p. Puttanna Chetty „
Mohammed Abbas Khan „
M. Visvesvaraya „
Mirza Ismail >,
Map showing the area of Bangalore Corporation in 1968 ,,
Map showing the area of Bangalore Corporation in 1949 „
The descent of Ganga „
Inauguration of the Bangalore Integrated Water
Supply Scheme „
R. Narasimhachar „
B. Lewis Rice „
Eastern view of Bangalore with the I.al-Bagh in the
foreground ,,
XV
 Between pp. 216-217
Another view of Lai-Bagh from the Kempegowda Tower ,,
Town Hall, Bangalore ,,
Krishnarajendra Technological Institute, Bangalore ,,
A Circle Garden, Bangalore
 C h a p te r I

THE HEROI C L A N D

Reminiscent of the traditional account of Romulus founding

the city of Rome at the Palatine is the incident that led to the
erection of the historic fort of Bangalore. In the vicinity
of this place, narrates a legend, the celebrated Kempe Gowda I,
founder of Bangalore and ancestor of the Yelahanka Nadu
Prabhus, when he was out on a hunt, saw the strange sight of a
hare chasing his dog. Convinced that the place of this incident
indicated ‘Gandu Bhumi’ or ‘Heroic Land’, he raised a mud fort
there and founded a township within it, in 1537 A.D., with the
permission of the emperor of Vijayanagar, suzerain of the Yela­
hanka Nadu Prabhus.
Kempe Gowda called the new fort, Bangaluru, a name which
conjured a nostalgic fascination to the people who inhabited this
part of the country, in earlier times. The name Bangalore appears
to be more antiquarian than is generally realised, for, it is found
in an inscription* of the 9th century a . d ., discovered at Begur
village, which is situated about nine miles south-east of Bangalore,
Nevertheless, the place which probably lent Bangalore its name
when it entered history, was a small hamlet called ‘Hale Bengaluru’
or ‘old Bangalore’. This hamlet once existed at the spot where
now stands the village of Kodagihalli, about five miles from
Hebbal, a place which is well known for its Agricultural College
and Civil Aerodrome. Apart from these historical facts, however.
Bangalore’s name is associated with a charming story, which vies
in interest with the tale of Alfred the Great and the burned cake.
This story narrates how Bangalore first came to be known as
‘bengal-uru’t or ‘the Village of Boiled Beans’ in commemoration
of the hospitality which Veera Ballala Raya, the great Hoysala
king received, at this place, from an old woman, while he was on
his way home, alone and hungry, after a most disappointing hunt.
The old woman, who was a lonely inhabitant, when approached
by the royal visitor for food, served him with a few boiled bean—
* M ysore Archaeological R eport, 1914-15, p . 16.
-j- the Kannada compound word became dortv.«ao.
2 BANGALORE THROUGH THE CENTURIES

her sole culinary possession—and the grateful Veera Ballala, so

goes the story, humoured himself by calling this single human
habitation ‘Bengal Uru’. But this story, though it continues to
attract popular belief from a long time, however, fades into insigni­
ficance in the light of tangible historical evidence.
The fort which Kempe Gowda built at this place was of no
mean magnitude. It consisted of eight gates, the most prominent
of which were the Yelahanka Gate in the north, the Halsoor Gate
in the east, the Anekal Gate in the south and the Kengeri Gate in
the west. In appearance, it resembled the forts of Channapatna
or Nagamangala as they were about a quarter of a century ago.
Kempe Gowda’s fort stood at the place where now exists the old
town of Bangalore with its numerous ‘petes’ or commercial locali­
ties, such as Nagarth Pete, Ballapurada Pete, Taragu Pete (old).
Bale Pete, Chikka Pete, etc., and was surrounded by a deep ditch
and a hedge. Not a vestige of it now remains as the entire forti­
fications were demolished during the days of the British Com­
mission, about a hundred years ago, to accommodate the expand­
ing old town.
Never was a time more replete with momentous historical
events than the fifty years immediately preceding the coming into
existence of Kempe Gowda’s fort at Bangalore. By the end of
the 15th century, India witnessed the arrival of the Portuguese
by sea, in the south, followed by other European nations such as
England, Holland, Denmark and France. And, just a few years
after Vasco da Gama arrived in Malabar, Babar and his Mughal
armies appeared in the northern plains of India. Nearer home
the Bahamani kingdom, laying between Tapati and Krishna
rivers, was divided, in 1526, into five independent principalities.
The great Vijayanagar empire, which sprawled from the Krishna
river to Kanya Kumari, was in the plenitude of its power under
the magnificent rule of Krishna Deva Raya the Great. Beyond
the shores of India, at this time, the world felt the effects of
Renaissance and Reformation, the great movements which shook
Europe. Europe itself, at this period of its history, was under
the rule of such potentates as Henry VIII, Charles V, Francis I,
and Suleiman the Magnificent.
It may be that the founding of Bangalore rested on fortuitous
circumstances or its founder brought into existence his dream