Bangalore- Of Gardens, Techno Parks And Many Lanaguges

Raggi Mudde

17 years ago

Categories: Bangalore

Legend has it that King Veeraballa of Vijayanagara once lost his way in a forest. Hungry and exhausted, he chanced upon an old woman cooking outside a hut. He begged her for food and was given a bowl of baked beans or ‘benda kallu’ in Kannada.

The king’s gratitude was so immense that he named the place after the dish. Hence the region came to be known as ‘Benda Kallu Ooru’, or ‘Land of baked beans’ which eventually became Bangalore.

The History Of Bangalore

On the cusp of achieving independence, Bangalore was still a part of the state of Mysore in 1945-46. The city was one of the first in Asia to use hydroelectricity. Bangalore was known as the Garden city of India.

Today, the name of the city may have changed to Bengaluru, but the essence of the city remains the same. Brigade road, one of the most crowded roads today, was a wide road back in the day that saw limited vehicular movement.

Like the road, many of the buildings flanking the road are also still standing today. Some of these buildings house the current Post Office and stores like Ashok Electricals and the Louis Philip and LEE showroom. South Parade Road was another important artery in the city. Today, it has been renamed as M.G. Road.

Over the years, Bangalore has expanded and grown in all directions. The present-day IT hub and the electronic city did not always look like this. Back in the day, Hosur Road saw more bullock cart traffic than people and vehicles.

It is believed that before independence, Bangalore had fewer than 1000 cars plying the streets. This may be hard to imagine given the mile-long traffic jams that are an everyday occurrence now. How do we know this- the number plates for the cars of that time had only three digits.

Thus, not only could the number of cars in Bangalore have been limited to under 1000, there may have been fewer than 1000 cars in the entire state of Mysore.

Soon after independence, the state of Mysore was renamed as Karnataka with Bangalore continuing to be the capital. The city experienced tremendous real estate growth with the IT boom and is today one of the most populous cities in India.

Advertising
Advertising

Bengaluru – A Tourist’s Heaven

Bangalore (Bengaluru), also known as the Silicon Valley of the south, is a perfect example of peaceful coexistence. Recent years have seen Bengaluru develop and grow exponentially, while staying true to its roots. Despite its gradual metamorphosis into a concrete jungle filled with corporates and high-end pubs, Bengaluru remains a tourist hub with several million tourists flocking to see the various sights in and around the city every year.

Vidhana Soudha in Bangalore. Image source Muhammad Mahdi Karim/Augustus Binu

Sightseeing options in and around Bangalore

Bengaluru is blessed with a multitude of sightseeing options, which include architectural marvels as well as spots of unparalleled natural beauty. Some of the chief attractions are mentioned below.

Lalbagh: Sprawling over 240 acres of land, Lalbagh gets its name due to the sheer number of red roses growing in it. Ever since it was built in 1760 by Hyder Ali, Lalbagh has grown in leaps and bounds. It now boasts one of the most extensive collections of rare tropical plants, topiary, and several other attractions.

Cubbon Park: Cubbon Park is synonymous with Bengaluru. Situated at the very heart of the city in close proximity to several landmarks such as Vidhana Soudha, Cubbon Park offers respite from the hustle and bustle of modern Bengaluru. Boasting a variety of flora in its premises, Cubbon Park is very popular among both fitness enthusiasts and botanical researchers.

Vidhana Soudha: This is an edifice which is steeped in the history of Bangalore, and is symbolic of the melting pot of ethnicities that Bengaluru has become. Its construction was completed in 1956 and was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The building contains elements of British, Dravidian and Indo-Islamic architecture, and is truly a marriage of cultures.

Bangalore Palace: Built in 1887 by King Chamaraja Wodeyar, Bangalore Palace is noteworthy for its Tudor style design. The beauty and simplicity of its wooden façade and lush green grounds has fascinated tourists for decades. It has an open courtyard in its ground floor which has been used for several purposes, such as concerts, weddings, exhibitions etc.

Tipu Sultan’s summer palace: Built in 1791 as the summer residence of the then Sultan of Mysore, the palace is still a popular tourist destination due to its exquisite and intricate architecture. There is an Islamic tone to much of the carvings and decorations. The ground floor is now used as a museum and draws a large crowd every year.

Bannerghatta National Park: Started in 1971, Bannerghatta National Park was started with the objectives of conserving endangered species, and promoting ecotourism. With a plethora of wildlife, ranging from panthers, lions, tigers, and black bears, the park draws several thousand visitors every year. It is situated 22 km from Bengaluru and is easily accessible by car.

Nandi Hills: Situated 60 km from Bengaluru, this hill station is one of the most convenient weekend getaways for people living in Bengaluru. It is extremely popular among superbike clubs and vehicle enthusiasts due to the good quality roads. The Nandi sunrise is legendary and draws people from all over the country to this eclectic and remote hill station.

Bangalore Palace Image courtesy commons.wikimedia.org

Budget shopping destinations in Bengaluru

Bengaluru is also a shopaholics’ dream come true and boasts of several budget shopping destinations.

Chickpet: Over its 400 years history, Chickpet has carved its own niche in the textile industry as a saree haven. Several millions worth of every variety of saree known to man are sold every day in Chickpet. Silver and gold ornaments at very reasonable rates also witness booming sales here.

Brigade road: Brigade road is one such place that has commercial establishments at both ends of the price spectrum. It has generic designer outlets and brand showrooms, as well as its own collection of budget stalls and small shops. Anything from handicrafts to cloths and spices are available at reasonable prices. In spite of the mushrooming of expensive outlets in and around it, Brigade Road has stayed true to its origins as a budget shopping destination.

Commercial Street: Ever since its inception, Commercial Street has seen a footfall of a few thousand every day, due to the reasonable prices and the shopkeepers’ receptiveness to bargaining. Sports enthusiasts especially will love Commercial Street for the amazing deals it offers on sports goods and accessories. Traditional and imported footwear, electronic items, biker apparel are all available for half the price at branded outlets.

Bengaluru Is India’s Most Linguistically Diverse District

Bengaluru is known as a thriving IT hub that attracts people from across the country. The diversity of people moving to Bengaluru for education and better work opportunities has led to it becoming one of the richest cities in terms of culture.

One of the key indicators of this is the number of languages spoken in the city. A recent analysis of the 2011 census showed that Bengaluru is one of the few cities in India where more than 100 languages are spoken.

In fact, Bengaluru citizens speak in 107 languages including22 scheduled and 84 non-scheduled languages.

Key Languages

Of course, Kannada is the most commonly spoken language in the city. 44.62% of the people included in the census listed Kannada as their mother tongue. 15% listed Tamil as their mother tongue while 14% listed their mother tongue as Telegu. One of the reasons for this is the high number of traders ad skilled labourers who migrated to the city when the Britishers began constructing the cantonment in Bengaluru.

Other scheduled languages commonly spoken in the city include Hindi, Punjabi, Maithili, Malayalam, Odia, Konkani, Kashmiri, Urdu, Sindhi, Santali, Manipuri, Marathi and Nepali. The rising service sector is credited with the influx of languages from the north eastern parts of India.

English is considered an additional official language in India and hence not included in the list of scheduled languages. Other non-scheduled languages spoken in Bengaluru include Kabuli, Arabic, Pashto, Tibetan, Nishi, Lushai, Mundari, Nicobarese, Sherpa and languages from Nagaland.

Language Diversity In Other Cities

In all, there are 121 scheduled and non-scheduled languages spoken in India. A few other cities like Pune, Sonitpur in Assam and Dimapur in Nagaland have a population speaking over 100 of these languages. At the other end of the spectrum, people in places like Yanam in Puducherry, Kaushambi and Kanpur Dehat in Uttar Pradesh Kaimur in Bihar, and Ariyalur in Tamil Nadu speak less than 20 languages.

What Makes Bengaluru So Linguistically Diverse?

Bengaluru has always been a thriving economy. The influx of people and their languages dates back to the 1500s when Kempegowda built his mud fort and called traders and labourers to the city.

Tipu Sultan continued the tradition by inviting skilled labourers to the city. When the British began setting up a cantonment in the city and required manpower, they too called engineers are labourers to settle in the city.

With independence, Bengaluru became a strategic location for industrial set-ups and public sector undertakings such as Bharat Electronics and Hindustan Aeronautics. With globalisation and the opening of markets, Bengaluru began attracting international talent as well. Today, it is considered a city where migrants can get by easily without knowing the local language.

How to reach Bengaluru

The city is well connected by air, rail and road to all major cities in the country.

By Air

The city is well-connected by regular flights from almost all important cities in India. Many international carriers flow in and out of the Bengaluru International Airport. The airport is located at a distance of about 40 km from the city center.

By Rail

Two main railway stations connect Bengaluru e to the rest of the country – Bengaluru City Railway Station and Yeswantpur Junction. Both the stations have regular trains running from various cities of the country.

By Road

The city enjoys road connectivity to several nearby cities through a network of buses. Different kinds of buses, including regular buses, Volvo, air-conditioned, and sleeper coaches are available for reaching Bengaluru. Some of the buses are operated by Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) while others are run by private operators.

Also see