BANGALORE: The Raj is gone, but like in every other city, traces of it remain in Bangalore.
Buildings that stand out even as the clutter around them threaten to gobble them up. And every once in a while, they catch our attention — mostly as landmarks we/autowallah identifies. Each of these landmarks — Cantonment, Mayo Hall, Parade Ground, Oriental building-- stands tall with a halo of history around them. And today, on Independence Day, we take you to these places to tell you what they meant in the 19th century and what they mean today:
THE AREA
Then: The part of Bangalore that was directly under the administration of the British Raj was called the Cantonment.
This was spread across the Residency on the west to Binnamangala on the east and the Tanneries in the north to Agram in the south. Like the name suggests this area was the military cantonment of the British Raj. Extending up to 21 sq km, it was the largest British military cantonment in South India. The rest of Bangalore was called the pete, comprising mostly the traditional Kannidigas.
The heart of the Cantonment area is the Parade Ground. The other landmark in this area, the Victoria Hospital, was inaugurated in 1900 by Lord Curzon, the then Viceroy and Governor-General of British India.
Now: As this was the area where the non-Kannidiga population settled down, and due to the military establishments, many of the roads retain the anglicised names. So you have the Brigade Road, Cockburn Road, Artillery Road, Dickenson Road and so on.
REMAINS OF COLONIAL RULE
Mayo Hall Then: When the British army decided to shift its base from Srirangapatnam to Bangalore and made the Cantonment area their garrison town, the whole area was put in the centre of swift development.
Lord Mayo, the Viceroy General of India, during the time of this change was assassinated and it is in his memory that the Mayo Hall was constructed and inaugurated in 1883.
Now: Even today the Mayo Hall houses many administrative departments.
Central Jail
Then: The Central Jail which was recently opened as a tourist attraction Freedom Park, is a tribute to the freedom fighters who were imprisoned here.
It is located on one of the oldest roads of Bangalore, Sheshadri Road. The jail was built in 1867 during British rule and housed undertrials and convicts till 2001, after which the new jail was built at Parappana Agrahara. Freedom fighters were executed there during the first war of Indian independence (sepoy mutiny) in 1857.
Now: The Freedom Park, spread over 25 acres , houses an open theatre, an amphitheatre, a museum showcasing the Central Jail’s history, a gallery for art and photo exhibition like Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat, a heritage building, a library and a musical fountain.
Other than that there are many buildings like the Oriental Building, the Waverly Inn(the building where Winston Churchill stayed) and the umpteen number of churches reminding you that wherever you are history is all around you.